You’re standing in front of a sealed door or a foggy barrier, and the game tells you that you need something more. It's frustrating. Elden Ring doesn't hold your hand, and when you're told to look for the remaining key sigils, it usually means you’ve hit a wall in one of the game’s massive legacy dungeons or a specific questline—most notably within the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion or the Raya Lucaria Academy.
Honestly, the term "sigil" in FromSoftware games is often used interchangeably with glintstone keys, embers, or Great Runes, but the hunt remains the same. You need a specific item to progress. If you're stuck, you're likely missing a specific drop from a boss you haven't found yet or a chest tucked away in a corner of the map that looks like a dead end.
Why Finding the Remaining Key Sigils is So Confusing
The map is big. Really big. When the game nudges you to find more sigils, it isn't giving you a waypoint. It’s a test of exploration. Most players hit this roadblock when trying to enter the inner sanctums of Shadow Keep or when dealing with the convoluted seals of the Haligtree.
Sometimes, a "sigil" isn't even a physical item in your inventory. It’s a state of being. You might need to defeat a specific Shardbearer to "activate" the seal. If you haven't touched the Grand Lift of Dectus because you're missing half a medallion, that’s effectively a sigil hunt, too. The game expects you to remember a conversation you had with an NPC three hours ago. Who does that? Most of us are just trying to survive a run-in with a giant lobster.
The Shadow Keep Bottleneck
In the Land of Shadow, Messmer’s fortress is a vertical nightmare. To look for the remaining key sigils here often means finding the levers that rotate the center floor or finding the specific key items held by Fire Knights.
There's a specific moment where you might feel totally lost near the Storehouse. You see the rafters. You see the hanging specimens. But the way forward is blocked by a seal that requires "knowledge" or a "key." Often, the "remaining sigil" is actually the defeat of a specific sub-boss like the Golden Hippo or reaching the back gate via the Church District, which is a completely separate entrance many players miss.
Scouring the Map Without Losing Your Mind
If you’re hunting for these items, start with the "Rule of Three." In most FromSoftware designs, major seals are tied to three points of interest.
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Take the seals in the town of Ordina, Liturgical Town. To break the seal and move toward the Haligtree, you have to enter the Evergaol and light four statues. These are your "sigils." They aren't in your pocket; they are markers of progress in the world. People get stuck because they find three and can't see the fourth, usually because it's guarded by those invisible Black Knife Assassins that everyone hates.
- Look Up: FromSoft loves verticality. If a sigil is "remaining," it’s probably on a roof.
- Follow the Embers: In the DLC, follow the spectral light.
- Check Your Inventory: Sometimes you already have the "key" but haven't read the item description to know where it fits.
The Hidden Mechanics of Seals and Keys
Let’s talk about the Academy of Raya Lucaria for a second. This is the first time most players encounter the "look for the remaining key sigils" vibe. You get to the gate, and it's locked. You find a map. The map points to a dragon.
But what if there's a second key? There is. And you have to give it to Thops. This doesn't open a door for you, but it completes a narrative loop. This is the nuance of Elden Ring—the "remaining sigils" are often about the world's lore as much as they are about opening a physical door.
If you are currently stuck in the Specimen Storehouse in the Shadow of the Erdtree, your "remaining sigils" are likely the levers on the top floors. You have to climb. Use the elevators. Don't just look for a glowing item on the ground. Look for environmental triggers.
Specific Locations People Often Miss
When you're told to look for the remaining key sigils, check these spots if you're in the endgame:
- The Subterranean Shunning-Grounds: There are seals here that only break once Morgott is dead. If you’re trying to find the Frenzied Flame, your "sigil" is a boss kill in a completely different part of the city.
- Enir-Ilim: In the DLC, you can't even enter the final area until you've burned the sealing tree. The "sigil" here is the Messmer's Kindling. If you don't have it, you're stuck.
- The Four Belfries: Each of these requires an Imbued Sword Key. These are literal key sigils. You get one at the top of the hill, but the others are scattered—one in Sellia, one in Raya Lucaria.
The Frustration of Invisible Progress
Sometimes the game doesn't tell you that you've found what you need. You might kill a boss, get a "Remembrance," and not realize that the Remembrance itself acts as the trigger for a door halfway across the map.
It’s easy to feel like the game is broken. It isn't. It’s just indifferent to your struggle. That’s the charm, right? Or the curse. Depends on how many times you've died to a gravity-induced fall while looking for a ledge.
What to Do When You’re Truly Stuck
Stop looking for a "key" shaped like a key. In Elden Ring, a key can be a gesture. Remember the Erudition gesture? You need that, plus a specific glintstone crown, to open certain towers. Those are sigils. If you're looking for the remaining key sigils and you're at a tower with a blue seal, check your wardrobe. You might need to put on a stone mask and "think" really hard at a wall.
It sounds ridiculous. Because it is. But it’s also how the game hides its best secrets. The "remaining" part of the quest usually implies you've already found one or two. Look at the icons on those items. Do they look like part of a set? If you have "Left Side of Medallion," you obviously need the right.
Final Steps for the Determined Tarnished
Go back to the last NPC you talked to. Seriously. If you’re hunting sigils in the Shadow Keep, talk to Ansbach or Moore. They often drop hints about where the "missing" pieces of the puzzle are.
If you are in the base game, check the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold. Sometimes, if you've missed a critical NPC key item because they died, it ends up in that shop. It’s a safety net for players who accidentally (or purposefully) kill everyone they meet.
To move forward, you need to stop thinking like a gamer following a quest marker and start thinking like an archaeologist. The sigils are there. They are usually guarded by something much larger than you, or hidden behind an illusory wall that you’ve walked past ten times.
Practical Checklist:
- Examine your Medallions: Check both the Dectus and Haligtree sets.
- Burn the Tree: If you're in the DLC, the final "sigil" is an act of arson.
- Check the Altars: Many seals in the Land of Shadow require you to interact with an altar after a boss fight.
- Review your Gestures: Try using "May Chaos Take the World" or "Erudition" in front of suspicious statues.
Once you have the items, return to the seal. Don't just stand there—interact with it. Some seals require you to stand in a very specific spot for the "Examine" prompt to appear. It's finicky, but that's the Lands Between for you.
Get back out there. The remaining sigils aren't going to find themselves, and that boss behind the door isn't going to get any easier while you're waiting.