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Locationmajor

Forge of the Giants

Forge of the Giants is the final landmark in the Mountaintops of the Giants and the point where Elden Ring’s main route leaves the overworld.

Importancemajor

Key takeaways

  • The Forge of the Giants is a landmark within Flame Peak, itself a subregion of the Mountaintops of the Giants, not a synonym for the entire region.
  • You normally reach it from the Foot of the Forge Site of Grace after defeating the Fire Giant.
  • The forge contains one relevant Site of Grace Forge of the Giants.
  • Resting at that Grace and selecting the story option advances the game to Crumbling Farum Azula.
  • If you have not accepted the Frenzied Flame, Melina can serve as the kindling If you have inherited the Frenzied Flame, the Tarnished takes that role instead.
  • Several side quests and NPC states can be affected by burning the Erdtree, so finish any desired pre-Farum Azula conversations and missable steps before committing.

About this guide

Base game location guide Scope note: The Forge of the Giants is a single late-game landmark and Site of Grace, not the whole Mountaintops of the Giants region. This guide therefore covers the forge itself, its immediate approach, its story function, and its direct connections. The wider Mountaintops region, including Castle Sol, the Consecrated Snowfield, Spiritcaller’s Cave and the Fire Giant’s arena, is treated as neighbouring content rather than silently folded into the forge.

Overview

The Forge of the Giants is the great black cauldron at the eastern summit of the Mountaintops of the Giants. In the base game, it is one of Elden Ring’s most important transition points. The location contains little optional exploration, no conventional settlement and no shop, but it marks the end of the Mountaintops’ main route and the beginning of the game’s final sequence of regions.

The forge becomes accessible only after the Tarnished defeats the Fire Giant at the Foot of the Forge. Once the player reaches the Site of Grace on the forge’s rim, resting there allows the main story to continue. Melina appears if the relevant conditions are met, and the player’s choice determines who provides the kindling for the Flame of Ruin. The resulting scene transports the Tarnished to Crumbling Farum Azula.

The area is deliberately compact. Its importance lies less in objects to collect than in the irreversible progression state it can create.

Boundaries and hierarchy

The location is best understood through the game’s location hierarchy:

The wider Mountaintops of the Giants includes western and eastern mountain areas, the Forbidden Lands route and, depending on the guide’s organisational system, the Consecrated Snowfield as a related late-game subregion. The forge itself is only the summit landmark at the end of the Flame Peak route.

Neighbouring but separate locations

The distinction matters because the Fire Giant is associated with the approach to the forge, but is not a resident or boss inside the forge itself.

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Boundaries and hierarchy

Neighbouring but separate locations

NameDetails
Foot of the Forgethe area and boss arena where the Fire Giant is fought
Church of Reposea separate church in the eastern Mountaintops
Fire Giantthe boss encountered before entering the forge
Crumbling Farum Azulathe destination after the forge event, not part of the forge
Mountaintops of the Giantsthe larger region containing all of the above mountain routes

Geography and appearance

The forge is an enormous, dark metal cauldron built on a high summit. Its outer rim overlooks the surrounding frozen peaks, while the central basin contains the imprisoned Flame of Ruin. The structure is reached by crossing massive chains that connect the summit to the surrounding mountain route.

The forge’s scale is intentionally disproportionate to the player character. It is not presented as a workshop with rooms, furnaces and conventional equipment. Instead, it functions as a monumental ritual structure and a surviving piece of the giants’ civilisation. The black stone supports and circular bowl-like design make it visually distinct from the ordinary ruins scattered across the Mountaintops.

Nearby but separate named places

There are no verified residential quarters, shops, inns, houses or enterable buildings at the forge. The apparent structure is the forge itself, and the game uses it as a landmark and story stage rather than as a conventional dungeon.

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Named places within scope

Nearby but separate named places

Access and route

Requirements

In a normal story progression route, you need to:

The forge is reached from the Foot of the Forge Site of Grace. From there, head east across the large chain bridge, continue up the slope and follow the second chain leading towards the cauldron. Guides warn against dropping into the centre of the forge, as the fall is fatal rather than an alternative route.

Practical route

The route is short once the Fire Giant is dead. The main danger is not navigation but accidentally proceeding before finishing pre-burning tasks elsewhere.

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Requirements

  1. 01
    Defeat Morgott, the Omen King in Leyndell.
  2. 02
    Receive the Rold Medallion from Melina.
  3. 03
    Use the Grand Lift of Rold to enter the Mountaintops of the Giants.
  4. 04
    Travel through the mountain region to the eastern route.
  5. 05
    Reach the Foot of the Forge.
  6. 06
    Defeat the Fire Giant.
  7. 07
    Cross the chains to the forge.
  8. 08
    Activate and rest at the Forge of the Giants Site of Grace.

Practical route

  1. 01
    Begin at Foot of the Forge after the Fire Giant has been defeated.
  2. 02
    Face the giant cauldron and cross the chain leading towards the summit.
  3. 03
    Follow the outer path rather than attempting to descend into the bowl.
  4. 04
    Circle around the rim until you find the Grace.
  5. 05
    Activate Forge of the Giants.
  6. 06
    Spend runes, change equipment or prepare for the next region before resting.
  7. 07
    Select the available dialogue or story option.

The Forge of the Giants Site of Grace

The Site of Grace sits on the outer lip of the forge. It is the location’s only confirmed checkpoint and the trigger point for the next story event.

Melina appears at this Grace after the Fire Giant has been defeated, provided the player has not already caused her relevant departure through the Frenzied Flame progression. The dialogue option commonly appears as a choice to tell her that the player is ready to proceed.

Directory: facilities and checkpoints

No merchant, blacksmith, cookbook seller, map stele, summon pool or conventional service has been verified at the forge itself.

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Main activity: lighting the Flame of Ruin

The forge’s central activity is not a conventional quest with several objectives. It is a single major story decision.

Standard progression

If the player has not inherited the Frenzied Flame:

In this route, Melina acts as the kindling. The forge’s flame is used to burn the Erdtree’s protective barrier, enabling the story to move towards the endgame.

Frenzied Flame route

If the Tarnished has inherited the Frenzied Flame from the Three Fingers before the forge sequence, the progression changes. Melina will no longer perform the sacrifice in the normal way. Instead, the Tarnished uses the Frenzied Flame as kindling.

This preserves Melina’s life at the forge, but it also changes her relationship with the player and contributes to the Lord of Frenzied Flame route. The exact menu wording can differ depending on the state of the quest, but the key distinction is whether the player has already accepted the Three Fingers’ flame.

Can the decision be reversed?

The Forge of the Giants event itself should be treated as a major progression threshold. Once the world has advanced into the post-burning sequence, many NPC positions, dialogues and quest stages change. The player should not assume that returning to the forge or resting at an earlier Grace will restore the previous state.

The Frenzied Flame is a separate issue. A player who has inherited it can later remove its ending lock with Miquella’s Needle through the relevant late-game procedure, but that does not restore every earlier Melina interaction.

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Standard progression

  1. 01
    Defeat the Fire Giant.
  2. 02
    Reach the Forge of the Giants Site of Grace.
  3. 03
    Rest.
  4. 04
    Speak with Melina.
  5. 05
    Choose the option indicating readiness to proceed.
  6. 06
    Watch the burning-the-Erdtree sequence.
  7. 07
    Continue in Crumbling Farum Azula.

About this guide

Major spoiler section

Spoiler warning: progression consequencesSpoilers

Burning the Erdtree at the Forge of the Giants begins the route into Crumbling Farum Azula. After further progression there, Leyndell changes into its endgame state. This can affect NPC questlines, dialogue, locations and available rewards.

Before using the forge, consider checking the following:

A particularly important distinction is that accepting the Frenzied Flame before the Forge of the Giants can make Melina leave permanently from her normal role, while proceeding normally allows her to complete her intended sacrifice.

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Residents, characters and factions

The forge has almost no permanent population.

Factions

No faction maintains a visible settlement, garrison or administrative presence at the forge. Its historical associations are with:

The forge is therefore better read as a contested historical monument than as territory actively governed by a present-day faction.

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Bosses and enemies

There is no separate boss encounter inside the Forge of the Giants landmark.

Fire Giant

The Fire Giant is the required boss immediately before the forge. His arena is located at the Foot of the Forge, which is a separate location. Defeating him grants the Remembrance of the Fire Giant, which can be consumed for runes or exchanged with Finger Reader Enia for one of two rewards:

The Fire Giant is described as a survivor of the war against the giants, cursed by Marika to tend the undying flame.

Enemies inside the forge

No ordinary enemy group or random encounter has been verified on the forge’s final rim once the player reaches the Site of Grace. The danger is concentrated on the route through the eastern Mountaintops and in the separate Fire Giant encounter.

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Fire Giant

Remembrance optionResult
Consume the Remembrance30,000 runes
Trade for Giant’s Red BraidGreatbow-shaped whip weapon
Trade for Burn, O Flame!Fire Giant incantation

Items and collectibles

The Forge of the Giants is not a loot-heavy area. Its main rewards are progression rewards rather than scattered pickups.

Verified location-linked entries

The Remembrance should not be listed as a pickup inside the forge. It is awarded for defeating the Fire Giant at the Foot of the Forge.

There is no verified merchant inventory, chest collection or unique field item associated with the forge rim itself.

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Hazards and secrets

Do not drop into the centre

The central bowl is not a hidden lower level. Attempting to jump down into it kills the player. Use the outer rim and the available chain route instead.

The real secret is progression timing

The forge contains few physical secrets, but it has substantial narrative consequences. The most important preparation is not searching the summit for loot. It is deciding whether to:

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Lore and historical significance

The Forge of the Giants preserves the Flame of Ruin, the fire that Marika’s forces could not extinguish after defeating the giants. The remaining Fire Giant was cursed to guard or tend the flame for eternity. This gives the site a dual role: it is both a monument to the defeat of the giants and the surviving source of the power capable of burning the Erdtree.

The location also expresses one of Elden Ring’s central historical reversals. The Golden Order’s power depends upon the Erdtree, yet the Tarnished must use an older and supposedly defeated power, the giants’ flame, to overcome the Erdtree’s refusal to admit the player. The forge therefore represents a remnant of a conquered age that becomes essential to the next stage of the story.

The Fire Giant’s Remembrance reinforces this history. Its description presents him as the last survivor of the war against the giants and links his punishment directly to the fact that the forge’s flames could never be fully extinguished.

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Recommended exploration checklist

Before committing

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Sources