In New World, the Elysian Wilds expansion has revitalized the endgame with a twisted, magical landscape teeming with ancient secrets. Among the most enigmatic and New World coins rewarding areas is the Garden of the Fallen, a corrupted relic of the once-beautiful Garden of Genesis. Here, corrupted life magic festers under the soil, and players must navigate both treacherous enemies and intricate lore to unlock its secrets.

This guide walks you through the Garden of the Fallen—from preparation and entry to defeating its challenges and uncovering its hidden rewards.

Getting to the Garden of the Fallen

The Garden of the Fallen lies in the southern part of the Elysian Wilds, near the corrupted offshoots of the old Genesis temple. To access it, you must first complete the Elysian Initiate questline, which grants you the ability to interact with Verdant Seals—life magic-infused keys used to unlock the garden’s inner sanctums.

Steps to Access:

Reach Gear Score 625+ – Enemies inside the garden are elite-level 66 and higher.

Complete the Elysian Purification Questline – This unlocks Verdant Seals and grants you access to corrupted life portals.

Form a Balanced Group – A tank, a healer, and three DPS are highly recommended.

Enemies & Combat Challenges

The Garden of the Fallen is no ordinary dungeon—it is an open-area mini-zone that blends PvE exploration with instanced combat encounters. The foes you’ll encounter include:

Corrupted Dryads – Fast, agile melee fighters who deal stacking corruption damage.

Twisted Spriggan Warden – Mid-bosses guarding the deeper groves. Their root attacks root and poison.

Echoes of the Caretaker – Shadowy remnants of the Garden’s former protector. These mini-bosses are found at ritual sites.

Combat Tips:

Bring Corruption Resistance Gear – Many attacks deal DOT-based corruption damage.

Use Nature-typed Weapons – They deal bonus damage to corrupted flora-based enemies.

Watch for Environmental Hazards – Poison pools, erupting roots, and corrupted blossoms can cause serious AOE harm.

Puzzle Mechanics and Hidden Lore

The Garden of the Fallen is known not just for its enemies, but for its interactive puzzles and environmental storytelling. Solving these reveals hidden caches and lore items that enrich your understanding of the Garden’s fall from grace.

Three Major Puzzle Sites:

The Verdant Ring

Puzzle: Light up four corrupted life totems in a specific order.

Hint: Order is revealed by reading stone tablets nearby.

Reward: Access to the Warden’s Chest, which drops a named life staff (Heartbloom).

Echo Grove

Puzzle: Guide beams of natural light to a sealed root barrier using movable mirrors.

Hint: Look at the position of moss on stones—it indicates mirror alignment.

Reward: Hidden lore page and Genesis Bloom, a crafting reagent.

Caretaker’s Hollow

Puzzle: Complete a memory echo sequence showing the Garden’s corruption. You must choose the correct dialogue options.

Reward: Passive buff while in the Garden + exclusive title: Warden of the Fallen.

Boss Encounter: The Hollow Caretaker

At the heart of the Garden lies the Hollow Caretaker, a warped version of the original Garden of Genesis boss. This corrupted elemental now commands the garden's power.

Boss Mechanics:

Corrupted Bloom Phase: He plants corrupted seeds that explode in AOE waves. Cleanse or destroy them quickly.

Root Lash: A targeted chain attack that roots the furthest player—spread out!

Life Drain: Steals health from the nearest three players—use interrupts.

Strategy:

Have DPS switch to adds when summoned—or they’ll overwhelm your healer.

Assign one player to destroy corrupted seeds—they spawn behind terrain.

Use Nature-Resistant Coatings before the fight to reduce DOT impact.

Loot Table:

Hollow’s Grasp – A corrupted nature gauntlet with life-steal effects.

Twisted Bloom Amulet – Boosts healing and corruption resistance.

Shard of Verdant Woe – A crafting mod for life-based weapons.

Lore & Environmental Secrets

Beyond combat, the Garden of the Fallen is rich with ancient Aeternum lore. Finding the five Lost Hymns of Genesis pages scattered through the garden unlocks a special codex entry and XP reward.

Lore Page Locations:

By the broken archway near Echo Grove

Beneath the giant tree roots west of the Caretaker’s Hollow

Hidden inside the mirror cave used for the light puzzle

Tucked beside a crumbling statue at the Verdant Ring

Dropped by the second Echo of the Caretaker mini-boss

Rewards and Repeat Runs

You can farm the Garden of the Fallen multiple times per week. Use Mutated Versions for harder challenges and buy New World coins better rewards. Each run grants:

High GS gear (630–650+)

Genesis Bloom crafting mats

Corruption Trophy upgrades

Cosmetics like glowing armor dyes and flower-petal cloaks

Final Tips

Bring a Nature-focused DPS like a Blunderbuss or Void Gauntlet to deal with enemy types.

If soloing, you can farm the exterior mobs and puzzles, but inner sanctum bosses require a group.

Use the Elysian Compass to track lore and puzzle progress.

Conclusion

Uncovering the secrets of the Garden of the Fallen is one of the most rewarding and lore-rich activities in New World: Elysian Wilds. By preparing wisely, solving the puzzles, and defeating the Hollow Caretaker, you'll earn not just powerful gear but a deeper appreciation for the world’s storytelling.

Venture forth—Aeternum’s corrupted wilds are waiting to be reclaimed.