Welcome to Elderfield Deeper Research: Mall, Woods & Catacombs
Complete Deeper Research through Deep Mall, Deep Woods and Deep Catacombs, collecting the Essences of Daeus, Delvek and Kaal.
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Quick Answer
Finish Bone Cleanup for the Mall Elevator Key, go down to Deep Mall and investigate the strange command console. From there, collect Essence of Daeus, Essence of Delvek and Essence of Kaal in that order, returning each to Professor Dayton before moving to the next deep area.
Deeper Research Route at a Glance
Deeper Research moves through three different deep areas, and the reward from one stage is usually what opens the next.
| Stage | What I Need | What I Do | What Changes Next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reach Deep Mall | Mall Elevator Key | Finish Bone Cleanup and use the Mall elevator | Deep Mall becomes accessible |
| Investigate Deep Mall | Access to the strange command console | Inspect it and consult Professor Dayton | Receive Tome of the Sea |
| Essence of Daeus | Tome of the Sea | Use the Tome in Deep Mall and defeat Giant Man-Fish | Take Essence of Daeus to Dayton |
| Reach Deep Woods | Essence of Daeus returned | Receive Eternal Lantern and use it at the Old Woods darkness barrier | Deep Woods opens |
| Essence of Delvek | Deep Woods access | Find Grandma and obtain Essence of Delvek | Take it back to Dayton |
| Reach Deep Catacombs | Climbing Rope + Meet Sophia progress | Return Delvek, receive the Rope, then use the prepared Catacombs pit route | Deep Catacombs opens |
| Essence of Kaal | Deep Catacombs access | Find the Essence in a chest | Return it to Dayton |
| After Kaal | Essence of Kaal returned | Listen to Dayton’s final discovery | The next lead points to the Art Gallery and Ancient Iron Key |
Trying to jump ahead usually produces a blocker that cannot be solved in the area I am standing in. The Mall elevator, Old Woods darkness and Catacombs pit all depend on something earned elsewhere.
How to Start Deeper Research
The first requirement is Bone Cleanup.
If Bone Cleanup has not appeared yet, Adrian’s cleanup chain still needs to move through Tree Branch Cleanup first. Completing Bone Cleanup gives the Mall Elevator Key, which is the item that finally makes the deeper Mall route usable.
The Mall elevator can be discovered earlier, but finding it does not mean I can force it open.
If the ordinary Mall route is still blocking me at the back offices, Hall Monitor, security, Administrator or Mall Mine, I finish that progression with the Mall walkthrough before treating the elevator as my next destination.
Once Bone Cleanup is complete, I use the key and ride down into Deep Mall.
Investigate the Strange Command Console in Deep Mall
The first important object below the Mall is a strange command console.
Reaching it starts the real investigation. The machinery is not something I can solve by pressing random controls, so after examining it I consult Professor Dayton.
Dayton gives me the Tome of the Sea.
That Tome belongs back in Deep Mall. It is not a general-use book to keep for a later dungeon; it is the item needed for the next stage of this same investigation.
I return to the ancient machinery with the Tome, use it there and continue through the deeper route that opens beyond the console.
Giant Man-Fish Has the Essence of Daeus
The first Essence comes from Giant Man-Fish in Deep Mall.
The fight matters because this is not an ordinary enemy drop I can substitute with another monster. Giant Man-Fish is the encounter tied to Essence of Daeus, and it is weak to Insanity.
Once I have the Essence, there is little reason to keep wandering Deep Mall hoping that another room advances the quest. The next useful action happens back with Dayton.
I return Essence of Daeus to him.
Returning Daeus Gives the Eternal Lantern
Dayton gives me the Eternal Lantern for bringing back the Essence of Daeus.
The next destination is no longer the Mall.
The Lantern answers a blocker at the far end of the Old Woods, beyond the area opened by the Ancient Tree progression. Even after that boss is dead, the route can still stop with the message that the darkness is too thick to continue.
That is a separate blocker from the Ancient Tree itself.
If I have not yet cleared the normal Woods route, the Old Woods guide takes me through the Mill Key, Joggers Club progression, Mines and Ancient Tree. Once I am standing at the darkness with the Eternal Lantern, I can continue into Deep Woods.
Grandma Gives the Essence of Delvek in Deep Woods
Deep Woods changes the pattern established by Daeus.
I am not looking for another Giant Man-Fish-style boss drop. The Essence of Delvek comes from Grandma in Deep Woods.
That distinction saves a lot of unnecessary fighting. Deep Woods contains plenty of things to investigate, but Deeper Research only advances when I leave with Delvek’s Essence.
Once Grandma has given it to me, I return to Professor Dayton.
Returning Delvek Gives the Climbing Rope
The second hand-in rewards the Climbing Rope.
The Rope points toward the Catacombs, but it is only one half of the access check. Deep Catacombs also requires enough progress in Meet Sophia to prepare the pit route.
This is where normal Catacombs progression matters again.
Charlie, Sophia, the hammer blockers and the ordinary lower-floor route all happen before the deep descent becomes relevant. If that side of the dungeon is unfinished, I return to the Catacombs guide rather than searching Deep Woods for another access item.
With both conditions satisfied, I can descend into Deep Catacombs.
Essence of Kaal Is in a Chest
The final Essence has another different source.
Essence of Kaal is found in a chest in Deep Catacombs.
That means I do not wait for a normal enemy to drop it, and I do not need to repeat the logic from Daeus by searching for another Giant Man-Fish equivalent.
Once the chest gives me the Essence, the important part is already done. I take it back to Professor Dayton.
Dayton Does Not Give the Ancient Iron Key
Returning Essence of Kaal finishes the three-Essence sequence, but the reward works differently this time.
Dayton does not hand me the Ancient Iron Key.
Instead, he identifies the Art Gallery as the next place connected to the key needed for the later Stone Tower route.
That difference is easy to miss because the previous two returns both produced an access item immediately:
- Daeus → Eternal Lantern
- Delvek → Climbing Rope
- Kaal → new information pointing toward the Art Gallery
After Kaal, waiting beside Dayton for another item does nothing. The next lead is elsewhere.
If Deeper Research Gets Stuck
When the quest stops moving, I go back to the last thing that actually changed instead of retracing all three regions.
In the Mall, there are two separate checks. The elevator needs the Mall Elevator Key, while the strange machinery belongs to the Tome of the Sea stage. Once the Tome has been used, the unfinished objective is deeper below with Giant Man-Fish and the Essence of Daeus.
Returning Daeus moves the route out of the Mall. The Eternal Lantern belongs at the Old Woods darkness barrier, so finding that barrier again is more useful than searching another Mall room.
After Delvek, the destination changes to the Catacombs. Having the Climbing Rope without enough Meet Sophia progress leaves the pit blocked; finishing the Sophia side of the dungeon is what resolves that mismatch.
Deep Catacombs has one final trap for anyone expecting another boss drop. Essence of Kaal is in a chest, so once I am inside, I search the area rather than waiting for an enemy to hand it over.
Returning Kaal ends the deep-area sequence and sends the next investigation toward the Art Gallery.