The Abyssal Woods in Shadow of the Erdtree are one of the scariest locations in all of Elden Ring, with warning messages at the edge saying "don't let it see you", and "once you are seen, there is no escape". The threat turns out to be untouchable creatures with bulbous, orange heads, servants of the Frenzied Flame that feel very much like references to similar Winter Lanterns in Bloodborne.
The Abyssal Woods seem tough, but there is a way to get through them and survive them - and, more importantly, even a way to kill the unkillable, untouchable enemies, surprisingly, and reach Midra's Manse, a key location at the end with a special encounter for seasoned Shadow of the Erdtree players.
What to do in the Abyssal Woods in Shadow of the Erdtree
There's a few minor locations and treasures dotted around the Abyssal Woods, but the main location you want to reach is Midra's Manse, a decaying old manorhouse in the Southwest corner that serves as a middling sized dungeon, and one of the Shadow of the Erdtree Remembrance bosses waiting at the end. We've marked its location on the map above, as well as where to find one of the Shadow of the Erdtree map fragments to reveal the whole area.
How to kill the enemies in the Abyssal Woods in Shadow of the Erdtree
The Abyssal Woods have several kinds of enemies - frenzied rats, clerics using holy magic - but the main threat that the messages are warning you about, the "untouchable" enemies, are generally referred to as the Winter Lanterns, in accordance with the enemies they closely resemble from Bloodborne, and the bugs of the same name that can be found in the area. They appear as hunched, humanoid with giant, distorted orange heads and sticks held in their hands.
The main way to get around the Winter Lanterns is to use stealth. There's long grass around them in patches where they can't see you if you crouch, though that grass periodically has a kind of orange fruit that rattles and alerts them if you touch it, so stay away from those stalks. Keep behind them, keep your distance, and take your time - if they see you and you don't have the special gear to kill them, you'll almost certainly be killed, as they teleport or dash towards you quickly, using grapple attacks to inflict high damage and Madness on you.
To kill the Winter Lanterns of the Abyssal Woods, you need to parry their attacks. Yes, that means a shield or weapon with the Parry skill, so if you don't have one equipped, you won't be able to beat them. It's a small window, but parrying the Lanterns' attack staggers them - not only does this set them up for a high damage riposte, but it permanently dispels the effect that renders them unkillable/untouchable, so you can follow up with regular attacks to kill them.
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