The final Legacy Dungeon in Elden Ring is called Crumbling Farum Azula, and it is also the last new location that is visited during the course of the main storyline. This walkthrough for the Elden Ring provides information on how to get to Crumbling Farum Azula, how to get from one Site of Grace to another, how to find all of the secrets and treasures, and how to defeat the boss at the end of the area.
How to Get to Crumbling Farum Azula
You need to go to the Forge of the Giants Site of Grace (accessible after defeating the Fire Giant boss in Mountaintops of the Giants), rest at the Site of Grace, then speak to Melina and tell her that you want to burn the Erdtree in order to get to Crumbling Farum Azula. This will allow you to access Crumbling Farum Azula (depending on what ending you are pursuing this option may be different).
Following the cutscene, you will find that you have been teleported to the farthest point of a bridge that leads into the Farum Azula dungeon.
Crumbling Farum Azula Walkthrough
Okay, now that we’ve arrived at the last dungeon, Crumbling Farum Azula, let’s put an end to this Elden Ring quest! You will find a Smithing Stone [8] if you make your way towards the castle walls. When you reach the end of the bridge, look to the right to find a broken wall that leads down to some platforms below. You can access these platforms by dropping off the cracked wall. To enter the dungeon, first descend carefully, grabbing the Golden Rune (9) along the way, and then go through the doorway that can be found at the very bottom.
As soon as you step inside, head down the staircase on the left, and you will emerge on a balcony that overlooks a long hallway filled with beastman foes. The only hostile intruder is the one who is walking around the corridor, so you should deal with him first before going after the others one at a time. Be wary of these enemies’ strangely timed combos and long range because it is easy to be caught off guard by their unusual attack patterns. If you have a good shield, these foes are extremely vulnerable to Guard Counters, and you should use it if you want to defeat them. After all of them have been eliminated, you will be able to retrieve the Old Fang x3 from the corner where one of them was standing.
If you keep going down this hallway, you will find yourself in a room that resembles a crypt and is inhabited by even more beastmen. Eliminate them as you progress through the area, and don’t forget to pick up the Lightning Dried Liver from the area near the cracked wall on the right side. As soon as you pass this item, you will see a small room on your left that contains the first Site of Grace, which is called Crumbling Beast Grave. By activating this Site, you will regain the ability to travel at a brisk pace.
You should see a Stake of Marika as you are leaving the Site of Grace and heading down the nearby staircase. That’s right, a subboss is on the way! This staircase will bring you out onto a large ledge that has a number of different items strewn about on it. Ignore them for the time being and move forward. The screen will begin to shake somewhere around the middle of its width, and then a dragon will come crashing down from the heavens and land on the ledge.
The back legs of the enemy should be your primary target during this fight, and you should always defend yourself by standing on the higher part of the ledge that is close to the wall. By standing in front of the dragon, you can almost always coax it into using one of its claw swipe or slam attacks. Once it does, you can quickly rush underneath it and get 4-5 free attacks on the back legs of the dragon. Keep your shield raised and keep an eye out for the fire breath attacks, especially the one it does from the sky and the one it points towards the ground, which will deal significant damage even when blocked. It will do a lot of jumping around and spinning to try to catch you, so keep your shield raised and watch out for the fire breath attacks. Simply avoiding the glowing spots on the ground is all that is required to stay out of range of the dragon’s lightning bolts.
Because the dragon deals a lot of damage and has a lot of health, you should avoid taking any unnecessary risks and try to wear it down as slowly as you can. When you kill the dragon, you will receive an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone as a reward. However, once the dragon is dead, you will be able to retrieve the items that were on the ledge, such as the Smithing Stone [6], the Smithing Stone [8, and the Dragonwound Grease. You will find another Smithing Stone [8] and the Site of Grace in the Crumbling Beast Grave Depths if you make your way to the very end of the ledge and ascend through the opening on the left side of the room.
Crumbling Beast Grave Depths
You will find yourself in a crypt that is guarded by two beastmen once you leave this Site of Grace through the door that is nearby. Kill them, and then rummage through the tomb for the Smithing Stone [7]. Instead of going down the stairs that are located near the tombs, go out onto the narrow outdoor balcony that is located on the opposite side of the room. If you turn to the right, you will find a roof that you can climb onto. Climb to the top of the roof, which will bring you to the upper level of the building that is attached to the main structure.
Be careful not to fall through any of the holes in the ground or to be pushed through any of the holes in the ground, as the floor here is broken up and there are a couple of beastmen guarding the thin paths. You can obtain three Gravel Stones by climbing onto the tomb on the left side of the room and then making your way to the opposite side of the room, where you will find a Smithing Stone hanging from the edge of the ledge near the railing.
From this vantage point, you can see two more beastmen focusing their attention on something at the very back of the room. Stealthily approach them and begin the fight by delivering a backstab to the beastman who is closest to you. You will need to avoid the lightning spells cast by the middle beastman by keeping an eye out for the glowing pillars of red light, just like you did with the glowing pillars of light cast by the dragon earlier. It is up to you whether or not you make an effort to track him down; however, because he is crafty, I discovered that it was simpler to eliminate the other monsters first and then focus on the spell caster. After all of them have been eliminated, you will be able to retrieve the item from the back, which is a Great Grave Glovewort.
You need to make your way back to the crypt room that is located next to the Site of Grace and then head down those stairs that we skipped over earlier. You can save yourself some time by not going all the way to the bottom of the stairs and instead going down the hallway to your left. Defeat the beastman that is roaming the area, then at the end of the hall, turn to the left and eliminate the beastman that is standing on the bridge. Having dispatched the next beastman on the opposite side of the bridge, continue along the corridor until you reach its terminus. At that point, you will see an open door on the right that leads to a shattered balcony that features a Golden Rune [12].
You will find a Lightning Greatbolt x14 if you exit the building and go back inside, then descend the stairs nearby. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s make our way down into the room’s centre, where you’ll find yet another of those beastmen who cast spells, along with a number of other beasts lying in wait to ambush you. You can avoid being cornered by running through the door that leads to the opposite side of the room, which will provide you with some additional fighting space. You can even exit the building through the door on the opposite side of the structure and activate the Site of Grace that is located outside if you want a little bit of extra insurance coverage. Once you have eliminated all of the beastmen that are pursuing you, you will be able to return to the room and retrieve the Ancient Dragon Prayerbook from its location in the middle of the area.
Because we are about to go on a little mini-boss adventure, you might want to take a break at the previously mentioned Site of Grace if you are going to need to restock your flasks. Turn around and exit through the door that leads out onto the balcony on the opposite side of the room. Here you will find an elevator; however, before descending these stairs, you must first retrieve the Hero’s Rune [2] that is concealed between the pillars to the right of the flight of stairs.
After taking the lift to the lower level, you will find that you are perched on the edge of a vast cliff overlooking the emptiness below. Immediately cast your gaze to the ledge that is located directly to the right of the lift; there, far off in the distance, you will see a prominent island.
Proceed with caution across the floating rocks and make your way to the island, where you will find yet another dragon waiting for you there. Because this one does not possess the lightning powers that the one before it did, it should be somewhat simpler to defeat. Use the same tactic that we had success with previously in order to vanquish it and claim the Smithing Stone [8] on the island.
You need to make your way back over to the mainland and then head down the path where you will meet some of the strange enemies that spew worms. You may have seen some of these enemies in the Altus Plateau. Their expulsions have the potential to inflict the Death Blight condition, which can result in instant death if it reaches its maximum level. Keep your Rejuvenating Boluses close at hand, and don’t be afraid to flee the area if you begin to experience an excessive amount of blight too quickly.
At the point where the path branches off into two, take the high road on the left. This will bring you to a tree that conceals both an item and an adversary behind it. Before continuing, you must eliminate the threat and retrieve all four Fulgurblooms. If you keep walking along this path, you will eventually come upon two brick towers on your right. Kill the enemies that are standing around the tower’s base after you have dropped down there.
A Somber Smithing Stone [9] can be found at the base of a tree located directly behind the tower that is closer to the reader. You can ascend the ladder on the tower to reach the top, where you will find another foe as well as a Smithing Stone [8]. If you have that item in your possession, you can do so.
You should be able to spot a gap in the railing just to the left of the adversary. If you look over the edge, you will see some rocks that are lower down that you can jump to. You’ll need to make your way down the rocks and back to the ground by jumping. You will be located close to a narrow rill that empties into a large body of water where a few more foes, including one particularly formidable foe, are taking a break. You won’t gain any benefits from defeating these foes, so it’s best to stay low and sneak around them to get the items in the water, which include a Smithing Stone and Rejuvenating Boluses [8]. Crouching and moving stealthily is your best bet. Finally, make your way to the gazebo that is located on the opposite side of the puddle from where you started. There, you will find the Glovewort Picker’s Bell Bearing [3].
If you continue down the path that leads from the puddle, there is one more small section of cliff that you will encounter. If you travel all the way to the end of the path, you will find one final foe waiting for you there. Its job is to protect the final item, which is a set of five Gravel Stones. Our investigation into this region has come to an end, so we should now warp back to the Site of Grace on the Tempest-Facing Balcony.
Tempest-Facing Balcony
As soon as you can, jump off the balcony and onto the rocky cliff that is located behind it. There, on the edge of the cliff, you will find the Somberstone Miner’s Bell Bearing [4]. Follow the path that leads to the left until you reach an area with a lot of floating debris below you. You’ll need to navigate the rocks carefully in order to reach the large platform at the base of the descent.
In this area, you will face a large number of undead foes that are armed with both close-combat and long-range weapons. They are all relatively weak; however, you must ensure that you strike them one final time after they have died in order to guarantee that they will remain dead. Once all of the foes have been vanquished, head up to the top of the platform, where you will find a Golden Rune [9] hidden behind one of the pillars. Next, make your way down to the bottom of the platform, where you will see an item sitting on a platform that is separated from the others and can be reached by jumping to it. It houses a Somber Smithing Stone, which can be looted [7].
If you go to the opposite side of the platform, you will find a collapsed pillar that serves as a makeshift bridge to another piece of floating debris that is holding an item. As you make your way down to the platform and pick up the Golden Arrow x14, you’ll need to keep moving in order to avoid being burned by the dragon that is keeping watch over this area from a distance. As quickly as you can, descend to the platform below, and then quickly take cover behind the pillars that are located at the top of the screen.
In this area, you will face a new variety of larger undead foe than you have seen so far. These ones actually have a bit of health and are capable of dealing some serious damage, but they move slowly and are extremely vulnerable to Guard Counters and backstabs due to their slow movement. Always remember to finish them off with that final blow in order to keep them down. Take the three Gravel Stones that are nearby, then turn around and look to the right of where the Gravel Stones are. You should see a column with a dead body attached to it. You’ll find a Somber Smithing Stone [9] tucked away behind that pillar if you look there.
There is still some more exploring to be done in this area, but before you do that, turn your attention to the east. There, you will see a large structure in front of which is a Site of Grace. You will need to navigate your way through the floating rocks to reach the Site of Grace at the Dragon Temple so that you can activate it.
If you face the opposite direction and look down, you should see a flight of stairs below you. From the platform at the Site of Grace, execute a running jump in order to land on them. You will be immediately ambushed by a large undead creature once you reach the top of the stairs and enter the door that is open to your right. Defeat it to gain access to the Golden Rune [12] in the area. Go back through the door and continue up the path. There will be another undead waiting for you there. Ignore the door he just emerged from for the time being and continue down the path in front of you until you reach the end; there, you will discover a Golden Rune [10].
Return to the entrance that the undead that jumped out of the doorway used and proceed through it to reach the other side. Take out the archer that is standing by the railing, then head left across the collapsed pillar to get to the balcony that has the ladder on it. Climb to the top of the cliff to find the archer who has been firing arrows at you throughout this entire area. After you have dispatched it, look to your left and you will see a corridor that appears sinister and has an item at the end of it. The three undead will fall from the ceiling behind you as you run up to claim the item, which is a Great Grave Glovewort. After that, you should get ready to fight them. After you have finished off all of the enemies in this area, you will be able to teleport back to the Site of Grace in the Dragon Temple where you were earlier.
Dragon Temple
Instead of walking straight in through the front door, we are going to begin our exploration at the ground level. Jump back down to the stairs that are located beneath the Site of Grace, and then leap from the stairs down to the platform that is located underneath the building. Proceed without delay to the left side of the room, where you will find a Banished Knight wielding a halberd and standing close to an item. These individuals are powerful, but they don’t pay much attention to their surroundings, which means that you can almost always sneak up on them and get a backstab to initiate. As always, strafing and guard countering are effective, but be wary of their more powerful weapon arts, which are signalled by a gust of wind rushing around them as they attack. These attacks can be avoided by avoiding the gust of wind. These are more difficult to stop, but they deal a significant amount of damage. If you see one approaching, simply block it or roll through it. If you manage to kill this guard, the Rune Arc will become available to you on the ledge that is nearby.
After you have completed the turn, there will be a large doorway leading into the building. Continue down the hall, and you will find another Banished Knight standing there with his back turned to you. In order to prevent other foes from being alerted, you should work to draw him backwards rather than into the room ahead of you.
This next room contains two more Banished Knights who would love nothing more than to challenge you to a two-on-one match, but if we move carefully, we can avoid having to face them at all by avoiding the room entirely. As you enter the room, immediately crouch down behind one of the tombs. You will see the knight with the dual blades in front of you, but after five to ten seconds, the knight with the halberd will walk out of the doorway on the right side of the room. You must wait for him to walk by before you can stealthily approach the door he entered through and climb out onto the ledge outside. After obtaining the Somber Smithing Stone [9] from the far corner of the balcony, make your way back to the entrance of the room and make an effort to attract the attention of the halberd knight who is patrolling the interior of the room. You ought to be able to draw his attention to yourself, at which point he will dash outside to engage in combat with you while the dual-blade knight remains oblivious. Kill the knight with the halberd in the one-on-one fight, then sneak up on the other knight to finish off the remaining enemies in the room. You will be able to retrieve the Azula Beastman Ashes from the tomb he was guarding once he has been killed.
Next, make your way to the opposite side of the room, where there is a ledge from which you can descend to a corridor below. You will find the Site of Grace in the Dragon Temple Transept if you run all the way to the end of the hall and climb the stairs there. You should activate this Site, but if you don’t want to wander into the middle of the boss fight, you shouldn’t go up the nearby stairs. Instead, we should warp back to the Site of Grace at the Dragon Temple so that we can continue our investigation of the surrounding area.
This time, we will leave the Site of Grace by going straight ahead through the door, then going to the left over the smashed pillar, and finally climbing up onto the ledge beyond that, which is where a Golden Rune [11] can be found. Return to the corridor and make your way down to the opposite end. There, you will find another halberd knight and a Smithing Stone [6] perched on the edge of the ledge.
Take the nearby staircase down, which will bring you out onto a balcony where there is yet another Banished Knight waiting nearby. If you go to the left, you will reach a dead end, and if you jump off the balcony that is up ahead, you will enter the boss room that was previously mentioned, so we are going to go to the right and go down the hallway rather than the stairs. Take out the knight who is guarding the hallway, then turn the corner at the far end to find a second knight perched on a ledge. To obtain the item that is next to him, a Stonesword Key, you must first kill him.
Climb the stairs to the upper level, then head back into the building to reach another hall where you’ll find another knight. You’ll find a Dragonwound Grease x2 at the end of this hall if you make your way down to the very bottom of it. You can make a running jump down onto the ruined staircase below, which leads to a Golden Rune [12] at the very top of the staircase. To complete our tour of the Dragon Temple, we need to finish off our mission by killing the Banished Knight at the bottom of the stairs. If you are feeling confident, you can head inside the nearby room that leads to the boss fight that I mentioned earlier. However, I would recommend that you teleport to the Dragon Temple Transept Site of Grace first so that you can rest up before heading into…
Godskin Duo Boss Fight
Godskin Noble. Godskin Apostle. It’s not bad enough that you have to deal with these jerks on their own; now you have to fight them at the same time! The fact that these are familiar enemies does not make things significantly simpler; however, the fact that they are weaker versions of the bosses is a silver lining in this cloud.
My primary piece of guidance for this new encounter is straightforward: cheese them. You should already be at least somewhat familiar with these foes from your previous encounters, so my advice for dealing with them is straightforward (a little). You can put some distance between yourself and the bosses by using any of the numerous large pillars that are strewn about the arena where the bosses are located. They will fall apart when attacked, and some moves and projectiles will be able to reach over them, but the bosses will not be able to simply walk over them in the same way that you will be able to do, giving you a significant advantage when you use them effectively.
The most frustrating aspect of this fight is that the two bosses will frequently stay close to each other and constantly throw projectiles at you when you are at a distance. However, if you position yourself appropriately around the pillar, you can force them to split up and even block some of their black fireballs. By utilising this strategy, you will be able to create more opportunities to punish either of the bosses. You can also hit them through the pillar if you have a projectile, a spell, or a weapon with a weapon art that has a medium to long range (such as Moonveil or Sword of Night and Flame), just as they will try to do to you.
As I mentioned earlier, these are scaled-down versions of the Godskin bosses, most noticeably in terms of the amount of health they start with. You will notice that they pass away rather quickly, whereas the boss’s health bar is quite substantial. In a manner analogous to that of Dark Souls’ Four Kings, additional Godskin bosses will continue to appear until the entire health bar has been depleted. The good news is that it takes some time for another boss to spawn after the previous one has been defeated. This is your opportunity to deal significant damage to the other Godskin boss, and it is at this point in the fight that you need to exert the most control over the flow of the battle.
Your objective should be to use whatever means are available to you in order to bring down one of the Godskin bosses. You should focus on defeating the Godskin boss that you are least confident in taking on in one-on-one combat. For instance, in order to kill one of the bosses near the beginning of the level, I first separated the two foes into separate groups, and then I used the Rivers of Blood full weapon art combo (as usual, Bleed is EXTREMELY effective). You should shift your attention to the other boss and deal as much damage as you can to them while you wait for the other boss to spawn. When you see them slowly and calmly raise their hand into the air, it means that they are getting ready to summon back their ally. This provides you with the opportunity to unleash whatever powerful combo you have to take out the second opponent.
You should be able to keep yourself in a one-on-one fight using this strategy almost all of the time, or at the very least, have one of the bosses in an extremely weakened state at all times. In my fight, I needed to eliminate a total of four Godskin bosses before the health bar would be completely depleted. The Smithing Stone Miner’s Bell Bearing [4] and the Ash of War: Black Flame Tornado are the prizes that are up for grabs for the victor of this battle against an army of Godskin warriors. Relax at the Dragon Temple Altar Site of Grace, which has just recently regenerated, and get ready to explore the rest of the dungeon.
Dragon Temple Altar
Once you have exited the boss room through the doorway to the left of the Site of Grace, you will find yourself on another abandoned outdoor balcony. Two beastmen are waiting for you on the ledge below you, one armed with a sword and the other with throwing daggers. You could try to sneak up on them by using the stairs to the right, or you could perform a drop attack on them. You can deal with them in whatever manner you see fit, and then proceed by using the staircase that is located close to the torch in the corner. Following this will bring you to another ledge where a dog is standing guard over a treasure chest. Before descending through the windows on the left, you must first eliminate the dogs and retrieve the Golden Rune (11).
At this location, you will run into two more dogs as well as another one of those beastmen who throw daggers. You will not be able to get to the beastman unless you go all the way around the room, but if you are feeling particularly daring, you can try to leap across the space that separates the left and right sides of the room and go straight to him. After killing the two dogs that are waiting on the opposite side of the room, you can pick up the Old Fang x5 that is lying on the body that is close to the beastman. Before you leap off this platform, you need to make sure that you have circumnavigated the perimeter of the outer wall in a cautious manner. You can make your way to a hidden platform that is very narrow and has another item on it [5]. This item is a Hero’s Rune.
You are now able to descend to the next platform, which is a lengthy corridor lined with statues of dragons. You will run into another beastman carrying a large sword as you approach the far end of the corridor. Defeat him, then continue moving forward until you reach the very end of the hall, where there is a Smithing Stone [7] hidden behind a pillar that has collapsed. If you turn to your left and go around the corner, you will see another section of ledge on the opposite side of the wall from where you are currently standing. Continuing in this direction will lead you to a dead end with two more beastmen lying in wait to attack you, as well as five times as much lightning grease.
You should be able to find a staircase that winds its way upwards if you return to the corridor where you battled the beastman while wielding the large sword. Carry on upwards until you reach the second level, where you will immediately come face to face with another beastman. You should be able to see a pillar dangling below him, which is connected to a higher platform in the distance. You’ll need to make a flying leap over to that pillar and then climb up it in order to get to the higher platform. In this region, you will come across a more powerful variety of beastman.
When you first approach, the beastman is in a crouched position; therefore, you should capitalise on this opportunity to launch the opening attack; however, you should be wary of his dog companion who is waiting to ambush you nearby. Make effective use of your shield to ward off their attacks, and use guard counters to wear them both down. After you have vanquished them, you will be able to take possession of the Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone that they were guarding.
Descend the pillar, and then make your way back up to the starting platform by jumping. Continue moving forward until you reach the opposite end of the hall. There, you will find another dagger-throwing beastman perched on a ledge that we need to eliminate so that he won’t be a problem for us in the future. You will need to make your way back down the hall and enter the new room via the large opening that is directly across from the stairs. In this new room, there are two more beastmen waiting for you. The first is a dagger thrower who should be moving from left to right, and the second is a swordsman who is waiting in the corner behind some debris. Kill both of them, and before you leave, make sure you grab the Somber Smithing Stone [9] that is hidden behind one of the pillars close to where the beastman is hiding.
You will find a door that requires a Stonesword Key off to the side of this room. After you have eliminated the magical barrier by employing one of your keys, proceed inside where you will find a lift. Dragon Temple Lift is a new Site of Grace that can be reached by ascending this staircase. Simply turn on the Site for the time being, and then head back down the lift. We will be returning to this location at a later time.
Find your way back to the stairwell, and then descend to the first floor to access the hallway there. After passing through the doorway that is to the left of the stairs, you will find that you are standing on a makeshift bridge that is constructed out of floating debris. Proceed with caution as you make your way down the bridge, making sure to pick up both of the items along the way (a Golden Rune [12] on one side of the bridge and a Dragoncrest Shield Talisman +2 on the other side). Another entrance to a building that is very comparable to the one that we just exited can be found at the bottom.
Once inside, turn left at the first intersection and kill the two beastmen that are waiting in the hallway. You will find a staircase that leads up to the second floor, which is guarded by some additional foes, if you turn around and go all the way to the opposite end of the room where it is located. After climbing to the top, turn right where you will see a dog guarding a corpse that contains an item called a Dappled Cured Meat. This location is at the very top of the area.
Now that we have that item in our possession, we can return to the hall on the first floor and enter the building via the large doorway that is directly across from the main entrance. This will lead you to a large balcony where you will find the rotting remains of a dragon and another Crucible Knight. Parrying is, as it always has been and always will be, the most effective method for defeating these guys, but you should use whatever method you consider to be most effective. Be wary of the dragon incantations that appear during the second phase, and pay particular attention to the wide fire breath that he performs after taking a deep breath.
There is no prize for vanquishing this knight; however, if you jump to the floating piece of debris behind the dragon, you can grab the Smithing Stone [8] that is perched on top of it. You can leap down to the rooftop below from here, and then climb that rooftop to reach a new Site of Grace, which is located on the Dragon Temple Rooftop.
Dragon Temple Rooftop
When you get to the base of the tall tower nearby, which is where the ambush is waiting for you, descend from the rooftop and make your way there. These hawks are significantly more powerful than the ones we have faced in the past, so take care not to let them gang up on you too much; otherwise, you run the risk of being caught in a fatal stunlock. Take the Smithing Stone [6] that they were huddled around, and then turn your attention to the direction of the south, where you will see a large dragon off in the distance.
As you make your way through the area in front of you, this dragon will attempt to cast lightning spells on you, so you will need to take precautions to avoid being struck by lightning as you move forward. Instead of going down the nearby ladder, jump to the rooftop to your right where you will find another stormhawk. This will allow you to get a head start. Having dispatched this hawk, descend to the ground below and head under the balcony. There, you will find three Arteria Leaves there and also come across two more stormhawks that you will have to fight while avoiding bolts.
You will need to keep moving forward until you reach yet another rooftop, at which point you will turn right and drop down to the broken bridge below. You will eventually arrive at the platform where the dragon is waiting for you if you make your way to the bottom of the bridge and eliminate the two stormhawks that you encounter along the way. The good news is that this dragon’s health is currently at about 15% of its maximum, which means that it should only take one or two combos to take it down for good and claim another Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone.
Now that the dragon has been killed, we are free to take the two items that it was guarding, which are a Golden Rune (x12) and eight Fulgurbloom. Take a look to the southeast, and you will find a gazebo there. Inside the gazebo, you will find another item, which is a Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone.
If you turn around and look to the north from this vantage point, you will see a raised platform that has some pillars on it. After making your way to the edge of the cliff, you will discover a roof that you can use to climb up to the platform. Once you reach the top of the platform, you will find a large group of stormhawks, a Smithing Stone [7], and a Golden Seed.
If you go in the opposite direction of where you came from, towards the gazebo, you will come across a collection of rocks that are falling off the edge of the cliff. These can be used to descend to a set of floating buildings a great distance below you.
After you have landed on the platform of the building, proceed inside where you will immediately come face to face with a Banished Knight. Defeat him, then make your way to the end of the hallway, where there is a door leading onto a small balcony with a stormhawk and another Banished Knight. You will have an easier time winning the battle if you can lure out the knight without the hawk first, but once both of them are dead, you will be able to take the item that the hawk was guarding, which is a Golden Rune [12].
To get to the upper level of this building, you will need to climb the ladder that is located nearby. You will see a lift up ahead, and a Banished Knight will be standing to the left of it as they guard the area. After you have dispatched the knight, look to the left of the ladder and you will see a treasure chest near the railing. The Dragon Towershield can be found within.
If you take the lift that is close by, you will find yourself on another rocky path that leads into a crumbling corridor that is located underneath the platform where the dragon is standing. If you continue along this path until you reach the top, you will come across a Crucible Knight engaged in combat with two beastmen. If you stay back, the Knight will easily take out all of the foes, but you can take advantage of this opportunity to sneak up on him while he is distracted and kill him while he is vulnerable. Now is the time to employ a particularly potent weapon art or spell in order to inflict as much damage as possible on the Knight before he focuses his attention on you. If you have access to such an ability, now is the time to do so.
After the Knight has been killed, you can grab the item that is close by, and then proceed to climb the ladder at the end of the hall. There, you will discover a window that is open, as well as a second item called the Boltdrake Talisman +2.
You should be able to see a small rock platform below you if you look off the ledge to the right after jumping out of the window onto the platform below and heading left as if you were going back to the Site of Grace. However, instead of climbing the ladder at the end of the path, you should look down. To get to the bottom of a tall tower, first descend to that platform, and then climb down onto the ledge that is directly below it. After running all the way around the tower, you will reach a dead end where there is a chest waiting for you. Inside this chest is the Drake Knight Armor Set.
Walk clockwise around the tower until you reach the large door leading inside, then ride the lift all the way to the top. You will find a short bridge here, at the end of which is another powerful beastman foe, as well as five Lightning Greatbolts. Take the lift back down, but this time get off at the halfway point, and then run the remaining distance to the location where the dragon fight took place.
This time, we are going to take the path that goes to the right, where you will find a few more beastmen snoozing beneath a tree. You’ll need to vanquish them, as well as the other beastman that’s guarding the way, if you want to make any progress forward. There is a beastman waiting for you in the opening on the right who will try to ambush you. Once you have descended the nearby cliff, you will find a Somber Smithing Stone [7] waiting for you there.
This trail comes to an end at a section of the tower that functions as a bridge across a substantial chasm to the other side. You need to get to the other side of the right pillar as quickly as possible, running across it in a straight line, before the beastman who throws daggers and is at the other end of the pillar can get into position to stop you. After you have traversed the gap, kill the beastman that is waiting for you, and then enter the nearby building. Inside is a beastman with magical abilities who is keeping watch over an item.
It should come as no surprise that this room is a trap; therefore, make an effort to lure the sword beastman out of hiding and convince him to join you outside, where there is more room for you to fight him and avoid the lightning bolts. After you have finished off the melee foe, you can head back inside and finish off the other beasts. Once that is done, head over to the altar area and pick up the Somberstone Miner’s Bell Bearing [5].
You’ll find yet another brand new lift if you go through the doorways on the right and continue to follow the path all the way around. To get to the new Site of Grace, which is located beside the Great Bridge, take the lift up. Since this is the last Grace in this section of the dungeon, we are going to take a short diversion to investigate one more location before we head back to finish clearing it out. After activating this Site of Grace, you should then warp back to the Site of Grace located at the Dragon Temple Lift.
Dragon Temple Lift
You may recall that earlier in the dungeon, when you were behind the door that required the Stonesword Key, you were unable to access this area. Take the stairs that lead outside to leave the Site of Grace, and then turn left to head towards the sort of plaza that can be seen in the distance. You will run into more of those undead foes as you proceed through this area.
There are two smaller undead foes guarding an item in the centre of the plaza, but as soon as you approach, two of the larger undead foes will join the fight. If the prospect of fighting four foes at once does not appeal to you, you can use a projectile to lure the weaker foes towards you so that you can avoid alerting the stronger foes until after the weaker foes have been eliminated. After you have vanquished all four foes, you will be able to claim the item that is located in the plaza’s centre, which is a Lord’s Rune.
The road departing the plaza branches in two directions: one goes down the hill, and the other goes up the hill. We are going to begin by going down the path, where you will find another undead foe standing near a tree, as well as a watchdog. After defeating these foes, we will continue on the upward path. After you have vanquished them, you will be able to take the item that is under the tree, which is a Nascent Butterfly x2. Carry on along this path, and when you reach the bend in the road, go around it to reach some rocks that you can scale. Climb all the way to the top, then immediately turn right and walk out onto the ledge. There, you will find another item [7], which is a Smithing Stone.
There is a large group of undead that are patrolling the nearby path, but thankfully, this area does allow for Ash Summons. Because of this, I strongly recommend that you just simplify the situation by calling yourself an ally instead of fighting against the undead. You should make an effort to draw them out and divide them up if you have the chance, and as always, don’t forget to land that finishing blow. After all of the foes have been eliminated, you will be able to ascend the staircase to your left and reach the higher platform. You will find a Smithing Stone [8] if you immediately turn around and walk over to the edge of the cliff where there is an undead creature staring out into the void.
You will find another Golden Seed and a Rune Arc if you turn around and head back in the direction you came from. If you continue moving forward, you will eventually reach a ledge. If you look low, you should be able to make out an Ash Scarab hiding behind some pillars. To obtain the spell for Golden Lightning Fortification, you must first kill this scarab.
If you turn your head to the left, you will see another dragon dozing off on the edge of the cliff. We will finish it off in a moment, but before we do, head to the right side of the cliff, on the side that is directly opposite the dragon. There, you will find a narrow path that leads down to a pair of Dragonwound Grease. Carry on walking back up the path until you reach the sleeping dragon, then make your way over to it and get ready for a fight. This is a dragon of full strength, but thankfully it does not possess any lightning-related abilities. Using the same tactic that was described earlier in this guide, vanquish this dragon and take the item that is buried underneath it, which is a Smithing Stone [8].
If you climb back up onto the cliff that is above you, you will see that there are some pillars that you can climb across in order to get to the higher cliff that is on the other side of the valley. From this vantage point, you can scale the collapsed building to ascend to an even higher platform, where you will find ANOTHER dozing dragon. Always exercise extreme caution in order to avoid being swept off the platform by this dragon (this one is fairly thin). Kill it in the same manner as the previous boss, and after that, take the item it was guarding, which is a Golden Rune [12].
You will find a collection of floating debris on the opposite side of this platform that you can climb onto; therefore, make your way up onto and across the ruins to reach the next area. Near the far end of the room, you will discover a Smithing Stone [7], and in the far back corner, you will find another long pillar that you can climb to reach a higher platform.
To continue, you will need to look down and hop down onto another pillar below you. This can be done if you do it from here. This pillar will lead you to the final platform in this section, which is occupied by a crumbled tower. Once you reach this platform, you have completed this section. Check the interior of the tower to find the Ancient Dragon Apostle’s Cookbook [4], but be wary of the two undead foes that are waiting to ambush you once you enter.
Once you have the cookbook in your possession, there are only two more things to get. If you look over the cliff to the side of this crumbling tower, you should be able to see a fairly large section of floating rock below, and there will be an item perched on top of it. You’ll need to descend to claim your reward, which is a Somber Smithing Stone [8]. If you look down once more, you should spot a smaller chunk of floating rock that has an additional object perched on top of it. You’ll need to descend to that one in order to obtain a Smithing Stone [8]. We are at the point where we can safely warp back to the Site of Grace that is located Beside the Great Bridge so that we can investigate the last section of this dungeon.
Beside the Great Bridge
Climb the stairs in front of the Site of Grace and turn right to ascend the Great Bridge. The boss arena is located to the right of the Great Bridge and is guarded by a formidable mini-boss, so for the time being we are going to head left instead. Continue to follow it until you reach yet another abandoned building further down the slope. Pass through the door, then make your way down the stairs, ignoring the beastmen who are sleeping along the way.
After exiting the door on the opposite side, take a left and proceed to the area where you will see a whole balcony filled with beastmen lying around. Ignore them and search the body near the ledge for the Somber Smithing Stone [8].
You will find a ladder that leads down to a bridge if you turn around and go to the opposite side of the balcony. You should head in the direction of the end of the bridge, but you should NOT enter the tower. If you wait just a moment, the Recusant Bernahl will come and attack you. He is a moderately powerful foe who wields a large mace, but because he has no defensive options, you can really just wail on him. Alternatively, you can put up a Barricade Shield and relentlessly Guard Counter gim to kill him. As a reward for killing him, you will receive several items, including the Blasphemous Claw, the Devourer’s Scepter, the Gelmir’s Fury spell, and the Beast Champion Armor Set.
You may now proceed inside the tower, where you will be immediately confronted by three beastmen who have been waiting in ambush for you. You can try to draw them out onto the bridge to give yourself a little bit more space, but in all likelihood, you’re going to have to play cautiously and defensively in order to beat them without getting overwhelmed yourself. After you have vanquished them, you will find a chest inside the tower that contains the Talisman of the Old Lord as your reward.
We are at last prepared to face the mini-boss now that we have all of these items in our possession. You can find the Draconic Tree Sentinel by using the warp back ability to return to the Site of Grace that is located Beside the Great Bridge. Once there, you will need to walk up to the bridge and then turn right. Unfortunately, we will not be able to engage him in combat while mounted on horses this time, so we will need to adjust our strategy somewhat in comparison to the last time we met him.
If you are out of melee range, the Sentinel will almost always shoot fireballs at you. This can be helpful for timing a heal or getting a second to rest, but it can be annoying if you are trying to play a ranged focus strategy. The first thing to keep in mind is that the Sentinel will almost always shoot fireballs at you. Because of this, you will want to maintain a position that is relatively close to him for the majority of the time, as his melee attacks can almost always be easily avoided or blocked, particularly his shield swings. For this reason, it is recommended that you try to stay on his shield side, and that you simply dodge roll through or Guard Counter his slow swipes and slams. Staying on his shield side will allow you to avoid taking damage.
The Sentinel is getting ready for one of its major attacks any time the horse rears up on its hind legs, so unless you are very confident with your ability to dodge at just the right moment, it is best to just take a step back and wait it out rather than trying to avoid it. If you keep your distance, maintain your shield, and maintain a steady stream of attacks, you should be able to finish the first phase of the fight rather quickly.
In the second phase, things will begin to become a little more chaotic. The Sentinel will fortify his body with the power of lightning, at which point he will begin to cast a greater variety of spells in addition to more powerful variations of his standard attacks. Even though his melee swings are still highly telegraphed and predictable, blocking them rather than dodging them will now result in a small amount of damage being dealt.
Lightning bolts with an area of effect are his dream attack during this phase of the battle. In order to execute this move, he will raise his shield to the heavens and then swing it to the side. This will cause a swarm of lightning bolts to begin forming all around him. Move as quickly as possible to a location away from any potential lightning strikes that allows you to launch three to four attacks while the spell is active. If, on the other hand, he raises his shield to the heavens, keeps it there for a split second, and then pumps his arm, he will call forth a FOCUSED bolt of lightning that will descend directly upon you. You have the option of blocking it and taking the damage anyway, or you can try to dodge just as the lightning strikes in order to avoid it entirely.
When all of this is considered, this fight transforms into a drawn-out contest of deft dodging and judicious counterattacks. If you need to heal, simply take cover and wait out the fireball. During this time, make sure to drink as quickly as possible in between casts. After defeating the Sentinel, you will receive the Malformed Dragon Armor Set that he was wearing. In addition, you will be able to pick up the items that were lying along the bridge, including a Golden Rune [12] and a Somber Smithing Stone [7].
There are actually two bosses that we can fight from here, and we can do so in any order we choose. The first is the boss of the area, and the second is a boss that you can choose to fight or not, but it does drop a Remembrance. This guide will begin with the boss of the area; however, if you would rather take on the optional boss first, you can skip ahead to the final section of the guide.
Beast Clergyman Boss Fight
The final boss of Farum Azula is the Beast Clergyman, who is another character with a recognisable appearance. Is it possible that we have encountered this Clergyman before in the Bestial Sanctum? There is only one way to discover the truth…
When you are out of his melee range, the majority of his moveset consists of dashing around and throwing rocks at you, especially when you are closer to him. You can simply dodge roll towards him to avoid taking any damage from these attacks because it is extremely simple to anticipate their arrival (he drags his hand along the ground before throwing). This affords you an excellent chance to heal, so whenever you feel the need to replenish your health, simply take a step back and draw one of his rock hurls away from you before taking a drink from your flask (just like the Godskin Duo, you can use the pillars here as a shield as well).
When you get within melee range, he will use his dagger to perform a variety of different swings and jabs at you. Be on the lookout for his long range forward stab, which he will signal by doing a small hop, followed by fully thrusting his dagger forward. Keep an eye out for this move. You can avoid this by rolling out of the way, and then you can land a few hits before he regains his composure.
The majority of the time, however, our tactic will consist of positioning ourselves in front of him with our shields raised and waiting for him to complete his lengthy dagger combo with a downward dagger thrust. Before standing up and raising his dagger into the air, he will typically begin his attack with two quick slashes with his dagger, then add a third before standing up. This is the kind of assault we are looking for. If you have the Barricade Shield ability, use it now, then Guard Counter the attack after it has been dealt. In the event that you do not, you can easily dodge roll in just before the dagger’s impact and land a few blows.
However, you should keep a close eye on his hands. Do not attempt to punish or guard counter him if he drives his offhand into the ground instead of his dagger. This indicates that he is about to cast a spell that has an effect on an area rather than a single target. Instead, you should just keep your guard up or fight your way through it. In a similar manner, if he presses his hands into the ground and the area around him begins to glow, it indicates that he is about to conjure a blast of rocks from the ground. These rocks will deal damage as they burst forth from the ground, and they will deal damage once more when they fall back to the ground. It is possible for you to get in one or two attacks before the rocks appear, but the safest bet is for you to simply back away while keeping your guard up.
You should sidestep the rock blasts and Guard Counter his slow dagger slam in order to quickly reduce your opponent’s health bar by half. At this point, it is time for…
Maliketh, the Black Blade Boss Fight
You weren’t under the impression that it would be that simple, were you? At this point, the Beast Clergyman transforms into his ultimate form, which is that of Maliketh, the Black Blade. When you are hit by his flaming blade, you will suffer from not one but two vexatious debuffs: the first will lower your maximum health, and the second will cause damage to you over a longer period of time. Both of these debuffs are triggered automatically. He becomes significantly more powerful.
Maliketh, much like the Clergyman, enjoys dashing all around the battlefield and attacking from any angle possible. In addition, he has a number of jumping attacks that he can use in addition to his other abilities. In a manner very similar to that of the Clergyman, we are going to simply keep our shield up and try to avoid as much of this as we can while we wait out a select few attacks that are particularly punishable.
The horizontal grounded slash and the slow overhead slash are the primary attacks that we are looking for from him. Both of these attacks present a wonderful opportunity for us to attack. In most cases, you can bait these out by simply standing around in front of Maliketh; however, there are a few combo paths that he can follow. After he has completed the horizontal slash along the ground, he might grasp his sword with both hands and then slam the ground with it by swinging it over his head. This is the most favourable possible outcome. Before he can regain his posture, you have time to attack three or four times if you strafe to the side of him. It is also possible for him to chain that slash into a jumping triple slash, which presents an opportunity for you to strafe to the side of it and then punish him when he lands.
If he instead begins the combo with an overhead slash, you shouldn’t attempt to punish him right away because he can chain that into a quick horizontal slash or a spinning triple slash. Instead, you should wait until the end of the combo to try to punish him. These can be punished as well if you keep your guard up, but it might be simpler for you to simply pull back and wait for a more advantageous opening.
Next, there are some assaults that we need to avoid. If Maliketh leaps into the air and thrusts his sword into the ground, you should either run away or use an attack that involves a projectile. This appears to be a fantastic opportunity to attack, but about a second after the thrust, there will be a powerful explosion that you do not want to be caught in (after the explosion, Maliketh will perform a backflip before landing back on the ground). If you are able to get into position behind him, you will have the opportunity to land one or two attacks as he lands. In addition, he will occasionally chain one thrust into a vertical jump slash that culminates in a massive flurry of slashes that will kill the majority of players instantly if they do not block it. My recommendation is that you just leave the area.
The same can be said for the vast majority of his jumping attacks in general. Because the majority of them have large areas of effect and erratic movement, it is best to just strafe away and not even try to get involved, as doing so could result in you being caught in his blender of attacks. This is doubly true with regard to the projectiles that he fires from his sword while it is spinning in the air. In most cases, he will signal these attacks by first ascending one of the pillars and then launching himself into the air. This is done in order to give his opponent ample warning.
In the most powerful iteration of this attack, he begins by hurling three sword projectiles at the target, with a brief pause in between each one, and then follows up by launching himself back into the ground in an enormous circular swing. If you see this one coming, you should dodge roll towards him, through each of the projectiles, and then dodge roll inward one more time as he comes flying back to earth to avoid the final slash. If you do this, you will be able to avoid being hit by the final slash. This attack is extremely lethal, but the timing required to dodge it is relatively forgiving.
You can use the pillars that are scattered around the battlefield to create a barrier between you and Maliketh and block his attacks and projectiles, just like you could before. However, you should be aware that some of Maliketh’s attacks, such as the circular slash that was mentioned earlier, will still hit through the pillar.
Wait out his less dangerous attacks and slowly wear him down (or perfect the Blasphemous Claw parry if you are feeling confident), and you will eventually be able to topple this formidable enemy and obtain his reward, which is the Remembrance of the Black Blade. Following a brief cutscene, you will be transported to an unfamiliar yet recognisable location.
How to Find Dragonlord Placidusax
You can find Dragonlord Placidusax by first warping to the Site of Grace located Beside the Great Bridge, and then travelling backwards through the temple, which is where you fought against that group of beastmen earlier. After leaving the temple through the front door, immediately start running forward until you reach the edge of the floating platform. If you look down, you will notice that there are some rocky platforms that you can drop down to.
Stay on this path of rocks until you reach the very bottom, and then leap onto the floating ruins that are located at the very end, close to the centre of the storm.
When you inspect the ground, you will find that one of the “graves” does not contain any remains. When you approach the empty grave, you will be given the instruction to “lie down.” When you respond to this prompt, a cutscene will begin that will take you to the boss arena for the Dragonlord.
Dragonlord Placidusax Boss Fight
Oh, Miyazaki, you just couldn’t help but add one more giant dragon boss, could you? You just couldn’t help yourself. Dragonlord Placidusax is a fairly standard dragon boss, and shares some characteristics with the large dragons that we fought all over Farum Azula. It is customary for him to launch the conflict with one of his roars, which results in you being struck by a succession of lightning bolts. You can easily avoid it by running away from the area of effect, or you can learn the timing of the roll and dodge just before the strike hits.
As is the case with most dragons, the most advantageous position for this fight is to stand to the side of the dragon or behind its legs. You can avoid all of his forward-facing fire and claw attacks by hitting his fairly long tail, which allows you to deal significant damage while remaining out of range of those attacks. While you are protecting yourself from behind, there are three types of attacks you need to be aware of:
The lightning roar was exactly the same as the one he used to start the fight. Every roar sets off three separate lightning strikes, with only a brief pause in between each one. You are free to attack during this sequence; however, to avoid being hit by the strike or dodge roll in between attacks, you must move out of the strike or dodge roll.
Firebreath: Even if you are attacking the tail, you still need to keep an eye on the heads! The Dragonlord will occasionally rearrange one of his heads so that it is facing you and exhale a stream of flaming breath in your direction. You can either shield yourself and wait for the damage to hit you, or you can move out of the way.
The dragonlord will lift his tail into the air, then swish it back and forth along the ground in a swiping motion. It is very simple to avoid or block this attack as long as you are aware that it is coming, but because it causes the Dragonlord to spin around, you will need to adjust your position after it has been executed.
Firebreath Dash The Dragonlord will move away from you, then turn around and breathe a stream of flames directly at you. You can easily avoid this by taking a step back, or you can perform a wide strafe to get out of harm’s way.
The Dragonlord will use a variety of attacks against you when he is facing you, including a horizontal claw swipe that can be easily avoided by rolling into it, a vertical claw smash that causes an explosion on the ground (back away or block), and a long-lasting firebreath that covers the area in front of him. It is not advisable to try to punish any of these attacks because they are somewhat unpredictable and he often chains them into each other. Just make another attempt to get behind him and hack away at his tail or his hind legs when you do so.
In addition to that, he possesses a unique and potent lightning spear attack. After driving the spear into the ground, he will pause for a second and then smash it with his claw, causing a tremendous explosion that will spread across the entire battlefield. I have only ever witnessed this attack once, but I would advise you to raise your shield and get as far away from it as you possibly can.
When the Dragonlord reaches 50% health, he will float into the air and vanish, signalling the beginning of the second phase of the battle. Start looking up into the sky and keep an eye out for any gatherings of clouds or electrical discharges. After a brief period of time, the Dragonlord will erupt from this cloud and launch an attack that sweeps across the ground. You can avoid this attack by rolling into the cloud just as the Dragonlord is about to pass over you.
From this vantage point, he will proceed to continuously vanish, reappear, launch one attack (typically a slow claw swipe), and then vanish once more. After he has attacked, you typically have the opportunity to land one or two hits before he vanishes again. If you keep your cursor locked on the dragon, it will usually immediately snap to the location where the dragon has teleported to; therefore, you can use this to keep track of him.
The sequence will come to an end after approximately three attacks, at which point the Dragonlord will return to his normal moveset for a short period of time before eventually vanishing once more and beginning the process once more.
When the Dragonlord’s health drops to around 25%, he will initiate an ongoing lightning storm throughout the entire arena. Because of this, you will need to be even more vigilant in order to avoid being struck by the lightning. In addition to that, he will incorporate a more potent variation of his firebreath, in which the flames transform into beams of solid fire that travel across the battlefield. You have the option of rolling through these beams as they travel through you, or you can simply raise your shield and move to a more distant location where the majority of the beams won’t be able to reach you.
As soon as the beams have been secured, rush back in and maintain your offensive. Maintain your cautious approach and strike at his tail until he falls over. You will be rewarded with the Remembrance of the Dragonlord as soon as the dragon has been killed.