How to get and use Iris of Grace and Occultation in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

Not many people know what to do when you pick up an eyeball, a sadly common occurrence in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. But the Iris of Grace and Iris of Occultation are useful for a specific quest in the DLC. Let’s affix some eyes, shall we?

How to get the Irises in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

The Irises are key item consumables in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, in the same category as Miquella’s Needle. You can use them on yourself to get fleeting benefits or debuffs. But we don’t recommend you do this. There are two of each and two NPCs you can give them to, so you’ll need all Irises if you want as many choices as possible.

Iris of Grace

Both Irises of Grace are found in the Shadow Keep.

• Shadow Keep: From the Storehouse, First Floor Site of Grace, head to the large cathedral-esque area to the right. Plenty of enemies are in the way, but you can sprint past to find the Iris of Grace underneath the balcony, where you get the Wall of Sparks Ash of War.
• Shadow Keep, Church District: Once you drain the water from the Church District, head into the center church. Follow the main path until you reach a pair of double doors and an elevator. Head down, hit the bonfire, and go across the wooden bridge until you see a Marika Statue. Loot the Iris of Grace from the base.

Upon breaking it, you empower your Great Rune, like a Rune Arc. We don’t recommend doing this.

Iris of Occultation

The Iris of Occultation is found in a few areas in Elden Ring.

• Shadow Keep, Church District: Once you drain the water from the Church District, head along the southern border until you hear an earthquake. Battle the Ulcerated Tree Spirit that spawns, and you’ll get an Iris of Occultation as a reward.
• Fort of Reprimand: Upon entering the Fort of Reprimand to the southeast of the Shadow of the Erdtree map, trace along the Northeastern wall until you find a square hole. Drop down and fight the Lesser Omenkiller to get the Eye of Occultation.

This can also be broken and used as a Rune Arc, but you’ll lose all of your Runes as a cost. Avoid doing this.

Where to use the Irises in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

You will use the Iris of Grace or the Iris of Occultation twice, once to get the Swordhand of Knight Jolan Spirit Ash or Sword of Night, and once to get the Fire Knight Queelign’s Spirit Ash or Queelign’s Greatsword. Swordhand of Knight Jolan is found dejected at the end of the Ymir Questline in the Cathedral of Manus Metyr. Fire Knight Queelign is found in the Prayer Room of the Church District of the Shadow Keep, on the second level of the major church.

Which Iris should you use?

The Iris of Grace grants you a powerful Spirit Ash. The Swordhand of Knight Jolan and Fire Knight Queelign are great summons to take into battle during the late game of Shadow of the Erdtree. You’ll want to raise them up, but they can both take a beating and slow down foes without an issue.

However, the weapons you get from giving the Iris of Occultation are unique. The Queelign’s Greatsword is a Heavy Thrusting Sword with innate Fire damage, which can be modified with Ashes of War and adjusted to scale however you’d like. The Sword of Night is a unique Katana, upgraded with Somber Smithing Stones, that scales with Dexterity. Its weapon art is much like a slower Waterfowl Dance.

Both of these weapons are cool, and we’d recommend using the Iris of Occultation in both questlines so you can try them out. But if you’re a fan of strong summons and want to try out two excellent options for the endgame of Shadow of the Erdtree, you can’t go wrong with either.

Technically, once you complete both quests, you can use whatever Irises are left behind as Rune Arcs. Leaving both Irises of Grace means you get two no-downside Rune Arcs, further boosting the argument to get some weapons.