Lords of the Fallen: Axiom and Umbral explained

Lords of the Fallen allows players to walk between the world of living and the world of the dead. Here’s how both Axiom and Umbral work in Lords of the Fallen.

Axiom and Umbral are two parallel worlds that simultaneously exist in Lords of the Fallen, one representing the real world, while another represents the spirit world, which players can either enter at will or peek into using a special lamp item. The game will require players to understand how both worlds work to solve puzzles, unlock new routes, and know when to switch back to the other world when the time is right.

This takes some getting used to, but once you do, you’ll find yourself flitting between worlds when it suits you, taking advantage of this engaging and creative mechanic. Think of the system as an extension of Demon’s Souls soul form, or going Hollow in Dark Souls. However, it’s not you that changes, but the world around you – and it can often be to your benefit. Here’s how both worlds work.

Axiom explained

There’s not as much to say about Axiom as there is about Umbral. Axiom represents the real and default world in Lords of the Fallen. It is the world of the living and as close to normality and reality as things get in Mournstead. It’s also the safest world to be in, as while the spirits of the dead will be clawing at you in Umbral, for the most part, you’re safe from them.

When you rest at a Vestige you’ll always awaken in Axiom, even if you approached the Vestige in Umbral. This essentially restores and resurrects you back into the world of the living. To re-enter Umbral you’ll need to either die, switch realms using your lamp, or raise the lamp to peek into Umbral while still in Axiom. Beware though, when raising the lamp, you’re able to physically interact with Umbral, and enemies can even pull you into it and out of Axiom.

Umbral explained

Umbral is a parallel dimension to Axiom that exists alongside it and sometimes even bleeds into the realm of the living, making it an ever-present threat and one that can’t be ignored for long. It is a nightmare hellscape and a dark, mirror dimension where everything is much more macabre, depicted as a twisted distortion of Axiom. It’s also much more dangerous.

While Umbral bleeds into Axiom, the material world is present within the spirit realm. So, if you’re fighting an enemy in Axiom and you warp to Umbral, you’ll still be battling that enemy. Think of Umbral as another layer wrapped around Axiom. When you enter Umbral, the world of Axiom is still going on around you, you just now have two worlds to interact with.

You can still interact with NPCs from Axiom and fight the same enemies in Umbral, but you’ll also need to contend with the spirits of the dead. You can escape Umbral enemies by using a Vestige or certain other waypoints to return to Axiom, but enemies that are routed in Axiom will still be a threat should you warp to Umbral.

What’s worse, is the longer you remain in Umbral, the more hostile and powerful the spirits will become, ramping up the difficulty and making it harder to progress. Your health will also deplete and you won’t have the safety net of another world. Essentially, in Umbral, you’re made of glass.

The benefits of Umbral

When you do enter Umbral, it often pays to return to Axiom as soon as you can. However, entering Umbral often has its advantages. You can often use the realm to reach areas and items that aren’t accessible in Axiom. Is there a shiny item behind some railings in the real world that you can’t reach? No problem, lift your lamp and see if the route is accessible in Umbral. That way you can bypass them, retrieve the item, and go back without any fuss – just keep an eye out for malevolent spirits.

Umbral also features routes and shortcuts that aren’t available in Axiom. If you’ve explored an area in Axiom and cleared out most of the enemies, it’s often worth exploring the area again in Umbral. This is especially useful if you’ve unlocked some shortcuts back to the nearest Vestige, as if things get dicey you can always run back and escape the danger. You’re likely to encounter new areas that were unavailable in Axiom. These often contain secret paths that lead to items or back to the game’s hub area.

Be aware of the added danger in Umbral, but don’t ignore the realm of the dead, it can often be a blessing as well as a curse. Remember, some enemies can only be defeated or weakened in Umbral, even if they’re Axiom-based. They may have a parasite in Umbral that’ll need to be killed before they can take damage. This is also true of some bosses.

Entering Umbral in Lords of the Fallen

There are several ways to enter Umbral. While in Axiom, you can simply raise your lamp to see what the same area looks like in Umbral. This is often a nice way to see if it’s worth hopping over to Umbral before committing, or to interact with the world on Umbral’s terms for a brief moment. If a walkway is damaged in Axiom, but still standing in Umbral, then this is a great way to get across. Just raise your lamp, walk across the phantom walkway, and then put the lamp down again when you reach the other side.

Remember, you can’t do much but walk with your lamp raised. So if you need to interact with Umbral properly, you can use your lamp to shed your life force and enter Umbral fully. You can do this any time, just be aware you can only return to Axiom if you find a Vestige or another return point, these are usually never too far away though, especially if the game has encouraged you to enter Umbral.

Finally, you enter Umbral automatically if you die. This is good, as it essentially gives you a second chance after death. Even if you fall off a ledge, you’ll appear back at the top again, but now in Umbral. You can then resurrect at an Axiom point or Vestige like nothing happened. Be aware though, that if you die again in Umbral you’ll die properly, and be sent back to the last Vestige or checkpoint. Should a boss kill you in Axiom, the fight will continue in Umbral, so use this to your advantage.

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