Though they can theoretically be fought in any order, Godrick the Grafted, the final boss of the Stormveil Castle legacy dungeon, is likely to be most players’ first brush with a shardbearer Demigod. While undoubtedly tough, Godrick is certainly beatable should the proper tactics be employed, though he’s still no slouch and will require even those familiar with FromSoftware’s Soulsborne games to prove their worth. The thrill of besting him makes for one of the most satisfying moments in the early game, but triumphant players may be confused about where to go next.
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Activate Godrick’s Great Rune
New players may be confused by the Rune Arc items they’ve discovered in the game’s overworld. When used, they don’t seem to impart any effect, yet their rarity implies some incredible application. Elden Ring’s Rune Arcs are powerful buffs that can only be used after felling a demigod and activating its corresponding Great Rune.
Each Great Rune in Elden Ring requires some questing to activate, but, fortunately, the activation process for Godrick’s Great Rune is fairly straightforward.
From Godrick’s boss room, follow the path south past the giant troll and through a courtyard swarmed with soldiers. There, head south down a long, treacherous flight of stairs that lead to another courtyard. Once there, head east through a short hall and discover the Limgrave Tower Bridge Site of Grace. This is the entrance to the grand bridge which serves as a distant focal point throughout much of the early game.
Once on the bridge, Guardian Golems will awaken. While diligent players can take them down, they are best avoided for now. At the end of the bridge is a Waygate which takes players to the Divine Tower of Limgrave.
Ascend to the very top and interact with the item found there to activate Godrick’s Great Rune. To use it, the player must sit at a site of grace, select the new Great Runes menu option, and equip the Rune. When that’s done, using a Rune Arc will impart the effect of Godrick’s Great Rune, which temporarily buffs all attributes.
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Continue To Liurnia of the Lakes
Once Godrick the Grafted has been defeated, players may opt to follow the obvious path through his throne room and out to a grand vista at the rear end of Stormveil Castle. There, players will immediately encounter an NPC named Hyetta, a blind woman asking for Shabiri Grapes—one of which can be found near a ghostly NPC in the room players just passed through. To the west, they’ll encounter another NPC in an abandoned church named Thops, along with a Sacred Tear.
Further down the road, players will enter a shallow swamp and eventually come across a Waypoint in Laskyar Ruins. This transports them to the entrance to Raya Lucaria Academy, where they can loot a map from a corpse that details how to gain access to the Elden Ring Legacy Dungeon.
Explore Stormveil Castle
Stormveil Castle is utterly massive. It’s so huge that most players aren’t likely to uncover all of its secrets in a single playthrough. Aside from the areas requiring the rare stonesword key items to access, there’s an entire underground area with its own boss fight that most first-time players are likely to miss.
To access this, players must open the door in the Liftside Chamber. Instead of finding a key, however, players are expected to follow a dangerous platforming path that begins on the upper level of the nearby room with the group of pot enemies.
Following this path to its conclusion leads players to the depths of Stormveil Castle, where they will encounter Ulcerated Tree Spirit boss, which can also be encountered deep beneath the Fringefolk Hero’s Grave in Limgrave. This effort earns players the Prince of Death Pustule talisman, which raises vitality.
Elden Ring is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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