Lords of the Fallen Umbral Lantern and Axiom dual worlds explained

The Lords of the Fallen Umbral Lantern is the main mechanic that helps set this reboot of the series apart from other Soulslikes. Rather than having the player solely rely on dodges and parries to get through the game - don't get me wrong, those are still important - the Umbral Lantern allows you to traverse into another dimension which operates somewhat differently from the normal world, known as Axiom.

So if you're wondering exactly how the Umbral Lantern works and what the benefits - and consequences - are of utilising the lantern obtained by your character off the Dark Crusader right at the start of the game, look no further.

How to use the Lords of the Fallen Umbral Lantern

To use the Umbral Lantern, you must first have it selected in the bottom-right corner of the UI, instead of your throwing hand or ranged weapon. Hold L2/LT on PlayStation/Xbox or CTRL on PC to lift it, which gives you a few different options.

Firstly, simply lifting the lamp gives you a glimpse of Umbral, and allows you to traverse paths otherwise inaccessible in Axiom, such as bypassing fences or gates. You can rift to Umbral temporarily, which will permit using the lantern within the alternate realm.

However, when you are in Umbral, enemies will spawn wherever you aren't looking. The longer you spend in this alternate dimension, the more powerful these enemies will become. You also cannot exit Umbral at will - you must find a designated exit point, known as an emergency effigy. If you lose all your health, you will not die immediately either; instead, you will revive in Umbral. If you die here however, you will respawn at the latest Vestige you visited.

While holding the lantern, you have two main actions. The first is soulflay, which is primarily used during combat. Soulflay an enemy to extract their soul, then any damage dealt will be withered damage. This allows you to deal a huge amount of damage when you attack the enemy again. However, you take wither damage by entering Umbral and by performing actions with the lamp, which can only be recovered by dealing damage to enemies. Take damage and the withered health will be lost instantly. Soulflay can also be used to solve puzzles and obstacles at specific locations.

You can also siphon with the lantern when in Umbral, which is used to recover soulflay charges. Soulflaying an enemy consumes one of the charges, but you can recover charges by siphoning enemies and blisters found on the walls within Umbral.

Finally, you can also plant (and grow) Vestige Seedlings with the Umbral Lantern, once you've encountered The Iron Wayfarer for the first time. These can only be planted on Umbral Flowerbeds so you can't put them down wherever you like, but act as a Vestige so you can rest and level up before finding an established Vestige. 

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission