Elden Ring – Falling Snow Marks Something Unseen solution
Elden Ring has plenty of combat challenges, but the entrance to Heretical Rise in the Mountaintops of the Giants presents a very different problem. This sealed door provides a riddle to test your patience and intellect, and has baffled many brave warriors with the cryptic nature of its wording. If you are sick of wandering around and aimlessly searching for clues, look no further. Here’s the solution to the Elden Ring “Falling snow marks something unseen” riddle and the way into Heretical Rise.
Falling Snow Marks Something Unseen solution
What exactly is the “something unseen”? In this case, it is an invisible bridge that leads into Heretical Rise via another route, enabling you to clear the area and scoop the rewards.
The “Falling snow” supposedly refers to the fact that snow lands on the bridge and enables you to work out where it is safe to walk.
However, in reality the snow does not do this on the first part of the bridge, leading me to believe this might even be a development oversight that may be patched in future. We know FromSoftware make gamers work for their rewards, but even by their standards this hint is rather misleading.
Where is the invisible bridge to Heretical Rise?
Head to the Freezing Lake site of grace, which is entirely on the other side of the ravine. If you didn’t discover this site of grace yet, it’s due north from Heretical Rise, and you can reach it by getting back on ground level and heading to the north-west corner of the huge frozen lake.
Once at the site of grace, check the map. You’ll notice there is a broken bridge that would head straight towards Heretical Rise (see the middle of the map above). This is a little west from the site of grace, so make your way up the nearby slope and around. There are some enemies nearby who will shoot arrows at you if you tarry, so either take them out or proceed quickly before they can ambush you from behind, which they will probably do if you stand on the edge of the bridge.
Approach the edge, take a leap of faith and start walking straight across where the bridge would have been. You’ll find you can walk normally, and that the snow offers no guidance whatsoever!
Keep going until you get about three-quarters across the ravine. At this point, slow down and you’ll finally get some help from the elements. Soon, you’ll have to turn left and follow the invisible bridge around the side of Heretical Rise and onto a balcony on the outer wall. This time, the snow will actually cause a faint white glow that denotes the path you need to take. Look to your left and you should just about make out a white glow that will ultimately direct you from now on. Only walk as far as the glow and look around for the next one. Follow this in a circular direction around the back of the tower to find your entrance.
See the picture below which denotes how the glowing path looks:
When you reach the balcony, there is an open window allowing you to get inside.
How to show the invisible bridge
Since the snow is a fairly unreliable navigational tool, there are other things you can use to your advantage.
Items like arrows and Rainbow Stones can be used to keep track of the bridge. Shoot or throw them, and they’ll rest on the invisible bridge and guide your way. If they fall into the ravine below, you must be right on the edge so be careful.
Alternatively, some Sorceries will work to save you wasting your items. If you have the Roiling Magma spell, this will clearly highlight the path for you.
The Hoarfrost Stomp Ash of War is another handy one that can be used multiple times to reveal the way as you proceed, and Glintstone magic is also perfectly fine to test your footing.
How to clear Heretical Rise in Elden Ring
Heretical Rise itself is a small area that thankfully does not present much of a challenge. After finally making it inside, there are a couple of Avionette Soldiers on either side of the room. Dispatch them and go through the left-hand door to ascend a staircase towards a lift.
Take the lift and reach a spiral staircase that takes you to the upper tower. There is one Marionette Solider to defeat on the way, so stay alert. Soon, you will reach the upper-most room of Heretical Rise which contains your reward.
Once you have stepped inside Heretical Rise, the seal at the front door will automatically disappear of its own accord without the need to use a switch. This at least makes your exit from the tower a lot easier. Simply head back down and take the other doorway from the room where you fought the two Avionette Soliders, which will lead you back outside into the snow.
NOTE: If you get killed by the enemies inside Heretical Rise, you can actually re-enter through the front door to save you the precarious journey across the bridge. If you had a sizeable number of runes in tow, it’s definitely worth avoiding the invisible bridge in case you make a mistake.
Rewards for Heretical Rise
The chest in the upper tower contains the Founding Rain of Stars sorcery.
This is a good spell that summons a dark cloud that releases a violent deluge of star rain. This requires 51 Intelligence to use, and costs 27 FP. It takes up 2 memory slot and also expends a chunk of stamina (31 to be exact).
If you are using a low-intelligence build then this ability will likely be redundant for your playthrough, and you can probably pass by Heretical Rise altogether. Still, it’s nice to know how the riddle was cracked and save yourself from being forever curious.
There are no other rewards within Heretical Rise.
That’s all there is to the Elden Ring ‘Falling snow marks something unseen’ riddle. With this guide to Heretical Rise, you can determine whether you want the spell and if so, easily obtain it.
