Elden Ring Guide – Leyndell, Royal Capital Location and Walkthrough - Guidetonote.com (2023)

You can find the Legacy Dungeon known as Leyndell, Royal Capital in the area of Elden Ring known as Altus Plateau. It is a massive city with a maze-like layout that is home to formidable foes, multiple bosses, and a wealth of treasures. This page will contain walkthrough and guide information on how to reach Leyndell, as well as information on all of the treasures and items that can be found inside, as well as tips for navigating the dungeon, and how to defeat its formidable bosses.

How to Get to Leyndell, Royal Capital

Are you prepared for yet another perilous and exhausting ride? Good! Because it is now time to begin the journey to the capital city. Our journey will begin at the Site of Grace on the Road of Iniquity, which can be found close to the Volcano Manor. Ride your horse to the east in the direction of the Minor Erdtree, around the boss, and onto the broken bridge that is behind it. Take a running jump off the bridge and try to land on the lower half of the platform below.

Continue riding your bike in an easterly direction along the path after passing the Corpse-Stench Shack. You will go through a section that has a bunch of ramparts and some abductors in it. Ignore them and keep riding until you come across a wooden bridge and the Site of Grace for the Bridge of Iniquity.

You will arrive on the Altus Plateau once you have traversed the wooden bridge and reached the other side. You will start to run into some more powerful foes around this point, such as wolves, mages, and capital knights. Just keep walking in the same direction that the path is going, continuing to do so even as it begins to curve to the northeast. When you get to the bridge, you will need to take a slight detour in order to locate the Road of Iniquity Side Path Site of Grace that is located underneath the arch of the large bridge.

Get back on the trail and continue riding in the direction of the east. When you reach the top of the hill, you will see a number of windmills, and the trail will start to branch off in a number of different directions. As you make your way up the hill, you will come upon Dominula, the Windmill Village, where you can take a break at the Windmill Village Site of Grace.

If you are standing in Dominula and gaze to the southeast, you will be able to make out the route that goes straight into the Capital Outskirts. Be careful as you ride your horse up the path and approach the capital wall; there are turrets along the way that shoot massive arrows at anyone who gets too close (there is also a Golden Seed on top of a rock to the right of the path, make a quick stop to grab it as you pass by). You will be able to ride through the archway and into the outskirts of the area if you strafe from left to right in order to avoid the arrows. When you first enter, look to your right to find the Outer Wall Battleground Site of Grace nearby.

Because the front door to the capital is closed and locked, you will notice that this Site of Grace does not point towards the front gates of the capital. Despite this, I suggest that you ride all the way down to the front gates, where you will find two Golden Seed. If you take the time to climb the stairs all the way to the front gate, you will be rewarded with a Lost Ashes of War.

However, that’s not the end of it! You won’t miss the enormous staircase that leads down the hill from this location. Gargoyles will pursue you if you ride down the stairs in a straight line, so avoid doing that. Instead, ride down the hill that is covered in grass and is located to the left of the stairs. When you get to the bottom, you’ll find two more Golden Seeds, a map that shows Leyndell as the royal capital, and the Phantom Tree Site of Grace on the Outer Wall.

You will find a staircase leading up the cliffside if you teleport back to the Outer Wall Battleground Site of Grace and then follow the Guidance of Grace to the northeast. This will bring you to the location. Now that you have the map in your possession, it should be able to see the way forward, so follow it until you reach the end, where you will come up against the last barrier standing between you and the capital…

Draconic Tree Sentinel Boss Fight

The Draconic Tree Sentinel is the final test to determine whether or not you are ready to enter the capital, but thankfully, he is not overly challenging if you approach him in the correct manner.

You are going to want to do almost all of the combat with him while mounted on your horse. Because of this, you are able to take swipes at him as you pass by without having to ever remain within his attack range for an excessive amount of time. It is imperative that you get out of his way as quickly as possible whenever you see him winding up his mace or shield because he will attempt to strike you with both of them. Don’t let your hunger get the best of you; each pass can only have one or two attacks. Because he will attack you with fireballs if you get too far away from him, you should strive to remain within a reasonable distance from him at all times.

If you are able to land enough blows on him in a short amount of time, you will be able to temporarily stun him, leaving him vulnerable to a large number of unopposed blows while he is on the ground. Bleed is a powerful ability that can significantly shorten the duration of this fight; remember to down a flask if Torrent takes any damage. He is vulnerable to bleeding. You absolutely must avoid getting knocked out during this fight at all costs.

When his health drops to about half, the Sentinel will use dragon magic to fortify himself. This will allow him to add some new moves to his arsenal, including two different kinds of lightning strike attacks. The first thing that will happen is that he will come to a halt, and then he will begin to charge up a spell in preparation for casting a barrage of lightning bolts in the area around him. You can avoid this situation by simply moving farther away and waiting for it to calm down. The next instant, he will raise his shield towards the heavens and call down a powerful lightning strike that will land directly on top of you. Dash around and you should be able to avoid the hits from this one, even though it is a little more difficult to avoid.

Aside from that one small change, the strategy remains the same. Maintain your strategy of hitting him and running away, and never give him too many opportunities to strike you. If you are able to defeat him, you will receive the Dragon Greatclaw and the Dragonclaw Shield as a reward. You can access the Capital Rampart Site of Grace and the entrance to Leyndell, the Royal Capital, by going through the doorway that is located behind the Sentinel.

Leyndell, Royal Capital Walkthrough

Follow the path through the capital until you reach the elevator at the very end. You can enter the capital by using the door that is located at the very end of the rampart. Continue down the corridor at the top, where you will find three containers of magic grease, and then continue down the corridor until you reach the chapel. After retrieving the Furlcalling Finger Remedy from the altar, leave the chapel by way of the stairs located on the opposite side of the building in order to reach the outer walls of the castle. You will find the East Capital Rampart Site of Grace if you continue walking past the sleeping soldiers and up to the sandy overhang. From there, turn right to reach the location.

You can exit onto the castle wall by descending the stairs from where you are currently standing. The trumpeting Oracle Envoys are a pretty pathetic enemy that you will run into in this area. The projectiles that these enemies fire at you move slowly and slowly roll around, but you can basically just run at them and kill them without any problems, even the large one that is perched on the platform in the middle of the wall. There is a Golden Rune [10] hidden behind the larger Envoy if you look there.

You can leave the large platform that the Envoy is on by using the stairs on the opposite side, and if you look to the left, you will see another staircase that leads down into a small room underneath the platform. At this location, in addition to a Smithing Stone [4], you will find one of those crossbow perfumers (watch out for the exploding bolts, as always). You will find yourself on a balcony that runs along the side of the rampart if you leave the room through the door on the opposite side. Continue following it down, and you will eventually come across four more Envoys as well as another door.

Once inside, you will find yet another perfumer, and in the back corner of this room, behind some furniture, you will find ten more packets of Cave Moss. An elevator that leads down into the capital is accessible through the door that is nearby, but we don’t want to use it just yet. You will find a route back to the main rampart if you head upstairs and look for it. This route will take you behind the massive perfumer beast that was guarding the way. In his immediate vicinity is a Golden Rune [7].

Instead of taking the elevator, we are going to make our way back to the balcony where we had our initial encounter with the four Envoys. If you look over the balcony towards the ground below, you will see a golden rooftop. When you drop down onto it, watch out for the imp that is hanging from the wall above you because it will try to ambush you. You will encounter two more imps if you go diagonally one rooftop after you land here. First, jump forward two rooftops from where you landed. Imps can be found all over the rooftops, and they are surprisingly skilled at parkour; therefore, you should be wary of them chasing you around or surprising you when you least expect it.

From here, descend to the rooftop below; there, dangling from one of the windows, is a Golden Rune [9]. If you face northeast from this rooftop, you should be able to see another item that is located on the roof of a house that is three houses away. In order to reach that item, a Golden Rune [12], you will need to make careful jumps across the gaps and deal with the imps that you encounter along the way. You should face west from this rooftop and make your way towards the roof in the distance that has two more imps and another item on it, this time a Stonesword Key.

Next, turn your back to the north-northeast and look down into the space between the two buildings in front of you. There should be an item called a Smithing Stone leaning against a flower bed in this space [6]. If you continue down this alley, you will eventually come across a Leynell Knight at the end of it. These knights can even call lightning bolts down from the sky for surprise attacks in addition to charging their weapon with electricity to deal damage through your defences. After getting the jump on him with a quick backstab, check the alleyway to the left of the building he was guarding for a Golden Rune [9]. It is located there.

You need to return to the location next to the flower bed where you discovered the Smithing Stone. You can make your way back up to the rooftop above you by using the flower bed as a stepping stone. If you turn your back to the southwest, you will find one of those enormous metal caravans that trolls typically pull throughout the overworld. You’ll find a Golden Rune [9] in the immediate area if you descend down next to the caravan.

But watch out for that! If you walk into its line of sight while it is walking up and down this street, it will attack you. There is an Edtree Avatar that does this. It will be easier in the long run if you just deal with it now, so prepare yourself for a tough fight. Erdtree Avatars have formidable offensive capabilities, but their melee attacks are all painfully sluggish and extremely predictable. You can easily avoid its overhead swings and foot stomp by dodging in just before the moment of impact, and you can avoid many of its horizontal swings by strafing or rolling sideways. After that, you can punish any of these with one to two attacks before you want to get back into defensive position.

The magic slam is an attack that should make you very afraid because it involves the Avatar glowing and leaning forward before leaping into the air and slamming down with a powerful area attack. When you see it charging, you simply need to step back, wait until the slam has been completed, and then rush in to punish it with a dash attack or a jump attack. Then there is the potentially lethal homing spell, which is cast by the Avatar by slamming the head of its staff into the ground in front of it, which then calls forth approximately a dozen magical bolts. You can avoid these by running in a circle around the Avatar; however, it may try to hit you while the spells are active, so you must also be prepared to avoid its melee attacks. You can avoid these by running in a circle around the Avatar.

In the end, it comes down to having patience and waiting for the right opportunities to present themselves. Do not be in a hurry to do anything, especially not while the spells of magic are active. You can earn a Lord’s Rune by vanquishing the Avatar, which will also make the city a little bit safer.

If you take a look around, you will notice that there is an item called a Gold Firefly x3 resting on a set of stairs off to the side of the street. You can get on top of the overturned caravan by using the flower bed that is located behind it. It is located almost directly across the street from where you are. A Holy Grease can be found on top. Continuing in a southwesterly direction along this street will bring you to a set of doors that are open on the right. Navigate your way through them to reach the Site of Grace on the Avenue Balcony. You are welcome to take a break here if you need to refill your flasks, but we still have a lot more exploring to do in the area we just came from.

Proceed back down the stairs to the street. This time, we are going to walk east along the street, past the caravans, and all the way up to the door that is locked at the end of the street. When you open the door, you will find that the other side is covered in ash. Continue straight ahead until you come to a spot where a lone Misbegotten is prowling around. After you have killed it, look to your right and you will see two more Misbegottens chopping something up that is lying on the ground. You must vanquish them in order to seize the three copies of Beast Blood that they were guarding.

A railing that looks out over a pond can be found behind the adversaries. Continue along the railing, but keep an eye out for the debris to your left as you do so. You will find two dogs guarding a possession with their lives. You can earn a Golden Rune by defeating them [9]. Just beyond the dogs is another derelict caravan, which also has some dogs and a Misbegotten behind it. There is also a Lightningproof Dried Liver behind this caravan.

At the end of this path, you will come face to face with a powerful Leonine Misbegotten, as well as a large canine companion. Avoid coming too close. Allow the Leonine to become aware of your presence, and he will approach you without also agitating the canine. Keep in mind that the Barricade Shield ability causes almost all of the Leonine’s attacks to bounce off of a shield; therefore, if you have the Great Turtle Shell, equip it here to completely ruin this enemy with Guard Counters and turn the tide of the battle in your favour. You will be able to retrieve the perfume bottle that the Leonine and the dog were guarding once you have vanquished both of them.

Retrace your steps until you reach the bottom of the enormous staircase close to the location where you defeated the initial few Misbegottens. Climb the first set of stairs, then break away and climb up onto the dirt mound that is spilling over into the staircase. Once you’re there, continue climbing the remaining sets of stairs. At the very top, you will come across a few more Misbegottens resting in some bushes, including one that is significantly larger and carries a massive axe. These individuals possess great strength; however, their attacks are painfully sluggish and blatant. You can get away with mostly just strafing around them and attacking from behind safely. Kill them to make a safe claim on the two containers of soporific grease that are nearby.

You will find a pit in the ground behind the item, which contains a statue and a Misbegotten at the very bottom of the pit. By using a falling attack, you can get the drop on the enemy and then, once he has been vanquished, you can grab the Somber Smithing Stone [6] from behind the statue. After you have climbed up out of the pit and moved forward a short distance, the Leonine that is located further away will almost immediately notice you. I cannot stress this enough: do not approach. Allow him to come to you to prevent other adversaries from joining the fight. Reinforce your destruction of him with Barricade and Guard Counters.

In this area, you are going to come across a large number of misbegotten people praying, in addition to some perfumers. There will be a large number of foes coming after you at the same time, and they will use a variety of attack methods, including both close-quarters combat and long-ranged assaults. To make matters even more dire, the perfumers are going to provide the Misbegotten with damage shields. Your best bet is to draw the enemies backwards down the stairs until some of them give up chasing you, giving you the opportunity to fight them in smaller groups. If you can do this, you will have a better chance of success. Repeat this process a few times until the attire group has been culled, at which point you will be able to grab the Exalted Flesh that is hanging over the cliff as well as the three Nascent Butterflies that are located on the stairs.

You will come to an open tower at the top of the stairs, and inside that tower will be an elevator. To go up in the elevator, you need to pull the lever. A few feeble guards are posted at the top of the hill, watching over an exit bridge from the city. Although we won’t be able to cross this bridge until we’ve vanquished the boss of this area, we can still take the +1 Flamedrake Talisman that’s sitting here.

We are going to make our way all the way back to the main street from where we are currently standing. As soon as you pass through the massive door that served as a barrier between the smoky area and the main street, look to your left, and you will see a shadowy alleyway that winds its way between the houses. When you enter the alley, you will find a number of foot soldiers resting and waiting to ambush you. To get there, you will need to jump over the fence. Kill them as you make your way forward, and when you reach the end of the path, there will be two more of them guarding an item. Kill them. Kill them in order to take ownership of the Imp Head (Corpse).

If you take a quick peek down the nearby path, you will see a group of knights standing in the open space not too far away. You can start this encounter by performing a backstab on the larger knight, and then while he is recovering, you can attempt to kill the weaker knight. If you sneak up on them, you will have the opportunity to do so. In this confined area, you are up against two opponents who are relatively powerful; you must not give them the opportunity to overwhelm you. Move backwards and make an effort to split them up if necessary; in addition, keep in mind that guard counters are extremely effective against this group. Maintain a heightened state of vigilance and get ready for a confrontation that could last for a while, as starting this fight is likely to attract additional foes from the surrounding alleys. After all of the foes have been vanquished, you should go back to the location where the first knight was standing and search the alleys nearby for a pair of Arteria Leaves hidden in one of the dead ends.

When you have those things in your possession, these alleyways will be clear. Once you have reached the main path, turn around and look to the other side of the street; there should be a plaza there that is easily accessible. Take the stairs down into the plaza, and once you’re there, you’ll see doors leading out of the building on both your left and your right. Go through the door on the right, but don’t be in a hurry; the door on the left leads to a different area, and we will visit that one again later. A Crucible Knight armed with a spear will be waiting for you inside this room.

You might be able to sneak up on them to get the first strike, but after that you should get ready for a tough battle. Because it does not possess a shield, this variant of the Crucible Knight can be easily defeated in its first phase by using Guard Counters. However, when it transforms into its more powerful phase two form, you will need to avoid some of its more dangerous attacks, including its multiple spear charge attacks. There is also a long distance shoulder charge, which requires the player to dodge roll forward just before the moment of impact, as well as a flying dive, which requires the player to dodge roll left or right as the knight makes the throwing motion. Be sure to always keep your guard up or simply be ready to dodge left or right when you see the knight take a step forward. The shoulder charge is deceptively quick, so be sure to always have your guard up.

Steer clear of these attacks and hold off on punishing the creature until it makes one of its normal spear swings. You must vanquish the knight in order to retrieve the Hero Rune [5] that it was guarding and the Golden Rune [9] that was in the corner. You can leave the room through the corridor that is close to the Golden Rune, which will lead you to a new elevator that will take you to a shortcut that will take you back to the chapel that is close to the East Capital Ramparts Site of Grace.

Now that the backtracking route is accessible, you should make your way back to the street and then all the way back to the caravan that was located close to where we fought the Erdtree Avatar earlier. There is a path leading back to the beginning of the area behind this caravan, but be careful because it is crawling with foes. At once, you will come face to face with a second knight who is snoozing at the top of the stairs. After you have vanquished him, head down the alleyway to the left to find an inferior soldier and eight Fan Daggers.

You should proceed up the path towards the door that is open, but instead turn left into the alleyway. There is a good chance that a knight is roaming around in this area. You must either eliminate or sneak past the night and enter the nearby building. You will find a ten-pack of Miranda Powder if you go through the room with the sleeping soldier and then into the room with all the debris.

To get into the main hallway of the building, you will need to break through the debris. Conceal your movement as you make your way into the larger room on the right. You should perform a backstab on the perfumer who is positioned to the left of the entrance, and then you should get ready to engage in combat with two more of them who are standing by the bar on the other side of the room (you can draw them into the hallway if you need to split them up, or give them less room to move around). Once all of the enemies have been eliminated from the room, you will be able to retrieve the Golden Rune [10] and the Warming Stone x5.

You will see a staircase off to the right as you enter the hallway again; however, you should continue down the hall until you reach a door that leads out to a patio. Another perfumer and a Smithing Stone will be waiting for you in this area [6]. Proceed indoors and up the stairs when you get there. After going outside and sneaking past the sleeping soldiers, proceed to the room that is ahead of you. First, you should backstab the sleeping perfumer, and then you should eliminate any other foes that awaken as a result of your disturbance. Grab the Preserving Boluses that are located next to the ladder, and once you’ve done that, climb the ladder to access another sizable room. At the very back of the room, concealed behind a few of the pieces of furniture, one can find a chest. You will find a Perfume Bottle inside if you open it.

You will see some windows across the room that you can climb out of to get to a balcony, but before you do that, you need to climb the stairs to the top floor and take the Seedbed Curse off of the dead body that is sitting in the chair. You need to go back upstairs and out onto the balcony, where you will see that there is a connection to another patio that has two perfumers on it. Before he can start casting shields onto the weaker soldier foes, sneak up behind one of them and backstab him. Then, focus your attention on the other. After the foes have been eliminated, proceed around the corner and towards the item in the distance, but be wary of the other perfumer who is hiding and waiting in ambush on the left. Kill him, then head to the dead end and grab the Upper-Class Robe there.

Turn around and head back to the main street, where there are only two more areas for us to investigate. Continue heading west along the street, keeping an eye out for an alleyway that has three dogs guarding an item, which turns out to be a three-pack of Old Fangs.

Continue walking down the street and keep an eye out for the staircase on the left side of the road just after you pass the overturned caravan. Follow these stairs to the top, where you will find a perfumer and some soldiers waiting for you on a small plaza. First eliminate the perfumer to stop it from casting any spells, and then shift your attention to the less powerful soldiers. You can get the Smithing Stone [5] by going inside the gazebo.

Look on the left side of the building where you are to find a smaller staircase leading up to the street above. Taking this staircase will save you from having to climb the main stairs. Ahead of you are going to see two soldiers resting close to an alleyway. If you make a bit of a racket and start running, they should get up and give chase after you. In order to prevent any other nearby enemies from being drawn in, direct them towards the stairs. Check the alleyway that they were guarding once they have been removed from the way to find a Golden Rune [8].

After leaving the alleyway, head west until you reach a staircase with three guards positioned on it. Continue descending the staircase. When you have finished with them, look ahead and you will see one of those large perfumer beasts sitting on top of a large pile of sand while guarding a few items. Your best bet at this point is to simply flee in the opposite direction of him and make an effort to get behind him before he can start spreading his flames. Once you are behind him, it will be simple for you to kill him and claim the items, which include a Somber Smithing Stone [5], a Golden Rune [8], and a Golden Rune [11.]

You need to make a U-turn and head in the opposite direction, down the street towards the other end. The way is watched over by four individuals: two knights and two soldiers. Make an effort to lure the knights out of hiding while they are moving back and forth. Eliminate each one of them in turn, and then team up to finish off the remaining two soldiers. You will find another soldier guarding Lordsworn’s Bolt x10 if you go around to the building’s backside and go around where the soldiers were standing in front of the building.

Turn around and go back to the street; there will be something dangling over one of the railings nearby. Grasp it to obtain two Gravel Stones, and after that, look for the body on the opposite side of the street to obtain a Golden Rune [13]. A gazebo awaits you up ahead, and you guessed it: more soldiers will be guarding it. You must vanquish them in order to retrieve the eight tarnished golden sunflowers hidden behind the gazebo.

When you look over the railing that is located next to the gazebo, you will see one of those giant lion enemies sleeping next to a fountain along with a perfumer. This is a very sensitive meeting to take place. It is imperative that you rush in and eliminate the perfumer as soon as possible; otherwise, he will begin to cast spells, making it impossible for you to concentrate on the lion. As is customary, you should wait until the lion has finished one of its heavy slam attacks before you attempt to punish it. The majority of its light attacks (bite attacks and swipe attacks) are almost always followed by another attack that will interrupt you. Keep your shield up and guard counter if you see an opening, but in general, it is best to just anticipate the heavy combo ending attacks and then get in one or two attacks. Keep your shield up and guard counter if you see an opening. You can use the fountain as a barrier between you and the lion if you need a moment to catch your breath, but you won’t have it for long because the lion will either jump around it or over it.

You will receive a Somber Smithing Stone [6], Beast Blood, and Old Fang x2 if you are successful in defeating the lion. You can also loot the items behind him, which include a Golden Rune (level 10) and a Hero Rune (level 2).

You need to go back to the gazebo and look for the cracked railing that is nearby. When you look down, you will find another gazebo with something on top of it. It is possible to reach the gazebo below and retrieve the Stonesword Key if you take a running jump from the ledge.

Take a good look at the large spear that is dangling above your head and observe how it is anchored into the structure that is located behind the gazebo. It is possible to leap to that location from the top of the gazebo and then use it as a stepping stone to ascend onto the spear. Once you have made it to the top, you will be able to climb up onto the spear and grab the Bolt of Gransax weapon. The jump is a little bit risky, so it may take you a few tries to get there.

You can ignore the additional foes and the shortcut leading to the next area for the time being because we aren’t ready to proceed to the next level just yet. There is also a shortcut leading to the next area. You need to get back to the main street immediately so that we can finish collecting the loot from the west end. A tall staircase that is guarded by two soldiers and a knight can be found hidden behind the final overturned caravan. As is customary, you should start by drawing out the soldiers, and once they have been moved out of the way, you can move on to the knight. After completing the stair challenge, you should collect all of the items, which include a Lightningproof Dried Liver, a Golden Rune [8, and a Golden Rune [12]. Going to the left at the bottom of the tall stairs and looking behind the stairs in the back alley will lead you to a Golden Rune [8]. This is the final and most important step.

Avenue Balcony

It is time to start working on the area below the Avenue Balcony, but the first thing we need to do is clear a path for one more shortcut. You should return to the plaza where you fought the Crucible Knight earlier, but this time you should enter the building through the door on the opposite side and descend the elevator. You will find that you are in a town area that has a somewhat seedy appearance to it.

Because those zombie foes are everywhere in the streets, the first thing we are going to do is climb up onto the roof to your right and make our way through the town that way. You can find the Black Bow perched atop one of the buildings on the opposite side of town from where you entered.

Get on the ground level and start picking up trash in the neighbourhood as soon as possible. Once you have eliminated all of the foes that are hiding in the various streets and alleys of this compact area, you will be able to start collecting the items that are there. There are a total of about a dozen of them. There is a Stonesword Key, a Gravel Stone, and a Smithing Stone [9]. The Golden Rune is located here as well.

Once you have all of these items in your possession, proceed through the door located on the opposite end of town into the store room. Once inside, you will find a large number of soldiers who will immediately begin throwing electric bombs at you. You should make your way to the opposite side of the room as quickly as possible and climb up onto the ledge there so that you can eliminate all of them before they become a problem. Clarifying Boluses can be found at the very top of this room, and another Stonesword Key can be found inside the chest that is contained within the cage below.

You can access a door that leads back to the Avenue Balcony Site of Grace by ascending the ladder that is situated in one of the room’s corners. It is time to take on another mini-boss, which this time is a Tree Spirit, so you will want to get some rest first. You need to go back into the slum and then cross the bridge to get to the damaged portion of the town. Almost instantly, turn to your left and walk in the direction of the doorway that is in front of you. This will bring you to a large room where there is a Knight slumbering and a cracked pot. There is also a backdoor that leads to a different section of town, but you should disregard that for the time being.

It was essential to clear out that area because it will serve as your safe haven in the event that things go awry while you are engaged in combat with the subsequent foe. To call upon the Tree Spirit, you should make your way back outside and into the clearing. As is customary, you should endeavour to maintain a close relationship with the Holy Spirit for the majority of the time. Place yourself close to its stomach, just under its arm. You will be able to avoid the majority of its forward slam and breath attacks if you do this, and it will also be much simpler for you to keep your distance when you are dodging rolling through its tail spins and body rolls. Because it gives away most of its movements pretty clearly, you should be on the lookout for any time it begins to contort its body, as this indicates that it is probably about to spin or dash attack in some way. Always keep your shield up to protect yourself.

When it has approximately half of its health remaining, the Spirit will begin to glow gold and ignite itself in flames. You have to retreat in order to avoid being hurt by the powerful explosion, but once that’s over, everything will go back to normal. The other attack that you always need to be on the lookout for is the bite, in which the spirit will pull back, open its mouth widely, then dash at you in an attempt to swallow you whole. You can easily avoid this by simply rolling to the side, but if you don’t see it coming and try to block it with your shield, you will be devoured. Rolling to the side is the easiest way to avoid it. Also, keep in mind that you can always retreat into the larger room whenever things get too chaotic in the smaller one. Just make sure you don’t position yourself too close to the entrance, as the Spirit’s attacks can penetrate the wall and reach you there. After you have vanquished the ghost, you will be given a Golden Seed, and you will also have access to the other loot in the area, such as a Smithing Stone [6] and Golden Arrow x15.

As soon as you have cleared out this region, you can enter the sewer that connects the two sides of the town and retrieve the Guilty Hood that is at the end of the path. You should now face the opposite direction and continue walking along the sewer until you enter a small room that contains some rats, a Golden Rune [8, and a Hefty Beast Bone]. On the other side of this door is a staircase that will take you to a new part of town, but before we head up there, we are going to do some more investigating in these sewers.

You will find yourself in a long corridor with some rats and some of those small hand enemies once you pass through the next doorway. After you have eliminated all of the foes in the room and retrieved the String x4 from the body in the vicinity, proceed to the left and you will find that more hands will fall on you as you travel through the area. After you have obtained the Poisonbone Dart x8 that is located at the end of this path, you should turn around and take the turn that will lead you to yet another lengthy corridor.

On the other hand, one of the giant hand foes is waiting for you at the conclusion of this one. As you get closer, he will stoop down, and as you get closer, some of his smaller minions will attempt to sneak up behind you. Kill every one of them to reclaim the Lost Ashes of War that were being guarded by the giant hand.

You will need to retrace your steps back to the entrance doorway that you used to enter the building; however, this time we are going to take the opposite route down the corridor. Right away, after the fork in the road, take the right fork to retrieve a few Nascent Butterfly (you can see a Rune Arc on the other side of the grate). You will find yourself behind one of those large perfumer beasts if you go back to the main corridor and continue going down. After you have killed it, descend into the sewer below it, and there you will find three items: five Holyproof Dried Liver, five Fan Daggers, and an Erdsteel Dagger.

To exit this room, use the ladder that is located on the opposite side of the room. You will discover that you are positioned beneath the wing of the enormous dragon corpse that is suspended above the city. You can find a Dragonwound Grease on one of the stairs in the area. When you turn around, you will see two knights standing in the street in front of you, which will take you directly back to the Avenue Balcony if you follow it. If you need to take a break, check the railing on the left side of this area to find a Golden Rune [9], then kill all of the knights to clear the path back to the Site of Grace.

You should make your way back to the ladder that you used earlier to escape the sewers. A flight of stairs can be found close by. If you continue down the stairs, you will find yourself in yet another destroyed town. If you continue along the wall on the right side, you will eventually come across a Somber Smithing Stone [6] hidden behind some broken houses.

You will notice a large pile of sand and rubble to the left of this particular item. You will find yourself on top of a small house with a view of the sewer if you climb all the way to the top and then over the obstacle. You are able to see something that is dangling off the edge of the ledge on the other side from where you are. You will need to descend the slope on the left, climb over the debris in front of you, and then drop down to the other side to retrieve the item, which is a Smithing Stone [5].

Do not descend into the sewer; rather, proceed towards the clearing on the right. A group of those enemies that crawl around here, as well as an Ash Scarab, can be found here. After you have finished off the crawlers, make your way to the well that is located in the top right corner of this area. You will find an Albinauric Bloodclot in the immediate area.

Grab the Rune Arc that is located at the bottom of the sewer by descending into it. Take the ladder back up to the Capital if you want to explore the rest of this region; we won’t be going through this gate, which leads to the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds at the moment.

A passageway that leads into a lengthy corridor can be found just around the bend from the well. The path leads to a body that has three Pickled Turtle Necks attached to it. If you leave through the opening at the end of the hall, you will end up back in the room where we had our battle with the Tree Spirit earlier. Take the right path and follow the knight into the store room. After leaving through the door on the opposite side, you will find that you are once again looking out over the sewer. Instead, climb the ladder that is located to the left of the entrance to enter a new area. On your right you will find a church, and on your left you will find an Omenkiller. As is customary, it is possible to easily cheese this Omenkiller with Guard Counters. As a reward for killing him, you will receive the Smithing Stone [6] that was sitting behind him in addition to the Omensmirk Mask.

You’ll find the Lower Capital Church Site of Grace, Lionel’s Armor Set, and Deathbed Dress inside the nearby church if you go inside and look for them.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s move on to the following section of the Capital. Go back to the Site of Grace on the Avenue Balcony and then make your way back down into the area with the rest of the Knights. You will find a massive dragon’s wing that you are able to climb onto here.

Climb the edge of the wing, and once you reach the top, make your way up onto the dragon’s arm. You can make a quick jump to a damaged section of the castle wall from here. Both a ladder and a Rune Arc can be found in this area. First climb the ladder, then proceed to the stairs in front of you. On your left, there will be a knight perched on a ledge looking down at you. To obtain the Gravel Stone x5 that is located next to him, you must first kill him. Climb the nearby stairs to reach an area with a soldier hiding there in order to ambush you, as well as a Golden Rune [11]. The Site of Grace can be found on the West Capital Rampart just ahead.

West Capital Rampart

When you arrive at this Site of Grace, your first order of business will be to eliminate the Gargoyle miniboss that is located nearby. You will need to descend the nearby stairs and then continue walking along the top of the rampart until you reach the gargoyle who is standing guard in front of you. Because he won’t initiate combat until you do, take advantage of this situation to launch into your most powerful ability right away.

The key to victory over the Gargoyles is to remain patient and steadfast throughout the fight. Nearly all of their attacks consist of slashes and stabs in a forward direction, which are simple to avoid by rolling into the path of the attack or simply blocking with a shield that offers a hundred percent physical block. These attacks typically only leave the Gargoyle open for a single opportunity for a counterattack, so choose your target carefully before returning to your defensive position. It’s safe to say that his various ground stabs and aerial slams are the most punishable attacks he has, so you should focus most of your attention on avoiding those.

You can easily avoid the long-range slash across the ground that he is going to do when he leaps backwards with his sword by simply rolling to the side. The tornado slam is the attack that should be avoided at all costs, as it is the only one that he can perform with the axe. He will first do a quick hop, then raise the axe high into the air as a whirlwind gathers around him. This will be followed by multiple circular swings, and then a massive slam will conclude the move. Because of the ease with which this combination can break your shield, leaving you vulnerable to the big hit, you should make an effort to retreat as soon as you see the first hit coming.

You can get the Gargoyle’s Halberd that he drops when he dies as well as the Golden Seed that is sitting by the golden tree nearby if you have enough patience and if you dodge effectively. All you need is a little bit of time and some good dodging skills.

Now that the Gargoyle has been defeated, we are free to do some serious exploring. After getting some rest at the Site of Grace, you should head back there and head down the staircase that is directly outside the doorway to the Site of Grace. There are a few Envoys on the platform below, as well as a lever that opens the large door below (which connects to the street above Avenue Balcony), and a Golden Rune [9]. You need to turn around and head back up the stairs, but before you do so, make sure to grab the Cane Sword from the corridor that is adjacent to the bottom of the stairs.

You will find another staircase leading down into the rampart if you head back to the location where you fought the gargoyle. Watch out for the perfumer who is hiding next to the staircase; his triple explosive shot can be dangerous. Once you’ve dealt with him, grab the Smithing Stone [6] that is hanging over the nearby ledge.

You need to climb all the way back to the top of the rampart and then continue following it down until you reach the spot where you fought the gargoyle and climb up onto the massive tree root. To reach the sandy area below, turn to the right and follow the tree root as it descends. You will find some dogs waiting for you at the bottom, but what’s more important is that there are some wooden shacks to the left, and one of them has something dangling from it. You can reach the Golden Rune [9] on top of the taller shack by using the shorter one as a stepping stone to reach the higher one.

This shack is leaning against a balcony that leads inside the enormous building it is leaning against. If you climb up onto the balcony, you can enter the building. After passing through the door, you will find yourself in a place that is very familiar to you: the Roundtable. You’ll find the Sanctified Whetblade and Hammer in this first hallway of the dungeon. You’ll find a Smithing Stone [6] if you look down the staircase to the left, and if you enter the room on the left side of the hall, you’ll find two more items: a Hero’s Rune [1] and the By My Sword gesture. Both of these are in the room on the left side of the hall.

Proceed into the main room with the round table, where there will be a Rune Arc waiting for you on the table. A Smithing Stone [5] can be found on the balcony outside the room. Go to Sir Gideon’s room to find a Furlcalling Finger Remedy, then proceed to the room behind where Dungeater would be hanging out to find another Seedbed Curse. Both of these items can be found in the back room of the inn.

In order to find the Coded Sword, you will need to finally open the door that leads to the main room where the Two-Fingers would normally be. Return to the corridor where the blacksmith would normally be located, and descend the broken staircase to reach the location where you initially discovered the Smithing Stone. You will find the Black-Key Bolt x20 and the Two Finger’s Prayerbook in the dining room at the end of the hall, which can be accessed by taking an immediate left turn after entering the building.

You will find Alberich’s Armor Set near the front of the main hall of the manor after making your way back down the hallway and entering the main hall of the manor. After passing through the doorway that is closest to the armour set, you will arrive at the area where the Smithing Stone [5] is hidden in the corner behind some weapon racks. You will find a small room with the “Flightless Bird” Painting and the Fortified Manor First Floor Site of Grace if you go through the connecting dining hall.

You need to go back to the main hall and then to the last doorway that you haven’t investigated yet. Once you have opened the door and entered the door at the end of the hallway, you will find yourself in a courtyard that is being watched over by two abductors. Take them on one at a time, avoiding their charging attacks as best you can and waiting for them to open the door to their base so you can exploit the vulnerability there. As soon as both of them are dead, you are free to collect the items that are strewn about the courtyard, including a Somber Smithing Stone (there are six of them) in the outer hall, a Stormhawk Axe, and three Nascent Butterflies in the garden.

There is a teleporter nearby that will take you to the Isolated Divine Tower, which we are unable to access at this time. Additionally, there is an elevator close by that will take you up to the Divine Bridge Site of Grace. Instead, you should make your way back down to the ground floor of the fortified manor and get ready to investigate the surrounding area.

Once you have exited the building through the front door, immediately turn left and you will find two knights, one armed with a spear and the other with a bow. Try to lure the spear knight into one of the wooden shacks that are located to the right of the path. Doing so will allow you to avoid being killed by arrows. You should be able to easily defeat him in a one-on-one duel here, after which you should be able to step out of the arena and easily run up on the bow knight. After you have dealt with both of them, you will be able to retrieve the Old Fang x5 from the nearby shack, and then you will be able to retrieve the Gravel Stone x3 from behind the dragon.

The next step is to ascend the dragon’s leg, leap off of its talon, and land on the wooden shack that is located below the dragon. You can make a running jump into the taller wooden shack that is adjacent to this location, and once inside, you can grab the Smithing Stone [6] and the Stonesword Key that are located there.

You will need to teleport back to the Site of Grace at the West Capital Rampart and then make your way down the rampart once more, but this time you will walk under the enormous tree root and then climb the stairs on the other side. Almost immediately, you will come face to face with a Duelist foe that is travelling up and down the path. These foes are extremely susceptible to being Guard Countered, so raise your shield and give him a good beating to bring them down. Carry on up the path until you reach the building at the top, where you will find the Ritual Shield Talisman and duel another Duelist.

After entering the building, turn immediately to the right and proceed through the archway; there, you will find a Furlcalling Finger Remedy. After that, proceed to the opposite side of the structure, where you will discover a Smithing Stone [5] dangling from the edge of the cliff, as well as the Star Fist weapon concealed within the archway on the opposite side.

You need to make your way back to the staircase that is located at the bottom of the hill. If you look over the railing, there are some plant foes down on the cliffside below. You will find a Smithing Stone [6] on the broken bridge if you first drop down and then descend the staircase on the left side of the cliff. You need to get back on the cliffside and continue following it until you reach the end. There, you will see another large tree root that you can climb.

As you make your way up the tree root, be aware of the various tree warrior foes that you will encounter. They are not particularly powerful, and it is simple to repel their attacks if you have a good shield, but there are a lot of them, so you need to be careful not to become overpowered, especially given the fact that there is not much room. Take care to navigate the path and make your way up to the very highest root, which will bring you to a large chapel if you are successful. Before you enter the chapel, make your way to the roof below by descending the thin root that splits off from the larger root near the top. This root will lead you to the roof. Follow the path around the corner to find a foe as well as three Holy Grease.

If you believe that you are prepared to face the mid-boss, make your way back to the chapel and enter it. Inside, you will find…

Godfrey, First Elden Lord Boss Fight

Godfrey is a boss that is a fairly typical example of a humanoid. His arsenal consists of a variety of slow but powerful axe swings, the majority of which can be easily blocked with a shield that provides a hundred percent physical block or simply avoided by rolling through them before they land. Because he has almost no tricks other than a few deceptive combos, it is only natural for us to choose a similarly conventional tactic to use against him in order to whup him.

First and foremost, you need to get out of the way of his leaping axe throw attack that he uses to start the fight, and roll out of the way as he completes the throw. Acquire command of the room’s focal point to create some breathing room for yourself. Our strategy for this situation calls for us to position ourselves just outside of his normal range in the hope of drawing out one of his jump attacks or long-range overhead slams. These are some of his most obvious swings, and they are also some of the easiest to defend against. In particular, you should watch out for the attack in which he jumps into the air and then thrusts the point of his axe into the ground. If you see this attack coming, you should be prepared to punish it with two or three attacks.

When it comes to his less powerful attacks, you need to exercise increased caution. Typically, after one of his swift axe swipes or horizontal slashes, he will immediately follow it up with another swift attack or a slightly delayed heavier slam. It is not recommended that you attempt to punish these unless you are utilising a weapon that is very quick. Instead of trying to punish during a combo just because you are antsy, it is best to wait for a familiar attack instead of trying to punish during the combo. However, if you can roll to his side and attack him from behind, you should be able to counter his stomp, which is one of his more frequent attacks.

Because his combos are so delayed, you can even squeeze in a Guard Counter between most of his attacks. This is because his attacks are so spaced out. If you are feeling confident in your stamina and defence, stand right in front of him and tank the swings. This will be especially easy if you have the ability to use Barricade Shield. After that, repeatedly use Counter until you get the stagger. Just remember to keep an eye on your stamina at all times; otherwise, he might find an opening in your defences and finish you off with one of his devastating combos.

Since it does not appear that Godfrey has a second phase change, you should simply stick to the game plan, and you will eventually be able to take him down with a combination of guard counters and safe punishments. Because he moves so slowly, if you feel the need for a moment of rest you can easily roll backwards or run away to create some distance between you and him. Defeat him to obtain another Talisman Pouch and unlock the door to the Site of Grace in the Erdtree Sanctuary.

Erdtree Sanctuary

Now that Godfrey has been eliminated, our way to the boss of this area is essentially clear, but there are a few more items that we need to collect before we can proceed. Begin by leaving the Site of Grace and heading in the direction of the door; however, just before the door, take a right turn into the room off to the side to find a Somber Smithing Stone [5]. You need to turn around and go back to the door before proceeding outside, down the staircase, and into the building at the end of the path. This building has an elevator.

After taking the elevator to the lower level, make your way outside and continue descending the stairs until you reach two perfumers. After their deaths, you will have access to the item they were guarding, which is a Holy Grease x5 item. If you keep going down this path, you will eventually run into one of those invisible Ash Scarabs that are wandering around, but before we can deal with it, we need to defeat the Crucible Knight that is guarding the staircase (refer to the strategy detailed above for defeating Crucible Knights).

After you have vanquished the knight, go to the top of the stairs where the scarab is running in circles and wait there for a moment. When it is still there, attack it to obtain the Barrier of Gold spell. You can now head back to the Erdtree Sanctuary Site of Grace to do some additional looting now that you have these items in your possession.

This time, turn right after leaving the Site of Grace and continue straight until you reach the balcony. On the opposite side of the balcony is a large tree root that can be scaled in order to gain access to the upper level of the Erdtree Sanctuary. The path leading to the Holy Grease x6 is located on the right side of the balcony.

From this platform, you can walk out onto a long bridge that connects to another structure; however, before we do that, let’s take a look to the left, where there is a rooftop that you can access. Once you’re on the roof, descend through the open window on the building’s side to re-enter the structure.

After entering, you can go to the right to locate a chest that contains the Erdtree Bow, and then you can enter the room that is adjacent to find a Celestial Dew as well as a ladder that provides a direct route down to the lower level.

If you explore the rest of the upper level, you will find another tree root that you can run along to get to a chair that is hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room. Get the Golden Order Principia by stealing the item that’s sitting on the chair.

From here, make your way directly back to the upper level bridge from where we initially diverged. You will find a member of the Black Knife Assassins inside the building at the opposite end of the bridge, which you can reach by crossing the bridge. These foes are quick and incredibly annoying, but their attacks are relatively weak, making them easy prey for guard counters in the event that you are able to catch one of them. Check to see if you can corner him or push him up against a wall to eliminate his options for getting away. The one attack that cannot be blocked is the grab, which is telegraphed by the assassin by having him raise his hand into the air before charging forward. If you notice him making this motion, you need to get out of the way as quickly as you can or he will deal significant damage to you with his backstabbing attack.

You will be able to enter the room that the assassin was guarding once you have vanquished him. Inside, you will find the Blessing of the Erdtree spell, and you will also be able to activate the Queen’s Bedchamber Site of Grace, which is located just outside the boss room. As soon as you are confident that you are ready, proceed up the staircase that leads to the fog door, and get ready to fight…

Morgott, The Omen King Boss Fight

Surprise! Morgott, the Omen King, had been concealing himself right in front of our very eyes the whole time. He has returned, this time more powerful than ever, armed with a brand-new blade and a myriad of brand-new abilities (along with some old tricks). This battle will not be as easy as the one against Godfrey, but if we use a strong shield and proceed with caution (and perhaps enlist the aid of the Melina summon), we will be able to defeat him and take possession of another Great Rune.

The unpredictable actions of Morgott are a significant contributor to the difficulty of this fight. Because he is able to move around quickly, summon a few different weapons, and has a few fake combo enders as well as surprisingly long combos, it is difficult to determine when the appropriate time to punish him is. The general rule of thumb to follow during the first phase is to administer a punishment whenever he uses a hammer attack, as these attacks are the most sluggish and have the longest cooldown time. Particularly dangerous for Morgott is the high jump into the air, as it leaves him vulnerable to two or three attacks immediately afterward.

Always remember that Guard Counters can be useful as well, provided that you have sufficient stamina management to make use of them without having your guard broken. On occasion, Morgott will launch a feeble attack and then raise his sword above his head in a motion that resembles a circle as he does so. This is an excellent opportunity to counter the light hit, roll to avoid the heavy sword swing, and then punish the opponent for a significant portion of their health afterward.

Be on your guard for any other attack, as he enjoys following up most of his normal attacks with a swift dagger swipe or a step-back dagger throw. These attacks can either prevent you from attacking or kill you while you are trying to find a moment to heal.

The sword rain is yet another attack that must be evaded. If you see the swords appearing in the air, you might be able to sneak in an attack before they start falling; however, if you don’t see them appearing in the air, you should run away to avoid the initial burst of damage, and then you should avoid the area of effect after that.

Morgott will collapse to his knees and vomit when his health reaches approximately fifty percent, which will mark the beginning of phase two. If you have a weapon that causes bleeding or freezing, you could try to sneak in one or two hits here to build the effect; however, you should run away before he rises and uses his explosion attack that has a wide area of effect.

During the second phase, things will become somewhat more difficult. Not only does he have brand new attacks, but he has also made some modifications to his older ones. For instance, the hammer slams will now cause an explosion shortly after they make impact, which means that you will only have a brief window of opportunity to attack after they have been used without running the risk of taking area-of-effect damage.

His bloody sword is now considered a punishable form of attack. Before either slashing or charging in, he will run his hand along the blade, causing it to turn a blood red colour. When he is recovering his posture after the slash, do a dodge roll into him to avoid the small blood explosions that are triggered afterward, and then hit him in the back one or two times while he is doing so. If he does a stutter step before slashing, that usually means that he will do two slashes, and if he holds the blade in a thrusting motion instead of holding it over his head, he is going to try to impale you. If he does both of these things, you should be very afraid. Be aware, however, that each of these alterations has a slightly unique timing and hitbox, so while they can all be avoided and punished in a similar fashion, you should keep in mind that there is some variation between them.

As with phase one, you should not even bother trying to punish the other combos unless you are absolutely certain that you are prepared for what is to come. When he calls forth his light dagger or sword, it is almost always a sign that a string of rapid attacks is about to come your way. It is much safer to simply block or sidestep these attacks entirely and wait for a more obvious and slow move to come your way.

If you are having a hard time overcoming Morgott’s challenges, the good news is that you have some additional tools at your disposal. You have the ability to call forth Melina in front of the boss door, where she will provide support in the form of a combination of melee and ranged attacks. You are also free to use any Ash Summon you like, though I would advise you to hold off on doing so until phase two has begun because that is when the action really starts to heat up.

You will receive Remembrance of the Omen King and Morgott’s Great Rune if you are successful in defeating Morgott. You can also get some additional backstory by talking to the husk of Morgott in the boss arena after you’ve defeated him.