The Stormveil Castle Legacy Dungeon is the first Legacy Dungeon you can explore in Elden Ring. This dungeon features a demigod boss, in addition to its many other challenges and dangers. This page will contain walkthrough and guide information on how to reach Stormveil Castle, as well as information on all of the treasures and items that can be found inside, tips for navigating the dungeon, and information on how to defeat its formidable bosses.
How to Get to Stormveil Castle
The Dungeon of the Legacy You will have no trouble locating Stormveil Castle as soon as you emerge from the tutorial dungeon in the Stranded Graveyard and make your way into Limgrave. The castle can be seen perched high on the cliffs in this area. The challenge lies in actually reaching it.
You can enter the large Storm Gate by taking the roads that lead to the east; however, you should be prepared to face a large number of Godrick Soldiers and Crossbowmen who are waiting behind barricades. Additionally, an intimidating Stonedigger Troll will jump down from the ruins that are located above the canyon to ambush you. You should probably try to avoid it if you can, either by speeding through it on Torrent or by travelling a little further east to find a Spiritspring Jump point so you can get onto Storm Hill. The battle is difficult.
After passing through the constricted entrance to the canyon, you will come upon the Character Roderika and a Site of Grace at a shack known as the Scavenger’s Shack. She will provide you with some background information on the castle, as well as the Spirit Jellyfish Ashes to keep safe, and then she might proceed to the Roundtable Hold in the future.
Further up the road, there are additional patrols of soldiers leading to the main entrance to Stormveil Castle. However, the entrance is heavily fortified by rows of barricades lined by soldiers, and there is a ballista manned at the entrance to the tunnel. It has an incredible range and power, so it may be best to gallop on Torrent into the dense woods on the left as you make your approach. After that, race forward along the castle walls to ambush and destroy the ballista, before eliminating the rest of the soldiers in smaller groups.
After entering the tunnel, you will be able to locate one more Site of Grace before you are forced to battle Margit the Fell Omen, the boss that guards the entrance to the main portion of Stormveil Castle.
Margit the Fell Omen Boss Fight Guide
In Elden Ring, Margit the Fell Omen serves as a kind of test of your combat prowess due to the fact that he is significantly more intimidating and dangerous than any of the minibosses you have likely encountered in the more difficult dungeons of West Limgrave. It is strongly recommended that you gain experience and gear by clearing out the smaller dungeons of West Limgrave before attempting this fight. If you have been avoiding these areas or racing straight here, he may prove to be insurmountable, and it is highly recommended that you do so.
Margit is a cautious fighter, but don’t be fooled by his slow pacing or knobbled cane; he can hit extremely hard. Not only with his cane, but also with his ability to summon holy weapons at any moment to strike you with them. You will also be fighting on a bridge that is somewhat narrow and has chasms on both sides. If you do not position yourself with your back to the middle of the bridge as much as possible, he will knock you off of it.
As was mentioned earlier, Margit has a tendency to be very cautious at times, in contrast to the majority of main bosses, and she may slowly strafe you at a distance while inviting attacks. It is possible for this to be a good opportunity for ranged and magical attacks; however, you will need to be prepared to move at a moment’s notice, especially when he summons holy daggers to throw in your direction.
As you get closer, you should be prepared for several different types of attacks that he can launch against you:
When you get close to him, he will frequently use a swift upward swing from his staff. This attack is difficult to predict and can still deal damage if your shield isn’t completely absorbing hits. You can quickly get behind him and counter with a few blows while his animation plays out, just watch out for a quick tail lash follow up if you stay behind him for too long. He will follow this up by slamming the weapon down again, but after a short delay. This means that you can quickly get behind him and counter with a few blows while his animation plays out.
He can employ a series of swings from his preferred weapon in horizontal sweeps (which can be parried if you’re timing things correctly), and he can often combine them by summoning a holy dagger to slice at a faster rate, before jumping backwards and throwing it at you. He can also employ a series of swings from his preferred weapon in vertical sweeps (which can be parried if you’re timing things correctly). It’s also possible that he’ll just jump back and perform a retreating swing from his staff as he does so to increase the distance between you two. At other times, he might start walking forward while holding his staff high in one hand and then bring it crashing down in front of him in a vertical position.
One of his more recognisable moves is to slowly raise his cane above his head and then hold it there with both hands. This is one of his signature attacks. He will wind it up with a long delay, and then finally send it crashing down quickly in front of him. However, once the weapon is on its way down, you will have the opportunity to dodge it. If you try to avoid this attack by running away, he will leap forward after he smashes down on you and use a follow-up attack to get closer to you. However, you can avoid his leaping swing by rolling behind it and dodging it.
Sometimes when he’s at a distance, he’ll start to jog forward, then jump high into the air, and then slam the tip of his cane like a spear into the ground. This is his signature move. It is a powerful move, but it is also easier to dodge and get behind him, giving you plenty of time to attack him as he slowly removes the weapon from the ground. Although it is easier to dodge and get behind him, it is still a move that packs a punch.
At around half health, he’ll admit you have some strength, but summon a might holy hammer, and swing it in an arc in front of him to gain momentum to launch into the air, and slam it down on top of you. You should backpedal away from the initial swing, and then wait until he is about to crash down before you try to dodge out of the way of the hammer and retaliate; however, you should be prepared for follow-up dagger swings.
He can also begin to conjure a longer golden sword blade, which has more reach than his daggers. He can use this longer blade in conjunction with his cane to perform spinning combo slashes that are difficult to avoid, or he can end the combo with a stab with his primary staff weapon.
Margit can be very hard to predict which magical weapons he’ll summon and how he’ll incorporate them into his combo attacks, so you’ll always want to have stamina in reserve to quickly block or dodge his next move. If you have a sufficiently absorbent shield, you may even be able to perform guard counters; however, you must first ensure that he has completed his combo strike before you attempt to launch your counter; otherwise, you will most likely take additional damage once you have committed to the attack.
Take your time with this fight, as he moves slowly enough to give you time to watch his attack animations and get a feel for the right and wrong times to try your own attacks – and never get too greedy so you leave yourself open. Fighters who engage in melee should pull back every so often in order to regain their full stamina and wait for their opponent to make the first move before deciding how to respond.
Get your hits in where you can to slowly whittle Margit down, and he’ll fall with enough practise, clearing the way to Stormveil Castle proper.
Stormveil Castle Walkthrough
You can obtain a Furlcalling Finger Remedy by going down the staircase on the right after entering the Stormveil Main Gate and looting the dead body there.
Take a quick glance over the railing as you make your way back up the stairs, and you will notice a wooden bridge running along the wall. You’ll find two Fire Grease if you descend and continue along this path until it dead-ends. Continue descending until you reach the grassy area below, and then leave the castle through the hole in the wall that is located to your left.
After returning to the Site of Grace, proceed through the door on the left and engage in conversation with the NPC who is shouting at you from the corner of the room. They will explain that there are two ways for you to approach the keep; the first is through the heavily fortified main gate, and the second is through a hidden opening in the side. It is possible that you could make it through the gauntlet at the front gate at this point if you put in a little extra effort, but doing so would be a waste of time and you would miss a lot of items. For the purpose of acquiring the most loot possible, this guide will instead take the detour.
Following the recommendation of the NPC, leave the room through the opening on the left side, and reach out to grab the Golden Rune [1] that is perched on the edge of the cliff. You will find three separate Ruin Fragments if you turn around and use the rocks to climb up onto the hole in the wall of the castle. You can get to the cliff on the other side of the wall by following the path that runs along it. You will find a wall in this area that has a hole broken through it. Ascend the rubble on your right until you reach the top of the cliff in front of you; there, you will find a Smithing Stone [2]. Take your time and descend carefully to the grassy area below, where a storm hawk will attempt to attack you. After you have killed it, proceed forward until you reach the edge of the cliff, but before you descend, turn right and look for a narrow path that winds its way up to a ruined watchtower. You will run into the NPC from earlier, and he will bestow upon you a Grace Mimic upon meeting him.
If you look down, you’ll notice a Site of Grace down below you. Drop down and take a break if you feel the need to, but before we can move on we need to turn around and get a few more things. From the Site of Grace, head left and follow the cliff’s edge down until you reach a clearing where there are three Stormhawks waiting for you. If you don’t approach them carefully, you might feel overpowered. After you have vanquished them, you will be able to take possession of the Smithing Stone [3] that they were guarding. You will run into two more Stormhawks if you continue following the path down, and after you pass them, you will come to a dead end where you can find ten Bolts. You should get ready for the next zone by going back to the Site of Grace you visited earlier.
Stormveil Cliffside
It is finally possible for us to enter the main part of the castle from here. Proceed up the wooden staircase that can be found in front of the Site of Grace, but be sure to keep an eye out for the guard who is patrolling the tower at the very top. Wait for him to turn his back, and then carefully make your way up the stairs, aiming to reach him and kill him before he can alert the other security personnel. One of the additional soldiers is located in the tower, and the other one is just around the bend. Be wary of their rapid thrusting attacks as well as their ability to range air slashes. Defeat them, then walk around the tower until you reach the other side, where you will find a Golden Rune [2].
Proceed through the tower to reach the interior of the castle. Once inside, you will find two guards who have been sleeping and can be easily eliminated as they attempt to wake up. You will see a staircase on your left; however, you should go underneath it and make your way around the barrels in order to get behind the guard who is watching over this area to give him a backstab. After he has been vanquished, you will have unrestricted access to the Hookclaws that are located in the far back corner of this room.
You need to head back to the staircase and work your way up to the platform that’s located at the very top. Roll backwards before the explosion goes off, then dash up the stairs and eliminate both of the guards before your adversaries can throw more firebombs at you so they can light the barrels at the top of the stairs. Your enemies will throw firebombs at you so they can light the barrels at the top of the stairs. You will find a door on this platform that is locked, and we are unable to access it at this time. However, if you look to the right of the door, you will find five throwing daggers.
You need to make a U-turn and climb the next staircase to enter a room that has three Smoldering Butterflies and more explosive barrels for you to avoid. When you have finished eliminating the foe in front of you, smash the debris behind you to reveal another set of stairs. When you have finished dealing with the foe at the top of the stairs, descend to the platform below and grab the Golden Rune [2] that is lying there.
Return to the top of the stairs and open the black door that is located on the right side of the platform at the top. When you enter this room, a cutscene will play in which the door will close behind you, trapping you inside with a dark knight. The knight possesses a sizable shield; however, due to his sluggish movements, he is extremely vulnerable to backstabs. However, exercise caution. If you’re not using a character with a lot of armour, there’s a good chance that he’ll use his Ashes of War Storm Stop skill to call up a gust of wind that will deal significant damage to your character.
After the knight has been defeated, you are free to explore the room and take the Curved Sword Talisman as well as the Rusted Key.
Go back to the platform that has the locked door, but hold off on using the key for the time being. Instead, search for the enormous hole in the wall that is located to the left of the entrance. You will find ten copies of St. Trina’s Arrow if you ascend into the hole in the wall and search there. Target the foe below you and finish them off with an attack while you’re falling. Be wary of a second enemy to your left who wields a spear and will throw firebombs at you. There will also be a third opponent who will descend the ladder at the top of the staircase. After you have dealt with all of the foes in the area, climb the ladder, and then go through the hole in the wall at the top of the ladder to get back into the room.
You will need to go back to the door that was locked earlier and unlock it using the Rusty Key. After that, you will need to climb the ladder that is located inside the door in order to reach the platform above. After leaving the door, immediately turn to the right and walk towards the platform that is in front of you, being careful to jump over the space in between the two platforms so that you do not fall down. Take out the sleeping foe in the middle of the platform, then make your way cautiously across the planks of wood to reach the next foe as well as the Fire Grease.
Be aware of the slightly raised wooden platform that is located to the right of the plank. You need to run and jump to it in order to gain access to a door that leads to the outside. You will run into a masked soldier guarding this area. Maintain your stance and make every effort to avoid being pushed off the platform. Proceed down the stairs in front of you and enter the door on the left; this is where you will find another soldier as well as the Brick Hammer. At this point, you should not descend; instead, you should turn around and walk all the way back to the room with the ladder.
This time, take the path on the left, but be careful because there is an enemy waiting to ambush you just before the stairs that are ahead of you. After eliminating the foe at the bottom of the stairs, you will reach another foe waiting for you at the top, as well as a Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot hidden behind some boxes. Proceed through the door to arrive at an exterior platform, where you will find a sizable stairwell. Do not climb it just yet; instead, walk along the edge of the wall to reach the three mushrooms that are located around the corner.
Return to the stairs and climb them to reach a large door that leads into the interior of the castle. This door is guarded by a knight armed with a halberd. If you want to gain the upper hand, you should try to sneak up on him and give him a backstab. Be wary of his powerful, sweeping attacks, and keep in mind that he can leap great distances to finish you off as you try to recover from your wounds. You will be able to enter the elevator room and ascend the staircase after you have vanquished him. Although the elevator is not operational just yet, you can still reach the Drawstring Fire Grease x2 that is located on the other side of the room by jumping over the elevator shaft. You can find a new Site of Grace inside the armoury just ahead of you if you jump back across the chasm and enter the room there.
Rampart Tower
Once we have this, we will at last be able to enter the true heart of Stormveil, but before we can do that, we have some hidden items to find. To begin, proceed to the Site of Grace room’s exterior and climb the second staircase there. You will face an adversary armed with a spear and shield, as well as a second soldier who will shoot you with a crossbow from a platform on the opposite side of the room. You can get away from the enemy with the crossbow by running into the nearby hallway, and then you can use guard counters to take out the enemy with the shield. Return to the elevator and jump on the pulley system to get across to the other side. Once there, kill the soldier and loot the five Throwing Daggers.
Go back into the hallway and continue walking around until you find a door that leads out onto an exterior platform. If you want to avoid attracting the attention of the guard who is patrolling the area, you should crouch down and move very slowly around the pedestal that is to the left of the door. Climb the stairs on the opposite side of the platform and kill him in stealth. After that, move on to eliminate the other guards who are sleeping one at a time.
Take note of the stacked sandbags that are located next to the castle wall. You can use them to climb up onto the wall, and then proceed right along the ledge until you are near enough to the crumbling adjacent tower to jump onto it. Inside, if you jump in and then fall down, you’ll find a Stonesword Key.
When you land on the rooftop below, you will find an armoured stormhawk waiting for you there. So jump out the window and land there. This hawk is every bit as ruthless as the others, and in addition, it has the ability to spit fire out of the helmet on its head. Because of its erratic movement, it will be difficult for you to pick a spot to attack it, so your best bet is to shield block one of its heavy strikes and counter strike in the small opening that is left. Conquer the hawk, then make your way to the opposite side of the roof to claim the Dazing Cross-Legged gesture.
If you look at the wall where the stormhawk was perched, you will see that there is an adjacent tower that has a ledge that you can climb onto. You can get access to a platform that has a Smithing Stone if you jump on and walk all the way around the tower until you find a small wooden walkway that leads to the platform [2].
You need to go back around the tower, but this time you should jump onto the adjacent rooftop that has the crumbled pillar on it rather than returning to the roof where you fought the stormhawk. You will need to climb up that pillar in order to reach the ledge above you, and then you will need to walk around the pillar in order to reach one of the other accessible rooftops.
Be extremely cautious as you make your way up to this roof because it is crawling with guards. I would suggest beginning by killing the sleeping soldier on the right, and then hiding behind the tower to protect yourself from the three crossbow soldiers on the left. After that, you can proceed to kill the sleeping soldier on the right. Allow them to come to you, and then deal with each of them individually. Once all of them have been eliminated, ascend the tower above you and loot the Claw Talisman from the topmost level.
You will need to climb back down the ladder, then follow the path you just came from all the way back to the rooftop where the crumbling pillar is located. Between this roof and the one where you fought the stormhawk, there will be a space for you to pass through. After you have restored your health to its maximum, descend to the courtyard below, where you will find a door that requires a Stonesword Key and a Somber Smithing Stone [2]. You can unlock the door with the Stonesword Key that you just recently obtained, but you should be careful because there are two axe soldiers waiting inside. If you need a little bit more room to manoeuvre around, draw them out into the courtyard one at a time. Because their slam attacks are so slow, it is simple to sneak up on them from behind and give them a back stab. Inside the room, you will find Misericorde, the Iron Whetblade, and the Hawk Crest Wooden Shield.
Return to the courtyard and enter the building through the door on the opposite side from the one you used previously. Inside is a dining hall that is guarded by a Grafted Scion, but we don’t want to fight it just yet, so immediately run to the other side of the room and enter the small room that is on the other side of the room. This room contains two dogs and the Crimson Hood sitting atop a pile of dead bodies.
You will find the first elevator that will take you back up to the Spot of Grace if you exit this room and enter the door that is immediately to your left after you exit this room.
Rest is available for those of you who are running low on flasks, but we still have some more jumping to do. You will need to climb back up to the rooftop, leap across the gap between the towers, and then make your way back to the rooftop where the crumbling pillar is located. Climb up as though you were going to return to the rooftop where you obtained the Claw Talisman, but instead drop down to the platform below you. After that, drop down once more onto a large open rooftop where you will see two soldiers in the distance. You need to sneak up behind the one who is more vulnerable and backstab them so that you can face the halberd knight alone. As was the case previously, your strategy will consist of strafing in an effort to carry out a backstab, and guard countering when you spot an opening in the opponent’s defence. Remember that the majority of his attack patterns consist of two parts, and try not to get caught attacking too early as a result of this.
You will find the Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook 10 perched on a wooden platform after crossing the wooden bridge that leads to another rooftop. On this rooftop, you will also find two more soldiers. After descending the ladder at the opposite end of this rooftop, where you will find two more soldiers, proceed across the next wooden bridge, where you will find a halberd knight and a sword knight hiding, respectively. If you don’t take precautions, the two of them will quickly overpower you. (The halberd knight dropped a Banished Knight Helm (Altered) for me here, but I cannot confirm if that is a guaranteed drop at this time.) After retrieving the Festering Bloody Finger from the nearby body, descend the nearby ladder to another lower platform to continue the mission.
If you continue along this path forward and around the corner, you will come across an arrow multiplier x10 and another ladder that you can descend. You will find a Golden Rune [4] and a blocked doorway on this last platform. We will discuss the blocked doorway in more detail later. You should teleport back to the Graceful Spot for the time being so that we can engage the Scion.
Get ready to face the Scion by riding the elevator back down to the dining hall where you were earlier. This foe is difficult to deal with due to his multiple-hit attacks, erratic movement, and large shield; however, it is just as vulnerable to guard counters as any other foe. Keep in mind that the majority of its attacks consist of two to four strikes, so remember to hold off on your counterattack until the very end of the chain (usually denoted by it being a little slower and stronger). When the Scion rears up on its back legs, it is about to launch a flurry of attacks, so you should back off, roll away quickly, and wait it out until it is done attacking. Repeat this process as many times as necessary, and you should be able to eliminate it with relative ease.
After it has been defeated, you will be able to retrieve the Highland Axe from beneath the large painting and the Stanching Boluses from the table on the side of the room. Both items are located in the same room. It is possible for us to go in a few different directions from here; however, to get started, let’s go into the kitchen that is to the left of the enormous wall painting.
Immediately eliminate the weak enemies who are taking cover in front of the fire, and then immediately engage the enemy soldier who is running down from the platform that is overhead. Get the Exalted Flesh from underneath the platform, and then head up the stairs, where you’ll find another guard with a shield waiting for you there.
There is a further knight armed with a halberd located in the room at the top of the stairs. Get into a crouching position, wait for him to turn his back, and then quietly sneak up behind him to start the fight with a backstab. After that, proceed with the same cautious strategy you’ve used in the past to defeat them. To obtain the Mimic’s Veil item, open the chest that is located at the beginning of the room.
Leave this room, but before entering the next one, climb the sandbags on your left to make a wall jump and land on the platform that is located on the opposite side of the room. Take out the foe who is guarding the ledge using stealth, then retrieve the Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot from the area.
You can find a ladder at the end of the nearby wooden walkway if you follow it. Climb up onto the roof, then walk forward until you reach the edge of the roof, where you should be able to see a wooden balcony with an adversary standing on it below. After you have defeated the foe and dropped down, open the door that is nearby to create a shortcut back to the kitchen. Go through the door that the guard was standing at to find a Stonesword Key and a chest that contains a Pickled Turtle Neck before you turn around and head back.
Take the short cut back to the room occupied by the halberd knights, then proceed through the doorway that we bypassed earlier, following it all the way to its conclusion and eliminating the Axe Soldier who was resting there. After entering the nearby door, you will find yourself in a comfortable room with a Golden Rune [2] waiting for you to discover it.
When you leave through the door on the opposite side, you will find yourself on a rampart that is being guarded by a sword knight and a weaker soldier enemy who is carrying a torch. You should always get into a crouching position and wait for them to turn their backs before moving in for the kill. After that, you should go after the soldier who is weaker than the knight. After you have vanquished them, you are free to continue descending the rampart. Once you reach the bottom, you will notice a ladder to your left that leads to a doorway.
To begin, we are going to make our way towards the door that will lead us to the chapel. Once inside, we will meet a sorcerer named Rogier who will offer to sell us spells in exchange for your assistance in killing Godrick. As soon as you have finished speaking with him, you can walk back to the ladder and use it to ascend onto yet another roof.
To begin, jump off the side of the roof that is opposite the ladder in order to retrieve the Kukri x5 that is located below. After entering the chapel through the window, climb back up the ladder, then head through the bell tower to reach the connected roof, where you will find the Golden Rune [2]. Finally, ascend the nearby stairs to complete the quest.
You will come across some extremely dangerous stormhawks in this area. They will throw explosive barrels at you, which will set off additional explosions in the area. You should move closer to them in a measured manner in order to bait out their barrel toss. This will allow you to engage in combat with them without worrying about being blown up. Always wait out their erratic swooping attacks before countering with your guard. Follow the path forward through one more stormhawk before arriving back at the Rampart Tower Spot of Grace. After turning around, head towards the dead end behind the stairs to find a Smithing Stone [2] (beware of yet another stormhawk ambush).
We are nearly done exploring this area, but we still have to open up that second elevator before we can fully proceed. Find your way back to the rampart where you encountered the stormhawks that threw barrels and locate the balcony that overlooks the water. If you look over the edge, you will notice that there is a platform below you that you can descend to. You can drop down to a narrow ledge along the castle wall and then climb up onto a smashed tower to reach a Marred Wooden Shield if you start from this location. You need to keep falling until you reach a ledge made of crumbling rocks, which, when you land on it, will break apart and send you hurtling down to a region much further below.
As soon as you arrive, you will see a scarab perched on the edge of the nearby cliff. You must make haste to pursue it and eliminate it before it has a chance to steal the Ash of War: Storm Assault. Continue to follow this cliff, but enter stealth mode before you reach the open area ahead of you because a Crucible Knight will be patrolling that area. Because he has such a large health pool and is immune to the typical cheesy strategies that are used, such as backstabbing, it is currently EXTREMELY difficult to defeat him. If you want to win the fight against him, parrying his sword swings is your best bet. On the other hand, when his health drops to half, he undergoes a transformation that grants him access to a new set of potent abilities such as a diving attack and fire breath. If you are successful in defeating him, you will be rewarded with the Horns aspect of the Crucible.
If you do not feel up to the challenge, however, feel free to run and grab the Somber Smithing Stone [2] that he is guarding and then sprint past him through the crumbling archway and into the tower beyond, where you will find the second elevator back to the Spot of Grace. Alternatively, you can run and grab the Somber Smithing Stone [2] that he is guarding.
At long last, we are prepared to move forward in a serious manner. You need to go back to the room where you fought the Scion and leave through the door that is directly across from the kitchen. This will bring you into a new room that leads out into the courtyard. You can find a 10-pack of Arrows on the wooden rafters above if you climb up through the door on the left side of the room.
The next space that you’ll come across is the courtyard, which is crammed to the gills with guards, archers, and turrets that shoot fire at you. BE CAREFUL is the watchword for this situation, but it is ultimately up to you to decide how you want to approach this situation. You are free to run in there and kill them all as a group if you are confident enough to do so; otherwise, you can try to draw them out slowly and kill them one at a time. Before engaging the larger foe and the dog that is hiding behind the line of soldiers, whatever you do, make sure that the entire area has been thoroughly cleared of all of them first.
Once it is safe to enter, get into a crouching position and sneak around the large foe. Once you are behind him on the staircase, you can approach and backstab him. Because his attacks are powerful but slow, you should either carry out the standard cheese plan, which consists of backstabbing him, or you should do some guard counters to take him down. As soon as he is no longer a threat, we are free to investigate the courtyard! If you search the grounds as well as the two wooden guard towers, you will find the following items: twelve Fire Arrows, a Wooden Greatshield, a Pike, Magic Grease, three Golden Runes (one, two, and four), the Furlcalling Finger Remedy, eight Mushrooms, and five Smoldering Butterflies. You will see a path leading down to the main gate, but until you have defeated the boss, it is best to ignore that path and proceed straight to the main gate instead.
Check the area near the entrance to the courtyard for a cellar that leads to a room containing some rats, a Fireproof Dried Liver, and a second door that requires a Stonesword Key. It can be opened with the other key we discovered earlier, and within it are chests that contain the Godslayer’s Seal and the Godskin Prayerbook. These items can be looted.
There is a small room close to where the formidable foe was lounging that contains a unique painting. Next, head up the stairs behind the large enemy to find a Smithing Stone [1] and finally (finally!) the next Spot of Grace in a room at the top of the stairs. Both of these items can be found in the room at the top of the stairs.
Liftside Chamber
We are within striking distance of the boss room from where we are currently positioned, and in fact, we can even take the back way to get there. You can reach a high rampart that overlooks the courtyard by taking the elevator up after calling it down by pulling the lever that is located next to the elevator. If you go through the door that is at the end of the path, you will find yourself in a long room that is full of enemies that are made out of magic jars. There is one large jar warrior hiding in the back of the room.
You should start by bringing the large jar out and dealing with him. As you might anticipate, his attacks are powerful but slow; therefore, you should remain out of range to tempt him into attacking, and then quickly rush in to deliver one or two blows when he is weak. You need to pay particular attention to the way he winds up his spin, which he does by turning his body ever-so-slightly. This is his primary attack.
After that, eliminate the smaller jars, and then look in the corner where the larger jar was hiding for two cracked pots. If you look down the path, you will notice that it has been cut in half, with two higher paths branching off of it and one path leading down the middle. If you look down, you will see another scarab that you can kill to obtain the Ash of War: Stormcaller. If you do so, you will be granted access to a new area. After retrieving the Kukri x8 from the high path on the left, descend to the lower level and proceed through the door at the room’s conclusion. Both the door leading to the boss and another Spot of Grace can be found in this area. It is not yet time to face the boss, so activate the Spot of Grace and take a break if you feel the need to.
Take the other path instead, and you will find a giant along with some soldiers waiting for you there. During this encounter, dealing with the giant shouldn’t be difficult; however, the soldiers may present some challenges. If you can get them to go underneath him, he might just finish them off with his slam attack. Your best bet is to try to do that. If that is not possible, you should attempt to lure the soldiers into the narrower hallway area where the giant cannot enter. When you have the giant cornered in a one-on-one encounter, wait in front of him until he begins to attack, then dive underneath him and strike the giant in the back of his legs. Because of this, he will almost always fail to hit you, giving you the opportunity to score some free hits. Just be wary of his foot stomp, as it has the potential to deal significant damage to an area it affects.
Once all of the foes have been vanquished, you will be able to retrieve the Smithing Stone [2] from the end of the alleyway in the immediate area, and then loot the Golden Seed from underneath the tree in the immediate vicinity. If you turn your attention to the right, you will notice an item stowed away behind the row of stormhawks. To obtain the Golden Rune [2], sneak up on it with caution and seize it without drawing attention to yourself from the hawks. After that, you will be able to kill them in order to gain access to the staircase that they are guarding and to get to the Smithing Stone [2] that is on top of them.
Finally, enter the room that is close to the tree. Once inside, you will find a warrior named Nepheli Loux who is eager to assist you in vanquishing Godrick, as well as a Smithing Stone [1]. Make a U-turn and head back to the room occupied by the jar warriors.
Climb up onto the wooden awning where you discovered the Kukri earlier and use it as a stepping stone to hop along the wall until you reach the thin railing that is there. If you continue along this ledge, you will eventually arrive at some open windows on the wall.
After passing through the doors and windows, continue forward until you come across a powerful knight and his stormhawk. Take care of the hawk first in order to make the fight against the knight easier, and then use the standard combination of sneaky strikes and guard counters to take care of the knight. Take the Piece of Flesh they were guarding and make your way back towards the windows.
After passing through the door close to the windows and climbing the stairs inside, you will arrive at a second wooden platform that is located above the room occupied by the jar warriors. You can get a Golden Rune [2] and a Smithing Stone [1] if you take the path that leads up and to the right of the door. After that, you can get a Smithing Stone [2] by crossing the gap to the right of the door. Pass through the nearby door, and then take the stairs down; however, be wary of the enemies who are resting on the platform below you. Take advantage of the fact that these are all relatively feeble guards and eliminate them all before proceeding to the next step, which is to retrieve the Manor Towershield from underneath the staircase and then leave the room via the balcony.
In this location, you will find a Smithing Stone [3] as well as a message written on the ground that suggests you look below you. You will see a series of platforms that you can drop onto; follow these platforms all the way down to the bottom, where you will find a tower that you can enter and a Golden Rune [5]. After navigating your way through the tower, you will emerge onto a balcony that overlooks a large pit. After you have collected five Rainbow Stones, continue forward and up the stairs until you reach a door that can be used to re-enter the Spot of Grace.
Now that you have access to that quicker route, it is time to descend into that chasm. When you return to the corpse from which you obtained the rainbow stone, you will find a small awning that you can use to get to the platform that is located on the opposite side of the room. You can find an Arteria Leaf and a bat hiding in the tunnel if you hop across the gap and enter it. The bat will be waiting for you. Once more, descend to the lower level, where two more bats are waiting. You can take care of them in a manner that is largely comparable to how you take care of the stormhawks; guard counters are always effective! Make a bridge out of the nearby rafters by crossing over to the other side, where you will find a Smithing Stone [2].
Continue making your way cautiously downward until you reach the bottom of the room. Once you get there, you will find a Golden Rune [2] right away. You should start walking down the path, but you should be careful not to get overwhelmed by the rats that are creeping around. There is one particularly powerful Large Rat that can drop a Rune Arc if you kill it. After the rats on the left, there is a location with three copies of Poisonbloom. On the other side of the wall, there is a scarab that you can kill to obtain the ingredient for the spell Rancorcall.
The warning indicates that if you descend into the swampy area below, you will activate a mini-boss that at this point may be too powerful for you to handle. If you do so, the boss will appear. It is a massive creature that resembles a snake and has powerful magic in addition to its large, sweeping attacks. However, if you have a shield with a physical block rating of 100 and a little bit of determination, it is not impossible to do so. Keep an eye on your stamina and be prepared to block or dodge roll whenever the adversary makes a move that indicates it will attack; the enemy’s attacks are pretty easy to anticipate. To protect yourself from the creature’s forward smashing attacks while still being able to land hits, you should position yourself somewhere around the belly area. You absolutely have to avoid getting caught in its mouth when it spins around and charges at you while it has its mouth open. If you do, you will take a significant amount of damage. When the monster enters its second phase and begins to glow gold, it will cast a magic explosion; therefore, you should pull back to avoid taking damage to the surrounding area.
If you are successful in vanquishing the spirit, you will be rewarded with a Golden Seed as well as some loot, which will include a Stonesword Key, Throwing Daggers x8, and Smoldering Butterfly x3 respectively. As you make your way up the path, you’ll come across a massive skull as well as another item called the Prince of Death’s Pustule. You can get to a ladder that will take you back to the dining hall area if you access it from this spot. Now that that is out of the way, we can officially begin the boss phase. You should get ready and then teleport to the Secluded Cell Site of Grace.
Godrick the Grafted Boss Fight
In Elden Ring, the first Main Boss that you will face is Godrick the Grafted. He will test your mettle. It is possible to recognise him by the twisted appearance of his body, which is composed of the limbs of his servants that he has grafted onto his own broken body. In a manner analogous to that of the Grafted Scion, the majority of Godrick’s attacks are multi-part and multi-hit, and he makes some erratic movements that may throw you off guard. Be wary if your shield does not have a high level of fire resistance because at half health he will graft a dragon head onto his arm. This will allow him to perform some new attacks and modify some of his other attacks to deal fire damage.
Once you’ve figured out the patterns, the battle against Godrick, in either of his forms, is relatively straightforward because his attacks are easily predictable, highly punishable, and he moves relatively slowly overall. In addition, if you feel that you need a little bit of additional assistance, you can call upon Nepheli just outside the boss door (or a distraction). The following is our general boss guide, which will assist you in defeating Godrick:
If you are a melee attacker, you can generally stay relatively close to Godrick without being at a disadvantage. If you simply dodge roll towards Godrick, you can generally avoid his axe sweeps and end up in a good position from which to punish him. His axe sweeps appear to have the largest hitboxes at the ends of the swings. Remember that the majority of these attacks are part of a combo, and if you want to guard counter them, you will need to carefully manage your stamina and wait for the finishing blow. If you are really unsure, you can stay further out of range and wait for one of his slow overhead slam attacks, which are easy to punish. This is a good strategy if you want to avoid being hit.
Another one of his moves that is easy to spot is his aerial slam, which he telegraphs by grabbing the head of his axe with the hand that he doesn’t normally use and then jumping into the air. You should sidestep as he is falling, and then launch a combination attack of two to four blows while he is standing back up. His rolling slam is another move that can be punished with relative ease. After whipping the air around himself, he will roll around on the ground for a moment before launching himself into the air and crashing to the ground below. Simply walk towards him while he is in the air, and he will sail right over you. This will give you the opportunity to deliver some back slashes while he is recovering from his previous blow.
You should have no trouble stunning Godrick and launching a critical attack if Nepheli is assisting you. Allow her to become the focus of his attention, then unleash a barrage of side and back strikes on her while he is attempting to hit her. Just make sure to pay very close attention to his movements because he might switch his focus back to you at any moment.
When he has his dragon hand equipped, there are only a few more moves that need to be watched carefully. The dragon’s breath is likely the most dangerous attack because it has a wide area of effect and has the potential to hit multiple times. He signals this one by raising the dragon’s head into the air at the same time that flames begin to leak from its mouth. Make an effort to move to the side or back in order to avoid being hit directly by the blast. The other type of attack is a barrage of flaming rocks, which he announces before launching by dragging the dragon’s head around the ground in a circle before hurling rocks ablaze into the air. You have two options: either you can run towards him and allow the rocks to pass over your head, or you can run away and let the rocks burn themselves out on the ground while you heal.
You can rack up some additional Runes by equipping a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot and using it before killing Godrick if you are feeling particularly assured about your abilities. You will receive Godrick’s Great Rune and the Remembrance of the Grafted if you are successful in defeating him (See our guide on how to duplicate Remembrances).
You can level up by taking a break at the new Spot of Grace that has been established here, and then you can speak with the NPC that you encountered earlier who is now trampling on Godrick’s grave. You will find Godrick’s throne inside the temple, which can be reached by continuing up the path. You can speak to a ghost who bemoans the fact that he was unable to fulfil his promise of service to a maiden if you go through the door to the right of the throne and enter the separate chamber. Get the Shabriri Grape that’s right next to him, and then make a break for the temple exit that will take you into the next region, which is called Liurnia of the Lakes.
Stormveil Castle Cleanup – How to Activate Godrick’s Great Rune
Finally, the time has come to activate Godrick’s Great Rune and collect the last of the treasures that can be found in this castle. Teleport back to the Spot of Grace in the Liftside Chamber, and then make your way back to the heavily guarded main gate path, which can be reached through the courtyard. If you approach this path from the back, it will be a little less difficult to clear, but it will still be a major hassle. Make use of stealth whenever it is available, and avoid drawing the attention of too many foes at once. If you feel as though you need some extra space or some time to heal, you shouldn’t be afraid to pull back.
When you reach the second set of stairs, keep in mind that this area is heavily guarded by multiple soldiers who throw firebombs and two turrets. If you have a weapon with a ranged attack, you can kill the turret soldiers from a distance; otherwise, you should run as quickly as possible to the bottom of the screen, where you will be out of their line of sight. You can scale the rocks that are piled up against the wall here, and then jump over the gap to reach the posts where the turrets are located. Once there, you can kill the operators of the turrets and find the Arbalest.
Proceed into the following expansive open area, where you will find another large group of soldiers waiting for you there. In a manner similar to the courtyard, you need to draw them out slowly while being careful not to provoke the large lion enemy that is waiting around the corner. You can see the front gate and the final Spot of Grace from here if you look down the path, but you shouldn’t run towards it because there are more turrets hiding around the corner ready to blow you away. Instead, you should sneak along the right side wall, where they can’t see you, and then climb up onto their platform. Once you’re there, kill all of the turret operators and loot the Smithing Stone [2] and Smithing Stone [1] that are on their platform.
When all of the guards have been eliminated, you will at long last be able to pillage everything inside the gate ( Ballista Bolt x3, Golden Rune [1], and Golden Rune [2] ). The next step is to enter the door that is located on the hillside next to the front gate. Once inside, you will find the Golden Rune [5], the Spot of Grace, and the mechanism that opens the gate. You can find a Commoner’s Simple Garb by going through the door that is located behind the Spot of Grace.
Now that the Mark of Grace has been activated, we are free to return to the arena and do battle with that fearsome lion. Because this foe is both powerful and mobile, it may be difficult to locate a position from which you can attack it or recover health. The strategy that will give you the best chance of success is to raise your shield, wait out one of its slow arm-blade attacks, and then launch one or two attacks while it is in the recovery state. It is not worth your time to attempt to punish the quicker bites or off-claw swipes because they are typically followed up by another attack. If you fight the lion on the nearby staircase, its attacks will occasionally go right over your head. This is kind of a lame strategy, but it does work occasionally.
You will be rewarded with a Somber Smithing Stone [1], Beast Blood, and Old Fang x2 if you are able to defeat it. You are now able to proceed through the large doorway that it was guarding and get closer to the final Spot of Grace for this dungeon as well as the Boltdrake Talisman. Continue walking down the path until you reach the long bridge that will lead you to the Divine Tower in the distance. It should come as no surprise that this bridge is protected by some of the more powerful foes. There are a total of three of these mechanical giants, and the good news is that they are able to strike each other. To take advantage of this, you should try to place yourself between the giants that engage in melee combat and the giant that engages in ranged combat so that the ranged giant can strike the melee giants with incoming arrows. In any other case, deal with them in the same manner as you would a typical giant: lure them into an attack, and while they are focused on defending themselves, attack their ankles.
When all three of the giants have been defeated, you will have access to the loot on the bridge. There is a Warming Stone that can be found seated on a section of the bridge that has been smashed in, which is located near the middle of the bridge. After that, there is a Soft Cotton and an Ash-of-War Scarab that are waiting at the end of the bridge, which is located behind the teleporter. However, due to the aggravating nature of having to scale up the debris in order to reach the loot below, I would recommend taking the teleporter first in order to enter the Divine Tower and then returning to this area.
You can avoid walking across the bridge to the Divine Tower in the distance by using the teleporter instead. You won’t be able to enter until Godrick has been vanquished and the door has been unlocked. Once you have the Rune in your possession, open the door and ride the elevator to the top floor. Once there, you will find a Spot of Grace that you must activate in order to obtain the genuine Godrick’s Great Rune. It is possible to equip this at a Spot of Grace in order to gain access to its power through the use of a Rune Arc. Using a Rune Arc will, in a manner analogous to the Ember in Dark Souls III, grant you the buff of Great Rune until the moment you perish.
What to Do After Defeating Godrick
After you’ve finished clearing out Stormveil Castle, there are a number of different paths you can take to continue your adventure, including the following:
If you haven’t already, we strongly suggest venturing through the rest of Limgrave to discover all of the mini-dungeons, world bosses, and secrets that are hidden throughout the entire region.
Check out our guides for an overview of West Limgrave, East Limgrave, and the Weeping Peninsula in their respective locations.
You may also want to investigate the Siofra River Well, which can be found in the Mistwood region of East Limgrave. Although the underground area is much larger than a dungeon, it provides a good challenge that is relatively linear and features a difficult boss that can be summoned.
Caelid is located further to the east, and it is possible for newer players to find the region to be extremely challenging and unforgiving due to the presence of a great number of large aggressive beats and poisonous areas.
For this reason, we advise going to the region of Liurnia, which is located further to the north. You can access it either by going through Godrick’s throne room or by taking a hidden path that runs along the cliffs to the northeast of Stormveil Castle and passes below a damaged bridge. The second Legacy Dungeon, The Academy of Raya Lucaria, can be found in the region of Liurnia, which is also home to a very large region that features a large central lake that is flooded with swamp water and two large ridgelines that border the swamp. There are many more dungeons and points of interest to explore here, making it a more natural progression point than Limgrave. These should provide a bit more of a challenge than Limgrave did.
Check out our guides for an overall look at East Liurnia and North Liurnia, as well as the one on how to enter and prevail in The Academy of Raya Lucaria.