Death's Door has eight vitality shrines and eight magic shrines that are used to increase the crow's health and magic stats and unlock an achievement.
The isometric game Death's Door can be a challenging game at the start due to the small amount of HP the crow has and the few times it can use its abilities. With luck, players can find shrines that increase vitality and magic stats. These crow-shaped shrines contain either a vitality crystal or a magic crystal, and there are 8 of both. The shrines put off a glow of color indicating which crystal is within, green for vitality and pink for magic.
There are sixteen total shrine locations in Death's Door, and while some are easy to come across, others are cleverly hidden in nooks and crannies throughout the game. Like games like Hollow Knight, it will take a certain amount of crystals to increase stats, and the number here is four.
As cruel as the game might seem, it does a great job of introducing the shrine mechanic to new players of Death's Door. This is evident in the first main area of the game, the Lost Cemetery. While it is a sort of Crossroads to different areas of the game, it also introduces the very first shrine and makes it easy to obtain.
There are three shrines in the Lost Cemetery, and this is where players can find both types of crystals.
Vitality Crystal 1
After coming through the crow's Door to the Lost Cemetery, go south to find two ladders. After climbing the ladders, continue on the path until reaching an elevator with a cracked wall to the right. Instead of heading right at the elevator base, go behind the elevator to find two ladders that go down when Death's Door's isometric camera angle, similar to Hades, pans over. At the bottom of the ladders will be a doorway leading to a vitality shrine.
Magic Crystal
Once again, coming through the crow's Door, head towards the northeast and go up the two ladders. Pass by the undying grave digger and follow the path to the left. Head south and turn left again at the fire pit. Use the fire ability on the unlit green urn to make the ladder come down. Then go up the ladder and follow the path around and to the south, down a ladder and two sets of stairs leading to another bombable wall. In Kirby fashion, a room guarder in the following area has to be beaten to lower the ladder that opens up the path toward the shrine. Go out of the cave and climb the two ladders to reach the shrine.
Vitality Crystal 2
The last shrine in the Lost Cemetery requires Death's Door's Hookshot ability. From the crow's Door, head up and then follow the path to the left, up to several sets of stairs, and coming to a ladder that goes down. Drop down and continue walking the way down to the faded white Door. Then to the left is an anchor, which can be reached by shooting the Hookshot ability towards it. Follow the trail of anchors and drop down from the broken bridge to find the shrine.
The Estate of the Urn Witch has one magic shrine, and it does not require any abilities. There is also a vitality shrine; however, the flame spell is needed.
Magic Crystal
Before heading into the Ceramic Manor, head northwest. This area has bushes to the left, but there are small pathways that the crow can pass through in order to get around. Look for a small break in the rectangular hedges to find secret circular bushes. After passing through the secret bushes, the crow will end up behind the manor, and the camera will pan over, revealing a shine.
Vitality Crystal
After coming through the crow's Door to the estate, go northeast and cross a bridge with three bad urns on it. Next, head to the right to come up to a Death's Door miniboss. After beating the boss, keep going right until reaching an area with four fire pits. Lighting all four up will cause a secret bridge to rise from the water. Crossing the bridge and jumping down the hole reveals a vitality shrine to the left.
Here Death's Door implements an interesting floor puzzle, and the magic shrine in the manor can be found after acquiring the flame spell.
Magic Crystal
At the entrance of the manor, go up the left staircase and through the door to the left. Make another left to light up the four green pots in this room, which will bring down a ladder. After climbing the ladder, go through the doorway into the hallway and go into the top left room with a bathtub. The reflection on the floor shows a door and two glowing yellow pots that are invisible in the room. Smash the pots to unlock the door and walk through the door by passing through the wall to find the magic shrine.
This area can be reached by natural progression toward the Urn Witch boss in Death's Door, and it has a shrine not too far from the Inner Furnace crow door.
Vitality Crystal
Observation Rooms is a floating platform with four places for the floating bull elevators at the center of the Furnace. Shoot an arrow to the northeast to call the bull elevator to the platform, then ride across. Go up the ladder and cross the gap over the pipes to find the vitality crystal.
This area has three shrines with varying difficulty to reach and one that requires a hookshot.
Magic Crystal 1
After reaching the village of the forest people, starting from the small fire in the center, go to the left to drop down from a nearby ledge which will cause the camera to pan over. Then, go straight up to find a magic shrine that was hidden behind the wall.
Vitality Crystal
Going from the village again, head through the eastern part of the map going up using the vines and ladders until coming across a ledge directly over this circular trap door. Head over the ledge and do a ground smash by attacking mid-air to flip through the Door, then follow the shadowy path underground. After exiting the other side of the underground way, pass through the doorway to find another vitality shrine.
Magic Crystal 2
Starting from the elevator/trolly system that leads back to the Lost Cemetery, look to the left to find anchors. Use the hook shot ability to get across and shoot the pink device that spawns platforms. Use the hook shot again to reach a battle area with a Death's Door boss blocking the path. After defeating the enemies, the vines to the right will fall, unlocking the space above. Use the vines to get up and go around the left path to find the shrine.
The shrine here requires the bomb ability, which can be used to open up all the shortcuts in the dungeon.
Vitality Crystal
This vitality shrine can be reached by going through the left doorway in the main entrance of the Mushroom Dungeon. Follow the path through the room and head up the nearby stairs. Keep going in that direction until reaching a flooded area. Use the bomb ability at the top left corner to blow up the cracked wall and solve the mini-puzzle requiring players to quickly light all three torches to open the gate. Once the gate is open, walk through the next door to find the vitality shrine.
Within the King of the Swamp domain, there is a shrine that can be found during natural progression. However, this shrine can still be easily missed. Luckily it only requires one arrow to reach it.
Magic Crystal
Upon entering the Flooded Fortress, follow the path and wooden planks until reaching a platform with a right turn that seemingly leads to nothing. Head over to the edge of the planks and fire an arrow through the stone arch to reveal a hidden pathway. Follow the new path to come to the magic shrine.
There are two shrines here—one essentially hidden behind a set of stairs. Players will need both bomb and fire abilities to get to the area. The second requires the Hookshot.
Magic Crystal
After talking to the musician or bard that is creating a new song, blow up the nearby cracked wall. Climb up the stairs and then head to the left at the landing. Go up the stairs to the left and hack through the ice on the right. Continuing in that direction will cause the camera to pan over, revealing a small hidden area. Dropdown once, then pull the lever. Then walk over the ledge again and perform a ground smash as there is another trapdoor at the bottom. Follow the tunnel, and upon exiting, it will be the shrine.
Vitality Crystal
Exit the crow's Door leading to the stranded sailor and turn to the left. Use the Hookshot to the platforms and battle through the waves of boomerang enemies like in a timeless Ratchet and Clank arena. After the fight is over, the path to the left will be open because the ladders have come down. At the top of the second small ladder is the ominous bird head with a vitality crystal inside.
Players have to find a cleverly hidden lever to reach the vitality shrine here. The only ability needed is the Hookshot.
Magic Crystal
Starting from the crow's Door at Castle Lockstone, head into the crossroads and go to the left to get outside. Go to the left, climb the ladder, and go through the passage to the left. Once passing through that room, there will be anchors littered through the room, making perfect hooking points to traverse these deadly gaps in Death's Door. Hookshot to the first platform and look to the right to see a small hole in the wall. Fire the Hookshot through the hole and pull the lever hidden behind the wall to open the locked gate on the other side of the room. Hookshot back across to go outside and find the magic shrine.
One shrine is in this area; however, it is a mild test on Hookshot and arrow techniques on slippery ice.
Vitality Crystal
After walking through the crow's Door to this area, go to the far left and take the exit to the right below a ladder. Here is a path covered in ice with an interesting platforming challenge in Death's Door. Players will have to hit timed glowing cubes to lower platforms and get over the platform before it rises back up. There are no enemies here, so slipping over the edge is the only hazard. At the end of the difficult path is the vitality shrine.
That's all the crystals in Death's Door. While two extra points in HP and magic do not sound like much, those extra HP prove useful as enemies here love to swarm, and battles in the aviary tend to last long as waves of enemies attack the crow. On top of that, finding all shrines is worth the hunt for the increased stats and the Zen achievement.
Next: How to Beat Betty in Death’s Door (Boss Fight)
Death's Door is available on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
