If you’re sick of tip-toeing through Shadow of the Erdtree‘s Abyssal Woods in stealth mode, sheathe your caution and find out how to kill the location’s supposedly invulnerable monsters.
There’s some naturally eerie and unnerving about the Abyssal Woods in Elden Ring‘s long-awaited and lauded DLC. The music is tense, the atmosphere is muddied in fear, and something’s wrong when Torrent won’t join because it’s too scared. Shadow of the Erdtree‘s Abyssal Woods guardians are the reason for this.
Grotesque figures with four billion brightly colored eyes, if they spot you, you’re pretty much done for—or so we thought.
Can you kill Abyssal Woods Winter Lantern enemy in Shadow of the Erdtree?
Yes, the horrific Abyssal Woods enemies can be killed by parrying them before they inflict you with madness and attempt to kill you in Shadow of the Erdtree.
I didn’t enjoy the Abyssal Woods when I thought the entire place was a stealth-intended section, as it’s not what I play for Elden Ring for. However, through experimenting and community collaboration, players have discovered a simple parry is all it takes to make these unkillable forces completely mortal.
Here’s how to kill an Abyssal Woods Winter Lantern enemy in Elden Ring‘s DLC:
- Go to the Abyssal Woods.
- Equip a weapon that has the Parry ability, such as a Small or Medium Shield—or use the Golden Parry skill.
- Find one of the creatures lurking around the Abyssal Woods.
- Confront one.
- Wait for them to perform their grab attack, and in that moment, hit them with a well-timed Parry.
- If done correctly, you repel the enemy’s attack, and you can now damage them.
- Repeat the method to kill the Abyssal Woods enemy and any subsequent ones you come across.
The term “Winter Lantern,” by the way, comes from Bloodborne‘s Winter Lantern enemy, which bears a striking resemblance to the creature inhabiting the Abyssal Woods’ madness-filled land.
On the other hand, if Parrying isn’t your thing, or you’re struggling, you can avoid them altogether.
How to avoid Abyssal Woods enemy in Shadow of the Erdtree DLC
I found two main ways to avoid Abyssal Woods’ Winter Lanterns enemies: Use the tall grass for cover or use trees to break the sightline between yourself and their gaze.
The first method is pretty self-explanatory. The Abyssal Woods is suspiciously populated by a large amount of tall grass. Just tall enough to hide you, so sneak through the woods using the tall grass—like in Horizon or Uncharted 4—and come through the other side unscathed.
I strongly advise against sprinting. On a couple of occasions, I thought I was clear of the creature’s target area, sprinted, and almost immediately the enemy teleported to me!
Another effective technique is to frantically roll away from a creature if spotted, and if possible, find a tall, wide tree and hide behind it. Sometimes the enemy continues to attack relentlessly, but on rare occasions—hiding behind the tree and blocking its view of myself ended the pursuit. So all is not lost if they get to you!
I hope this helps you, and for even more guidance on Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, check out how to get the Sword of Night, how to get Jolan’s armor, and how to get Rakshasa’s Great Katana & armor set.
