Elden Ring: How to reach the capital city of Leyndell

The capital city of Leyndell is your next stop in Elden Ring. There are a couple of paths that you can take to reach these new challenges. Here’s our Elden Ring guide to help you reach Leyndell capital city from various starting points.

Note: For more information, check out our Elden Ring guides and features hub. Likewise, since we’re discussing a location that you’ll visit much later in the campaign, please be reminded that this guide contains spoilers.

Elden Ring guide – How to reach the capital city of Leyndell

Activating two Great Runes

Before you start hiking all the way to Leyndell, make sure that you’ve activated at least two Great Runes in Elden Ring:

• If you’ve been following regular progression, then you’ve definitely beaten Godrick the Grafted. Likewise, you were able to activate Godrick’s Great Rune.
• You also defeated Rennala Queen of the Full Moon. Rennala’s Great Rune of the Unborn is already activated by default, since it’s the function that allows you to respec your stats.

With those two requirements met, return to Roundtable Hold and talk to Finger Reader Enia. She’ll tell you that you’re ready to become Elden Lord, allowing access to the capital. But, how exactly do we get there?

Map of Leyndell

As far as I know, there are three ways you can reach the capital city of Leyndell in Elden Ring. One is just for laughs, the other will cause headaches, and the third is more of a leisurely stroll.

Method #1: Weeping Peninsula Chest

Let’s start with the joke entrance. It involves going to Weeping Peninsula, an early-game destination just south of Limgrave. At the southwestern part, you’ll find the Tower of Return. If you climb up top and open the chest, a transporter trap will ensnare you.

You’ll spawn at the Divine Bridge, which has a Site of Grace, too. However, right in front of you is a Guardian Golem. It doesn’t want you to draw it like one of your French girls. It wants to smash you to bits.

If you want to fight it, you can snipe it from further away if you have a ranged weapon, though it probably won’t do a lot of damage. You can also close the gap if you have a melee weapon and whack its legs. You’ll receive the Golem’s Halberd if you beat it.

Conversely, you could just dodge-roll your way to the right and open the chest. It has the Blessed Dew Talisman, which regenerates your HP gradually (it’s very helpful in case you don’t want to use up your flasks).

Note: There’s a portal here that leads to another area, as well as a lift that leads down. But, these are disabled until you enter Leyndell normally, so just make a mental note of this place. In any case, rest at the Divine Bridge Site of Grace to re-enable fast travel once more.

Method #2: Grand Lift of Dectus and Leyndell South

The second pathway to Leyndell in Elden Ring is via the Grand Lift of Dectus. In our previous guide, I mentioned going through the Ruin-Strewn Precipice to reach Altus Mountains. But, if you go through the Grand Lift of Dectus, that’s fine as well, as the highways are connected.

However, if you travel along the southern main road to Leyndell, you’re going to have a lot of headaches. Next to the Grand Lift of Dectus are two Guardian Golems (one of them has a giant bow).

Then, once you’re in front of the city’s gates, you’ll be chased by two Tree Sentinels. And, past that point, the promenade will have a Corrupted Angel (that’s just a nickname) swoop in and crush you.

These creatures will shoot, attack, and run after you, so you’d need to stay on horseback to get away.

Method #3: Windmill Village and Leyndell North

The third option to reach Leyndell in Elden Ring is via the northern highway in Altus Mountains. You can reach this by teleporting from the Forest-Spanning Greatbridge or by spawning at the Windmill Village if you’ve already discovered it. There’s also a sloping path north of the Minor Erdtree where you fought Wormface. And, of course, you can always swing north from the Grand Lift of Dectus.

Follow the road until you’re past the outer walls. You could tag the nearby Site of Grace, too. Nifty rewards in this area include:

• Ash of War: Lightning Slash – Dropped by a Dung Beetle near one of the camps.
• A Minor Erdtree and a couple of Tears for your Flask of Wondrous Physick (one is close by along the meadows).

You’ll be able to travel south, but do try to avoid the grand promenade, as a creature there will taunt you before transforming into a boss that looks like Margit the Fell Omen. Avoiding the promenade further south also ensures that you won’t accidentally cause the Valiant Gargoyle to spawn.

Still, do try to visit the plazas. Each has two Golden Seeds for your flask charges, and the one to the south has the Leyndell map stele and a Site of Grace.

Boss fight: Draconic Tree Sentinel

I know what you’re thinking, we’re not even inside the capital yet and all the entrances are barred shut. Well, don’t worry. All you need to do is keep going east from the Outer Wall Battleground while following the main road. Along the way, you’ll encounter several Golems, so try to avoid their attacks.

Eventually, you’ll find the Capital Entrance Rampart, though it’s still guarded by a Draconic Tree Sentinel. The main difference with this opponent compared to the regular variant is that it’s got a medium-range Fire Breath and a near-instant Lightning Strike. The Fire Breath can be avoided by staying out of its range. However, the Lightning Strike will blast you if you attempt to evade it while on horseback. Rolling would be better, though I wasn’t able to try the animation when you’re attempting to mount/dismount.

Once defeated, the Draconic Tree Sentinel will drop the Dragon Greatclaw and Dragonclaw Shield. Finally, past the drawbridge, you’ll find another Site of Grace and the interior of Leyndell Royal Capital in Elden Ring.

Elden Ring is available via Steam. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.