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Leyndell, Royal Capital Location and Walkthrough
Leyndell, Royal Capital is a Legacy Dungeon you can encounter in the Altus Plateau area in Elden Ring. It is a massive, labyrinthine city with powerful enemies, multiple bosses, and many treasures. This page will contain walkthrough and guide information on how to reach Leyndell, all the treasures and items that can be found inside, tips for navigating the dungeon, and how to defeat its fearsome bosses.
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How to Get to Leyndell, Royal Capital
Ready for another long, dangerous ride? Good! Because it's time to set off for the capital. We will be starting from the Road of Iniquity Site of Grace located near the Volcano Manor. Ride East toward the Minor Erdtree, past the boss and onto the broken bridge behind it. Leap from the bridge and land on the lower half below.
Go straight past the Corpse-Stench Shack and continue your ride east down the path. You will pass through a bunch of ramparts and a group of Abductors. Ignore them and continue riding until you see a wooden bridge and the Bridge of Iniquity Site of Grace.
Cross over the wooden bridge and you will find yourself on the Altus Plateau. Here you will start to encounter some stronger enemies, including wolves, mages, and capital knights. Just stick to the path, continuing to follow it as it begins to bend toward the northeast. When you reach the bridge you will want to make a slight deviation to find the Road of Iniquity Side Path Site of Grace under the arch of the large bridge.
Get back on the path and keep riding eastward. Up the hill you will encounter a bunch of windmills and the path will begin to splinter in a few different direction. Ride up the hill and you will find Dominula, Windmill Village where you can rest at the Windmill Village Site of Grace.
From Dominula look southeast and you will be able to see the path that leads directly into the Capital Outskirts. Ride up the path and toward the capital wall, but beware the turrets that fire massive arrows at anyone who approaches (there is also a Golden Seed on top of a rock to the right of the path, make a quick stop to grab it as you pass by). Strafe left to right to avoid the arrows and you will be able to ride through the archway and into the outskirts. Once inside you should see the Outer Wall Battleground Site of Grace nearby.
You will notice this Site of Grace does not point toward the front gates of the capital, because the front door is locked. Still, I recommend riding down to the front gates where you will find two Golden Seed. If you take the time to go up the stairs to the front gate you can find a Lost Ashes of War.
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But that's not all! Nearby you will see a giant staircase that leads down the hill. DO NOT ride directly down the stairs or you will be attacked by a gargoyle. Instead ride down the grassy hill to the left of the stairs. When you arrive at the bottom you will find two more Golden Seeds, the Map: Leyndell, Royal Capital, and the Outer Wall Phantom Tree Site of Grace.
Teleport back to the Outer Wall Battleground Site of Grace and follow the Guidance of Grace to the northeast where you will see a staircase leading up the cliffside. It should be able to see the path forward now that you have the map, so follow it to the end where you will encounter one final obstacle between you and the capital...
Draconic Tree Sentinel Boss Fight
The Draconic Tree Sentinel is the final test of whether or not you are ready to enter the capital, but thankfully he isn't too hard with the right approach.
You are going to want to battle him almost entirely on horseback. This lets you take swipes at him as you pass by without ever having to stay within his attack range for too long. He will take swings back at you with his mace and also with his shield, so be sure to sprint out of the way anytime you see him winding up. Don't get greedy: only one or two attacks per pass. If you get too far away he will shoot fireballs at you, so try to stay relatively close to him at all times.
If you get enough attacks in over a short period of time you can stagger him momentarily, opening him up to a bunch of free attacks while he is down. He is susceptible to Bleed which can speed up this fight dramatically, and remember to drink a Flask if Torrent takes any hits. You do not want to get grounded in this battle at all.
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At about half health the Sentinel will power himself up with dragon magic, adding some new moves to his repertoire including two different lightning strike attacks. The first he will come to a stop and start charging up a spell before unleashing a flurry of lightning strikes in the area around him. This you can avoid by simply backing away and waiting for it to subside. The second he will point his shield to the sky and then summon a powerful lightning strike directly on top of you. This one is a bit trickier to avoid, dash around and you should be able to avoid the hits.
Other than that, the same strategy rings true. Continue your hit and run strategy, never giving him too many chances to strike you. Defeat him and you will be rewarded with the Dragon Greatclaw and Dragonclaw Shield. Enter the doorway behind the Sentinel to reach the Capital Rampart Site of Grace, and the entrance to Leyndell, Royal Capital.
Leyndell, Royal Capital Walkthrough
Head into the capital using the door at the end of the rampart, follow the path through until you reach the elevator at the end. Go down the hallway at the top where you can find Magic Grease x3, then proceed down the hallway and into the chapel. Grab the Furlcalling Finger Remedy off the altar, then exit the chapel using the stairs on the other side to reach the outer walls of the castle. Walk past the sleeping soldiers and up to the sandy overhang, where you can go right to find the East Capital Rampart Site of Grace.
From here you can get out onto the castle wall by heading down the stairs. Here you will encounter a pretty pathetic enemy, the trumpeting Oracle Envoys. These guys fire slow moving projectiles at you slowly roll around, but you can basically just run at them and kill them with no worries, even the large one on the center platform of the wall. Check behind the larger Envoy to find a Golden Rune [10].
Exit the large Envoy's platform using the stairs on the far side and look to the left where you will see another staircase that leads to a small room under the platform. Here you will encounter one of those crossbow perfumers (beware the exploding bolts, as always) and a Smithing Stone [4]. Exit out the other side of the room and you will be on a balcony that runs along the side of the rampart. Follow it down where you will encounter four more Envoys and another door.
inside you will encounter yet another perfumer, and you can find Cave Moss x10 behind some furniture in the corner. Through the nearby door is an elevator down into the capital, but we don't want to go there just yet. Head upstairs to find a path back to the main rampart that gets you behind the giant perfumer beast that was guarding the way. In front of him is a Golden Rune [7].
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Rather than taking the elevator we are doing to head back to that balcony where we encountered the four Envoys. Look down over the balcony and you will see a golden rooftop below. Drop down onto it, but beware the imp hanging from the wall who will attempt to ambush you. Jump forward two rooftops from where you landed, then go diagonal one where you will run into two more imps. There are imps all over the rooftops, and they are surprisingly good at parkour, so be wary of them chasing you around or catching you off guard.
From here drop down to rooftop below, where there is a Golden Rune [9] hanging off one of the windows. From this rooftop face yourself northeast and you should see another item on a rooftop three houses away. Make careful jumps across the gaps (and deal with the imps along the way) to reach that item, a Golden Rune [12]. From this rooftop point yourself west and head toward the roof in the distance with two more imps and another item on it, this one a Stonesword Key.
Next up, face southeast and look down into the gap between the two buildings in front of you where you should see an item leaned up against a flower bed, a Smithing Stone [6]. Walk down this alley and you will encounter a Leynell Knight at the end. These knights charge up their weapon with electricity to deal damage through your defenses, and can even call lightning bolts down from the sky for surprise attacks. Get the jump on him with a quick backstab, then check the alleyway to the left of the building he was guarding where you will find a Golden Rune [9].
Go back to the spot where you found the Smithing Stone next to the flower bed. You can use the flower bed to hop back up to the rooftop above you. Face northwest and you will see one of those giant metal caravans the trolls are usually dragging around the overworld. Drop down next to the caravan and you will find a Golden Rune [9] nearby.
But look out! There is an Erdtree Avatar that walks up and down this street that will attack you if you step into its line of sight. It is easiest to just deal with it now, so get ready for a tough battle. Erdtree Avatars are powerful, but all of their melee attacks are slow and incredibly telegraphed. Its overhead swings and foot stomp can be easily avoided by dodging in before the moment of impact, and many of the horizontal swings you can dodge with a strafe or sideways roll. All of these are then punishable with 1-2 attacks before you want to get back into defensive position.
The attacks to be afraid of are the magic slam, in which the Avatar glows and leans forward before leaping into the air and slamming down with a big area attack. When you see it charging you just need to back off, wait out the slam, then rush in and punish with a dash attack or jump attack. Then there is the dangerous homing spell, where the Avatar smashes the head of its staff into the ground in front of itself, summoning about a dozen magic bolts. You can avoid these by running in a circle around the Avatar, but it may try and hit you while the spells are active so make sure you are prepared to dodge its melee attacks as well.
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All in all it is a battle of patience and waiting for the right openings. Do not rush anything, especially not when the magic spells are in play. Defeat the Avatar to get a Lord's Rune, and make the streets a little bit safer.
Look around and you will see an item sitting on a set of stairs off to the side of the street, which is a Gold Firefly x3. Almost directly across the street from that is an overturned caravan which you can jump on top of using the flower bed behind it. On top is a Holy Grease. Keep heading southwest down this street and you will see a set of doors open on the right. Go through them to find the Avenue Balcony Site of Grace. Rest here if you need to refresh your flasks, but we have a lot more exploring to do in the previous area.
Head back up to the street. This time we are going to follow the street east, past the caravans and all the way to the closed door at the end. Open the door to find an ash covered area on the other side. Go straight ahead where you will see a single Misbegotten stalking around. Kill it, then look right where you will see two more Misbegottens chopping up something on the ground. Defeat them to claim the Beast Blood x3 they were guarding.
Behind the enemies is a railing that overlooks a pond. Follow along the railing, keeping an eye on the debris on your left. You will see two dogs guarding an item. Defeat them to claim a Golden Rune [9]. Just past the dogs is another wrecked caravan with some dogs and a Misbegotten behind it, as well as a Lightningproof Dried Liver.
At the end of this path you will come across one of the more powerful Leonine Misbegottens, as well as a large dog. Do not approach. Let the Leonine notice you and he should approach without also aggroing the dog. Remember that almost all of the Leonine's attacks bounce off of a shield with the Barricade Shield ability, so if you have the Great Turtle Shell equip it here to totally ruin this guy with Guard Counters. Defeat the Leonine and then the dog, which allows you to claim the Perfume Bottle they were guarding.
Retrace your steps back to the base of the giant staircase near where you killed those first few Misbegottens. Climb of the first set of stairs, but then break away and climb up onto the dirt mound that is spilling over into the staircase. At the top you will encounter a few more Misbegottens sleeping in some bushes, including a larger one with a giant axe. These guys are strong, bit their attacks are incredibly slow and obvious. You can mostly just strafe around them and get safe back attacks. Kill them to safely claim the Soporific Grease x2 nearby.
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Behind the item you will see a pit in the ground with a statue and a Misbegotten at the bottom. Get the drop on the enemy with a falling attack, and once he is defeated grab the Somber Smithing Stone [6] from behind the statue. Climb up out of the pit and walk forward a little ways and you will almost immediately be noticed by the Leonine in the distance. Once again, do not approach. Let him come to you to avoid attracting other enemies. Destroy him with Barricade and Guard Counters again.
Here you will see a bunch of praying Misbegottens, as well as some perfumers. This is a bit of a dangerous encounter because so many enemies will come after you at once, including a mix of melee and ranged attacks. Making matters worse, the perfumers will give damage shields to the Misbegottens. Your best bet is to draw the enemies backwards down the stairs, until a few of them stop chasing, giving you the chance to face them in smaller groups. Repeat this process a few times until the attire group has been culled, letting you grab the Nascent Butterfly x3 on the stairs and the Exalted Flesh that is hanging over the cliff.
At the top of the stairs you will find an open tower with an elevator inside. Pull the lever to take the elevator up. At the top are some weak soldiers guarding a bridge out of the city. We can't actually access this bridge until we defeat the area boss, but we can grab the Flamedrake Talisman +1 that is sitting here.
From here we are going all the way back to the main street. As soon as you cross through the giant door that separated the ashy area from the main street look to your left and you will see a dark alleyway that weaves between the houses. Jump over the fence and into the alley where you will encounter a number of foot soldiers resting, waiting to ambush you. Kill them as you make your way forward, eventually taking out the final two guarding an item at the dead end. Kill them to claim the Imp Head (Corpse).
Peek down the nearby path and you will see some knights standing in a clearing a short distance away. Sneak over to them and you can get a backstab on the larger knight to begin this encounter, then try and kill off the weaker knight while he is recovering. These are two relatively powerful foes so don't let them overwhelm you in this small space. Back away and try to separate them if needed, and remember Guard Counters do wonders against these guys. Unfortunately starting this fight is likely to draw even more enemies from the nearby alleys, so keep your guard up and prepare for what could be a slightly drawn out encounter. once all the enemies are defeated go back to where that first knight was standing and check the nearby alleys to find an Arteria Leaf x2 in one of the dead ends.
With those items in hand these alleyways are clear. Head back out to the main path where you will probably notice an accessible plaza on the opposite side of the street. Take the stairs down into the plaza where you will see exit doors on both your left and right. The left door takes you to a new area that we will come back to later so go to the right but do not rush in. Inside this room you will see a Crucible Knight with a spear.
You can sneak up on them to get the first strike, but then prepare yourself for a tough battle. Because it does not have a shield this variant of the Crucible Knight can be easily beaten down with Guard Counters in its first phase, but when it powers up for phase two you will have to avoid some more dangerous attacks, including its multiple spear charge attacks. There is a flying dive (dodge roll forward just before the moment of impact), throwing spear (dodge roll left or right as the knight makes the throwing motion), and a long distance shoulder charge. The shoulder charge is deceptively quick, so be sure to always have your guard up or simply be ready to dodge left or right when you see the knight take a step forward.
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Avoid these attacks and instead wait to punish its normal spear swings. Defeat the knight and claim the Hero Rune [5] it was guarding, as well as the Golden Rune [9] in the corner. Exit the room via the hallway near the Golden Rune to access a new elevator that takes you to a shortcut that goes back to the chapel near the East Capital Ramparts Site of Grace.
With the shortcut open make your way back to the street, then all the way back to the caravan near where we battled the Erdtree Avatar way earlier. Behind this caravan is a path leading back to the start of the area, but it is fraught with enemies. Immediately you will encounter another knight resting at the top of the stairs. Defeat him, then check the alleyway on the left to find a weaker soldier and Fan Daggers x8.
Continue up the path toward the open door, but instead go left into the alleyway where you will likely encounter a knight patrolling the area. Kill or sneak past the night and go into the building nearby. Pass through the room with the sleeping soldier and into the room with all the debris where you will find a Miranda Powder x10.
Break through the debris to get into the main hallway of the building. Crouch and sneak into the larger room to the right. Get a backstab on the perfumer resting to the left of the doorway, then prepare yourself to face off against two more who are standing by the bar on the opposite side of the room (you can draw them into the hallway if you need to split them up, or give them less room to move around). Once the room is clear you can grab the Golden Rune [10] and Warming Stone x5.
Go back into the hallway where you will see a staircase to your right, but instead go past it and through the door to a patio. Here you will encounter another perfumer and a Smithing Stone [6]. Go back inside and up the stairs. Head outside past the sleeping soldiers then sneak your way into the room ahead. Backstab the resting perfumer, then kill whatever other enemies get up a a result of your disturbance. Grab the Preserving Boluses next to the ladder, then climb the ladder to find yet another large room. There is a chest hidden behind some of the furniture in the back of the room. Open it to get a Perfume Bottle.
Across the room you will see some windows you can climb out of to reach a balcony, but first go up the stairs to the top floor and loot the Seedbed Curse from the dead body in the chair. Go back downstairs and out onto the balcony which you will see connects to another patio with two perfumers on it. Sneak up and backstab the one, then focus the other before he can start casting shields onto the weaker soldier enemies. With the enemies dead go around the corner toward the item in the distance, but look out for the other perfumer waiting in ambush on the left. Kill him then grab the Upper-Class Robe at the dead end.
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Head back to main street where we have just two areas left to explore. Keep heading west down the street, keeping your eye out for an alleyway with three dogs guarding an item, an Old Fang x3.
Keeping heading down the street, looking for the staircase just past the overturned caravan on the left side. Head up these stairs to find yourself on a small plaza with a perfumer and some soldiers. Kill the perfumer first to prevent it from casting any spells, then turn your focus on the weak soldiers. Grab the Smithing Stone [5] inside the gazebo.
Instead of going up the main stairs look on the left side of the building here to find a smaller staircase leading up to the street above. You will see two soldiers resting near an alleyway ahead. Make a little noise by running and they should get up and chase after you. Draw them toward the stairs to avoid pulling in any other nearby enemies. Once they are out of the way check the alleyway they were guarding to find a Golden Rune [8].
Exit the alleyway and go west where you will encounter a staircase going down with three soldiers on it. Kill them and look ahead and you will see one of those large perfumer beasts on a large pile of sand, guarding a few items. Your best bet here is just to run and try and get behind him before he can start spreading his flames. Once behind you can easily kill him and claim the items: a Golden Rune [8], Golden Rune [11], and Somber Smithing Stone [5].
Turn around and start making your way down toward the other end of the street. There are two knights and two soldiers guarding the path. Try and draw the knights out first as they patrol back and forth. Take them out one by one, then kill the two soldiers together. Go around to the backside of the building the soldiers were standing in front of to find another soldiers guarding Lordsworn's Bolt x10.
Head back to the street where you will see an item hanging over a nearby railing. Grab it to get Gravel Stone x2, then look the body on the other side of the street to get a Golden Rune [13]. Up ahead is a gazebo guarded by, you guessed it, more soldiers. Defeat them to claim the Tarnished Golden Sunflower x8 behind the gazebo.
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Look over the railing next to the gazebo and you will see one of those giant lion enemies sleeping next to a fountain, along with a perfumer. This is a very delicate encounter. You need to rush in and kill the perfumer right away or he will be casting spells and making it impossible to focus on the lion. As usual you want to wait out the lion's heavy slam attacks before you try and punish. Most of its light attacks (bites and swipes) are immediately followed with another attack which will interrupt you. Keep your shield up and guard counter if you see an opening, but for the most part its best to just anticipate the heavy combo ending attacks then get in one or two attacks. if you need a second to breathe you can use the fountain to separate yourself from the lion but not for long because he will jump around or over it.
Defeating the lion will get you a Somber Smithing Stone [6], Beast Blood, and Old Fang x2. You can also loot the items behind him, a Golden Rune [10] and Hero Rune [2].
Head back to the gazebo and look for the nearby cracked railing. Look down and you will see another gazebo with an item on it. Take a running jump from the ledge to reach the gazebo below and claim the Stonesword Key.
Take a look at the large spear hanging over your head, and notice that it is embedded into the building behind the gazebo. From the top of the gazebo you can actually jump to that spot and use it to climb up onto the spear. It is a bit of a slippery jump so it may take a few tries but once you are on top you can climb up onto the spear and grab the Bolt of Gransax weapon.
There are some other enemies below, as well as a shortcut to a new area, but we aren't ready to move on yet so you can ignore them for now. Get back to the main street so we can clean up the last bit of loot on the west end. Behind one last overturned caravan is a tall staircase guarded by two soldiers and a knight. As usual you will want to draw out the soldiers first, then move onto the knight once they are out of the way. Clear the stairs then grab all the items: a Lightningproof Dried Liver, Golden Rune [8], and Golden Rune [12]. Last but not least, go left at the bottom of the tall stairs and look behind the stairs in the back alley to find a Golden Rune [8].
Avenue Balcony
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It is time to take on the area below the Avenue Balcony, but our first order of business is going to be opening up one more shortcut. Head back to the plaza where you encountered that Crucible Knight earlier, but instead go through the door on the opposite side and go down the elevator. You will find yourself in a sort of slummy looking town area.
The streets are littered with those zombie enemies, so first we are going to jump onto the roof to your right and cross the town this way. You will find the Black Bow on top of one of the roofs on the other side of the town.
Drop down to street level and start doing some cleaning of the neighborhood. There are about a dozen enemies total hanging around the various streets and alleys of this small area so clear them all out and you can begin grabbing the items. There is a Golden Rune [9], Gravel Stone, Smithing Stone [4], and a Stonesword Key.
Once you have all these items in hand go through the door on the opposite end of town into the store room, which is full of soldiers who will start chucking electric bombs at you. Run across to the far side of the room and climb up onto the ledge above so you can kill them all off before they become an issue. At the top of this room you will find Clarifying Boluses, and then another Stonesword Key in a chest in the cage underneath.
Climb up the ladder in the corner of the room to reach a door that leads back to the Avenue Balcony Site of Grace. You will want to rest because it is time to take on another mini-boss: a Tree Spirit. Go back into the slum and cross the bridge to the wrecked half of the town. Immediately turn left and head for the doorway ahead of you. This leads to a large room with a resting Knight and a Cracked Pot. There is also a backdoor that's leads to another part of the town, but ignore that for now.
It was important to clear that room because it is going to be your panic room in case things go badly while fighting the next enemy. Head back outside and into the clearing to summon the Tree Spirit. As usual you will want to stay close to the Spirit most of the time. Stand next to its belly, just under its arm. This will help you avoid most of its forward slam and breath attacks, and make it easy to stay close when dodge rolling through its tail spins and body rolls. It telegraphs most of its movements pretty heavily, so keep an eye out any time it begins to contort its body it is probably about to spin or dash attack in some way. Keep your shield up at all time.
At about half health the Spirit will glow gold and ignite itself with flames. You need to back away to avoid the powerful explosion, but after that it is back to business as usual. The other attack you always need to keep an eye out for is the bite, where the spirit will pull back, open its mouth wide, then dash at you and swallow you. This can be easily avoided by just rolling to the side, but if you don't notice it coming and attempt to block with your shield you will get gobbled up. And remember, you can back up into the large room any time things get hectic. Just don't stand too close to the door because the Spirit's attacks can hit you through the wall. Defeat the spirit to claim a Golden Seed, then you can grab the other loot in the area including a Smithing Stone [6] and Golden Arrow x15.
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With this area clear you can hop into the sewer between the two sides of the town and grab the Guilty Hood from the end of the path. Turn around and start walking along the sewer until you enter a small room with some rats, a Golden Rune [8], and a Hefty Beast Bone. On the other side you will find a staircase leading up to a new part of town, but first we are going to explore these sewers further.
Head through the next doorway and you will find yourself in a long corridor with some rats and some of those small hand enemies. Clear the room of enemies and grab the String x4 off the nearby body, then take the left path, where some more of the hands will fall on you as you pass by. Grab the Poisonbone Dart x8 at the end of this path, then go back and take the turn leading to yet another long corridor.
This one however has one of the giant hand enemies waiting at the end. He will drop down as you approach, and some of his little minions will try and sneak up behind you. Kill them all to claim the Lost Ashes of War the giant hand was watching over.
Retrace your steps back to the doorway you came in through, but this time we are going to take the opposite path down the corridor. Immediately take a right to get a few Nascent Butterfly from a dead end (you can see a Rune Arc on the other side of the grate). Return to the main corridor and keep going down and you will find yourself behind one of those large perfumer beasts. Kill it and drop to the sewer below where you will find three items: Fan Daggers x5, Holyproof Dried Liver, and an Erdsteel Dagger.
Use the ladder on the opposite side of this room to get out. You will find yourself under the wing of the giant dragon corpse that hangs over the city. Check the nearby stairs to find a Dragonwound Grease. Turn around and you will see a couple of knights standing in the street ahead of you, which leads directly back to the Avenue Balcony. Check the railing on the left side here to find a Golden Rune [9], then kill all the knights to clear the way back to the Site of Grace if you need to rest.
Return to the ladder that you used to get out of the sewers earlier. Nearby you will see a staircase. Follow the stairs down and you will be in yet another wrecked town. Follow along the right side wall and you will come across a Somber Smithing Stone [6] behind some broken houses.
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To the left of this item you will see a large pile of sand and rubble. Climb to the top and over it and you will find yourself on top of a small house overlooking the sewer. From here you can see an item hanging off the ledge on the other side. Drop down on the left, then climb over the rubble in front of you to get to the other side and grab the item, a Smithing Stone [5].
Do not drop down into the sewer, instead head toward the clearing on the right. Here there is a group of those crawling enemies, as well as an Ash Scarab. Kill the crawlers, then walk over to the well in the north corner of this area. Nearby you will find an Albinauric Bloodclot.
Climb down into the sewer and grab the Rune Arc at the bottom. The gate here takes you to Subterranean Shunning-Grounds, but we won't be exploring that area at this time, take the ladder back up to the Capital.
Around the corner from the well is a doorway that leads into a long hall. At the end is a body with a Pickled Turtle Neck x3 on it. Drop out of the opening at the end of the hall and you will find yourself back where we fought the Tree Spirit earlier. Go right and into the store room with the knight. Exit through the door on the other side to find yourself overlooking the sewer again. Instead, take the ladder to the left up to reach a new area. You will see a church on the right, and an Omenkiller on the left. As usual this Omenkiller can be easily cheese with Guard Counters. Your reward for killing him is the Omensmirk Mask, as well as the Smithing Stone [6] that is sitting behind him.
Go into the nearby church to find the Lower Capital Church Site of Grace, as well as the Lionel's Armor Set and Deathbed Dress.
With that, we are ready to progress to the next part of the Capital. Return to the Avenue Balcony Site of Grace and head back down into the area with all the Knights. Here you will see a giant dragon's wing you can climb onto.
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Walk up the edge of the wing and then at the top climb up onto the dragon's arm. From here you can jump to a broken section of castle wall. Here you will find a Rune Arc and a ladder. Ascend the ladder then go up the stairs ahead. There will be a knight looking over a ledge on your left. Kill him to grab the Gravel Stone x5 next to him. Walk up the stairs nearby where there is a soldier waiting to ambush, and a Golden Rune [11]. Just ahead is the West Capital Rampart Site of Grace.
West Capital Rampart
First order of business from this Site of Grace is going to be killing the nearby Gargoyle mini-boss. Go down the nearby stairs and walk along the top of the rampart until you come up to the Gargoyle standing guard in front of you. He will not aggro until you attack, so use this opportunity to open with your strongest ability.
Defeating the Gargoyles basically comes down to patience and consistency. Almost all of their attacks are forward slashes and stabs which can be easily dodged by rolling in or simply blocked with a 100% physical block shield. These attacks usually only leave the Gargoyle open for about one counter attack, so take your shot wisely then go back on the defensive. The most punishable attacks are definitely his various aerial slams and ground stabs, so keep an eye out for these most of all.
When he leaps backwards with his sword he is going to do a long range slash across the ground which you can dodge with a simple sideways roll. The attack you want to avoid most of all is the tornado slam, which he can only do with the axe. He will do a short hop and raise the axe high into the air as a whirlwind gathers around him, followed by multiple circular swings, then a giant slam. This combination can easily break your shield leaving you open to the big hit, so just try and back off as soon as you see the first hit coming.
With enough patience and proper dodges you can slowly whittle this annoying foe down and claim the Gargoyle's Halberd he drops upon death, as well as the Golden Seed sitting by the golden tree nearby.
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With the Gargoyle down we can do some proper exploring. Head back to the Site of Grace to rest, then go down the staircase that is right outside the Site of Grace doorway. Below is a platform with a few Envoys, a lever that opens the large door below (connecting to the street above Avenue Balcony), and a Golden Rune [9]. Turn around and head back up the stairs, but make sure you grab the Cane Sword from the hallway next to the bottom of the stairs.
Head back to where you battled the Gargoyle where you will find another staircase leading down into the rampart. Look out for the perfumer hiding next to the staircase (beware his triple explosive shot), then grab the Smithing Stone [6] hanging over the nearby ledge.
Go back up to the top of the rampart and continue following it down, past the spot where you battled the Gargoyle and up onto the giant tree root. Take a right and follow the tree root down into the sandy area below. You will encounter some dogs waiting at the bottom, but more importantly some wooden shacks to the left, one of which has an item hanging off of it. Use the smaller shack to climb onto the taller one and grab the Golden Rune [9] off the top.
This shack is leaning up against a balcony that allows you to get inside the giant building it is leaning up against. Head through the door and you will find yourself in a familiar location: the Roundtable. In this first hallway you will find the Sanctified Whetblade and Hammer weapon. Look down the staircase to the left where you will find a Smithing Stone [6], then enter the room on the left side of the hall to find two more items: a Hero's Rune [1] and the By My Sword gesture.
Head into the main roundtable room where you will find a Rune Arc on the table. On the balcony you will find a Smithing Stone [5]. Head to Sir Gideon's room to find a Furlcalling Finger Remedy, then go to the back room where Dungeater would be hanging out where you will find another Seedbed Curse.
Finally open the door to the main room where the Two-Fingers would normally be to find the Coded Sword. Go back to the hallway where the blacksmith would be normally and drop down the broken staircase where you found the Smithing Stone earlier. Take an immediately left and go down the hall into the dining room at the end where you will find Black-Key Bolt x20 and Two Fingers' Prayerbook.
Make your way back down the hallway and into the main hall of the manor where you will find Alberich's Armor Set near the front. Go through the doorway closest to the armor set where you can find a Smithing Stone [5] hidden in the corner behind some weapon racks. Go through the connecting dining hall and you will find a small room with the Fortified Manor First Floor Site of Grace and the "Flightless Bird" Painting.
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Return to the main hall and go to the final doorway you haven't explored. Push open the door then go through the door at the end of the hallway to arrive in a courtyard patrolled by two Abductors. Take them on one by one, carefully blocking their charging attacks and waiting for them to open their hatch and expose their weak spot. Once both are dead you are free to grab the items scattered around the courtyard: Somber Smithing Stone [6] in the outer hall, Stormhawk Axe and Nascent Butterfly x3 in the garden.
There is an elevator nearby that will take you up to the Divine Bridge Site of Grace, and a teleporter that will take you to the Isolated Divine Tower which we cannot yet access. Instead, return to the first floor of the fortified manor and get ready to explore the area outside of it.
Step out through the front door and go immediately left where you will encounter two knights: one with a spear and another with a bow. To avoid being destroyed by arrows, try and draw the spear knight into one of the wooden shacks to the right of the path. Here you can easily defeat him in a one on one duel, then step out and run up on the bow knight with ease. Once both are defeated you can grab the Old Fang x5 from the nearby shack, then the Gravel Stone x3 behind the dragon.
Next, climb up onto the dragon's leg and jump off of its talon and onto the wooden shack below it. From here you can make a running jump into the taller adjacent wooden shack and grab the two items inside: Smithing Stone [6] and Stonesword Key.
Teleport back to the West Capital Rampart Site of Grace and make your way down the rampart once again, this time walking under the giant tree root and up the stairs on the other side. You will immediately encounter a Duelist enemy patrolling up and down the path. These guys are incredibly susceptible to being Guard Countered, so put your shield up and beat him down. Continue up the path until you reach the building at the top where you will face another Duelist and find the Ritual Shield Talisman.
Go right from the front door and into the archway where you will find a Furlcalling Finger Remedy. Next, make your way around to the other side of the building where you will find a Smithing Stone [5] hanging over the cliff, and the Star Fist weapon inside the archway on the other side.
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Make your way back down to the staircase at the base of the hill. Look over the railing and you will see some plant enemies on a cliffside below. Drop down then go down the staircase on the left side of the cliff to find a Smithing Stone [6] on the broken bridge. Get back on the cliffside and follow it to the end where you will find another large tree root you can climb.
Head up the tree root, taking note of the tree warrior enemies along the way. They are relatively weak and their attacks are easily blocked with a good shield, but there are a lot of them so be careful not to get overwhelmed especially considering the limited space. Navigate the path carefully, working your way up to the very highest root which will lead you to a large chapel. Before you enter the chapel, run down the thin root that breaks off from the larger one near the top which will lead you to the roof below. Go around the corner to find an enemy and a Holy Grease x3.
If you feel ready to take on the mid-boss, head back to the chapel and go inside to find...
Godfrey, First Elden Lord Boss Fight
Godfrey is a fairly classic humanoid boss. His moveset is made up of a variety of slow powerful axe swings, most of which are easily blocked with a 100% physical block shield, or simply rolled through before impact. He has almost no tricks save for a few deceptive combos, so of course we are going to adopt a similarly classic strategy to whup him.
First thing, avoid his leaping axe throw attack that he opens the battle with my rolling in as he executes the throw. Get control of the center of the room to get yourself some space. Our game plan here is to stand just out of his normal range in an attempt to bait out one of his long range overhead slams or jump attacks. These are some of his most obvious swings and the most punishable, in particular the attack where he leaps into the air then jabs the ground with the point of his axe. If you see this attack be ready to punish with 2-3 attacks.
When it comes to his weaker attacks you want to be more wary. His quick axe swipes and horizontal slashes are usually followed up by another quick attack or a slightly delayed heavier slam. I would not recommend trying to punish these unless you are using a very quick weapon. It is better to just wait for a familiar attack than to try and punish during a combo just because you are antsy. However the stomp, one of his more frequent attacks, does seem to be punishable if you can roll to his side and strike him from behind.
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Because his combos are so delayed, you can even fit in a Guard Counter between most of his attacks. If you are feeling confident in your stamina and defense stand right in front of him and simply tank the swings (especially easy if you have the Barricade Shield ability) then Counter repeatedly until you get the stagger. Just be aware of your stamina at all times or he may open you up and get a kill off one of his powerful combos.
Godfrey doesn't seem to have a second phase change, so simply follow the game plan and he will eventually fall to your combination of safe punishes and Guard Counters. He is very slow moving, so if you need a moment of rest you can simply roll back or run away to create some distance. Defeat him to get another Talisman Pouch and get access to the Erdtree Sanctuary Site of Grace.
Erdtree Sanctuary
With Godfrey out of the way our path to the area boss is basically wide open, but there are a few more items we need to grab first. Start by going left from the Site of Grace towards the door, but take a right just before the door to find a Somber Smithing Stone [5] in a room off to the side. Go back to the door and head outside and down the staircase, and into the building at the end which contains an elevator.
Take the elevator down then head outside and down the stairs where you will encounter two perfumers. Once they are dead you can grab the item they were guarding, a Holy Grease x5. Continue down the path and you will encounter one of those invisible Ash Scarabs prancing around, but before we can deal with that we need to defeat the Crucible Knight that is patrolling the staircase (refer to the strategy detailed above for defeating Crucible Knights).
Once the knight is defeated you can wait at the top of the stairs where the scarab runs in circles for a moment and strike it to get the Barrier of Gold spell. With these items in hand you can return to the Erdtree Sanctuary Site of Grace for some more looting.
This time go right from the Site of Grace and out onto the balcony. On the right side of the balcony is a path leading to a Holy Grease x6, and on the other side is a large tree root you can climb to reach the upper floor of the Erdtree Sanctuary.
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From this platform you can step out onto a long bridge that leads to another building, but first we wanna look to the left where you can see an accessible rooftop. Jump onto the roof then get back into the building through the open window on the side of the building.
Once inside you can go right to find a chest with the Erdtree Bow, then enter the nearby room to find a Celestial Dew and a ladder that creates a shortcut to the lower level.
Explore the rest of the upper level and you will find another tree root you can run along to reach a hanging chair suspended in the middle of the room. Loot the item on the chair to get the Golden Order Principia.
From here go right back to the upper level bridge we split off from earlier. Cross the bridge to reach the building at the other end where you will encounter one of the Black Knife Assassins. These guys are fast and annoying, but their quick weak attacks make them very susceptible to Guard Counters when you can actually catch them. See if you can push him up against a wall or corner to remove his escape options. The one unblockable attack is the grab, which the assassin telegraphs by raising his hand into the air then dashing forward. If you see this motion dodge away as quick as you can or you will take big damage from his back stabbing attack.
Once you have defeated the assassin you can enter the room he was guarding, loot the Blessing of the Erdtree spell, and activate the Queen's Bedchamber Site of Grace just outside the boss room. Once you feel prepared, ascend the staircase leading up to the fog door and prepare to battle...
Morgott, The Omen King Boss Fight
Surprise! Morgott, the Omen King was hiding in front of our eyes this entire time. He's back and better than ever with a new sword and a whole bunch of new abilities (along with some old tricks). This is not as simple of a fight as Godfrey was, but with a good shield and a careful approach (and maybe some help from the Melina summon) we can take him down and claim another Great Rune.
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Much of the difficulty of this fight comes from Morgott's unpredictability. He can move around quickly, summon a few different weapons, and he has a few fake combo enders and surprisingly long combos, making it tough to pinpoint when the right moment to punish is. During the first phase the general rule of thumb is to punish any time he uses a hammer attack, as those are the slowest and have the longest cooldown. The high leap into the air in particular leaves Morgott open for 2-3 attacks afterward.
As always, Guard Counters can also be effective assuming you have the stamina management to use them without getting guard broken. Occasionally Morgott will strike out with a weak attack and then raise his sword over his head in a sort of circular motion. This is a great opening to Counter the weak hit, then roll dodge the heavy sword swing and punish after for a good chunk of damage.
For any other attack be on your guard, since he loves to follow up most of his normal attacks with a quick dagger swipe or a step back dagger throw, which may interrupt your attempt to attack or kill you while you try to find a moment to heal.
Another attack to avoid is the sword rain. If you see the swords appear in the air you may be able to sneak in one attack before they start falling, but otherwise get away to avoid the initial burst of damage, then avoid the area of effect afterwards.
At about half health Morgott will fall to his knees and vomit, signaling the start of phase two. If you have a bleed or freeze weapon maybe try and sneak in 1-2 hits here to build the effect, but otherwise get away before he rises with his area of effect explosion attack.
In phase two things become a bit more complicated. Not only does he have new attacks, but his old ones have some changes as well. For example, the hammer slams now trigger an explosion shortly after impact, meaning you only have a small opening to attack afterwards without risking taking area of effect damage.
The new punishable attack is his bloody sword. He will run his hand along the blade, turning it red, before either slashing or dashing in. Dodge roll into him to avoid the slash and the small blood explosions that trigger afterward, then hit him 1-2 times in the back while he is regaining his posture. If he does a stutter step before slashing that usually means he will do two slashes, and if he holds the blade in a thrusting motion instead of over his head he is going to try and impale you. All of these variations can be dodged and punished in similar ways, just be aware that each has a slightly different timing and hitbox.
Just like phase one, do not even try to punish the other combos unless you are very confident you know what is coming. Anytime he summons his light dagger or sword it usually means a rapid attack combo is coming your way. It is much safer to just block or avoid these attacks completely and wait out a more obvious and slow move.
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If you are really struggling with Morgott the good news is you have some extra tools to fall back on. Melina can be summoned in front of the boss door, providing you backup with a mix of physical attacks and ranged spells. You can also use an Ash Summon of your choice, though I would recommend waiting until phase two begins since that is when things really turn up.
Defeating Morgott will get you Remembrance of the Omen King and Morgott's Great Rune. You can also speak to Morgott's husk in the boss arena afterward to get a little extra lore.