What is the Shroud in Enshrouded?

One of the unique and more interesting features of Enshrouded is, well, the Shroud. Throughout the game, it’s such a key mechanic that it actually shapes the title of the game: Enshrouded. So what is the Shroud in Enshrouded? Here is everything we know from a lore and gameplay perspective.

How does the Shroud work in Enshrouded?

Most of the world in Enshrouded is plagued by a dark fog that radiates throughout. The Shroud doesn’t just obscure vision, but it also consumes and plagues the areas that it takes over. Vibrant green landscapes will change to a dark and dull purple as they become overcome by the blighted Shroud. It also infects creatures, changing them to Fell beasts that are aggressive towards the character.

But the Shroud is also a key gameplay mechanic in Enshrouded. When the player enters an area inhabited by the Shroud, they only have a limited amount of time to find a respite and get out of the Shroud before it overtakes them.

As scary as it may sound, you can’t just ignore the Shroud. In fact, many key areas have been invaded by the Shroud, so you’ll need to venture into the area one way or another. Thankfully, there are some ways to mitigate the Shroud.

How to deal with the Shroud

First and foremost, most areas plagued by the Shroud can be cleared out. If you find the boss of that area that is responsible for the Shroud being there, and take it out, it will cause the Shroud to fade in that area. For example, the first majorly Enshrouded area is the Elixir Well. Once you kill the Fell Beast boss of that area, the Shroud is lifted.

There are other ways to deal with the Shroud too, though. If you can find circular spheres like the one in the screenshot above, they can be a real boon to surviving the Shroud. These spheres are actually Return Beacons, and will refresh the amount of time you can be in the Shroud. They also serve as respawn points. So, if you visit one and then die, you will respawn at the Return Beacon instead of all the way back to your base.

You can also find Shroud Restoration potions that when consumed will reset the timer on your Enshrouded debuff as well.