Quick Links
Those who’ve made their way up Elden Ring’s treacherous Mt. Gelmir may have been met with an unexpected conundrum; after speaking with Tanith, the apparent matriarch of Volcano Manor, she asks the player to join her in defiance of the Erdtree. This goes against the wishes of the Two Fingers and the Greater Will, entities the player had hitherto been serving. However, refusing Tanith’s request seemingly blocks players from accessing the rest of Volcano Manor. With little to go on, it's hard for players to tell what the ramifications of this decision may be and how they may impact the endgame of Elden Ring.
There are three paths from which players looking to explore Volcano Manor and challenge Rykard Lord of Blasphemy may choose. While they vary wildly in length and difficulty, they culminate in the same result, and none of them seem to have an indelible impact on Elden Ring’s late-game or its multiple endings.
Option 1: Join Volcano Manor And Complete Tanith’s Questline
Accepting Tanith’s offer and completing her questline likely represents the path of least resistance for those pursuing Rykard, though it shouldn't be pursued by most players, as it requires gamers to explore a late-game area to which they will likely not yet have been.
Begin by speaking with Tanith and vowing to join Volcano Manor. This can be done even after initially refusing her quest. Tanith follows the doctrine of Rykard, who despises the Golden Order and strives to destroy all Tarnished who seek to gain the throne and restore it.
As a result, she’ll surreptitiously task the player with hunting down and killing other Tarnished NPCs, of which there are three in total. Though the quest requires invading others, at no point does this questline necessitate enabling Elden Ring's PvP elements.
After speaking with Tanith, head to the drawing room, which is down a nearby hall to the left. There, players will encounter two NPCs and find a letter sitting on a table. This letter will guide players to their first target, Old Knight Istivan, who can be found in Limgrave and is easily felled.
Then, after returning to Volcano Manor, speak with Tanith once again and find a new letter, this time instructing players to head to a passage in Atlus Plateau which leads to the Shaded Castle to take out Rileigh the Idle.
After that’s done, return to Tanith, and then find a final letter in the Drawing Room. However, players can get a second letter from Bernahl, the churlish NPC seen sitting in a chair. This will outline two separate targets, and accomplishing this task will award players the Raging Wolf set and the Gelmir’s Fury Sorcery, one of Elden Ring's most intimidating sorceries.
Tanith’s third target, unfortunately, is located in the Mountaintops of the Giants, which is only accessed in the late game. Once that’s done, Tanith will allow players to see Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy.
Option 2: Join And Journey Through Volcano Manor
While progressing through Tanith’s questline grants players access to the legacy dungeon’s final boss, it also allows them to skip just about everything else in Volcano Manor. Those looking to explore the place for themselves must first join Tanith and then use her key to open the first door on the right in the nearby hallway.
In this room, an illusory wall can be found in the far-right corner. Though not overly long, Volcano Manor can certainly be a bit of a slog, and players may want to equip talismans and bring items that can negate poison and fire damage. It also mandates an extra boss fight against the notoriously-frustrating Godskin Noble.
Option 3: Raya Lucaria Abduction
While those who arrive at Volcano Manor this way will likely do so by accident, it’s a perfectly legitimate way to sneak into the dungeon without agreeing to join Tanith. Enter Raya Lucaria Academy and journey to a massive water wheel, which can be found after surviving an initial gauntlet of Noble Sorcerers and Noble Zombies.
Here, while the typical path leads upward, descend to come up against an Abductor Virgin, a powerful variant of the Iron Virgin, one of Elden Ring’s most terrifying enemies, which has actually been crafted to resemble Tanith.
Once here, the player must allow themselves to be captured by the Abductor Virgin’s grab attack. In a weird parallel to Bloodborne’s Yahar’gul, Unseen Village, players will be taken to the pits of Volcano Manor. This method of entrance necessitates yet another boss fight against the Abductor Virgins, but it will allow players to explore the entirety of one of Elden Ring's six core legacy dungeons without ever interacting with Tanith or even scaling Mt. Gelmir.
Should You Join Volcano Manor?
Ultimately, it’s up to the player, as each of the three methods of reaching The God-Devouring Serpent and its blasphemous alternate form come with their own positives and negatives. Those who’ve already journeyed to the Mountaintops of the Giants won’t have any trouble tracking down Tanith’s three targets, so that may be the most suitable option for those who’ve put off Volcano Manor.
However, players eager to journey through the mysterious legacy dungeon may opt for the illusory wall entrance. It allows players to explore almost all of Volcano Manor without pursuing any NPC questlines.
Alternatively, those particularly eager to take on the dungeon’s many horrors while potentially underleveled can do so via the Abductor Virgin. However, this probably isn’t an ideal option for new players.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.