Should You Join Volcano Manor?

While progressing through Liurnia of the Lakes in Elden Ring, the Tarnished will be presented with the opportunity to join Volcano Manor, and it’s an invitation they should accept. Elden Ring features a number of branching side quests and missions in its massive open world, the Lands Between, although not every character encountered is necessarily heroic. The denizens of Volcano Manor very much fit into that “not heroic” bracket, not only because they are directly opposed to the Erdtree and the Fingers, but also because they will task the player with assassinating other Tarnished.

Founded by Lord Rykard centuries before the main events of Elden Ring, Volcano Manor is home to assassins who hunt fellow Tarnished. In order to gain the favor of the head of the Manor, Lady Tanith, players will have to complete her contracts. This essentially serves as an introduction to the PvP mechanics of Elden Ring, as players are first tasked with invading the world of an NPC Tarnished and killing them. It’s grim work, and the fiery backdrop and menacing decor of Volcano Manor may lead some to feel guilty about what they’re being asked to do.

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There Are No Downsides To Joining Volcano Manor In Elden Ring

Volcano Manor Quests & Rewards

But ultimately, joining Volcano Manor has no downsides in relation to Elden Ring‘s story. If anything, ignoring it has a greater impact, as failing to join will mean missing out on some cool extra content – not to mention some unique armor sets. Players aligned with the Two Fingers, or who otherwise do not wish to go against the Guidance of Grace may instinctively refuse the invitation to join Volcano Manor in Elden Ring. But, bar some questionable quest objectives, there are actually zero negatives to joining. Doing so doesn’t detract from the story or other side quests.

But it’s not just that players have nothing to lose from joining Volcano Manor: they also have much to gain. Their assassination targets don’t come back to bite them, and they gain access to some unique-looking armor. Eventually, they can even claim the set worn by the Bloody Wolf class from Elden Ring‘s network test. Besides having its own unique quest line, Volcano Manor is also an important stop along the way for many NPCs. Players can run into (and progress quests) for Rya, Diallos, and everyone’s favorite Elden Ring villain, Patches, during their stay there.

Joining Volcano Manor also unlocks more opportunities to fight challenging enemies in Elden Ring. First, there are the three assassination targets as part of its main quest: Old Knight Istvan, Rileigh the Idle, and Juno Hoslow, Knight Of Blood. Each of these three is a unique, challenging duel against a humanoid enemy. Later on, there are even some unique boss battles as part of the Volcano Manor quest line, leading up to Elden Ring‘s Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy.

How To Join Volcano Manor In Elden Ring

Volcano Manor is located in the northwestern reaches of Elden Ring‘s map, and can be accessed via three different paths. The most straightforward way to join the Manor is to assist Rya, an NPC first found when exploring Liurnia of the Lakes. This is the easiest option, as it requires no combat in order to gain the invitation (and introduces a friend who sells some tasty boiled prawns). The player will happen upon Rya in a small stone gazebo next to the Birdseye Telescope. She’ll explain that a thief stole her necklace, and she wants it back.

Northwest from Rya is a Site of Grace called Boilprawn Shack. The thief, Blackguard Big Boggart, is sitting outside cooking his lunch. If the Tarnished asks about the necklace, he’ll offer to sell it back to them for a paltry 1,000 runes. Otherwise, they can simply kill him and take it off his corpse.

Return the necklace to Rya, and the quest is over. She’ll appear later on the Altus Plateau, and can teleport the player character directly into Volcano Manor from there. Once there, the Tarnished will be introduced to Tanith and be given their first assassination contract, located in Limgrave. Completing this will reward the player with Elden Ring‘s Scaled Armor set, a unique-looking set with good defensive stats.

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It’s also possible to teleport directly into Volcano Manor from Raya Lucaria. Starting from the Church of the Cuckoo Site of Grace, players should go outside and follow the path through the cemetery. This will eventually lead them to a giant wooden wheel, which they’ll need to ride like an elevator. They’ll soon drop into an arena inhabited by an enemy called an Abductor Virgin. When it opens the compartment in its torso and reaches out with spindly arms, players should rush forward to accept its embrace. They’ll die, but the next time they respawn, they’ll be inside Volcano Manor.

Finally, players who want to join Volcano Manor can find their own way up the titular volcano – the dreaded Mt. Gelmir. The easiest way is to start from the Seethewater River Site of Grace, and simply walk north up the mountain. However, this is an exhausting trek, and the way is lined with enemies.

Ultimately, it makes more sense for the Tarnished to join Volcano Manor in Elden Ring than it does to ignore the questline entirely. Doing so will grant further opportunities to acquire some of Elden Ring‘s elusive armor sets, and interact with more of the charismatic figures who reside in the Lands Between. It may entail some morally questionable acts, but given there are no bad consequences of joining, players can advance the Volcano Manor questline in Elden Ring relatively guilt-free.

Elden Ring

Released

February 25, 2022

Publisher(s)

Bandai Namco Entertainment

ESRB

M

How Long To Beat

56 Hours