In Grandtree (Age of Reconstruction), follow the linear route to the end of Grandtree – Second Level, then drop through the gap that isn’t pitch-black to land in a hidden part of the First Level, where you grab the chest (Shard of Life, 29/60) straight ahead and use a nearby jump pad to reach Cat (22/50).
Grandtree is one of the trickier collectible stops in The Adventures of Elliot, mostly because the game hides this reward behind a fall that most players assume will kill them. In the Age of Reconstruction, the route through Grandtree stays completely linear right up to the end of the Second Level — and the only way forward is to drop through a gap into the dark. Do it correctly and you walk away with both the chest holding Shard of Life (29/60) and Cat (22/50).
- What you get and where to find it
- How to reach the Grandtree chest and cat in the Age of Reconstruction
- How to reach the Grandtree chest and cat in the Age of Reconstruction
- Reading which pits are lethal and which aren’t
- Mistakes that cost you the cat and chest
- Where to go after Grandtree
- Frequently Asked Questions
What you get and where to find it
This is specifically the Age of Reconstruction version of Grandtree — the same area shows up in other eras with completely different rewards, so the era matters before anything else. The counterintuitive part is that the route doesn’t finish on a bridge or a ladder; it finishes in a deliberate fall. Once you’re down, both prizes sit close together: the chest is straight ahead, and a short backtrack puts you on a jump pad to the cat.
| Reward | What it is | Where you grab it |
|---|---|---|
| The chest | Shard of Life (29/60) | Straight ahead after the safe drop |
| The cat | Cat (22/50) | Via the nearby jump pad |
How to reach the Grandtree chest and cat in the Age of Reconstruction
The path up is straightforward, with one thing to watch for: players report a small torch puzzle where you move Faie across a gap so she can light the way before you can continue. After that, it’s a single linear climb to the drop point.
How to reach the Grandtree chest and cat in the Age of Reconstruction
STEP 1/7
Follow the route from the start
From your starting point on Grandtree – First Level, take the single linear path and head for the staircase up to Second Level.
STEP 2/7
Reach the drop point at the end of Second Level
Keep following the route to the very end of Grandtree – Second Level, where the path stops at a gap in the floor instead of a bridge.
STEP 3/7
Check the pit before you commit
Look at the gap — if it isn’t pitch-black, it’s a safe fall rather than instant death.
STEP 4/7
Drop into the hidden First Level
Fall through the lit gap to land in a new, secret section of Grandtree – First Level.
STEP 5/7
Grab the chest straight ahead
Go straight on from where you land to reach the chest first — it holds Shard of Life (29/60).
STEP 6/7
Backtrack to the jump pad
Head back from the chest and look nearby for a jump pad on the same stretch.
STEP 7/7
Ride the jump pad to the cat
Use the pad to launch up to the platform with Cat (22/50), then interact with it to add it to your Cat List.
Video help
Reading which pits are lethal and which aren’t
The single most useful thing to learn here transfers to the rest of Grandtree: not every pit kills you, and the game uses darkness as the signal. A gap that’s pitch-black is a genuine death pit, but a gap that’s clearly lit — where you can make out a space below — is a safe descent that drops you somewhere new.
That’s the whole trick at the end of Second Level. The lit gap looks like a hazard, but it’s the intended path down to the chest and cat. Once you internalize the lit-versus-black rule, you stop hunting for a bridge that was never there.
If a pit isn’t pitch-black, it’s a safe drop — lit gaps lead somewhere, while fully black ones kill you.
Mistakes that cost you the cat and chest
The most common mistake is treating every hole as lethal. Players who carefully avoid all the pits walk straight past the only route to both rewards and leave Grandtree thinking there was nothing here.
The second is hunting for the cat on the visible First Level. That early stretch is entirely linear, with no hidden side path to the cat or chest from there — you have to climb to Second Level and drop into the lower section before either one appears.
The third is an era mix-up. If you’re searching for a “Grandtree chest” and keep finding references to keys and money, you’re probably looking at Grandtree in the Age of Budding instead. That era is the one with actual keyed chests — including the Blue Grandtree Key, the Red Grandtree Key, and money chests like 90M and 350T — none of which appear on this Age of Reconstruction route.
Where to go after Grandtree
With the cat and Shard in hand, the natural next targets are the rest of the Age of Reconstruction cats and more Shards of Life. Each shard you bank raises your maximum survivability, so they’re worth grabbing as you pass through nearby regions rather than leaving for a second sweep.
Grandtree itself isn’t done with you either. Later visits in other eras open new rewards: the Age of Magic trip to Grandtree is where the Double Swing magicite lives, and the Age of Budding version is the key route with its Blue and Red Grandtree Keys.
If you’re chasing cats specifically, it’s worth feeding them to the Ailurophilic Traveler. Turning in enough eventually grants the Cat Needle, and paired with the Magic Compass it makes cat icons appear on your maps — which turns the hunt for all 50 cats and the Katzenmeister trophy from guesswork into a checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know which pits are safe to fall into?
Look at how dark the gap is. A pit that’s completely pitch-black will kill you, while one that’s clearly lit is a safe drop into another area. At the end of Grandtree – Second Level, the lit gap is the intended way down.
What’s actually inside the chest?
The reward is Shard of Life (29/60), which raises your survivability total. It’s worth flagging that not every guide describes this as a separate named “chest” — some list the pickup simply as the Shard of Life — so treat it as the chest that holds Shard of Life rather than a uniquely named item.
Why can’t I reach the cat directly from the First Level?
The visible First Level stretch is entirely linear with no side path to the cat or chest. The hidden section that holds them only opens once you go up to Second Level and drop through the lit gap, which lands you in a separate lower part of First Level.
Which cat number is this, and does it count toward the Katzenmeister trophy?
It’s most commonly listed as Cat (22/50), though some community guides number the Age of Reconstruction cats differently and call this one #19. Either way, it counts as one of the 50 cats tied to the Katzenmeister trophy.
What do I need to have unlocked before I can even reach Grandtree?
Reaching Grandtree reportedly requires having the Moonmirror and the key to the Eastern Caves, which opens the route in. That prerequisite comes from a single account and isn’t fully confirmed, so treat it as a guide rather than gospel if your own progression looks different.
