Stormveil Castle serves as the introductory legacy dungeon of Elden Ring, and you'll have to go through it to challenge Godrick the Grafted and obtain his great rune if you want to beat the game. Of course, Stormveil Castle might be the first mandatory dungeon, but it's no pushover, as FromSoftware doesn't have a history of going easy on its players even at the beginning. But worry not as this Stormveil Castle area guide will walk you through from start to end while also pointing out important key item pickups along the way. So put together your equipment and prepare yourself to conquer the Elden Ring Stormveil Castle.
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Arriving at Stormveil Castle
After besting your first major main story boss, Margit, The Fell Omen, you will find yourself staring up at the imposing walls of your very first Legacy Dungeon: Stormveil Castle. This Castle is more like a labyrinth and is one of the biggest dungeons FromSoftware has ever created, and also one of the most dangerous, with traps and tricks around every corner. Lucky for you, you won’t be caught by surprise if you follow our guide to this dungeon.
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Meeting Gostoc and Making Your First Big Choice
Right near the entryway site of grace, you bump into a shady fellow named Gatekeeper Gostoc. He hangs out by the main gate and strongly advises you to take a clandestine opening through the cliffs instead of the main gate. Trusting a weird stranger in this game feels risky, but this choice actually matters. If you take his cliffside route, Gostoc secretly stalks you through the castle. Even more devious is his thievery. If you die while exploring the castle proper, he secretly skims a chunk of your dropped runes before you can recover them. Killing Gostoc right here means you don’t have to deal with any of that, but that can lock you out of a questline with some other characters, though it’s not really important for a first playthrough.
Why You Should Probably Avoid the Main Gate
You might think barging through the front door is the heroic play. It isn't. The main gate is an absolute meat grinder. The moment you set foot inside, you are funneled into a brutal choke point. A firing squad of ballistas and Exile soldiers will rain bedlam upon you. While it is technically possible to sprint through this gauntlet on a prayer, you will probably burn through all your healing items instantly, and you won’t get to experience Stormveil Castle properly, so take the side path like Gostoc suggested.
Taking the Sneaky Cliffside Route
Navigating the Outer Walls Without Falling Off
Taking Gostoc's advice means navigating through the way that you're actually supposed to go. This path treads along wooden scaffoldings and heights along the castle walls until you reach the inside. Here, you'll encounter some basic Stormveil Castle guards and some peasants, which are easy to deal with. Be mindful though as the enemies may be weak but they can still cause you to fall off the edge in unexpected ways. Try taking them one by one.
Grabbing the Rusty Key and Surviving the Banished Knight
After climbing the scaffolding, you’ll reach the interior of the castle. Inside the dark corridors, you quickly hit a locked door. The Rusty Key you need is heavily guarded. On the top floor, there is a room to the side that holds the key you need. Upon entering the room, a cutscene plays, and Gostoc locks the door on you from behind, locking you inside with a really powerful enemy, the banished knight. You can either kill him or quickly grab the key from the corner of the room and leave. In the same room lies the Curved Sword Talisman, which you can also pick up for a 20% boost to your guard counter damage. Open the locked door with the rusty key and keep moving. You’ll spot another banished knight inside the Rampart Tower. Ignore him and keep moving up and into the next room, where you’ll find the next site of grace.
Meeting Sorcere Rogier and Making Your Way Towards The Inner Courtyard
After climbing up to the Rampart Tower and lighting the grace, it is time for some rooftop parkour. From the grace, proceed outside. You’ll spot some birds that have barrels attached to their feet. Why, you might ask? Cause they’re explosive, and those birds will start dumping their payload on you once you’re spotted. You can run past them, though. Proceed to the tower in the distance while following the walkway. You will be able to see the tower base from where you’re standing. You can safely jump below without dying. Inside, you’ll find Sorcer Rogier, who can teach you spells. After talking to him, he moves to the Roundtable hold.
Go outside again, and you’ll spot another banished knight patrolling. Kill him and enter the room straight ahead. From there, keep making your way forward. Before exiting towards the courtyard, you’ll spot a grafted scion, which you can kill for runes; otherwise, ignore it and move towards the courtyard.
Pushing Into the Inner Courtyard
Sneaking Past the Flamethrower Guys
Stepping out into the main courtyard feels like walking onto an active battlefield. Exile soldiers man deadly flamethrower turrets that roast you in seconds. Do not run down the middle. Instead, hug the left wall tightly, using wooden barricades to break their line of sight. You can pick off roaming guards one by one with a bow or magic. The turret operators ignore you unless provoked.
Dealing with the Omen and Finding the Liftside Chamber
Near the end of the courtyard, a massive Omen and his mangy guard dog block the path. You can fight them, but it is incredibly risky. A smarter play is to sneak around the Omen and focus on a halberd-wielding guard standing near a doorway. Backstab him to secure safe passage into an adjacent room, where you will discover the Liftside Chamber Site of Grace. Finding these safe havens is vital to mastering Elden Ring Stormveil Castle.
The Final Stretch to the Boss
Meeting Nepheli Loux and Getting Her Summon Ready
From the Liftside Chamber Site of Grace, you can either take the elevator to go directly towards the main boss of the area, Godrick the Grafted. But there’s still more to this area. Instead of taking the elevator, go back outside where you came from and take the side route leading forward. Here you’ll spot some more birds. Deal with them. From there, you’ll spot a room off to the right side where Nepheli Loux can be found. Talking to her starts her questline and allows you to summon her for the Godrick fight. Leave the room and you’ll spot a golden sapling right up ahead, under which lies a golden seed.
Running Past the Giant Troll Outside the Secluded Cell
Now you’re at the final stretch. Off in the distance, you’ll spot two trolls. Don’t worry, as they aren’t that strong. They’re slow, so you can simply run past them. Behind the two trolls is another room with a site of grace. Right outside the room is the fog gate leading to the Godrick fight.
Taking Down Godrick the Grafted
Elden Ring Godrick is a phenomenal first major hurdle. He boasts 6,080 health points and hits like a runaway freight train. In phase one, focus on dodging his delayed axe swings. When he smashes the ground to cause localized earthquakes, jump over the final slam and punish him with a heavy jump attack. Patience is key. Stay close, dodge his delayed swings, and punish his long recovery times.
During phase two, he grafts a dragon head onto his arm. When he bathes the arena in fire breath, sprint directly behind him. This lets you punish his blind spot while Nepheli holds his attention. You have to be behind him when he does his fire-breathing attacks because running away from the fire rarely works unless you are really far away already. Keep chipping him down until he dies. Defeating Godrick rewards you with his Great Rune as well as a remembrance, which you can use to either obtain 20,000 runes or Godrick’s axe or dragon arm as a weapon from the Roundtable. After conquering Stormveil Castle, your next goal will be to move towards Liurnia from Godrick's Arena and make your way to the Academy of Rya Lucaria.
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Conclusion
Stormveil Castle serves as a wonderful starting legacy dungeon to test new players of not just Elden Ring but also the Soulsborne genre. The layout is complex, and there are secrets around every corner. It's not too punishing with abundant graces everywhere and it teaches players the basic flow of the game and what they can expect later on in the game. If you've yet to experience Stormveil Castle for yourself, then follow our guide and you'll make it through without being lost. Whenever you feel ready to conquer this legendary fortress, picking up your Elden Ring Steam key from LootBar ensures you jump straight into the action.
