The latest expansion for Elden Ring Nightreign, The Forsaken Hollows DLC, has introduced players to a wealth of new content since its release earlier this year. FromSoftware continues to demonstrate their commitment to expanding the game's universe, with The Great Hollow map standing out as one of the most intriguing additions. This mysterious location features a unique event that, while potentially confusing at first, offers significant advantages to those who complete it.

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The Curse of The Great Hollow

Like other areas in Elden Ring Nightreign, The Great Hollow has its own distinctive mechanic that sets it apart from previous maps. While other locations offer powerful abilities such as team resurrection in the city map or Bloodborne-style health regeneration in the rotted woods, The Great Hollow's event focuses on removing a significant disadvantage rather than adding a new power.

The primary benefit of completing this event is the removal of the 50% HP reduction that affects certain areas of the map. This is particularly valuable during day 2 of exploration, when players can access the coliseum and the treasure-rich northern and southern regions. While these areas are accessible without completing the event, navigating them with half health significantly increases the difficulty and risk factor.

Additional Benefits

Beyond removing the health penalty, completing the event provides another tactical advantage: your Art gauge will recover at an accelerated rate once all Sacred Flasks have been exhausted. This creates an interesting risk-reward dynamic during boss encounters, as depleting your healing resources actually empowers you in the final stages of battle.

This combination of benefits makes The Great Hollow event particularly strategic, encouraging players to time their exploration and resource management carefully to maximize advantages.

Breaking the Curse

To complete The Great Hollow event and break the curse affecting the map, players must locate and interact with four large blue crystals scattered throughout the area. These crystals feature a "Resonate" prompt when approached, and activating them causes them to shatter.

Once all four crystals have been resonated with, the massive central crystal that dominates The Great Hollow will dramatically break apart. This moment is accompanied by a bright animation and a notification in the bottom right corner of the screen, confirming your success.

Accessing the Power

After shattering the giant crystal, players must travel to its location to claim the power. There are multiple routes available:

  • The northern path offers two large crystal bridges leading directly to the site

  • Alternatively, a jump pad along the southern cliff provides another access point

Each approach has its own challenges and advantages, allowing players to choose based on their current position and preferred playstyle.

Timing and Strategy

One crucial detail that many players overlook is that these crystals only become visible on the second day of exploration. However, their spawn locations follow certain patterns, so scouting the map on day one can provide a significant advantage. Knowing where to look when day two begins can save valuable time and potentially give players an edge in completing the event before tackling the more challenging areas.

The crystal spawns aren't completely fixed—they appear to have some randomization within specific zones—but experienced players have identified several high-probability locations worth checking first.

Integration with the Broader Experience

The Great Hollow event exemplifies FromSoftware's approach to world design in the Elden Ring Nightreign expansion. Rather than simply adding new areas to explore, they've created interconnected systems that reward observation, planning, and strategic thinking.

Unlike some of the more flashy powers granted in other maps, The Great Hollow's curse-breaking event offers subtle but potentially game-changing advantages. It's particularly valuable for players who prefer exploration over direct combat, as it makes the treasure-hunting experience significantly less punishing.

The New Characters

While not directly tied to The Great Hollow event, the introduction of the Scholar and Undertaker characters adds another layer of depth to the expansion. These characters bring their own storylines and abilities that can potentially synergize with the benefits gained from breaking the curse.

Final Thoughts

The Great Hollow represents some of the best aspects of Elden Ring Nightreign's design philosophy: mysterious environments, hidden mechanics, and rewards that feel earned rather than given. While some players have questioned certain aspects of the DLC's value proposition, there's no denying that content like The Great Hollow event demonstrates FromSoftware's continued commitment to creating engaging, multi-layered gameplay experiences.

For players looking to maximize their chances of success in The Great Hollow, prioritizing the crystal-breaking event early in day two seems to be the optimal strategy. The removal of the HP penalty and the enhanced Art gauge recovery can make subsequent exploration and combat significantly more manageable, particularly for those venturing into the map's most challenging areas.

As the Elden Ring community continues to discover the secrets of The Forsaken Hollows DLC in 2025, The Great Hollow stands as one of its most fascinating additions—challenging, rewarding, and emblematic of the depth that has made this expansion so compelling for both new and returning players.