In the sprawling, enigmatic world of the Lands Between, secrets are woven into the very fabric of reality, waiting for the discerning Tarnished to uncover them. Among these mysteries, few are as tantalizingly deceptive as the illusory walls—veils of stone and mortar that hide treasures, shortcuts, and entire chambers from the untrained eye. For new adventurers and seasoned veterans alike in 2026, these hidden passages remain one of Elden Ring's most enduring puzzles, a testament to the game's design philosophy of rewarding curiosity and perseverance. The journey to find them all is like searching for whispers in a storm, each discovery a small, personal victory against the world's deliberate obscurity.

🔍 The Grand Total: Mapping the Deception

So, just how many of these false fronts are scattered across the realm? After years of exploration and data mining by the community, the numbers are definitive:

• Base Game (2022): 25 Illusory Walls

• Shadow of the Erdtree DLC (2024): 5 Illusory Walls

• Total for the Complete Experience: 30 Illusory Walls

While 30 might seem like a modest number given the game's colossal scale, their placement is masterful. They are not sprinkled randomly but are strategically hidden in areas where you might feel stuck or believe you've reached a dead-end. Finding them without aid is a challenge akin to spotting a specific grain of sand on the shores of Limgrave.

📜 Base Game Breakdown: Where to Look

The 25 walls in the base game are distributed with cunning asymmetry. Most locations are lucky to host even one, but a few key areas are richer in deception:

Location	Number of Walls	Note
Academy of Raya Lucaria	🧙‍♂️ 3	The home of sorcery holds the most secrets.
Kingsrealm Ruins	🏰 2	Includes one illusory wall and one illusory floor!
Various Other Dungeons & Catacombs	1 each (typically)	Often guard crucial items or alternate paths.

This distribution means that blindly attacking every wall is as futile as trying to empty the ocean with a cup. Knowledge is your true weapon here.

🛠️ The Smart Way: Revealing Walls Without a Sword

If the thought of methodically striking every suspicious surface sounds as tedious as watching moss grow on the Erdtree, fear not. FromSoftware provided clever tools to unveil these secrets. Think of them as skeleton keys for perceptive puzzles:

1. ✨ Law of Regression Incantation:

   • How to Get: Give the Golden Order Principia prayerbook to Brother Corhyn or Miriel, Pastor of Vows.

   • Cost: 10,000 Runes to purchase. A significant investment, but it's a universal solution.

   • Effect: Casting this incantation in the vicinity of an illusory wall will make it vanish instantly.

2. ⛓️ Margit's Shackle (Reusable Tool):

   • How to Get: Purchase from Patches for 5,000 Runes, or later from the Twin Maiden Husks after obtaining his Bell Bearing.

   • Use: While primarily for stunning Margit/Morgott, using it near an illusory wall will also reveal it. Its utility is a hidden gem, like finding a functional lift in the middle of a poison swamp.

3. ⛓️ Mohg's Shackle (Reusable Tool):

   • How to Get: Found in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds beneath Leyndell, guarded by two Giant Crayfish.

   • Use: Functions identically to Margit's Shackle for revealing walls, while also affecting Mohg, Lord of Blood.

🌳 Shadow of the Erdtree: Five New Secrets

The 2024 expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, added a new realm of mystery but was surprisingly frugal with its illusory walls, introducing only five. Their scarcity makes each discovery feel momentous.

• Shadow Keep: Hosts 2 of the new walls, continuing the legacy of major legacy dungeons hiding the most secrets.

• Scattered Secrets: The remaining three are found singly at:

  • Midra’s Manse

  • Lamenter’s Gaol

  • Rabbath’s Rise

💎 Why They Matter: The Allure of the Hidden

In an age of exhaustive online guides and mapped collectibles, Elden Ring's illusory walls preserve a sense of genuine, personal discovery. They are the game's way of winking at the player, a shared secret between the developer and those willing to look closer. Their impact is disproportionate to their number; stumbling upon one can completely change your understanding of a dungeon's layout or provide a desperately needed Smithing Stone. They transform the world from a static landscape into a dynamic puzzle box, where walls are as fluid as the stories told by the Finger Readers.

So, as you traverse the Lands Between in 2026, remember: not all that is solid is stone. Sometimes, the path forward is hidden in plain sight, waiting for a curious strike or a revealing spell to peel back the layers of the world's greatest illusion.