Ancestral Woods

Siofra River

The large underground region beneath eastern Limgrave. The player initially reaches it through the Siofra River Well in Mistwood.

Nokron, Eternal City

The upper underground city opened after Starscourge Radahn’s defeat. The city contains several distinct named areas and Site of Grace locations.

Ancestral Woods

The open forest north and north-west of the Mimic Tear district. It contains the Ancestral Woods Site of Grace, scattered ritual flames, Ancestral Follower camps and the route to Hallowhorn Grounds.

Hallowhorn Grounds (North)

The ruined ceremonial structure at the northern end of the forest. It contains the horned remains used to enter the Regal Ancestor Spirit encounter. It is best treated as a landmark within the Ancestral Woods route rather than as a separate major region.

Sunken Ruins

An unmarked, partially submerged ruin complex beneath the north-western cliffs. It is reached through careful platforming from the forest’s upper ledges. It is a sub-area of the Ancestral Woods route, not the whole forest. Game8 identifies it as the area’s principal optional platforming section.

Separate neighbouring areas

The following places should not be merged into Ancestral Woods:

The two Ancestor encounters are therefore distinct. The lower Siofra River contains Ancestor Spirit, while Ancestral Woods contains the stronger Regal Ancestor Spirit.

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Adjacent, excluded locations

The last group is included for boundary clarity only. They are connected destinations, not subdivisions of Ancestral Woods.

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Reaching Nokron

You cannot reach Ancestral Woods at the beginning of the game. First defeat Starscourge Radahn in Caelid. A falling star then creates a crater in southern Limgrave, near Fort Haight. Entering the crater leads into Nokron.

Proceed through Nokron until you defeat the Mimic Tear. Beyond the Mimic Tear arena, cross the bridge and continue into the blue-lit forest. The first Site of Grace in the area is Ancestral Woods.

To Night’s Sacred Ground

From the Ancestral Woods Site of Grace, look south towards the large rooftops below. Jump across the rooftops and descend into the separate Night’s Sacred Ground district. This route eventually leads to the Mimic Tear Ashes, Black Whetblade, Fingerslayer Blade and other loot. Night’s Sacred Ground is also a major step in Ranni’s quest.

Do not expect the forest itself to provide a conventional doorway. The connection is an environmental route over and down through Nokron’s architecture.

To Hallowhorn Grounds

From the Ancestral Woods Site of Grace, travel north. The ceremonial structure stands at the end of the forest route. The remains at the rear are inactive until all six flames have been lit.

To the Sunken Ruins

This is a precision platforming route. Torrent is not available in Nokron, so use short controlled jumps rather than long running leaps.

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Ancestral Followers

The Ancestral Followers are the dominant population of Ancestral Woods. Their equipment and behaviour distinguish several battlefield roles:

The followers are associated with a religious tradition that predates or rejects the Erdtree’s central authority. Their clothing, horn imagery and ritual behaviour connect them to the Ancestral Spirits. They also provide some of the area’s best environmental storytelling. They stand beside the ritual flames, gather near horned remains and coexist with the forest’s animals.

Other ordinary enemies

The Red Wolf is a roaming mini-boss-style encounter rather than the area’s main boss. It uses sorceries associated with the Red Wolf of Radagon fought in Raya Lucaria and may be accompanied by wolves. Game8 specifically lists this encounter as an optional fight within the forest.

Enemy directory

Some enemy variants may be described differently by different guides or database taxonomies. The important practical distinction is between ordinary followers, shamans, archers and the roaming Red Wolf.

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Practical flame route

The exact order is flexible, but this route reduces backtracking:

There are six flames for this Regal Ancestor encounter. Do not confuse them with the separate flame ritual for the Ancestor Spirit in lower Siofra River.

Regal Ancestor Spirit

The Regal Ancestor Spirit is a spectral stag that can fly, leap and recover health by absorbing nearby animal spirits. It is optional, but defeating it awards:

The remembrance can be exchanged for unique rewards, including the Winged Greathorn and Ancestral Spirit’s Horn, depending on the chosen remembrance exchange. The boss is vulnerable to several conventional damage types but has notable resistance to bleed and other status-focused approaches. Spirit Ashes and co-operative play are available.

Boss preparation

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Fixed or placed loot

The following items are associated with the Ancestral Woods route or its immediate ruins:

A Celestial Dew is found on a corpse in the ruins overlooking the lower part of Nokron. It is used at the Church of Vows to restore relations with angered NPCs, although it cannot revive murdered characters.

The Sunken Ruins and surrounding Nokron platforming section contain additional fixed treasure, but several online guides group these together with the adjacent Night’s Sacred Ground route. For that reason, the following major items should be attributed to nearby Nokron, not automatically to Ancestral Woods itself:

These are found in the broader Nokron complex, especially Night’s Sacred Ground and the city approach.

Enemy drops

Ancestral Followers can drop pieces of their equipment, including the Shining Horned Headband and other parts of the Ancestral Follower or Shaman equipment. These are random drops, so killing every follower once does not guarantee a full set. The Shining Horned Headband is associated with Ancestral Woods farming.

Boss rewards

Because item databases differ in whether they assign the forest’s edge, Sunken Ruins and adjacent rooftops to Ancestral Woods or Night’s Sacred Ground, exact corpse-by-corpse attribution remains a boundary issue. The major fixed rewards should be checked against an in-game map while exploring rather than assumed from a broad Nokron checklist.

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Ranni’s quest

Ancestral Woods is not where the Fingerslayer Blade is found, but it is the access point for the rooftop route to Night’s Sacred Ground. The blade is required to advance Ranni’s quest. After obtaining it, return to Ranni at Ranni’s Rise. Progress then opens later stages of the quest, including access to Renna’s Rise.

Siofra River

The forest is thematically connected to the lower Siofra River, where the player first encounters Ancestral Followers, Hallowhorn structures and the separate Ancestor Spirit boss. The two areas use related architecture and rituals, but they are different progression states and should not be merged.

Night’s Sacred Ground

This is the most important neighbouring area. It can be reached from the forest’s southern rooftops and contains both quest-critical and high-value optional loot. It is also a more urban, architectural district, in contrast to the forested Ancestral Woods.

Siofra Aqueduct

The aqueduct lies beyond Nokron and eventually leads to the Valiant Gargoyles. It is not part of Ancestral Woods, though Nokron’s paths can make the whole underground city seem like one continuous area.

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The forest’s peaceful wildlife is misleading

Deer and other animals are not normally aggressive, but they are part of the Regal Ancestor Spirit’s healing and attack mechanics. During the boss fight, nearby spirits can become resources for the boss.

Shamans are dangerous at range

The singing Ancestral Followers are easy to overlook because they often stand at a distance or beside environmental objects. Their ranged attacks can stagger a player who is concentrating on melee warriors. Kill shamans first or use the terrain to block their line of sight.

The Sunken Ruins are a fall hazard

The ruin route contains narrow ledges and awkward drops. The most common mistake is jumping too far from the upper cliff rather than dropping onto the first visible column. Approach the platforming section from the side and use the broadest surfaces first.

Nearby loot is often mislabelled

A guide may call an item “Ancestral Woods loot” simply because the Ancestral Woods Site of Grace is the nearest checkpoint. This is particularly common with Night’s Sacred Ground treasure. Treat the following as separate:

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