Elden Ring Guide: Srormveil Castle Walkthrough 2022

Elden Ring’s Stormveil Castle is a massive Legacy Dungeon filled with the most challenging enemies and bosses you’ve encountered thus far. We’ll show you how to defeat every enemy, locate every item, and defeat the boss, Godrick the Grafted, in this Stormveil Castle walkthrough.

How to Get to Stormveil Castle

The Legacy Dungeon Stormveil Castle is relatively easy to locate, as it is visible high on the cliffs immediately upon exiting the tutorial dungeon at the Stranded Graveyard and entering Limgrave. Getting there is another matter entirely.

By following the roads to the east, you can enter the large Storm Gate but be prepared for a swarm of Godrick Soldiers and Crossbowmen hiding behind barricades, while an imposing Stonedigger Troll leaps from the ruins above the small canyon to ambush you. It’s a difficult fight, and you may wish to bypass it by either speeding through on Torrent or travelling further east to find a Spiritspring Jump point to access Storm Hill.

After passing through the narrow canyon entrance, you’ll come to the Scavenger’s Shack, where you’ll meet the Character Roderika. She’ll share some information about the castle with you, as well as the Spirit Jellyfish Ashes to keep an eye out for, and may eventually move on to the Roundtable Hold.

Further up the road are additional soldier patrols that lead to the main Stormveil Castle Gate, but the entrance is heavily fortified with rows of soldier-lined barricades and a ballista stationed at the tunnel entrance. Due to the ballista’s incredible range and power, it may be best to gallop into the dense woods on the left as you approach, then sprint forward along the castle walls to ambush and destroy the ballista before taking out the remaining soldiers in smaller groups.

After entering the tunnel, you can find one final Site of Grace before facing Margit the Fell Omen, the boss who guards the entrance to Stormveil Castle.

Margit the Fell Omen Boss Fight Guide

Margit the Fell Omen is a skill check in Elden Ring, as he is far more intimidating and fearsome than any mini-boss you’ve likely encountered in West Limgrave’s smaller dungeons. If you’ve been avoiding these areas or have rushed here, he may prove insurmountable, and it is strongly advised that you gain experience and gear by clearing out the smaller dungeons of West Limgrave before attempting this fight.

Margit is a cautious fighter, but do not be fooled by his slow pace or knobbled cane; he is capable of striking extremely hard – not just with his cane, but also with his ability to summon holy weapons at will to strike you with. Additionally, you’ll be fighting on a relatively narrow bridge with chasms on both sides that he can and will knock you off of if you don’t keep your back to the center as much as possible.

As previously stated, Margit, unlike many other major bosses, can occasionally be extremely cautious and may strafe you from a distance, inviting attacks. This can be an excellent opportunity for ranged and magical attacks, but you must be prepared to move quickly – especially when he summons holy daggers to toss your way.

As you approach, be prepared for a variety of attacks he may launch:

Approaching him frequently causes him to use a rapid upward swing from his staff, which is difficult to anticipate and can still cause damage if your shield is not fully absorbing hits. He’ll then slam the weapon down again, but with a brief delay – allowing you to quickly get behind him and counter with a few blows while his animation plays out – just watch out for a quick tail lash follow up if you remain behind him for an extended period of time.
He can employ a series of horizontal sweeps with his preferred weapon (which can be parried if you time it correctly), and frequently combine them with the summoning of a holy dagger to slice at a faster rate, before leaping backward and throwing it at you. He may also perform a retreating swing from his staff as he jumps back to increase the distance between himself and you. At other times, he may begin walking forward holding his staff high in one hand before slamming it vertically in front of him.
One of his more recognizable attacks is to slowly raise his cane above his head and hold it high in front of him with both hands. He’ll slowly wind it up and then send it crashing down in front of him – but you can dodge once the weapon begins to fall. If you retreat from this attack, he will leap forward after smashing down and use a follow-up attack to close the distance between you and him, but you can avoid rolling behind his leaping swing.
At times, he’ll jog forward and leap into the air, slamming his cane into the ground like a speartip. It’s a strong move, but it’s also easier to dodge and get behind him, giving you plenty of time to attack him while he gradually removes the weapon from the ground.
At about half health, he’ll admit you have some strength, but summon a powerful holy hammer and swing it in an arc in front of him, gaining momentum to launch into the air and slam into you. Backpedal away from the initial swing and wait until he is about to collide with the ground to dodge the hammer and retaliate – but be prepared for follow-up dagger swings.
He can also begin summoning a long golden sword blade with a greater reach than his daggers, which he can use in conjunction with his cane to perform difficult-to-avoid spinning combo slashes or finish with a stab with his main staff weapon.

Margit can be extremely difficult to predict which magical weapons he’ll summon and how he’ll incorporate them into his combo attacks, so you’ll always want to have enough stamina to block or dodge his next move. If you have an adequate absorbing shield, you can even perform Guard Counters, but only after he has completed his combo strike, or you will likely take more damage once committed to the attack.

Take your time with this fight, as he moves slowly enough to allow you to observe his attack animations and develop an understanding of the appropriate and inappropriate times to attempt your own attacks – and never become greedy to the point of leaving yourself open. Melee fighters should take a step back every now and then to recoup their stamina and wait for him to initiate the attack so they can react appropriately.

Stormveil Castle Walkthrough

Proceed straight down the staircase from the Stormveil Main Gate and loot the body to obtain a Furlcalling Finger Remedy.

Ascend the stairs and peer over the edge to see a wooden bridge along the wall. Drop down and continue along this path until you reach the end, where you’ll find a Fire Grease x2. Return to the grassy area and exit the castle through the hole in the castle wall to your left.

Return to the Site of Grace and proceed through the left-hand door to speak with the NPC who calls out from the corner. They will explain that there are two ways to enter the keep: via the heavily fortified main gate or via a hidden side entrance. At this point, with a little determination, it may be possible to run through the front gate gauntlet, but it would be a waste of time and you would miss a lot of items. As a result, this guide will take a detour to maximize loot acquisition.

Exit through the opening on the left side of the room and grab the Golden Rune [1] on the cliff’s edge, following the NPC’s advice. Turn around and jump up onto the rocks to reach the hole in the castle wall, which contains a Ruin Fragment x3. Utilize the path along the wall to reach the opposite cliff. Here is a wall that has a hole smashed in it. Climb the debris on your right to reach a cliff with a Smithing Sto ne [2]. Drop carefully to the grassy area below, where a storm hawk will attack you. Once you’ve dispatched it, proceed to the cliff’s edge, but instead of dropping, bear right to discover a small path leading up to a crumbling watchtower. You’ll run into the previous NPC here, and he’ll give you a Grace Mimic.

If you look down, you will notice a Site of Grace. Drop down and rest if necessary, but before we continue, we need to return and retrieve a few more items. From the Site of Grace, bear left and descend the cliff’s edge to a clearing where you will encounter three Stormhawks. Approach them with caution or you risk being overwhelmed. You can claim the Smithing Stone [3] they were guarding once you defeat them. Continue down the path until you come across two more Stormhawks, then you’ll come to a dead-end where you’ll find Bolts x 10. Return to the previous zone’s Site of Grace and prepare for the next zone.

Stormveil Cliffside Site of Grace

Ascend the stairs. Three Exiles are present in the area. The first is visible holding a horn. If he fails, he will summon two friends. Combating three dudes at the same time is the worst. Therefore, your objective is to eliminate the first guy before he can blow the horn.

Charge up the stairs while the Exile’s attention is diverted, or kill from a safe distance. It is not critical if he blows his horn (even slightly), but it is easier to deal with adversaries individually.

Pillage the stairwell remnants on your way up (or as you return) for the Marred Leather Shield, which isn’t particularly effective as a shield but causes blood loss buildup (50).

Return to the top, take the left path, look up, and eliminate the Exile with a ranged weapon if you have one (or leave and visit the merchant on the beach to buy a Shortbow and some arrows). Pillage the path’s remains for a Golden Rune [2] worth 1,600 runes.

Inside

Enter and eliminate the two Commoner enemies that are sitting there. Beyond (not up) the stairs, crouch behind the boxes to avoid being seen by the Exile wielding the colossal axe. When he turns away, sneak up behind him and backstab him. Pillage the corner for Hookclaws, a Wolverine-like weapon that, like the Marred Leather Shield, causes an accumulation of blood loss (60). It was heavily utilized throughout Stormveil Castle.

Slowly ascend the stairs and eliminate the two Exiles hurling Fire Pots at exploding red barrels and you. Pillage the remains to the right of the locked door for 5 Throwing Daggers.

Ascend a narrow staircase and leap through a large hole in the wall. Pillage the ruins for St. Trina’s Arrow, whose passive effects contribute to sleep deprivation.

As you emerge from the hole, kill the Exile. Continue up the wooden plank path. Assassinate the Exile there, enter through another thorn-filled hole in the wall, and as you enter, assassinate the Commoner directly below you. Descend the stairwell, demolish the red barrels, and plunder the corpse for Smoldering Butterly.

Continue up to the point where an adversary is seated. Assassinate it and then leap over the ledge where he was sitting. Plunder the ruins for Golden Rune [2].

Now return to the top.

Prepare for a fight before you open this door. It might be worthwhile to return to the Stormveil Cliffside grace site to replenish your flasks. Additionally, reallocate your flasks so that they are focused on healing rather than magic.

Banished Knight in the Dark Room

For us, the Banished Knight behind the door was a stumbling block in our quest for a build centered on magic and dexterity. Here is some guidance:

This is a fight that will take place in close quarters. Magic is not particularly beneficial.

Enhance your poise. In Elden Ring, poise refers to the “ability to withstand enemy attacks without collapsing.” His devastating attacks have the potential to devastate your poise and kill you before you reclaim it. We have video evidence that it is true at 15 Vigor and 495 HP. Exile Armor drops from enemies in the area and is fairly light armor with a high Poise rating of 14.
Backstab. If you survive long enough and get behind him, you can deplete a significant portion of his health.
Hookclaws and hemorrhage. Blood loss is more damaging than a standard backstab. In a nutshell, any attack with a weapon that results in blood loss accumulates. After several hits, blood loss occurs, and your adversary suffers a significant loss of damage. Utilize the Hookclaws you obtained earlier for this. If you have Reduvia, choose that over it. The Reduvia has a blood loss buildup of 50, while the Hookclaws have a buildup of 60. And each swing is significant.
Defend yourself against attacks. I-frames are what are referred to as invincibility frames in animations where you cannot be harmed. The way to utilize this is to roll through an attack, which we’ll demonstrate frequently below.
Recognize his movements. He possesses the Storm Stomp war ash, which can be obtained in a cave beneath the Gate front Ruins.

The objective is to survive long enough to cause it to bleed and backstab you.

Pillage the ruins for the Rusted Key, which unlocks the locked door downstairs, and the treasure chest for the Curved Sword Talisman, which increases guard counters.

At this point, if you return to the area where you obtained the Hookclaws, you’ll encounter a Commoner who appears to be the one who offered you assistance at the area’s start. Speak with him and he will grant you the Grace Mimic, whose cryptic description reads “Light illuminates the path, but without order.” It is a thing. According to its detailed text, “Like grace, this fetish creates rays guiding the way, but without any sense of order.”

“Useful as a last resort for those who have become disoriented, or for those who believe that less refined guidance will result in more authentic encounters.”

With the Rusty Key, unlock the door and climb the ladder up.

Up the Ladder

Turn right and assassinate the distant Commoners. Pillage the remains beyond the second Commoner who throws Fire Pots for Fire Grease.

You cannot obtain the item that glows at you at the moment, but you can obtain another item.

Jump once more across the room, this time to a ledge on the opposite wall from where the Fire Pot-throwing Commoner was. Proceed through the door on the wooden walkway to your left, where there are Exiles to defeat. Pillage the ruins for a Brick Hammer, a powerful weapon that requires 31 Strength to properly wield.

Jump past the body and retrace your steps to and up the ladder. This time, at the top, bear left. On your left, keep an eye out for a Commoner ambush. Avoid being grabbed by rolling through.

Ascend the stairs, assassinate the sitting Commoner, and plunder the corpse for a Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot, which “temporarily increases item discovery.”

Outside

Outside, turn left and, rather than ascending the stairs, take the narrow ledge to the left. Pillage the Mushroom x3 remains.

Retrace your steps and ascend the stairwell. Stop!

Another Banished Knight awaits you through the door. Alternatively, not. We have not yet voted.

Rather than that, disregard the knight. He’ll still be there when you’re ready to fight him. As you ascend the stairs, bear left into the doorway on your left, which leads to the Rampart Tower site of grace.

Rest. You deserve it.

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Rampart Tower

This allows us to finally access Stormveil’s true core, but not before collecting some hidden items. Ascend the second staircase located outside of the Site of Grace room. You’ll face a spear-wielding adversary and another soldier firing a crossbow at you from a platform across the room. You can flee into the adjacent hallway to avoid the crossbow enemy and then use guard counters to defeat the shielded enemy. Return to the elevator and use the pulley system to cross to the other side, where you can kill the soldier and loot the Throwing Dagger x5.

Return to the hallway and walk all the way around until you come to a door leading to an exterior platform. To avoid alerting the guard on patrol, crouch and carefully walk around the pedestal to the left of the door. Climb the opposite side of the platform’s stairs and assassinate him stealthily, then proceed to assassinate the remaining sleeping guards one by one.

Take note of the sandbags piled against the castle wall. Climb up the wall using them, then continue straight along the ledge until you are close enough to leap onto the crumbling adjacent tower. Jump inside and descend to discover a Stonesword Key.

Jump out the window and land on the rooftop below, where an armored storm hawk awaits you. This hawk is just as vicious as the previous ones, and it also has the ability to spit fire from its helmet. Due to its erratic movement, picking a spot to attack is difficult; your best bet is to shield block one of its heavy strikes and counter strike in the small opening. Defeat the hawk on the other side of the roof and claim the Dazing Cross-Legged gesture.

Consider the wall against which the storm hawk perched and you’ll notice an adjacent tower with a ledge you can hop onto. Jump on and continue around the tower until you come to a small wooden walkway that leads to a platform containing a Smithing Stone [2].

Retrace your steps around the tower, but rather than returning to the roof where you battled the storm hawk, jump onto the adjacent rooftop with the crumbled pillar. You’ll want to use that pillar to ascend to the ledge above you and then circle around to another accessible rooftop.

This roof is densely packed with soldiers, so proceed with caution. I’d recommend killing the sleeping soldier on the right and then hiding behind the tower to avoid being attacked by the three crossbow soldiers on the left. Allow them to approach you and eliminate them one by one. Climb to the top of the tower above you and loot the Claw Talisman once they are all dead.

Retrace your steps back to the rooftop with the crumbling pillar. You’ll notice a gap between this roof and the one where the storm hawk was fought. Heal to full health and then descend to the courtyard below, where a Stonesword Key door and a Somber Smithing Stone are located [2]. Unlock the door with the Stonesword Key you recently obtained, but be cautious of the two axe soldiers waiting inside. Draw them out into the courtyard one by one if you require additional space to maneuver. Because their slam attacks are so slow, you can easily sneak up on them and perform a backstab. The Hawk Crest Wooden Shield, Misericorde, and the Iron Whetblade are all located within this room.

Return to the courtyard and enter the other door you have not yet explored. Inside is a dining hall guarded by a Grafted Scion, but we don’t want to fight it just yet, so run to the other side of the room and enter the small room on the other side, which contains two dogs and the Crimson Hood atop a pile of bodies.

Exit this room and immediately to your left is the first elevator that will return you to the Spot of Grace.

You may rest if you are low on Flasks, but we still have a little more jumping to do. Return to the rooftop and leap across the towers, making your way back to the crumbling pillar’s rooftop. Climb up as if returning to the rooftop where you obtained the Claw Talisman, but instead descend to the platform below, then descend again to a large open rooftop where two soldiers can be seen in the distance. Approach the weaker one from behind and backstab them, allowing you to take on the halberd knight one-on-one. As with the previous round, your strategy will be to strafe in an attempt to execute a backstab and guard countering when an opening presents itself. Simply keep in mind that the majority of his attack patterns are two-part, so avoid attacking too early.

Cross the wooden bridge to another rooftop, where you’ll meet two additional soldiers and discover the Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook [10] on a wooden platform. Descend the ladder at the opposite end of this rooftop to meet two more soldiers, then cross another wooden bridge to meet another halberd knight and a hidden sword knight. Approach cautiously or you will quickly become overwhelmed by the two of them (The halberd knight dropped a Banished Knight Helm (Altered) for me here, but I am unsure if this is a guaranteed drop at the moment). Collect the Festering Bloody Finger from a nearby body and then descend the nearby ladder to a lower platform.

Continue forward and around the corner to find Arrow x10 and another ladder to descend. On this final platform, there is a Golden Rune [4] and a blocked doorway, which will be discussed later. For the time being, teleport back to the Spot of Grace so that we can confront the Scion.

Return to the dining hall via the elevator and prepare to face the Scion. This adversary is a pain to deal with due to his multiple-hit attacks, erratic movements, and large shield, but it is just as susceptible to guard counters as any other. Bear in mind that the majority of its attacks consist of two to four strikes, so refrain from countering until the final attack (usually denoted by it being a little slower and stronger). When the Scion rears up on its hind legs, it is about to unleash a barrage of attacks, so back away quickly or roll away and wait it out. Rinse and repeat this procedure until you are able to remove it fairly easily.

Once it is dead, you can retrieve the Highland Axe from beneath the large painting, as well as the Stanching Boluses from the side table. From here, we can go in a number of directions, but we’ll begin by entering the kitchen to the left of the colossal wall painting.

Take out the group of weak enemies gathered in front of the fire quickly, then take on the soldier who falls from the platform above. Loot the Exalted Flesh beneath the platform and then ascend the stairs, where you’ll come across another soldier wielding a shield.

Another halberd knight is hidden inside the room at the top of the stairs. Crouch, wait for him to turn his back, and then sneak up to initiate the fight with a backstab before executing the same methodical strategy as usual to defeat them. Take the Mimic’s Veil item from the chest at the front of the room.

Exit this room, but rather than proceeding directly into the next, climb the sandbags on your left to hop the wall and onto the platform on the other side. Approach the adversary from above the ledge, then loot the nearby Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot.

Follow the nearby wooden walkway to the end, where there is a ladder. Climb to the roof’s edge and walk forward until you see a wooden balcony below with an enemy on it. Drop down and eliminate the adversary, then open the nearby door to gain access to the kitchen. Before returning, enter the door guarded by the soldier to discover a Stonesword Key and a chest containing a Pickled Turtle Neck.

Return to the halberd knight room via the shortcut and proceed through the doorway we ignored earlier, following it to the end and killing the remaining Axe Soldier. Through the nearby door, you’ll enter a cozy room where you’ll discover a Golden Rune [2].

Exit through the opposite door to find yourself on a rampart patrolled by a sword knight and a torch-wielding weaker soldier enemy. As usual, you want to crouch and wait for them to turn their backs before sneaking up and killing the weaker soldier. Once they are defeated, descend the rampart to find a ladder on the left and a doorway at the bottom.

We’ll begin by heading for the door that leads to a chapel, where you’ll meet a Sorcerer named Rogier, who will ask you to kill Godrick in exchange for spells. Once you’ve finished speaking with him, return to the ladder and climb up onto another roof.

Begin by lowering yourself off the opposite side of the roof from the ladder in order to loot the Kukri x5 below. Drop through the window into the chapel, then return to the ladder and pass through the bell tower to locate the Golden Rune [2] on the connected roof before ascending the nearby stairs.

Here, you’ll come across some extremely dangerous storm hawks who will launch explosive barrels at you, setting off other explosives in the area. You want to approach them slowly in order to elicit their barrel toss, which will allow you to fight them without fear of being blown up. As always, guard against their erratic swooping attacks. Turn around and proceed to the dead-end behind the stairs to find a Smithing Stone [2] (avoid another storm hawk ambush), then continue forward through one final storm hawk ambush to reach the Rampart Tower Spot of Grace.

We are nearly finished exploring this area, but the second elevator must be opened before we can proceed fully. Return to the rampart with the barrel-chucking storm hawks and locate the ocean-facing balcony. Peer down over the edge and you’ll notice a platform below. From here, you can descend to a thin ledge along the castle wall and then to a smashed tower, which contains a Marred Wooden Shield. Continue falling until you reach a ledge of crumbling rocks, which will collapse and send you plummeting to a far below area.

You will immediately notice a scarab on the nearby cliff’s edge; make haste and kill it before it escapes with the Ash of War: Storm Assault. Continue along this cliff, but enter stealth mode before reaching the open area ahead, as a Crucible Knight patrols the area. At this point, he is extremely difficult to defeat due to his large health pool and resistance to standard cheesy strategies such as backstabbing. If you want to defeat him, your best bet is to parry his sword swings. When he reaches half health, however, he transforms and gains access to a new set of powerful abilities, including a diving attack and fire breath. If you defeat him, you will obtain the Crucible’s Aspects: Horns.

If you’re up for the challenge, feel free to practice against him; otherwise, run and grab the Somber Smithing Stone [2] he’s guarding, then sprint past him through the crumbling archway and into the tower beyond, where the second elevator to the Spot of Grace is located.

Finally, we are prepared to move forward in earnest. Return to the room where the Scion was defeated and exit through the door opposite the kitchen to enter a new room leading to the courtyard. Utilize the door on the left to ascend to the wooden rafters above, where an Arrow x10 can be found.

The courtyard is the next room, and it is completely packed with soldiers, archers, and fire-spitting turrets. The keyword here is CAREFUL, but how you approach this is entirely up to you. If you feel confident enough to rush in and kill them all at once, go for it; if not, draw them out slowly and eliminate them one by one. Whatever you do, ensure that you completely eliminate all of them before confronting the larger adversary and the dog hiding behind the line of soldiers.

Once the area is clear, enter crouching and sneaking around the large adversary, positioning yourself on the staircase behind him to approach and backstab him. His attacks are powerful but slow, so either backstab him or perform some guard counters to break him down. We are now free to explore the courtyard! Examine the grounds and both wooden guard towers for the following items: 12 Fire Arrows, a Wooden Greatshield, a Pike, Magic Grease, Golden Runes [1] [2] and [4], Furlcalling Finger Remedy, Mushroom x8, and Smoldering Butterfly x5. You’ll notice a path leading down to the main gate, but I’d ignore it until after you defeat the boss.

In the corner near the courtyard’s entrance, there is a cellar that leads to a room with rats, a Fireproof Dried Liver, and another Stonesword Key door. Open it with the other key we discovered earlier and loot the chests inside to obtain the Godslayer’s Seal and the Godskin Prayerbook.

Godslayer's-Seal-and-the-Godskin-Prayerbook

A small room with a unique painting is located near where the giant enemy was resting. Following that, ascend the stairs behind the large enemy to find a Smithing Stone [1] and, finally (finally! ), the next Spot of Grace in a room at the top of the stairs.

Liftside Chamber Site of Grace

We’re going to take care of a few minor details first, and then unlock the locked door near the Liftside Chamber site of grace.

As you exit the Liftside Chamber, turn right and plunder the corpse on the cliff ahead for the Smithing Stone [1].

Leave the grace-filled Liftside Chamber and sprint past the giant monstrosity and its dog. Locate the open door on your right and enter. Interact with the painting to obtain the “Prophecy” painting.

Ignore the glowing statue for the time being. We’ll get to that later, from the site of grace known as the Secluded Cell.

Up the Lift

To bring the lift down, pull the lever in the room adjacent to the site of grace. Take a seat and ride it up. Continue through the door, and you’ll come to a fork in the road.

Southwest

There are several creatures that resemble pots. You can either kill them or run past them collecting the Cracked Pots on their corpses.

Northeast

To the right, descend the central ramp, keeping an ear out for the sound of bells. Defeat the grey scarab in order to gain access to the Ash of War: Stormcaller. Run forward and ignite the Secluded Cell’s grace-filled site.

Return to the top and plunder the body on the left for Kukri x8. Beyond the body at the end of the right path, jump to the ledge and follow it around. At the conclusion, leap to the nearby window ledge and walkthrough. A knight and his bird are visible in the distance.

You can dispatch the bird first without alerting the knight. Then stab the knight in the back. If you defeat him, he may drop the Banished Knight’s Shield, which has a 100% chance of blocking Critical hits such as backstabs and also negates 100% Physical damage.

Open the Liftside Chamber Site of Grace Locked Door

We’re going to unlock the door near the site of grace in the Liftside Chamber. Ascend the lift and follow the path marked with an arrow in the image above.

Turn right and enter the door to discover the hidden path. Ascend the building, collecting nothing until you reach the top. As you exit, collect three Smithing Stones [2] from a body on a wooden-planked ledge to your right.

Continue left (as shown) and collect Trina’s Lilly, a Smithing Stone [1], and a Golden Rune [2]. Continue down the path in any direction you can until you reach the entrance.

A group of Commoners is ahead. Slowly walk toward them and eliminate them one by one. Collect the Manor Towershield from a corpse beneath the staircase when the area is clear.

Continue forward, as this is the only way you can. Pillage a corpse along the way for Smithing Stone [3], then jump down, walk past the door, and plunder another corpse for Golden Rune [5]. Continue along the path, looting another corpse for another Rainbow Stone x5, as illustrated below.

Take a look to the east, and you’ll notice a door in the distance. It is depicted in the screenshot below. That is the opposite side of the Liftside Chamber’s grace-locked door.

Ascend the stairs, unlock it, and you will gain access to the Liftside Chamber, a place of grace.

Turning right from the screenshot of the Rainbow Stone above, you’ll enter an area populated by a few bats. Remove them and leap along the wooden boards below until you come across a corpse to pillage for an Arteria Leaf. The path from the newly unlocked Liftside Chamber site is shown below.

And now that we’ve arrived, it’s time to continue downward.

Godrick the Grafted Boss Fight

Godrick the Grafted is the first of Elden Ring’s Main Bosses. He is distinguished by his twisted body, which he has grafted with the limbs of his servants. As with the Grafted Scion, Godrick’s attacks are frequently multi-part and multi-hit, and he has some erratic movements that may catch you off guard. At half health, he will graft a dragon head onto his arm, which adds new attacks and modifies existing ones with fire damage, so use caution if your shield does not have a high fire resistance rating.

Thankfully, Godrick’s attacks are highly predictable and punishable in both forms, and he is generally slow-moving, which makes for a relatively easy fight once you’ve figured out the patterns. Additionally, if you require additional assistance, you can summon Nepheli just outside the boss’s door (or a distraction). Our general boss guide for defeating Godrick is as follows:

In general, if you are a melee attacker, you can stay relatively close to Godrick. His axe sweeps appear to have the largest hitbox at the ends, which means that if you simply dodge roll toward Godrick, you will generally avoid them and end up in an advantageous position to punish. Simply keep in mind that the majority of these are combo attacks, so conserve your stamina and wait for the final attack if you intend to guard counter. If you’re truly concerned, you can move out of range and wait for one of his slow overhead slam attacks, which are relatively easy to punish.
Another obvious move is his aerial slam, which he demonstrates by grasping the head of his axe in his off-hand and leaping into the air. As he comes down, dodge and then lands a 2-4 hit combo while he is standing again. His rolling slam is another easy-to-punish move. He’ll whip the air around him and then roll on the ground, leaping into the air and slamming into the ground. Simply approach him while he is in the air and he will fly directly over you, allowing you to get in some back slashes while he recovers.
You can easily stagger Godrick and land a critical attack with Nepheli’s assistance. Allow her to become his focal point and then engage in a series of side and back strikes while he attempts to strike her. Simply keep an eye on his movements, as he can shift his focus back to you in an instant.

With his dragon hand in place, there are only a few more manoeuvres to be aware of. Probably the most dangerous is the dragon breath, which has a wide area of effect and can strike multiple times. He foreshadows this one by raising the dragon’s head into the air as the flames begin to leak from its mouth. Move to the side or back to avoid the blast’s brunt. The other is the fiery rock attack, which he telegraphs by circling the dragon head before blasting fiery rocks into the air. You can either run toward him and let the rocks fly over your head, or you can simply flee and heal while the rocks burn out on the ground.

If you’re feeling particularly confident, you can equip a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot and use it to rake in some extra Runes before killing Godrick. Defeating him grants you access to Godrick’s Great Rune and the Remembrance of the Grafted (See our guide on how to duplicate Remembrances).

You can level up here by resting at the new Spot of Grace, then speaking with the NPC from earlier, who is now stomping on Godrick’s grave. Ascend the path and enter the temple, where Godrick’s throne is located. Through the door to the right of the throne, you’ll enter a separate chamber where you can speak with a ghost lamenting his failed service to a maiden. Take the Shabriri Grape next to him and run to the temple exit, which will take you to Liurnia of the Lakes.

Stormveil Castle Cleanup – How to Activate Godrick’s Great Rune

Finally, it’s time to collect the castle’s remaining loot and activate Godrick’s Great Rune. Return to the Liftside Chamber Spot of Grace and follow the heavily guarded main gate path through the courtyard. While approaching this path from the back makes it slightly easier to clear, it can still be a major pain. Utilize stealth whenever possible and avoid aggravating an excessive number of enemies at once. Never be afraid to withdraw if you require additional space or a moment to heal.

When you reach the second set of stairs, keep in mind that this area is heavily fortified with two turrets and numerous firebomb-throwing soldiers. If you have a ranged attack, you can pick off the turret soldiers from afar; otherwise, run as quickly as possible to the bottom, where you can escape their range. From here, you can scale the rocks piled against the wall and jump over the gap to reach the posts containing the turrets, where you can eliminate their operators and locate the Arbalest.

Continue into the next large open area, where another large group of soldiers awaits you. As with the courtyard, you want to slowly draw them out and avoid aggroing the large lion enemy waiting in the corner. If you look down the path, you can see the front gate and the final Spot of Grace, but do not rush toward them because additional turrets are hiding around the corner, waiting to blow you away. Rather than that, sneak along the right side wall, climb up onto their platform, and eliminate all turret operators, as well as loot the Smithing Stone [2] and Smithing Stone [1] on their platform.

Once all the soldiers have been eliminated, you can finally loot the gate’s contents ( Ballista Bolt x3, Golden Rune [1], and Golden Rune [2] ). Following that, enter the door on the hillside adjacent to the front gate to discover the Spot of Grace, a Golden Rune [5], and the mechanism that opens the gate. Go through the door behind the Spot of Grace to find a Commoner’s Simple Garb.

With the Spot of Grace activated, we can now confront that ferocious lion. Because this adversary is both powerful and agile, it can be difficult to pinpoint the best location to strike or heal. Your best course of action is to throw up your shield and wait out one of its slow arm-blade attacks, then launch one or two attacks while it recovers. Avoid punishing faster bites or off-claw swipes, as they are frequently followed by another attack. It’s a little cheesy, but if you fight the lion on the nearby staircase, you’ll notice that its attacks occasionally fly right over your head.

Defeat it to obtain a Somber Smithing Stone [1], Beast Blood, and Old Fang multiplied by two. You can now proceed through the large doorway it was guarding and reach the dungeon’s final Spot of Grace as well as the Boltdrake Talisman. Continue down the path and across the long bridge that leads to the distant Divine Tower. Naturally, this bridge is guarded by some more formidable adversaries. There are three of these mechanical giants in total, and the good news is that they can collide, so position yourself between the melee and ranged giants to avoid being struck by incoming arrows. Otherwise, treat them like a normal giant would: provoke an attack and then strike their ankles while they are distracted.

Once all three giants have been defeated, you can take advantage of the loot on the bridge. A Warming Stone is sitting on a smashed section near the bridge’s center, and a Soft Cotton and Ash-of-War Scarab are waiting at the bridge’s far end behind the teleporter. However, I would use the teleporter to enter the Divine Tower and then return before dropping down to collect the loot, as scaling the debris is inconvenient.

Utilize the teleporter to travel across the bridge to the distant Divine Tower. The door will remain locked until Godrick is defeated. Open the door with the Rune in hand and take the elevator to the top, where you can activate a Spot of Grace and obtain the genuine Godrick’s Great Rune. This item may be equipped at a Spot of Grace to gain access to its power through the use of a Rune Arc. Using a Rune Arc, similar to the Ember in Dark Souls III, will grant you the Great Rune buff until you die.

What to Do After Defeating Godrick

After you’ve cleared out Stormveil Castle, you have several options for continuing your adventure:

We strongly advise you to explore the remainder of Limgrave if you haven’t already in order to locate every mini-dungeon, world boss, and secret in the region.

Our region overview guides for West Limgrave, East Limgrave, and the Weeping Peninsula are available online.

Additionally, you may wish to explore the Siofra River Well in East Limgrave’s Mistwood area, as the underground area is much larger than a dungeon, but offers a good and fairly linear challenge with a difficult summonable boss.

Further east is the region of Caelid, but newer players may find the area extremely difficult and unforgiving due to the high number of large aggressive beats and poisonous areas.

As a result, we recommend traveling north to the region of Liurnia. It can be accessed via Godrick’s throne room or via a secret path beneath a broken bridge on the cliffs northeast of Stormveil Castle. Liurnia is the location of the second Legacy Dungeon – The Academy of Raya Lucaria – and features a sizable region comprised of a central flooded lake and two large ridgelines that border the swamp. There are numerous additional dungeons and points of interest here, and it is a natural progression point from Limgrave.

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