Elden Ring's open world and lack of hand-holding have been highly praised and remain beloved aspects of the action role-playing game. FromSoftware has packed so much into The Lands Between, creating an enticing world full of rewards for players to explore. The side-quests, especially, are varied and intriguing and leave players feeling incredibly accomplished. However, they can often be quite difficult to find and follow.
The Volcano Manor questline is one such example. This intriguing side quest introduces a plot of rebellion and sacrifice and sheds new light on the various schools of thought that populate The Lands Between. While it's one of Elden Ring's easier side quests to follow, accessing it in the first place can be a bit more of a challenge. Its unique plot and epic final boss encounter make it an experience that Elden Ring fans won't want to miss.
How To Find Volcano Manor
There are several ways to reach Volcano Manor. The first involves completing the first half of Rya's questline, which starts slightly southwest of the Birdseye telescope in Liurnia of the Lakes. She'll task the Tarnished with retrieving her stolen necklace from Blackguard Big Boggart, who sits outside the Boilprawn Shack to the northwest.
It's recommended that players buy the necklace back from him for 1,000 runes rather than kill him, as he later becomes a summonable NPC and a merchant. Rya will thank the Tarnished with a Volcano Manor invitation. Upon meeting her again at the top of the Grand Lift of Dectus, she will instantly teleport players there.
Alternatively, players can choose to simply walk to Volcano Manor, although the route can be complicated as it sits at the bottom of a ravine. Players should find their way to the Erdtree in the northwest of the Altus Plateau and continue north and then west over a bridge until the path leads to the Ninth Mt. Gelmir Campsite. From here players can jump down to reach Volcano Manor. Once inside, players should speak with Tanith to begin the quest.
How To Complete The Volcano Manor Contracts
Tanith will ask the Tarnished to join the Volcano Manor, a group that rebels against the Two Fingers and the Erdtree. Consequently, she will task the player with several assassination contracts to take out fellow Tarnished. These can be picked up from letters left in the drawing-room down the hall and will leave a red mark on the player's map.
The first victim is in Limgrave and shouldn't pose too much of a challenge. Upon arriving at the red dot marked on the map, players should see a red summon sign on the floor that, once activated, will take the player into the other Tarnished's world, similar to an invasion with multiplayer.
Once the contract is complete, players can return to Tanith and pick up the second contract letter from the drawing-room table. The second target is located to the west of the Altus Plateau. Again, players should be able to defeat him comfortably before returning to Tanith again for the third and final contract.
At this point, players will need to have access to The Mountaintops of the Giants, as the final target, Juno Hoslow, Knight of Blood, is found there. He is a considerably larger threat than the previous two Tarnished. His whip can deal damage from a long range and inflict devastating blood loss, and he can shift through space to quickly pounce or dodge.
Attacking him from range or using freeze attacks are good ways to take him down. Once complete, players should return to Tanith and accept her offer to see the Lord of Volcano Manor. Do note that other NPC quests linked to the manor, such as Rya or Patches' quests, will need to be completed before beginning this final section.
It turns out that Tanith has actually sent the player as a sacrifice and intends for the serpent boss, Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy, to eat them and add their power to his. Rykard is a challenging boss with two full health bars that will need to be depleted. Luckily, players can pick up the Serpent-Hunter great spear from a corpse upon entering the battle arena. This weapon, combined with the mimic tear, is extremely effective against Rykard. Once he has been defeated, players can return to Tanith to complete the Volcano Manor questline.
What Do You Get For Completing The Volcano Manor Questline?
Defeating Rykard will earn the Tarnished 100,000 runes, Rykard's Great Rune and the Remembrance of the Blasphemous. The Great Rune restores 185 HP upon defeating enemies and is extremely useful for traversing deep dungeons, far from sites of grace. The Remembrance can be exchanged for Rykard's Rancor sorcery or his Blasphemous Blade, which scales primarily with STR, DEX and FAI. The Volcano Manor questline offers insight into the varying beliefs in The Lands Between and rewards players with an epic final battle and a nice little trophy or achievement to boot.
