FromSoftware is well known for adding seemingly useless items or places in its games to get fans speculating about lore and Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree is no different.
But there’s one particular location that has fans stumped: the Scadutree Chalice.
This is a named location found after beating a specific boss, but it appears to serve no purpose. What could it be? Spoilers follow.
The Scadutree Chalice is found in an area behind the Shadow Keep. Players will need to beat Commander Gaius first – he’s the armoured boar-riding boss who reminds me a little of that orc in Twilight Princess.
Afterwards, players can wander into a new area which leads up to an archway and a precipice overlooking the Scadutree that dominates the skyline. Here players will find an enormous unlit stone chalice with five fragments scattered around it.
Now, on a basic level, those fragments are incredibly useful as they’re used to level the player’s Shadow Blessing. But finding five in one place? That’s definitely unusual.
So what is it for? My first thought was this would be the location to use Messmer’s Kindling, but soon found a use for this elsewhere.
My own, loose theory is that the chalice relates to the Scadutree fragments. That’s obvious considering the name and the fact it overlooks the tree. But is this where fragments are formed or their power distilled? Or were fragments used here in some sort of ritual, hence so many being scattered nearby?