In Elden Ring, you’ll run into a lot of non-player characters, and one of them, Alexander the Iron Fist, will have a side quest for you to finish.
Alexander in Limgrave (First Encounter)
You can find Alexander the Iron Fist in the Saintsbridge Site of Grace, which is located in the northern region of Limgrave. Proceed to the west and climb the path while making your way in the direction of the Warmaster’s Shack. You will hear someone yelling for assistance as you make your way along this path. As you make your way up the cliff, you will need to turn around and go back in the direction of Saintsbridge. Once you have made it to the top, you will notice a pot that is protruding from the ground.
He will ask you to hit him in order to get him out of his hole in the ground. Attacks of a lesser magnitude won’t do the trick, but a single devastating blow ought to do the trick. Take care to refrain from continuing to attack once he has gained his freedom, as doing so may provoke him to become aggressive. After that, he will express his gratitude to you by presenting you with elevated flesh. Carry on a conversation with him until he tells you that he will soon be attending a festival that is being held at Redmane Castle. At this point, you have two options: one is to travel to the location in eastern Caelid, and the other is to proceed through Limgrave and meet him at the Gael Tunnel.
Alexander at Gael Tunnel
You can find Alexander in the Gael Tunnel, which is located right on the boundary between Limgrave and Caelid. You need to make your way down through the cave, platforming across the candlelit rock outcroppings so that you don’t fall to your death, and continue doing this until you reach the Site of Grace at the bottom. Keep to the left as you travel through these tunnels until you reach a larger room that is open on both sides and has two doors.
If you open the door on the right, the boss of the dungeon will be triggered; instead, head to the door on the left to open it and find Alexander, who is once again trapped (although this time by doors that are too small to accommodate his size).
After you have finished speaking with him, reload the area (we recommend defeating the nearby boss to open a Site of Grace), and you will discover that he has moved, thereby allowing you access to the remaining portion of the tunnel that he was previously blocking off.
Alexander at Redmane Castle
In order to bring Alexander into Redmane Castle, you need to have reached a point in Ranni the Witch’s Questline where you have had conversations with Blaidd, Sellen, and Seluvis. Only then will Alexander appear there. The following walkthroughs contain additional information that can be found relevant to that topic:
- Blaidd Questline
- Ranni the Witch Questline
- Seluvis Questline
- Sorceress Sellen Questline
After speaking to him in the courtyard with the other NPCs who are waiting for the festival, speak to Castellan Jerren to unlock the boss fight with Starscourge Radahn. Speaking to him in the courtyard is optional. It is highly recommended that you call upon Alexander for this battle, as doing so will cause him to appear in the boss arena after Radahn has been vanquished. This will give you the opportunity to speak with him and learn his plans for where he’ll be going next, as well as gain some understanding of how Warrior Jars are crafted.
After you have finished conversing with him here, you can continue playing the game as usual. Your next encounter with Alexander will take place in Liurnia of the Lakes, which is located very far to the west of here.
Alexander in Liurnia
You’ll find Alexander ensnared once more in Liurnia of the Lakes, close to the Carian Study Hall on the southern end of the zone. He will start pleading with you for assistance once more and will ask you to hit him in order to dig himself out of the hole. After you have done this twice, he will tell you that his lower half is stuck on something, and that hitting him will not free him; instead, you will need something to slide him out of the way.
You are going to need a container for oil for this. If you have the Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook [17], which can be purchased from the Merchant in Siofra River, you will be able to make these. In order to craft one, you will need Melted Mushrooms as well as a Cracked Pot. To free Alexander, first strike him with the oil pot, and then continue to strike him until he emerges from the hole. As a token of his appreciation, he will hand you three pieces of Exalted Flesh and then inform you that he is going to the flaming mountain in the north. Your next run-in with him will take place on the Atlus Plateau’s Mount Gelmir, which is located in the far west of the region.
Alexander in Mt. Gelmir
You can find a Magma Wyrm on the eastern slope of Mount Gelmir, close to the lava pool that is just beyond the Volcano Manor building. Alexander can be found in the lava pool that is located to the east of the mountain.
You will receive the Jar helmet if you speak to him here, and he will tell you about his plans to travel eastward to his final destination, which is Crumbling Farum Azula.
You will need to proceed the game quite a ways further at this point, past the Mountaintops of the Giants, all the way up until you reach the Floating Island of Farum Azula.
Alexander in Farum Azula
In order to access the Dragon Temple Lift and find Alexander at this location, you will need two Stonesword Keys in your possession. Follow the fight against the Godskin Duo to the north, and then use the platform to cross the broken structures until you reach the Imp Statue Seal, which will unlock the lift. Take the lift to the upper level, then navigate your way through the courtyard filled with undead beasts until you reach the stairs leading upward. Keep to the right until you see a path made by broken ruins that leads to the cliff on the western side of the area that is farthest away.
Continue in a westerly direction while following these, and keep going until you see Alexander off in the distance, sitting on a large floating ruin that is broken up. He will express his regret over the number of times he has needed your assistance and will ask for a duel so that he can experience what it is like to be a true warrior. The Alexander questline comes to an end here, and there is no other option. Fight him here and defeat him to receive the Shard of Alexander and Alexander’s Innards, two key items that can be used in the Jar-Bairn Questline. Fight him here and defeat him to receive these items.