As the final open-world region that players get to unlock in Elden Ring, some fairly heavy expectations are placed on the Mountaintops of the Giants. There's also the fact that the drawn size of the whole map takes up more or less half of the Lands Between. Size-wise, it's a little disappointing since the actual playable area is a lot smaller than the map's drawing.
But from an artistic perspective, the Mountaintops of the Giants is one of the most lore-heavy wonderlands in Elden Ring. It encapsulates FromSoftware's show-don't-tell storytelling and design philosophy. As such, the sights and locales of the Mountaintops of the Giants are a treat. These areas contained in the region best exemplify this quality.
7 Grand Lift Of Rold
The Grand Lift of Rold is the gateway to the Mountaintops of the Giants region and this is where Elden Ring's multilayered level design shines bright. If players get their hands on a special pair of medallions, they can unlock a secret area that's directly connected (and visible) from the Mountaintops of the Giants region.
Of course, the lift itself is impressive. It's a massive ancient machine seemingly guarded by two giant statues and is only activated through magic. It's similar to the Grand Lift of Dectus, but the mood and lighting are gloomier and darker; this acts as a precedent of what players can expect in this old and forgotten region.
6 Graveyard Plateau
At first glance, the Graveyard Plateau might look like a respite for the players since it's a wide, open, and flat area with little to no pitfalls. Then the corpses start moving and it turns out the whole place is one huge graveyard for fallen soldiers. The area stretches across the northern quarter of the map almost as long as the frozen river.
It would've been a calm but spooky graveyard field trip were it not for the skeletons that keep respawning. In any case, it's a good area to explore as players will mostly be frantically running away from this place due to the number of enemies, leading to a lot of missed secrets.
5 Castle Sol
Castle Sol is a little too drab compared to the earlier castles in the game but it has its own lore that makes its existence somber and tragic. It's home to an army of no nation led by Commander Niall. Niall was presumably a veteran of countless wars including the Shattering. He likely became weary of being used as a pawn by the demigods so he set up a sanctuary for disenfranchised knights and prisoners of war.
Commander Niall sought these knights and prisoners of war and even offered some of his most valuable possessions just to buy their freedom. Thus, Castle Sol became their home away from the wars being waged by the power-hungry demigods. This also explains why there are numerous spirits of Banished Knights, as Commander Niall also took in the spirits of dead warriors and provided them a home.
4 First Church Of Marika
Churches of Marika are scattered throughout the Lands Between and are often named as second, third, or fourth churches. Players might have been wondering where the first church was founded. That would be by the edge of the Frozen Lake in the Mountaintops of the Giants. It is there Marika decided to spread her influence and grace.
This makes the First Church of Marika a historic site and of course, a location for the final Sacred Tear to upgrade the Flask. It also helps that the place has one of the clearest skies in the game and the moon can be seen in its brilliant splendor, making it a perfect spot for photoshoots and many other fun in-game activities that don't involve violence.
3 Heretical Rise
There is a tower called Heretical Rise near the middle of the Mountaintops of the Giants that seem inaccessible with no entrance in sight. But if players are curious enough, they'll soon discover that Heretical Rise has a back entrance connected to an invisible bridge extending from the plateau with graveyards. Thus, this area is a gentle reminder from the game saying it rewards exploration and lateral thinking.
The tower itself is nothing special — even the reward can be underwhelming for non-magic characters. But the blind and unaided journey to get there is one of the tensest and most risky endeavors in Elden Ring. Because the invisible bridge is quite long and forks out unexpectedly. Players are, of course, expected to play a guessing game to see where their steps take them.
2 Narrow Bridge
The bridges in the Mountaintops of the Giants are some of the most creative environmental quirks that FromSoftware has come up with for Elden Ring. Because there's only one normal bridge here, everything else is a makeshift structure that can barely be crossed by regular beings. A couple of chain bridges stand out, but they don't hold a candle to the notoriety of the long narrow ruined stone bridge.
It's the one with the golem archer at the other end. This is Anor Londo Archers 2.0 as the giant golem insists on making that bridge crossing as exciting as possible with its giant arrows. To make things more fun, the developers also sprinkled on some items to be picked up, ensuring that players turn themselves into sitting ducks trying to collect every dropped item on the bridge while being sniped by a giant.
1 Forge Of The Giants
Speaking of giants, there's actually only one in the Mountaintops of the Giants. That would be the Fire Giant as everyone else of its kind are dead. But that didn't stop the Fire Giant from guarding their most valued treasure: the gigantic Force of the Giants. This gargantuan bowl, which also looks like an upside-down kiln, is the stuff of legends.
The size is biblical and puts things in perspective; players are mere ants walking in a world of giants, in case the Erdtree didn't imply that idea already. While there's not much to do in the Forge itself, the backdrop is a picturesque escapade that will surely yield some inspiring photoshoots. Just don't jump down the bowl, anything that goes in there becomes part of the eternal chili con carne.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.