Out of all the secrets I uncovered during my time with Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, finding my way to the Hinterland in the far northeast was by far the most confounding. You need the O Mother gesture to reach the area, and let me tell you, I spent hours combing the entire map to find the damn thing. This guide on the gesture is the fruit of my frustrated labors.
Where to Find the O Mother Gesture in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
The O Mother gesture isn’t too hard to reach, provided you’re willing to do a bit of walking. It’s located in the southern portion of Scadu Altus in Bonny Village. If you went through Castle Ensis and the Rellana, Twin Moon Knight boss fight to get to the Altus, you’ll need to travel southeast. If you took the shortcut from Gravesite Plains and through the Fort of Reprimand, you’ll need to go northeast.
In either case, the path to the O Mother gesture is a bit circuitous. Your first stop is Moorth Ruins, specifically its eastern edge, where you’ll see a church-like building sunk into the ground. To the left of the church is a small break in the balcony. Dropping down there is the way you need to go.
Do not, I repeat, do not try to drop down in the large hole in the center of the ruins. All that leads to is a quick death. Instead, once you drop down from the smaller balcony, follow the cave system down and to the west until you reach the golden-lit church area, where you can see through the big hole on the surface.
Drop down and either deal with the enemies there to help claim the Golden Arcs Incantation or turn around and drop down to the lowest level to continue on your way. Once you’re on the cave floor, start heading east again, through the cave with the small smoking sconces, until you reach a ladder. Play Snake Eater from Metal Gear Solid 3 as you climb, and then when you reach the top, you’ll be in Bonny Village, where the O Mother Gesture lives.
First, cross the chasm dividing the village in half, either by jumping across with Torrent or following the south ravine and climbing up the rocks near the cliffside. Either way, once you’re on the eastern side of the village, make for the clearing north of the village proper until you almost reach the northern cliffs. As you continue that way, you should see a mote of light denoting shining in the distance, which, once approached, sits on a headless, gesturing statue. This is the O Mother gesture.
Where to Use the O Mother Gesture in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
Just having the O Mother gesture is one thing. The other is knowing where to use it. While you can certainly use it in PvP after a win to taunt your fallen opponent, in Shadow of the Erdtree, it has one main purpose: opening the way to the Hinterland.
To get to the Hinterland with the O Mother gesture, you’ll need to go to the Shadow Keep, Back Gate Site of Grace, accessible via the Loft in the Shadow Keep.
The path is a bit labyrinthine, but the short version is:
- Proceed through the Church District until you reach Specimen Storage.
- Proceed up to the Loft Site of Grace beyond the second Snake Eater ladder, then across the rafters to the other side of the room.
- Take the smaller elevator down and continue following the planks to a larger stone elevator that will take you to the Back Gate area.
To the right, as you face the exit from the Back Gate Grace, you’ll see a headless statue of Marika. Go just up to it and use the O Mother gesture, but don’t get up right away. Hold the position until the statue moves to the side, then proceed through the halls until you reach the Hinterland, as noted by the first Site of Grace there.
If you do reach the Hinterland, congratulations! You’ve made it to a part of the map, but it took me almost 60 hours to reach because I couldn’t find a single gesture. No, I’m not bitter.
In any case, if you’re looking for more coverage of the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, check out the Elden Ring dedicated guides hub, including articles on the point of no return in the DLC and where to find all Blessings of Marika.
