To get started you will first have to find Traces of the Shadows in the Nether. Defeating a Lesser Shadow will result in it dropping Shadow Energy Orbs. These Orbs can be collected using an Empty Essence Bottle.

Essence Bottles are crafted by combining glass bottles with Energy Shards. Energy Fragment Ores can be found across the Nether.

Once you have collected Shadow Energy you will unlock knowledge of using the Altar of the Shadows.

The next goal is to find an Altar of the Shadows. Altars generate next to Abandoned Shadowlands Portals.

These Portals are located in the Nether and can be tracked using a Tracker of Abandoned Portals, crafted by combining an Eye of Ender with Metallic Bones. Metallic Bones are dropped from Depths Skeletons, Depths Golems, or Depths Titans that naturally spawn in the Nether. Unlike an Eye of Ender, this tracker will not break after being thrown.

Once you have found an Abandoned Shadowlands Portal, you will encounter a large number of Depths Ghosts. You will have to obtain at least 6 Fiery Ritual Stones from them.

If you break their spawner before obtaining all of these items, the Ghosts will still spawn naturally around the structure and occasionally in the rest of the Nether.

To activate the Portal, you need a Key to the Shadowlands. As long as you don't have access to the resources of the Shadowlands, this key can only be obtained by defeating Baelzor, the Gatekeeper of the Shadowlands.

To summon Baelzor, you need to perform a ritual in the Altar by combining:

• Fiery Ritual Stones
• Charged Energy Shards
• Metallic Bones

Energy Shards can either be charged by:

• Collecting Shadow Energy Orbs while holding them in your offhand
• Combining them with 30 Shadow Energy in the Altar

You also need to provide energy to the Altar either in the form of a filled Essence Bottle or other items.

The easiest way to get enough Shadow Energy is by searching for plants in the Crimson Forest or the Warped Forest. These forests contain Metallic Flowers, Jalapenos, and Energy Flowers which can be harvested and grown like regular crops for a constant supply of Shadow Energy.

After defeating Baelzor you will receive the Key to the Shadowlands, which can be used to:

• Activate the abandoned portal
• Place a new portal at another location

Baelzor also drops his heart, which you can use to create your first Heart Extension.