How to Get Shroud Core & Upgrade Flame Altar in Enshrouded

After you've started putting down some roots in Enshrouded, upgrading the Flame Altar with a Shroud Core is an enticing next step. While some items like Shroud Wood or Spores are a bit easier to come by, you'll have to do quite a bit to snag the first Shroud Core.

First, you'll want to finish up some of the other early quests including your task to Find the Sleeping Survivor. After that, it's the Elixer Well that you'll chart a path to in order to claim a Shroud Core after your first boss fight in Enshrouded.

Where to Get a Shroud Core in Enshrouded

Once you snag a Shroud Core, you'll be able Upgrade the Flame Altar and double the range which it protects and allows you to build. This is a huge step forward in Enshrouded, especially for players who are dedicating a lot of time to elaborate base building projects.

Before you can snag the first Shroud Core, an item you'll eventually be able to acquire more regularly, you need to Find the Sleeping Survivor. Finishing this up will grant you access to the Blacksmith, and several equipment upgrades pop up that you'll want to dedicate some time to.

Reaching the Elixer Well is one thing, but you'll have a tough boss fight ahead once you arrive and several enemies to defeat in the shroud. Because of this, make sure to use the Blacksmith to craft a better quality weapon and use collected Runes to upgrade your weapon if possible.

You'll also want to gather the materials to craft some armor, as it'll make a huge difference in your survivability while in combat with the deadly Thunderbrute at the Elixer Well. Also make sure you bring a felling axe, whether it's the normally crafted stone Axe or the Scrappy Axe from the Blacksmith. Once you feel your equipment is prepped, including some healing options, it's time to head into battle.

How to Clear the Elixer Well and Defeat the Thunderbrute

You can try to reach the Elixer Well a few different ways. The most straightforward is by traveling east through the shroud from the Braelyn Bridge area, but you'll need to be extra careful of how long you spend in the shroud. You can also make use of the Glider by going to an area on the north side of the bridge and gliding down from the cliffs to where the Elixer Well is located, but beware that enemies will engage as soon as you hit the ground.

There is a Return Beacon located right where the purple Elixer Well marker is placed on the map, as it's directly above where you're headed. Reaching a Return Beacon and standing near it will replenish your shroud timer all the way to the max, but it doesn't remove the shroud and won't allow you to fast travel.

To do that, you'll have to go just past the beacon and travel down towards the Elixer Well. You're seeking the Shroud Root, but as you reach the base level and approach you'll find yourself up against a Thunderbrute. This extra powerful enemy is your first major boss fight, and it'll require either skill or luck.

For us, there was a bit of luck. Traveling back up after first engaging to replenish the shroud timer and then back down again seemed to trigger the Thunderbrute going to a side level nearby, and it got stuck trying to come back up. This allowed an easy series of arrow shots while he was stuck trying to make it back up a level, so having the high ground will be a big help if you can pull it off.

If you don't manage to get that advantage, get used to using dodge and steering clear of the Thunderbrute's biggest attacks. Backstab damage can help if you slip behind him, and you should be able to eventually topple the beast.

Once defeated, loot the body for a Shroud Core and some other rewards. Finally, use your felling axe to destroy the Shroud Root and score some Skill Points while also clearing the shroud from this immediate area. You won't be able to place a Flame Altar to fast travel back in, but clearing the shroud will allow you to fast travel back to one of your existing Flame Altars. Finally, be sure to use the Shroud Core on the Flame Altar you want to expand at your primary base, and you can make the first upgrade to double your building range a reality.