Defeat the Fallen to unlock the Arcane Whip, then aim at a luminous anchor and hold the grapple input to swing from it. On the shown PlayStation layout, aim with the right stick and use R2. The shown PC tutorial uses directional input and the right mouse button.
The traversal whip is a tool used alongside your equipped weapon. You do not need to find and equip a whip-family weapon before using an anchor. A normal attack-button press with your sword will not attach Rose to a swing point.
Unlock the tool after the Fallen
Continue into the room after the first boss and follow the conversation and tutorial. Rose encounters a ledge that is too high to reach normally, and the new action explains how to hook luminous anchors or enemies.
The ability unlocks after defeating the Fallen.
This is an early progression reward. If you have not defeated the Fallen, focus on reaching and completing that encounter before trying to use the anchor routes visible in the opening rooms.
Once the tutorial appears, practice in the immediate route. It teaches the targets you will see later rather than asking you to solve an unexplained jump with the starting movement alone.
Swing from a round luminous anchor
- Look for the glowing round anchor above or across the gap.
- Aim toward the anchor using the grapple aiming controls.
- Press and hold the grapple input to attach.
- Keep it held while Rose swings like a pendulum.
- Let go when the swing gives you a route toward the landing platform.
Hold the grapple through the swing to reach higher platforms.
The tutorial specifically tells you to keep the input held to increase the pendulum's duration and reach higher platforms. If a quick press-and-release leaves Rose short of a ledge, try allowing the swing to develop rather than repeating the same short attachment.
Judge the landing as well as the anchor. Attaching successfully is only the first half of the crossing; spikes, a low ceiling, or an enemy on the far ledge can make the release unsafe.
Identify the target before choosing the action
| Target | Movement taught by the game | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| Round luminous anchor | Pendulum swing | Space to swing and a reachable landing |
| Sharpened anchor | Pull toward the anchor | The destination and the next platform |
| Enemy | Pull toward the enemy | Its position and the risk of arriving beside it |
Not every glowing target behaves like a hanging swing. If Rose pulls directly toward a point rather than arcing beneath it, check which type of target you used before assuming the input failed.
Enemies can be part of the route
The Arcane Whip also targets enemies. That can make an enemy above a gap useful for gaining access to another anchor or platform. Aim at the intended enemy, then use the grapple to pull toward it.
An enemy can provide a grapple destination as well as a combat target.
Treat the enemy as a moving destination. If it is no longer where you expected, the route may be different on the next attempt. Check the safe landing and the next target instead of assuming that a route built around an enemy will always line up identically.
The enemy grapple can also lead into a special attack using your currently equipped weapon. That is distinct from merely swinging from an environmental anchor. Check your current platform's tutorial for the follow-up timing; ordinary pendulum swings do not require that attack.
Common reasons a crossing fails
No attachment: Confirm that the Arcane Whip is unlocked and that you are using its aiming and grapple inputs. An ordinary weapon attack is a different action.
Insufficient height: Keep the grapple held through more of the pendulum movement. A brief attachment can end before Rose reaches a useful part of the arc.
Wrong target behavior: A pull point and a round swing anchor are different. Read the target shape and the nearby tutorial.
Unsafe release: Check the destination before letting go. Reaching the opposite side at spike height is not the same as reaching a safe platform.
A route still looks impossible: Mark it and continue. Some routes need later abilities as well as the whip; learning to grapple does not imply that every high ledge is now accessible.
Keep traversal and weapon requirements separate
A challenge can ask for a whip attack, a whip-family weapon, or the Fallen's spell. Those are different conditions. The traversal whip lets you move while another weapon is equipped, so successful swinging does not establish that you own a whip weapon.
For exploration, focus on the anchor type, attachment, swing duration, and landing. Those four checks make a failed crossing easier to diagnose without changing equipment that is unrelated to the movement problem.
Read The Fallen Boss Guide for the fight that unlocks the tool and Gameplay Guide for its place beside weapons and Arcana.