Once you arrive in Volcano Manor via the cliffside paths from Altus Plateau, you’ll meet a strange cast of characters and even a familiar face. This is also where you’ll be able to partake in a very rewarding activity. Here’s our Elden Ring guide to help you with joining Volcano Manor and the Invader missions given to you once you’re in Mount Gelmir.
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Elden Ring guide – Joining Volcano Manor and completing Invader missions
Enter Volcano Manor in Elden Ring and tag the Site of Grace. Before anything else, you can head to the second-floor dining hall where you’ll get attacked by an NPC named Inquisitor Ghiza. Wait for him to start revving his weapon at you, then poke him in the face with your blade. You’ll receive a Furlcalling Finger Remedy and Ghiza’s Wheel (weapon). There’s also a Somber Smithing Stone [6] here.
Next, head back to the main hall and you’ll notice that all the doors are locked. Go ahead and talk to the lady who leads Volcano Manor in Elden Ring. I don’t actually know her name (I must’ve skipped the dialogue), so let’s just call her Lady Volka.
She asks if you wish to join Volcano Manor. You can decline, but that doesn’t really do anything, as far as I know, and she’ll make the offer again anytime you talk to her. If you accept, she’ll hand you the Drawing Room Key.
The Volcano Manor NPCs and Recusant Finger in Elden Ring
The Drawing Room key can be used to open most of the doors on the ground floor of Volcano Manor. This includes the first room to your right which has a Perfume Bottle (make a mental note of this room).
Next, open the two doors to the left to find several characters. One of them is Diallos, the fella from Roundtable Hall who’s looking for Lanya. The other is Recusant Bernahl… which is odd since that’s also the name of the guy in the Warmaster’s Shack.
In any case, you can pick up the Recusant Finger that’s on the table. This gives you the ability to invade another player’s realm, provided that they’re either playing co-op or looking for a duel.
Target #1: Old Knight Istvan
You’ll also receive the Letter from Volcano Manor. Read it via your inventory and it tells you of an NPC target named Old Knight Istvan. A red marker on your map will appear at the colosseum in Limgrave.
Travel there and interact with the red sign. This transports you to Istvan’s world where he’ll bombard the Loyalist Space Marines immediately charge you. His blows can be easily countered, but watch out for the Gravity Well that will pull you in.
After killing him, you’ll receive a Rune Arc, a Furlcalling Finger Remedy, and the full Scaled Armor set. You can also return to Volcano Manor and speak to Lady Volka to receive the Magma Shot Sorcery spell. Moreover, if you talk to Recusant Bernahl — who does sell the same wares as Knight Bernahl — you’ll see two additional Ashes of War: Eruption and Assassin’s Gambit.
Should you progress the main objective?
If you go to the hallway, you’ll see a ghost that’s kneeling down. He tells you that you have to slay Rykard the Lord of Blasphemy, and that he’s left a weapon that can destroy him. Likewise, the maid in the study tells you that she’s hearing sounds coming from the walls.
Remember that room with the Perfumed Bottle? If you go back there, you can interact with the cabinet to reveal a hidden passageway. This is the start of the Volcano Manor Legacy Dungeon in Elden Ring. However, I should warn you to hold off before killing Rykard. I’ll add more details toward the end of this guide since there are some minor spoilers.
Target #2: Great Horned Targoth
Go back to the entrance to see a familiar face. It’s none other than Patches, the same fella from Murkwater Cave. He’ll give you a letter showing your next target.
Your opponent, Great Horned Targoth, can be found in the lair where you fought Magma Wyrm Makar in the Ruin-Strewn Precipice. His attacks are fairly slow, but they pack a punch. He also has a crossbow which is easily avoided.
Defeating him yields another Rune Arc and a Furlcalling Finger Remedy, as well as the full Bull-Goat Armor set. Likewise, when you talk to Patches, he’ll say that you should come back later for a reward. Fast travel and do something else and, once you return, he’ll hand over the Magma Whip Candlestick.
Target #3: Rileigh the Idle
Go back to the study room where the NPCs are and you can get a Letter from Volcano Manor. This time, your foe is Rileigh the Idle who’s hiding in the ravine leading to the Shaded Castle.
Rileigh will give the same loot as the two previous targets, as well as 20x Black-Key Bolts and Crepus’ Vial, a talisman that eliminates all the sound made by the wearer during movement. I’m not sure if it actually works since I still get detected by mobs.
Note: There are minor spoilers after the image below.
Spoiler time: What happens if you kill Rykard the Lord of Blasphemy?
Unfortunately, my participation in the Volcano Manor Invader missions in Elden Ring ended abruptly after killing Rykard, the main boss in this region. Here’s what happened:
- Lady Volka admitted that their lord was weak. She tells you that this is goodbye, though you’ll next see her kneeling over Rykard’s corpse if you go back to the arena. She will not provide additional missions or rewards.
- Rykard was already dead by the time I killed the third target, Rileigh the Idle, so I’m not sure if I’m supposed to get additional loot from NPCs.
- Patches, Diallos, the maid, and Recusant Bernahl all ran off elsewhere.
- I didn’t receive new letters/missions.
Long story short, try to complete all the Volcano Manor Invader missions in Elden Ring before you kill Rykard. I’ve been told by another writer that there are five, but there might be more, too. Regardless, it seems that killing Rykard ends that entire chain. If you do progress further, let me know about the rewards and goodies that you’ve obtained.
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