Elden Ring is a pretty immersive game right from the First Steps Site of Grace. The biggest reason for such immersion is that the game world gets more interesting with every step you take. For instance, you first start in Limgrave and gradually make your way to the next section, i.e., Liurnia of the Lakes.
This phase of the game world is very different from the first one. It includes beautiful terrain, lakes, greenery, mesmerizing structures, and giant but shallow lakes. Furthermore, it is also home to the infamous Raya Lucaria Academy, a paradise for sorcerers.
However, the place is also home to some of the toughest enemies, powerful bosses, and deadly dungeons. So, you can easily get crushed by the challenging world without planning a proper roadmap in your mind.
In other words, progressing through the area properly can yield powerful weapons, loot, and character upgrades, enough to defeat any challenge in the game. This article provides a detailed Liurnia of the Lakes Walkthrough covering everything from bosses to landmarks, dungeons, and possible rewards.
Table of Contents
Liurnia of the Lakes Walkthrough
Liurnia of the Lakes: Entrance
So, Liurnia of the Lakes is the second part of the world map that you enter after completing Limgrave. By the time you leave Limgrave, you have several quests that progress you to Liurnia. However, there is a slight possibility that you will wander off into Caelid.
So, if you manage to reach Lake-Facing Cliffs, the first Site of Grace in the area, rest to save your progress. Moreover, you can also meet an NPC named Hyetta near the Grace if you have already started Boc’s questline in Limgrave.
Next, head right on the straight path that leads you to the Church. This place contains a Sacred Tear (if you need it). Moreover, you will also meet another NPC named Sorcerer Thops to start his short quest. After this, your work in the Church is done, and you can proceed along the winding road. This path will take you through an enemy encampment.
So, you can either deal with the enemies to earn some loot (Glintstone Craftsman’s Cookbook [1]) or avoid any conflict by passing the camp on your Torrent. Finally, you will arrive at the Liurnia Lake Shore when the road ends. You can also find a Nomadic merchant nearby who sells different useful goods if you saved up some Runes. In my opinion, you should at least buy a Lantern from him as you will need it in the dungeons.
Before you proceed any further, it would be best to take your time and activate all Sites of Grace in Liurnia. This step will save you a lot of time in the later parts and quests in Liurnia of the Lakes.
In this regard, the best way is to mount your Torrent and ride in any direction you want, through forests, fields, and swamps, activating every Site of Grace in your way. However, if you don’t want to explore, you should at least activate the Temple Quarter, Academy Gate Town, and Scenic Isle Sites of Grace.
Finding The Glintstone Key
After completing the initial steps, your next goal is to unlock the Raya Lucaria Academy. Most of the NPCs, quests, and secrets are inside the academy doors. However, the doors are magically enchanted (sealed) and can only be unlocked with a Glintstone Key. For this purpose, you must first reach the Academy to explore the regions around it.
Start at the Academy Gate Town and make your way toward the center of the lake. As you approach your destination, you will see a massive structure in the distance. This landmark guides you on your way; it is the Raya Lucaria Academy.
As you get closer to your destination, you will find a Golden Seed Tree near the ramp-up. The large structure that has been guiding you is, in fact, the Southern entrance to Raya Lucaria Academy. However, the building is full of powerful enemies, mostly sorcerers. You must also clear this legacy dungeon to proceed on your path.
After clearing the structure, continue along the path till you activate the South Raya Lucaria Site of Grace. The only problem is that the southern gate is sealed with magic and requires the Glintstone Key. You can acquire the Glintstone Key by defeating the Glintstone Dragon, Smarag. This dragon boss can be found by traveling north from the Temple Quarter Site of Grace.
Raya Lucaria Academy
After acquiring the Glintstone Key, fast travel back to the South Raya Lucaria Site of Grace. This time you will see an option to use the Glintstone key near the Southern gate to unlock the Academy. If you are a fan of magic, you will instantly fall in love with this castle. It is a huge structure with numerous halls, multiple NPCs, and exciting quests.
Moreover, you will also get a chance to polish your magic build character as you progress through various quests. However, the Academy is also home to some of the most challenging sorcerer enemies in the game.
The first thing that you must do as you enter the Academy is to complete Sorcerer Thops’ quest by finding the second Glintstone Key. To find this item, you must first locate and activate the Debate Parlor Site of Grace inside the Academy.
After resting at the Grace, proceed through the courtyard and go under the bridge to find a Golden Seed. Next, you must search the rooftops near the Site of Grace to find the second Glintstone Key and give it to Thops.
The next thing you must do is to find two important Spirit Ashes, i.e., Marionette Ashes and Avionette Ashes. You can find the Avionette Ashes near the Schoolhouse Classroom Site of Grace. You will find a rotating platform right before the Site of Grace. Simply jump off the platform and fight off the enemies to acquire the Spirit Ashes.
Similarly, the Marionette Ashes near the Church of Cuckoo Site of Grace. You will find a bridge near the Site; instead of walking over it, try to jump on the ledge. Continue walking on the ledge till you see some glowing enemies firing at you from the graveyard. Jump off the ledge and defeat the enemies to acquire the Marionette Ashes.
If you have no other business in the Academy, you can finally go after the main Academy bosses. First, you must face the Red Wolf of Radagon, followed by an invasion by a demi-god. After you complete these battles, all that’s left to do inside the Academy is to fight Rennala. You can find Rennala, The Queen of the Full Moon, at the end of the Legacy dungeon.
Defeating Rennala gives you the ability to respec your character in return for Sacred Tears. Respec is an unusual phenomenon in which you can redesign your character by allocating Runes to various attributes. Once you finish your business in the Academy, you must progress through Caria Manor to reach the Altus Plateau.
Caria Manor
Before you proceed to the Altus Plateau, you should travel through the next dungeon in Liurnia, i.e., Caria Manor. It isn’t a compulsory dungeon, but you should clear it for good. This dungeon contains some of the most important NPCs, the most powerful weapons, and divine magic. Some players even claim that you should clear Caria Manor before the Academy as it will help you defeat the tough bosses.
In any case, head to the Temple Quarter Site of Grace and continue west toward the piece of land in the distance. If you keep following this path, you will eventually exit the watery swamps.
The next step is to head north till you reach the Foot of the Four Belfries Site of Lost Grace. Keep heading north, and the Northern Liurnia Lake Shore bonfire will become visible. You will also find a monument nearby; search it for a while to find a map fragment.
Keep riding past the Kingsrealm Ruins and continue along the stream till you see an NPC sitting near a blank wall. Speak with the NPC; you will enjoy his questline. Finally, jump through the illusional wall and ride ahead to reach the Road to the Manor Site of Lost Grace.
Enter the dungeon and start dealing with the hordes of enemies in your way. You will notice that the enemies aren’t as hard as the sorcerers of the Academy. Moreover, the only way to exit this dungeon is forward. So, make sure you enter well-prepared, as there is no way back.
As you reach the end of the dungeon, you will be met by Royal Knight Loretta. She is the boss of the dungeon, and defeating her grants you great loot. After defeating Loretta, you will acquire Loretta’s Slash Ash of War and Loretta’s Greatbow sorcery.
Moreover, you can also find the Sword of Night and Flame near the gate of Caria Manor. This sword is undoubtedly one of the most overpowered weapons in Elden Ring. You can acquire this sword by looting the chest inside a building located on the right of the outdoor garden. Anyways, after defeating Loretta, you will gain access to the backside of Caria Manor and possibly start an adventurous questline.
The Altus Plateau
By now, you have completed all the necessary quests in Liurnia and cleared most of the dungeons on your own. The details about all the dungeons in Liurnia are discussed later in this article. So, the next step to unlock the Mountaintop of the Giants is to reach Altus Plateau. You can enter the Plateau in two ways. Firstly, you can use the portal near the Academy Main Gate to reach the Grand Lift of Dectus.
However, you must acquire both halves of the Dectus Medallion to activate the lift. Secondly, you travel through the Ruin-Strewn Precipice and clear the portion to reach the Altus Plateau.
In my opinion, using the Grand Lift of Dectus seems like a reasonable way of reaching the Plateau. However, if you wish to fight against the tough optional boss of the dungeon, you should take the second way. You can find the Ruin-Strewn Precipice dungeon north of the lake by following the river upward.
As you enter the cave system, you will find hordes of enemies waiting to chew on your flesh. Fortunately, you can avoid most of the conflicts by riding on your Torrent. At the end of the dungeon, you will meet the Magma Wyrm boss. Defeating the boss doesn’t yield much, but it unlocks the doors to the Altus Plateau without having to search for the Dectus Medallion.
Reaching the Altus Plateau marks the end of the Liurnia of the Lakes. So, from here, you must make your way to the Royal Capital or the Mountaintop of the Giants. Both locations are compulsory for progressing the main storyline.
Important Dungeons & Locations in Liurnia of the Lakes
Liurnia of the Lakes is often regarded as the area with the most dungeons in the Elden Ring. Most dungeons in the game are optional, and you can avoid all of them. However, clearing the dungeons usually yields valuable loot, powerful weapons, secret items, and hidden passages.
Moreover, dungeons are the best place for grinding to earn Runes for character upgrades. In short, the dungeons may sound creepy, but they can make the rest of the game quite easier for you. The Liurnia of the Lakes contains the following 20 important locations:
1. Academy Crystal Cave
The Academy Crystal Cave is a loot paradise for magic character builds. You can find the Crystal Cave by traveling Northwest from the Raya Lucaria Academy. As you enter the dungeon, you will find numerous sorcerer enemies and a few minor Crystalians. However, the place is filled with useful mosses, and you can even find a Rune Arc for your Great Runes.
Another note-worthy item is the Crystal Staff, which you can’t find anywhere else in the Lands Between. As you approach the end of the dungeon, you will be met by two Crystalians as the final boss. Defeating this boss will reward you with Crystal Release sorcery. Lastly, you can also find the Terra Magicus sorcery near the boss arena.
2. Artist’s Shack
The Artist’s Shack isn’t really a dungeon per se. However, it is an important location as it hides the Resurrection Painting for the graveyard mystery.
3. Black Knife Catacombs:
Liurnia of the Lakes is an important location for both magic and melee players. The Black Knife Catacombs dungeon holds the same value for melee builds as the Crystal Cave for the sorcerers. You can find this dungeon by reaching the far Northeastern side of Liurnia. As you enter the dungeon, you will need to deal with countless crabs and walking skeletons.
Moreover, the dungeon is home to the famous Rosus’ Axe, and you can also find a Rune Arc here. As you progress further deep into the dungeon, you will find a Cemetery Shade; kill him to acquire the Twinsage Sorcerer Spirit Ashes. Similarly, you can also find a Deathroot for Gurranq, Beast Clergyman, inside the dungeon. In the end, you must defeat the Black Knife Assassin boss to receive the Assassin Cerulean Dagger.
4. Church of Vows
The Church of Vows isn’t a dungeon and doesn’t include any action unless you visit at night. The Church hides a chest that contains the Golden Sewing Needle and Golden Tailoring Tools. You must give these items to Boc to progress his questline.
Similarly, there is a statue where you can trade your Celestial Dew to revive any NPC merchant. Lastly, if you visit the Church at night, you will face the Bell Bearing Hunter to receive the Meat Peddler’s Bell Bearing.
5. Cliffbottom Catacombs
The Cliffbottom Catacombs is one of the most rewarding dungeons in Liurnia. The dungeon is filled with imps, but killing them won’t be a problem for you. This dungeon offers many rewards, including a Rune Arc, a Warped Axe, a Scythe, and the Nox Mirrorhelm.
Moreover, you can also acquire the Kaiden Sellsword and Page Spirit Ashes inside the dungeon. The Cliffbottom Catacombs is located on the Southeastern shores of Liurnia of the Lakes.
6. Converted Tower:
The Converted Towers are better known as Rises in Elden Ring. There are three Rises in the game, each connected to an NPC with a separate questline. You must solve the puzzle to reach the top of the tower to unlock its secrets. The Converted Tower is located in southwest Liurnia and is connected to the gesture you learned from Sorcerer Thops.
7. Frenzy Flaming Tower
The Frenzy Flaming Tower will remind you of Lord of the Rings. This tower contains an orb of madness that quickly fills your madness gauge. To finish this drama of madness, you must reach the top of the tower and kill the six villagers. Completing this tower will reward you with the Howl of Shabriri incantation. The best way to avoid madness is to take cover under the rocks and cliffs (you can’t get mad if you can’t see the sphere).
8. Highway Lookout Tower
The Highway Lookout Tower is home to many challenging sorcerers. It is located in the Southeastern portion of Liurnia of the Lakes. You must make your way to the top of the tower to ultimately face the Twinsage Sorcerer. Clearing this tower will reward you with the Carian Glintblade Staff and the Glintstone Craftsman’s Cookbook [3].
9. Jarburg
Jarburg is a dungeon on the Eastern shores of Liurnia of the Lakes. This area is situated under the Caria main study hall. The dungeon is filled with jars you will ignore unless you get too close. However, clearing this dungeon will reward you with several ritual pots, cracked pots, jar shards, floral crafting supplies, and Runes (Yes, Money!).
10. Kingsrealm Ruins
Kingsrealm Ruins is an important location for reaching Caria Manor. This location has an illusional wall that hides the path to the dungeon. You can also meet Iji the Giant near the Site of Grace. Lastly, you can find the Frozen Needle Rapier by defeating a Royal Revenant in the underground section.
11. Lakeside Crystal Cave
The Lakeside Crystal Cave is an easy-to-miss dungeon in Liurnia. You can find the entrance to the dungeon East of the Scenic Isle Site of Grace. As you enter the dungeon, you will find several demi-humans to fight. Moreover, you will also encounter a few Crystal Snails along the way.
The Bloodhound Knight is the final dungeon boss that drops the Cerulean Amber Medallion for increasing your FP. This location is very important if you want to meet with Latenna near the Slumbering Wolf’s Shack.
There are many other locations that you must visit at least once in your playthrough. You can find powerful weapons, upgrade your level, and uncover other sections of the story. These important locations in Liurnia of the Lakes are:
- Laskyar Ruins
- Purified Ruins
- Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel
- Revenger’s Shack
- Road’s End Catacombs
- Rose Church
- Stillwater Cave
- Tetsu’s Rise
- The Four Belfries
- Ruin-Strewn Precipice
- Stillwater Cave
Notable Bosses in Luirnia of the Lakes
| Glintstone Dragon Adula | Behind Caria Manor and at the Cathedral of Manus Sellus |
| Glintstone Dragon Smarag | North of Temple Quarter Site of Grace |
| Magma Wyrm | Ruin-Strewn Precipice dungeon |
| Rennala, Queen of Full Moon | Raya Lucaria Academy Legacy Dungeon |
| Royal Knight Loretta | Caria Manor Dungeon |
| Red Wolf of Radagon | Raya Lucaria Academy |
| Tibia Mariner | Behind Carian Study Hall |
Weapons to find in Liurnia of the Lakes
| Weapons | Locations |
| Watchdog’s Staff | Behind the illusionary wall in Road’s End Catacombs. |
| Urumi | Corpse on the rooftop of Caria Manor. |
| Troll Knight’s Sword | Dropped from the Troll Knight in Caria Manor. |
| Treespear | From a chest on the back of a carriage near the broken bridge on Liurnia Highway South. |
| Sword of Night and Flame | In a locked room behind Caria Manor gardens, accessible from walkways above. |
| Stormhawk Axe +2 | From killing Nephili Loux near the Village of Albinaurics after talking to Nepheli Loux and her father. |
| Scythe | In Cliffbottom Catacombs, on top of an arrow trap. |
| Rosus’ Axe | Behind an Imp Statue barrier in Black Knife Catacombs. Requires Stonesword Key. |
| Nightrider Glaive | Dropped from the Night’s Cavalry on Bellum Highway. |
| Magma Wyrm’s Scalesword | Dropped from Magma Wyrm Makar. |
| Lucerne | Liurnia Highway North in a wrecked cart. |
| Knight’s Greatsword | Rare drop from a Cuckoo Knight near Bellum Church. |
| Ivory Sickle | Village of the Albinaurics. |
| Icerind Hatchet | Chest in the middle of Temple Quarter. |
| Great Mace | Chest in the camp outside Grand Lift of Dectus. |
| Great Knife | Rare drop from a Demi-Human in Lakeside Crystal Cave. |
| Frozen Needle | In a chest in Kingsrealm Ruins after defeating Royal Revenant. |
| Digger’s Staff | Possible drop from Stonediggers in Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel. |
| Dark Moon Greatsword | Down a well inside the Cathedral of Manus Celes after completing Renna/Ranni questline. |
| Crystal Sword | Village of the Albinaurics. |
| Crystal Staff | Chest in Academy Crystal Cave behind an invisible wall. Needs a Stonesword Key to enter the cave. |
| Crystal Knife | Inside chest in Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel. |
| Carian Knight’s Sword | Back of a Wandering Mausoleum near Northern Liurnia Lakeshore. |
| Carian Glintstone Staff | On a corpse in Carian Study Hall. |
| Carian Glintblade Staff | Top of Highway Lookout Tower. |
Conclusion
Liurnia of the Lakes is a major location in the Lands Between. This part of the world is home to the Raya Lucaria Academy. So, most of the enemies that you encounter will use magic against you. However, it also means that you will have tons of magical items to loot and farm.
The problem is that you will eventually feel lost in the vast land without a proper guide. Therefore this Liurnia of the Lakes Walkthrough provides a detailed guide to help you survive in the challenging terrains and deadly dungeons.
