The gaols ofElden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC are certainly unlike any other dungeon you’ve encountered in the base game. Consistently long and full of difficult enemies, the winding halls of these gaols are meant to confound and challenge; Lamenter’s Gaol is no different in this regard.

However, what sets this gaol apart from the others is its looping maze-like structure and odd final boss. If you think you’re ready to take on this gaol, think again. There was nothing that could have prepared us writers for the plot twist at the end of this dungeon. Thankfully,youhave a guide.

Player looks at Lamenter’s Gaol location on an unfinished map in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

How To Find The Lamenter’s Gaol

Lamenter’s Gaol isaccessible in Charo’s Grave, though you can spy it on the Gravesite Plains section of the map. To reach it, you’ll have to pass through the Death Rite Bird’s lake to the furthest section north in the cliff-face. The entrance is surrounded by iron cages.

The dungeon’saverage clear time appears to be 20–25 minutes, making it one of the longer non-legacy dungeons of the game.

Player comes to a Y in the path of Lamenter’s Gaol and pauses to look both ways in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

To access Charo’s Grave, you’ll need to have entered Jagged Peak. If you have not yet unlocked this area,check outour official guideon the matter.

How To Find The Upper Lamenter’s Gaol Key

As you enter the gaol and descend into its labyrinthian tunnels, you will first come upon a Y-shaped intersection. Your decision doesn’t matter here because you don’t have the key for the door on the right yet, sotake the left.It’s time to find a key in a dungeon. While the key is an easy find, let’s take a small detour for an extremely important object.

Ignore the first door on the right.It has nothing important and only a trap, so flip your Elden Ring to the shade inside as you run past to the land bridge below.

Player stands at the top of the land bridge in Lamenter’s Gaol in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

At the bottom, there’s a few shades and a jar innard. Defeat them all andtake thePrattling Pate “Lamentation"at the dead end.

Now, you canreturn to the top of the land bridgewith the ability to sound like what we’ll all be feeling by the end of this gaol. At the top of the bridge,take your first left into a side room.Beware of the shades hiding in wait behind the rocks on the left beforetaking the beautiful Gaol Upper Level Key.

Player looks into room that houses the Gaol Upper Level Key in Lamenter’s Gaol, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

How To Find The Clarifying Horn Charm +2

Returning to the locked door at the Y from earlier,unlock the doorwith your sparkling new key. You candescend the ladderhere (or fall, like the clutz we were). At the bottom,pauseand put on your ear muffs. You’ll need them.

We will call this upcoming roomthe “Ice Room.“It is the central chamber of this dungeon, and we will return to this section several times.Remember the name.

Player uses the Upper Gaol Key to open the door in Lamenter’s Gaol, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

Inside the Ice Room, the Jar Innards have picked upa new trick: screaming.Very powerful screaming.The closer you are, the more damage you’ll take.Some of these enemies will be able to one-shot a character with 60 or higher Vigor.

There are several doors in this room, but for now, the only one we care about is the one onthe west side.Open the cell dooranddescend the ladderahead. Down here, you’ll want toturn on your lantern and watch for rats. There are several of the small and large varieties.

Player walks into an icy room filled with jar innards in the Lamenter’s Gaol in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

Many of the larger rats will hide behind rock formations, so tread with caution.

There will eventually be a path split between south and north. South isn’t worth the trip for a sillyInnard Meat, but north is a different story. Therefore,take the north path.In the final room (where another of the large rats will try to ambush you) is theClarifying Horn Charm+2.

Player opens the westward door in the ice room of Lamenter’s Gaol in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

How To Find The Lower Lamenter’s Gaol Key

Returning to the Ice Room,we’ll do a little prep-work for the rest of the run. On thenorth sideof the room, there is a door into a new room.Do not enter.

Instead,attempt either:

This Jar Innard is the strongest of this dungeon. Leaving it alone means you’ll appear above it later in the dungeon, as we did, and find yourself in a spot where you’ll be instantly killed by its scream.

When the Jar Innards in the north room are defeated,leave the north roomalone and insteadgo up the nearby stairs to the east exit.

Player loots the Clarifying Horn Charm +2 from a corpse in Lamenter’s Gaol in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

There is another Jar Innard at the top of the stairs, so beware of its scream.

On the east path, you’ll run into a trap wherethe floor will fall out beneath you. Let it happen anddescend into the room of shades.Up the stairs ahead, you’d have another choice if you weren’t following a guide.Go stay on the stairs and continue up(we’ll come back here later; remember this spot).

Player looks at their dropped runs in the north side of the Ice Room in Lamenter’s Gaol in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

Climbing the stairs,beware the shade enemy hiding on the right before making a right yourself.Jump over the chasmto the far side and roll down the hill to the Pit of Friendship.

Every jar in this room wants to hug you, so respond in kind with some friendly pats on the back of your own.

Player drinks a flask on the stairs of the Ice Room in Lamenter’s Gaol as a Jar Innard throws flesh in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

Here,you can loot:

Pick up the key, andventure all the way back across the chasm and into the room of stairs(though you’re able to choose to take the item detour in the subsection below first). Now, you canventure to the top of the stairsanddrop into the Ice Room’s north pointwhere we had warned you about the Jar Innard earlier.

Opening the locked doorin this room, you’ll gain access to the ladder that leads down to where the boss, Lamenter, is imprisoned.

Wrapping Up The Lamenter Gaol: How To Find The Lamenting Visage

In the Stairs Roomfrom earlier, recall the door you didn’t takenear the bottom.Return to that doorand find a long hallway with a door to the left at the end. The room here on the left has aCall of Tibiawithin, but that’s not what we’re here for.

For once, actually,blessedly, the “HIdden Path Ahead” messages were right.In the corridor, outside of the room with the Call of Tibia,face the dead end and roll through itto find a path obscured by a fake wall. A locked cell door can now be accessed.

Using the Lower Gaol Keywe just borrowed from the friendly jars, you’llgain access to a roomwith the Shadow Realm Rune [4] and theLamenting Visage. There’s not much else to safely do here, so you canreturn to the central room, go north, and challenge Lamenter.Good luck.

How To Defeat Lamenter

Lamenter is not your normal boss fight.This is a gimmick fight.We know. You love your gimmick fights. Don’t worry; Miyazaki has both delivered unto you a gimmick fight with a heaping side of headache.

Lamenter’s gimmick is thathe summons clones of himselfthat attack independently.If any of these clones are still alivewithin a certain time frame,you gain what we will call 1 Lament per remaining clone.These Laments areindicated by a tiny floating skullaround your head. It does not appear that you can remove these.

If you build up a full ring of Laments, your characterwill become so depressed that theywill fall into the fetal position, cry, and die(which is how most of us will feel at one point or another in this DLC).

You know that your time is up when you begin to hear Lamenter’s sobbing. This is approximately twenty seconds after the clones appear.

Therefore, the trick here is toget rid of the clones. But your time is short. There aretwo ways to defeat the clones:

1. Kill them.

2. Deal enough damage to the real Lamenter.

Both are tricky in their own ways as the realLamenter does not visibly appear to have any giveaway.

You’ll know if it’s the real Lamenter if you attack them and the boss health bar is depleted.

To deal with this boss,we preferred to use area attacks.The most effective was, unsurprisingly, theWave of Gold Skillskill on theSacred Relic Sword. However, there are numerous other options such as (but not limited to):

Lansseax’s Glaive

Unendurable Frenzy

Likely, you’ll have torun through Lamenter’s summons multiple timesbefore you can put the crybaby to sleep for good. With his defeat,you’llgetLamenter’s Maskas a reward and, most importantly, the exit door. Once you’ve left and returned to a site of Grace, put down your controller and get a snack. Go on. You’ve earned it.