Enshrouded: How to Remove the Shroud

How Shroud removal works

The Shroud is a corrupting fog that covers parts of the land; where it takes hold, green turns to gray and creatures mutate into Fell. Entering it starts a countdown showing how long your character can remain inside, so you cannot simply walk through it indefinitely.

The main way to remove the Shroud from an area is to find the boss tied to that Shroud area and eliminate it. Progressing through the game requires entering the Shroud at times, so clearing areas this way is part of moving forward.

Destroying a Shroud Root is a related but different action: it temporarily clears nearby fog. The root and the Shroud can return when the area resets, so the clearing is not permanent.

How long you can stay inside the Shroud

Under default conditions, starting Shroud protection is normally around five minutes, and the base survival time is five minutes. Watch the displayed timer, because upgrades, equipment, effects and world settings can change how long you have.

Ordinary Shroud can be explored while the timer lasts. Red Deadly Shroud drains your remaining time much faster, so turn back if you enter an area beyond your current Shroud Passage Level. Strengthening the Flame lets you access higher-level Shroud, but you still need to manage your timer.

Ways to recover or extend Shroud time

You can recover or extend your available time through several methods. Leaving the Shroud lets your protection recover, and standing near a Return Beacon refills your timer. Hourglass Capsules found during exploration grant additional time, and Shroud Survival Flasks extend your protection when available.

Return Beacons also serve as checkpoints, so if you lose a battle in the Shroud you can jump back into the action. If it has been a while since the last Return Beacon, it is wise to exit the Shroud when your timer is close to running out.

Strengthening the Flame raises the world’s Flame Level, improving attributes, Shroud protection and the number of altars you can maintain. You can also increase Shroud survival duration toward the later stages of the game by consuming specific items or upgrading the Flame Altar.

Example: clearing the Elixir Well

Once Oswald Anders the Blacksmith settles at your base, quests unlock that take you through the Shroud, including Clear the Elixir Well. That quest has three objectives: Reach The Elixir Well, Enter The Elixir Well, and Destroy The Shroud Root. The Elixir Well lies deep within the Shroud to the right of Braelyn Bridge, and the quest marker is slightly off, sometimes appearing on a plateau of Shroud-free land.

Inside, the Shroud Root is guarded by a Fell Thunderbrute. Destroying the root with an axe makes the Shroud in the area vanish and removes the counter at the top of the screen. Completing the quest unlocks several new quests.

1. Have a Glider before setting out; it helps you traverse the Shroud without spending too much time inside.
2. Bring a ranged weapon, an axe, explosive powder balls, bandages, elixirs, HP potions, food and armor; the Fur Armor set can be crafted with Oswald.
3. From the edge of the platform where your first base is, head directly north until you reach a cliff ledge, then glide to the rocky face jutting out of the Shroud. Its top has no enemies or Shroud, so you can recover stamina there.
4. Glide down to the Shroud-covered ground below. The wreckage area lies directly above the Shroud Root; head north into the building wreckage to find a descending staircase.
5. Descend the staircase to the bottom, moving quickly and sticking to the center, since it is easy to fall off the edge and die.
6. At the bottom clearing, ready your ranged weapon and powder balls, eat food, recover lost health, then head in.
7. Deal with the Fell Thunderbrute: two or three bombs deal huge chunks of damage, or run from it and aim back with a ranged weapon; the wand targets it without aiming. Keep kiting it until it dies, then loot the corpse.
8. With your axe in hand, destroy the Shroud Root to make the area’s Shroud vanish and remove the on-screen counter.
9. Venture back to the top of the Elixir Well or teleport home from the underground location.

Loot and rewards from the Elixir Well

Looting the Fell Thunderbrute yields 1x Shroud Core, 1x Fell Thunderbrute Head, 20x Runes and 1x Tainted Axe (Epic Melee Weapon). As a reward for destroying the Elixir Well, you also get XP and a new Skill Point.

Repeated clears do not provide unlimited skill points, since the root and Shroud can return when the area resets.

Planning an exploration outpost

A Flame Altar can be placed on permitted ground outside the Shroud near a useful route, resource area or difficult area. Keep room in your active altar allowance for an exploration outpost, and carry the materials for a Flame Altar so you can set one up when needed.

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