Summary

• Elden Ring offers unique traversal options not seen in other From Software games, like universal fast travel and hidden shortcuts.
• Sealed Spiritsprings in the DLC enhance the verticality of the map, requiring players to solve puzzles to access new areas.
• Overcoming challenges like finding and activating Sealed Spiritsprings in the DLC adds depth and rewards to the game experience.

Surviving can be hard in previous From Software games is its suite of traversal options. Things like universal fast travel, horse riding, double jumping, even single jumping are far from commonplace in Soulsborne games - in this regard, Elden Ring is the exception, not the rule.

Another novel aspect of Elden Ring is its open-world map. That means that getting from point A to point B isn't always so straightforward. Shortcuts, secret ageways, and illusory walls abound. Thankfully, the methods of traversal employed in Elden Ring make this easier from time to time. But in an effort to surprise (or confuse) seasoned players, Shadow of the Erdtree hides what may be its most useful new method of traversal behind an obtuse puzzle. There's an easy solution, but players need to know what to look for.

Sealed Spiritsprings Make Getting Around Elden Ring's DLC Easier

Shadow Of The Erdtree's Greatest Puzzles

the Spiritsprings from Elden Ring's base game? Cloudy waves of air radiating from cracks in the ground, these would propel the player character (and Torrent) high into the air, usually allowing them to land safely on some high-up platform and access a new area. Well, they're back in the DLC, only some of them don't work. They're called Sealed Spiritsprings, and they look identical to their base game cousins, only somehow muted. The secret to activating these Sealed Spiritsprings is to find a nearby rock cairn and smash it, thus removing the hold and propelling the Tarnished skyward yet again.

The only way to figure out this information in-game is to discover it organically, or buy a note from Moore at the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace.

Sealed Spiritsprings Enhance Shadow Of The Erdtree's Verticality

A Hallmark Of The Elden Ring DLC Map

Sealed Spiritsprings both accentuate and complicate the very thing that makes Elden Ring's DLC map unique: its increased verticality. The Land of Shadow has more variation in elevation than most of the base Elden Ring map regions, except maybe the Mountaintops of the Giants. That necessitates a lot of upward and downward travel, which would be all too simple if the map were dotted with working Spiritsprings. Instead, Elden Ring requires players to solve a problem (albeit a simple one) by breaking rock cairns before they can use the easy way out. At other times, players must navigate unintuitive paths to get up cliffsides, or trust risky jumps to reach distant valleys.

The overall effect is that everything in the DLC, even something as simple as getting around, feels interesting, challenging, and ultimately rewarding. It's emblematic of that classic FromSoft tough love: there are great rewards to be found, if only players are willing to overcome challenges big and small. Sealed Spiritsprings may only pose a small challenge once they're understood, but even getting to that point takes a fair bit of effort. But learning how to find and solve them can open up countless new areas in Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.