Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree: How To Solve The Domain Of Dragons Painting Puzzle

To learn how to solve the Domain of Dragons painting puzzle, you will need to go down underground and up above the clouds in the Land of Shadow. Elden Ring’s DLC has introduced several new elements for the player to seek, one of them being the ability to take on a new form.

Doing so requires you to find a specific item, which can be found only by defeating a tough boss or completing the dragon’s painting puzzle solution. If you feel you’re not leveled enough to handle a massive dragon, then following this guide will give you the ability to turn into one, if only temporarily!

Where Can You Find the Domain of Dragons Painting in Elden Ring?

The Domain of Dragons painting can be found in the Shadow Keep in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. Even in the base game, there were several paintings the player could find in the game that showed sweeping vistas of the land. While they may have seemed to be simple collectibles at first, finding the shade of the painter rewarded the player with some useful items!

To find this painting, you need to have entered the Shadow Keep on Scadu Altus. You can do this by either defeating Rellana in Castle Ensis or using the Sealed Spiritspring to reach Scadu Altus via the Fort of Reprimand. Whichever way you decide to take, you will have to enter the Shadow Keep and then defeat the Golden Hippopotamus to gain entry to the rest of the Keep.

Head toward the open door on your left and follow along the path until you ascend some steps after beating some soldiers. You will now have the choice to go left or go forward, ascending more flights of stairs. Choose to keep pressing on, and you will come to what appears to be a mess hall.

There will be two Black Knights in this room, one at the far end of the room firing arrows at you, and the other will get in for close-quarters combat. Defeat them or ignore them and go through the doorway at the end of the hall.

You will come out onto a long pathway along which multiple fires are lit in what appear to be small boats. Run past all of them towards the very end of the path. Once you pass the central area with the Fire Knight, keep to the left until you come to a gap in the wall where you can access a ladder.

Climb down this ladder and head to the right; you will discover an opening in the wall under the waterfall. Go into this hidden passage, take the ladder down, and head into the room on your left to find the Domain of Dragons painting in Shadow of the Erdtree!

How to Solve the Domain of Dragons Painting Puzzle in Shadow of the Erdtree?

To solve the Domain of Dragons painting puzzle in Elden Ring, you need to travel to Jagged Peak. The moment you enter this mountainous region, you will notice the characteristic scarlet skies in the painting.

You can reach this area by getting through the Dragon Pit dungeon, at the end of which you will have to fight the Ancient Dragon-Man. Once you emerge from the Pit, you will be at the base of the Jagged Peak, but it only gets tougher from here. Your next boss is the Jagged Peak Drake, which you can choose to fight or run past and ride the Spiritspring to the next area.

Activate the site of grace and progress until you come upon two more Drakes locked in combat. You can again choose to fight them or ride the Spiritspring found in the alcove to the next area. You will have to ride a couple of more Springs and then you will enter a cave where boulders will start to roll down onto you.

Avoid them while riding Torrent, and at the end, you will now face a third dragon. This is the final dragon before you fight the intimidating Bayle at the summit of this area.

This one is different from the rest, as this is a true Ancient Dragon named Senessax. It’s a tough fight, but you can choose to run past the beast and go up the path heading toward the Jagged Peak Mountainside site of grace. Continue onwards until you find another Spiritspring and ride it upwards.

Once you land, look to your right and follow along the narrow path until you come to a rock jutting out a bit more than the others. Below, you will find a more traversable area, so drop down and do an about-turn. You will descend a couple of more steps before the painter’s shade appears in his chair. After a few seconds, the shade will dissipate and leave behind the Rock Heart item.

This reusable item can transform into an Ancient Dragon torso. Doing so will improve your Dragon Cult Incantations and improve resistances, but you can only make this transformation once you take off all your armor. The transformation is temporary, and you will revert to your original form upon death.

With the Domain of Dragons puzzle solved in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, you can continue to other adventures that will have you exploring more of these lands. Which area of the DLC is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below and check out our other Elden Ring guides for more tips and tricks.