How to ‘follow in the steps of the doomed paladin’ in Lords of the Fallen

With your handy Umbral Lamp, many secrets await discovery. Fans of story elements will appreciate the Stigmas featuring various characters. Following the paladin whose lamp you wield can lead to great rewards, including the hidden Dark Crusader hidden class. Here's how to follow in the footsteps of the doomed paladin.

How to follow in the footsteps of the doomed paladin in LotF

To follow in the footsteps of the doomed Paladin and complete The Paladin's Request, you must collect Paladin Isaac's four Stigmas:

• Lower Calrath: At Vestige of Sebastian, cross bone bridge in Umbral and Soulflay Stigma.
• Fief of the Chill Curse: Unlock with Fief Key from Andreas, find two Stigmas at Vestiges of Svornil and Loash after defeating mini-bosses.
• Path of Devotion: Unlock with Pilgrim Perch Key, find Stigma near Vestige of Dieter.

Return to Paladin door in Path of Devotion, use Soulflay to extend bone bridge, and defeat Paladin's Burden boss.

Obtain the Umbral-Tinged Flayed Skin, return to Vestige of Ranik, and collect the full paladin set.

To unlock the Dark Crusader class, defeat the Lightreaper with Paladin Isaac in Upper Calrath.

For detailed locations of each Stigma and further steps to complete this quest, see below.

Lords of the Fallen Paladin Isaac's quest guide

You may have come to an area in the Path of Devotion where you noticed a large umbral gate that states you must 'follow in the steps of the doomed paladin' before you're allowed to enter it. This is a secret boss fight that can only be completed by following Paladin Isaac's footsteps and collecting all his Stigmas in his past locations. There are four Stigmas you'll need to collect in total, and to do this, you'll need to have at least progressed to Calrath.

To start the quest, you'll also need to have the Flayed Skin, which you should have from the very beginning area of the game. You can check your inventory in your Quest items tab to ensure you have it. If you don't have it, return to the Vestige of Ranik, run down the hill, and turn right past the battlefield area where you fought the Lightreaper for the first time, and you'll see the item at the edge of the cliff (or just before the blocked gate if in Umbral). Once you have it, you can begin the path to each Stigma.

All paladin Stigma locations in Lords of the Fallen

Stigmas are a spot where you'll see blue butterflies flying in the air. In the Umbral realm, you Soulflay them to see a past scene that took place in this location. To ensure you get credit for each one, make sure you wait until the end of the voice lines and see the reward items pop up on the right side of your screen; usually, this is Umbral Scourings. You'll find the paladin's stigmas at the different locations shown below.

Lower Calrath

The first Stigma is found in the burning town of Lower Calrath, just after exploring Fitzroy's Gorge. To find it more easily, teleport to the Vestige of Sebastian to save time and preserve your progress.

From the vestige, walk down the stairs and turn to the right, where there is a broken bridge. Transition to Umbral now, and you can cross over the repaired bone bridge. After crossing the bridge, immediately turn to the left, and you'll see the kneeling paladin Stigma. Soulflay it to activate and wait until you get the reward, which should be a Wooden Dark Crusader Cross.

Fief of the Chill Curse

The next two Stigmas are found in Fief of the Chill Curse. This area can only be accessed by obtaining the Fief Key from Andreas of Ebb in Skyrest Bridge. You can get it from him, either by talking to him several times or eventually finding it as an item on the floor where he usually stood.

Once you have the key, teleport to the Vestige of Marco the Axe. This is where you'll spot the icy locked gate with the bell hanging over it. Interact with the door to use the key and unlock it, giving you access to the Fief of the Chill Curse location.

To find the first Stigma, you'll need to continue through the area until you get to the Vestige of Svornil. To get there, you'll need to transition to Umbral so you can Soulflay the rooted blockage out of the way on the path to the left.

Now, you will continue forward, following the path until you reach the mini-boss, Kinrangr Guardian. You'll need to complete this boss battle and exit the cave, where you'll come to the Vestige of Svornil and the second Stigma. Don't worry; these are not among the toughest bosses in LotF.

The third Stigma is going to be a lot more difficult. You'll need to progress through the Fief of the Chill Curse all the way to the Hollow Crow boss. This starts by climbing up the ladders at the Vestige of Svornil and unlocking the gate for you to continue. Now, you'll want to continue following the path all the way to the Vestige of Loash, which is right outside of the Hollow Crow's arena.

The Hollow Crow battle is no easy feat; it consists of three waves where you must dodge a bunch of ice crystals, avoid the mobs surrounding you, and attempt to defeat the Umbral entity, Lucy, tied to the giant crow. After completing this, look for the doorway with the lit torch and take the ladder down.

Follow the narrow path to your left and then head straight over the bridges all the way forward until you get to another ladder and drop down. When you get back outside, look to your left for a broken wood bridge. Transition to Umbral and follow the river to the right. Eventually, you'll reach a dead end where you'll spot the third Stigma.

Path of Devotion

The last Stigma can be found in the Path of Devotion, which is another area only accessible by using a key. The Pilgrim Perch Key can be obtained by purchasing it from Stomund or finding it in his spot on the floor in Skyrest Bridge.

With this key, teleport to the Vestige of Blind Agatha, where you'll spot the door, surrounded by bells and candles, which you can unlock using your key. From the entrance here, you'll want to make your way to the Vestige of Dieter.

You'll want to follow the pathways through the caves, avoiding enemies as much as you can until you reach the outdoor overlook area. Here, you'll need to be in Umbral to walk across the bone bridge and continue following the caves once more until you reach a large boss room.

Instead of approaching the boss, take a right and head up all the staircases. Follow the path until you get outside, where you'll spot a bunch of eye-shaped poles sticking out of the ground and the vestige just ahead.

From the Vestige of Dieter, follow the path down until you spot a hill directly in front of you. Transition to Umbral, climb up the hill, and you'll spot the last Stigma at the edge of the cliff beside the tree. Make sure to obtain the Umbral Scourings after listening to the voice lines to complete this step fully.

How to unlock the paladin door in Lords of the Fallen

Now that you have activated all four Stigmas, you can make your way to the paladin door and face the Paladin's Burden boss. Head down the road from where you collected the fourth Stigma until you get to an area with several enemies, including an archer on the hill in front of you. It's up to you if you want to try and face these enemies, but I found it easier to make a run for it.

Ensure you are in Umbral, and you will notice the door will no longer be blocking your path; instead, use Soulflay to extend the bone bridge to you and cross over. You'll need to Soulflay the Stigma in the middle of the arena to activate the boss fight. From defeating the boss, you will receive the Umbral-Tinged Flayed Skin, several Umbral Scourings, and a Vestige Seed.

How to get the paladin set in Lords of the Fallen

Once you have the Umbral-Tinged Flayed Skin, teleport back to the Vestige of Ranik and head back to the spot where you found the Flayed Skin. In Umbral, you can now interact with the gate here and use the new flayed skin to unlock it. Enter through, and you can pick up the full paladin set, including Paladin Isaac's Sword, from the item spot on the ground.

How to unlock the Dark Crusader class in Lords of the Fallen

We know that it hasn't been easy to follow in the footsteps of the doomed paladin. However, this is not the end of the quest. To completely finish the questline, you'll need to face the Lightreaper once and for all with Paladin Isaac by your side.

To do this, head to the arena in Upper Calrath, where you face the Lightreaper. Ensure you have been defeated once so you can beckon Paladin Issac before entering a second time. Then, defeat the Lightreaper, and you'll unlock the secret Dark Crusader class for New Game+. Unfortunately, if you've already defeated the Lightreaper on your own before starting this quest, you won't be able to do this.

Although this is a long and semi-frustrating quest to follow, it is well worth it for those great rewards you can't obtain any other way. You'll also pick up the achievement Vengeful Reflection to show off your hard work.

Looking for more Pro Game Guides Lords of the Fallen content? Check out our guides on Best Lords of the Fallen mods or Lords of the Fallen – All Stats, Explained!