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How to get Sword Of Light and Sword of Darkness in Elden Ring DLC

How to transform the Stone-Sheathed Sword into the Sword Of Light and the Sword Of Darkness

Two side-by-side screenshots of the player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree raising high their weapon and performing the skill of the Sword Of Light (left) and the Sword Of Darkness (right).
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
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Guide by Ollie Toms Guides Editor
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Looking for the Sword Of Light or the Sword of Darkness in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree? With the addition of the Shadow Of The Erdtree expansion, From Software's gargantuan Elden Ring now has over mind-boggling 400 weapons to choose from. But the Sword Of Light and its sister sword, the Sword Of Darkness, are unique even among unique weapons, because they are twins that morph into one another at will. And both are first transformed from a third weapon, the Stone-Sheathed Sword.

Obtaining these blades is a confusing little puzzle which requires you to seek out the three Altars Of Light And Dark strewn about the Land Of Shadow. In this guide, we'll break it all down so you can easily find the Stone-Sheathed Sword, and understand where to go in order to transform it into the powerful Sword Of Light and Sword Of Darkness.

In this guide:

Where to find Stone-Sheathed Sword (All Altar locations)

Before you can get either the Sword Of Light or the Sword Of Darkness in Elden Ring, you first need the Stone-Sheathed Sword. There are three possible locations where the Stone-Sheathed Sword can appear, and it will always appear at the first location you look.

To get the Stone-Sheathed Sword, you need to visit one of the following three Altar locations:

  1. Inside the Fog Rift Catacombs in the Gravesite Plain.
  2. Inside the Ruins Of Unte in Scadu Altus.
  3. At the end of the invisible bridge in the Ancient Ruins Of Rauh.
Part of the Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree map, with the locations of the three Altars Of Light And Dark highlighted in yellow, along with the paths required to get there.
These are the three locations the Stone-Sheathed Sword can spawn. Go to one of them to get it! | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

1. Fog Rift Catacombs Altar location

The easiest Altar to reach at the start of the DLC is in the Fog Rift Catacombs. To reach these Catacombs, cross the Ensis Greatbridge and then follow the path northwest from the Castle Front Site Of Grace. At the far north end of the path is the entrance to the Fog Rift Catacombs.

The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree makes their way through the Fog Rift Catacombs, with a yellow arrow pointing towards the location of the hidden Altar.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree makes their way through the Fog Rift Catacombs, with a yellow arrow pointing towards the location of the hidden Altar.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree makes their way through the Fog Rift Catacombs, with a yellow arrow pointing towards the location of the hidden Altar.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree makes their way through the Fog Rift Catacombs, with a yellow arrow pointing towards the location of the hidden Altar.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree makes their way through the Fog Rift Catacombs, with a yellow arrow pointing towards the location of the hidden Altar.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree makes their way through the Fog Rift Catacombs, with a yellow arrow pointing towards the location of the hidden Altar.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree makes their way through the Fog Rift Catacombs, with a yellow arrow pointing towards the location of the hidden Altar.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree makes their way through the Fog Rift Catacombs, with a yellow arrow pointing towards the location of the hidden Altar.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree makes their way through the Fog Rift Catacombs, with a yellow arrow pointing towards the location of the hidden Altar.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree makes their way through the Fog Rift Catacombs, with a yellow arrow pointing towards the location of the hidden Altar.
This path will lead you to the first hidden Altar Of Light And Dark in the Fog Rift Catacombs. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

Inside the Catacombs, follow the path until you reach a long room with three sets of spike traps descending from the ceiling. Proceed to the platform at the end of the room where the mage is standing, then stand on the very edge to bait the traps into descending again. When they come down, you'll see a little cubbyhole you can jump into, which transports you up to a higher platform when the trap ascends back up to the ceiling.

Jump off onto this ledge (and pick up the Blinkbolt Ash Of War while you're here), then turn around and perform the same baiting trick to jump on top of the spike platform. Once you're on top, run over to the far right corner of the room, and you'll see a final platform that you can jump down into once the spike traps have ascended back to the ceiling. Inside this secret area is an Altar Of Light And Dark which you can loot to obtain the Stone-Sheathed Sword.

2. Ruins Of Unte Altar location

The second Altar where you can loot the Stone-Sheathed Sword is located inside the Ruins Of Unte in Scadu Altus. To reach the Ruins Of Unte, you need to pass through the main gate of the Shadow Keep, beyond the Golden Hippopotamus boss. Once you're on the ramparts outside, stop at the bottom of the stairs guarded by the Fire Knight which lead up to the Specimen Storehouse.

The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree stands in front of the entrance to the Specimen Storehouse. A yellow arrows points in the direction of the path to the Castle Watering Hole.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree stands in front of a ladder down to the Castle Watering Hole in Shadow Keep.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree descends a ladder next to a waterfall in Shadow Keep. A yellow arrows points to a hidden doorway through the waterfall.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree stands in front of a painting in Shadow Keep. A yellow arrow points towards a hidden doorway on the right-hand side wall.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree stands in front of a coffin at the top of a waterfall below Shadow Keep.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree stands next to the Castle Watering Hole Site Of Grace. The Ruins Of Unte stand before them in the background.
Follow this path via the Shadow Keep to reach the Castle Watering Hole and the Ruins Of Unte. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

Near to this staircase, next to the boats guarded by Vulgar Militiamen, there is a ladder that leads down to a small waterfall. Pass through the waterfall and follow the path, and you'll end up in a room with the "Domain Of Dragons" Painting.

Hit the wall on your right in this room, and another secret passage will be revealed. This passage leads you to a stone coffin that you can interact with to get inside and transport your character to the Castle Watering Hole in Scadu Altus below the Shadow Keep. Right in front of the Castle Watering Hole Site Of Grace, you'll find the Ruins Of Unte.

To get inside the Ruins Of Unte, lob a Hefty Furnace Pot inside the basket of the dead Furnace Golem blocking the entrance. Inside the Ruins and slightly to the right, you'll find an Altar Of Light And Dark where you can obtain the Stone-Sheathed Sword.

3. Ancient Ruins Of Rauh Altar location

The final Altar where you can get the Stone-Sheathed Sword is located in the Ancient Ruins Of Rauh, a sub-region of Rauh Base which you can only access via the Shadow Keep. To reach it, you'll need to head through the Living Jar area beneath the Specimen Storehouse, and use the long bridge heading west out of the Shadow Keep to reach the Ancient Ruins Of Rauh.

The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree rides their horse past a Site Of Grace in Rauh Ancient Ruins.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree rides their horse through an indoor area of Rauh Ancient Ruins.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree rides their horse through a garden defended by two Hornsent Warriors in Rauh Ancient Ruins.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree rides their horse through an indoor area of Rauh Ancient Ruins covered in rot.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree rides their horse through an indoor area of Rauh Ancient Ruins covered in rot.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree rides their horse towards an invisible bridge in Rauh Ancient Ruins.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree rides their horse along an invisible bridge in Rauh Ancient Ruins.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree approaches an Altar Of Light And Dark in Rauh Ancient Ruins.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

After that, progress through the ruins and beyond the Furnace Gole to reach the "Rauh Ancient Ruins, West" Site Of Grace. From here, head southwest into the nearby ruins and go up the stairs. Exit into the garden to the north, and cross the garden to enter the rotted area of the ruins, guarded by Kindred Of Rot.

Head straight forward through the rot area, then turn right, and head straight on again, out into the outdoor ledge. You'll see at your feet one end of a broken bridge, and in the distance, the other end of the bridge connects to a tower. As it turns out, the bridge isn't broken; it's just invisible. Ride straight across it and you'll reach the third and final Altar Of Light And Dark where you can find the Stone-Sheathed Sword.

How to get the Sword Of Light

The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree uses an Altar Of Light And Dark in the Ruins Of Unte to transform the Stone-Sheathed Sword into the Sword Of Light.
Use one of the other Altars to transform the Stone-Sheathed Sword into the Sword Of Light. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

Once you have the Stone-Sheathed Sword, you can transform it into the Sword Of Light, a much more powerful unique version of the sword with a powerful and unique area-of-effect Holy damage skill simply called "Light".

To get the Sword Of Light, you must take the Stone-Sheathed Sword to an unused Altar Of Light And Dark, and interact with the Altar. You cannot use the Altar where you first found the Stone-Sheathed Sword; you need to use one of the other two Altars. So if you found the Stone-Sheathed Sword in the Fog Rift Catacombs, you can only get the Sword Of Light from the Ruins Of Unte or the Ancient Ruins Of Rauh.

Once you've found an unused Altar Of Light And Dark, walk up to it and interact with it while the Stone-Sheathed Sword is in your possession. You'll get a prompt that reads: "Raise the Stone-Sheathed Sword to the light?". Click "YES", and the Stone-Sheathed Sword will transform into the Sword Of Light.

How to get the Sword Of Darkness

The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree uses an Altar Of Light And Dark in the Fog Rift Catacombs to transform the Sword Of Light into the Sword Of Darkness.
Use the only remaining Altar to transform the Sword Of Light into the Sword Of Darkness. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

You might think that the Sword Of Light is the Stone-Sheathed Sword's final form, but there is in fact one more form after that: the Sword Of Darkness. The Sword Of Darkness is very similar to the Sword Of Light, with the same scaling, attacks, and Holy Damage. Where it differs is its unique skill, "Darkness", which spews forth clouds of damage-dealing darkness as opposed to rays of holy damage conjured by "Light".

To get the Sword Of Darkness, you must take the Sword Of Light to the final unused Altar Of Light And Dark in the Land Of Shadow. To recap, the three Altar locations are:

  • In the Fog Rift Catacombs.
  • In the Ruins Of Unte.
  • In the Ancient Ruins Of Rauh.

You will already have used two of these Altars to unlock the Sword Of Light. To get the Sword Of Darkness, find the final Altar and interact with it to "Raise the Sword Of Light to the dark", transforming it into the Sword Of Darkness.

Afterwards, you can change the Sword Of Darkness back into the Sword Of Light at any time, simply by revisiting the Altar that you used to get the Sword Of Light in the first place. You can also change the Sword Of Light back into the Sword Of Darkness at any time by interacting with the final Altar again. This way, you can keep switching between the two powerful versions of the sword to best fit your needs.

That concludes this guide on the Stone-Sheathed Sword, the Sword Of Light, and the Sword Of Darkness in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree. If the thought of travelling to all these places in the Land Of Shadow is a bit daunting, make sure you're up for the task by following our guide to all the Scadutree Fragment locations. You can also check out our list of all the other new weapons in Shadow Of The Erdtree, along with our primer on the best DLC weapons. If you find yourself stuck on any of the DLC's new quests, then we've also got walkthroughs for the Leda, Ymir and Thiollier questlines that will help you out.

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