Key takeaways
- There are two Hallowhorn Grounds locations, not one South for Ancestor Spirit and North for Regal Ancestor Spirit.
- The South site is reached through the Siofra River Well in Mistwood and requires eight lit beacons.
- The North site lies in the upper Siofra/Nokron region and requires six lit beacons.
- The South boss awards Ancestral Follower Ashes; the North boss awards the Remembrance of the Regal Ancestor.
- The locations are optional Neither boss is required to complete the base-game main path.
- The North site is tied geographically to Ancestral Woods, Night’s Sacred Ground and the route through Nokron, while the South site belongs to the lower Siofra River expedition.
About this guide
Scope: Elden Ring base game, including both locations named Hallowhorn Grounds (South) and Hallowhorn Grounds (North). Status: Research-backed guide draft. The two boss arenas and their beacon puzzles are well established, but the available sources do not provide a reliable, independently verified, item-by-item directory for every minor pickup, decorative ruin and enemy placement. Those omissions are identified rather than guessed.
Overview
Hallowhorn Grounds is not one continuous dungeon. The name refers to two related ruined ceremonial sites in the underground regions beneath Limgrave:
Both places are ancient horned-animal sanctuaries associated with the Ancestral Followers. Each contains a large set of horned remains. Interacting with the remains only becomes possible after the required beacons have been lit. The interaction transports the player to a separate spiritual arena for an optional boss encounter.
The two locations are easy to confuse because they share a name, visual design and activation method. They are nevertheless separate areas with different approaches, different beacon counts, different bosses and different rewards.
At a glance
The North location is described as a minor dungeon in Siofra River, north-east of the Ancestral Woods Site of Grace. The South location is a separate ruined structure in the south-eastern lower Siofra region, reached from the Siofra River area beneath Limgrave.
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At a glance
| Feature | Hallowhorn Grounds (South) | Hallowhorn Grounds (North) |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Siofra River | Upper Siofra River, associated with Nokron |
| General position | South-eastern part of the lower Siofra area | North-east of Ancestral Woods |
| Main approach | Siofra River Well in Limgrave | Progress through Nokron after opening its route |
| Beacon requirement | Eight | Six |
| Boss | Ancestor Spirit | Regal Ancestor Spirit |
| Main reward | Ancestral Follower Ashes | Remembrance of the Regal Ancestor |
| Nearby grace or route | Siofra River Bank and Worshippers’ Woods area | Ancestral Woods |
| Optional? | Yes | Yes |
| Separate from the other site? | Yes | Yes |
What the name includes
For this guide, Hallowhorn Grounds means the two named structures and their immediate beacon fields:
Hallowhorn Grounds (South)
This is the lower site reached during the initial Siofra River exploration. Its surrounding outdoor area includes the beacon pillars spread through the Worshippers’ Woods region. The ruined building itself contains the horned remains that serve as the boss trigger.
Hallowhorn Grounds (North)
This is the higher and later site reached around the upper Siofra and Nokron routes. Its six beacons are distributed around the surrounding Ancestral Woods and nearby ruins. The structure contains the remains used to begin the Regal Ancestor Spirit encounter.
What should not be folded into the location
The following are neighbouring or connected areas, but should not be treated as sections of Hallowhorn Grounds itself:
The two Hallowhorn sites act as entry points to their boss encounters, but the spiritual arenas are not ordinary explorable portions of the ruined structures.
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Both sites are built around broad stone stairways, ruined walls, pillars and a large animal carcass or skeletal body placed at the far end of the ceremonial approach. The architecture fits the ancient underground cultures seen throughout Siofra and Nokron rather than the Golden Order buildings found above ground.
Their strongest visual feature is the relationship between death and new growth. The Ancestor Spirits resemble enormous, emaciated deer or stags, with exposed ribs, large antlers and strange signs of vegetation or budding life. The item and remembrance descriptions connect these spirits with a cycle in which life emerges from death and exists outside the Erdtree’s normal order.
The surrounding Ancestral Followers reinforce that theme. Their horned headdresses imitate the appearance of the spirits, while their presence around the ruins suggests that the Hallowhorn Grounds are not abandoned tombs in the ordinary sense. They are ceremonial places maintained or guarded by a surviving underground culture.
What should not be folded into the location
Named geographical directory
Nearby connected areas
The sources consistently distinguish the northern and southern sites, although some general location lists use “Hallowhorn Grounds” without a directional suffix. When using a map or walkthrough, check which boss is intended before following beacon instructions.
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Core sites
Nearby connected areas
Reaching the South site
The southern site is the earlier of the two in terms of access.
Route from Limgrave
The Siofra River Well provides the main transition from the surface into this underground region. The lower area has its own map and a wide open subterranean landscape rather than a conventional corridor dungeon.
Route from Limgrave
- 01Travel into Mistwood in eastern Limgrave.
- 02Find the large elevator structure known as the Siofra River Well.
- 03Use the lift to descend into the underground Siofra River.
- 04Explore the lower Siofra region until reaching the riverbank and surrounding woods.
- 05Locate the Hallowhorn Grounds structure on the south-eastern side of the area.
- 06Light all eight beacons in the surrounding field.
- 07Return to the horned remains and choose the interaction prompt.
Reaching the North site
The northern site is normally approached after entering Nokron, Eternal City.
The northern location is described as lying north-east of the Ancestral Woods Site of Grace.
Important progression distinction
The two locations do not share a single beacon puzzle. Lighting the eight southern beacons does not activate the northern remains, and lighting the six northern beacons does not activate the southern remains.
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A typical progression is
- 01Defeat Starscourge Radahn in Caelid.
- 02Enter the crater that appears south of Mistwood.
- 03Progress through Nokron until reaching the upper route around Ancestral Woods.
- 04Use the surrounding ruins and elevated paths to reach the northern Hallowhorn Grounds.
- 05Light the six beacons scattered around the area.
- 06Return to the northern horned remains.
- 07Touch the remains to enter the Regal Ancestor Spirit encounter.
Note
“Power gathers somewhere in horned remains.”
South: eight beacons
The South site requires eight beacons to be lit. They are spread through the surrounding Siofra landscape, particularly around the Worshippers’ Woods area. Each activated beacon corresponds to a flame on the ceremonial structure.
Once all eight are lit, the game displays the message:
The body at the end of the ruins then becomes active, allowing the player to touch it and begin the Ancestor Spirit encounter.
Practical South route
A safe approach is to work around the outer edge of the area rather than crossing its centre repeatedly:
The main danger is not the puzzle itself but the open terrain. Enemies can interrupt the player while a beacon is being activated, and the wide area makes it easy to overlook a pillar.
Practical South route
- 01Begin from the Siofra River Bank or another convenient nearby grace.
- 02Sweep the beacon locations around the woods and riverbank.
- 03Deal with ranged threats before interacting with a beacon.
- 04Keep the Torrent route available for rapid movement between pillars.
- 05After the eighth flame is lit, return to the Hallowhorn Grounds staircase.
- 06Interact with the remains and prepare for the boss.
North: six beacons
The North site requires six beacons, fewer than the southern puzzle. The flames are scattered through the upper Siofra and Ancestral Woods area.
The northern puzzle is easier to confuse with surrounding Nokron exploration because it is situated among elevated ruins, cliffs and routes leading towards Night’s Sacred Ground. The northern Hallowhorn Grounds should be treated as a separate optional objective rather than as the central route through Nokron.
Game8 identifies the site as being north-east of Ancestral Woods and confirms the six-tower requirement for the Regal Ancestor Spirit.
Practical North route
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Practical North route
- 01Activate the Ancestral Woods Site of Grace.
- 02Explore the surrounding upper Siofra paths before committing to the boss.
- 03Light the six beacons, checking elevated ledges and ruin approaches carefully.
- 04Return to the northern ceremonial structure.
- 05Touch the remains once the activation message appears.
- 06Enter the arena with a full supply of healing and enough FP or stamina for a prolonged fight.
Ancestral Followers
The principal ordinary inhabitants associated with the two locations are the Ancestral Followers. They are not ordinary human soldiers of the surface kingdoms. Their weapons, horned clothing and presence around the ruins identify them as members of the underground culture that reveres the Ancestor Spirits.
The northern site is specifically described as being guarded by Ancestral Followers.
Ordinary enemies
The exact enemy arrangement varies by which part of the surrounding Siofra or Nokron route the player is traversing. The available evidence confirms Ancestral Followers around the Hallowhorn locations, but it is not sufficient to claim a complete enemy census for every approach, ledge and neighbouring ruin.
Verified enemy or combatant names directly associated with the Hallowhorn Grounds material include:
The shamans and singing or ritual-focused followers are especially relevant to the atmosphere of the northern area, but the sources reviewed do not establish a complete placement list for every individual variant. The directory should therefore not be read as an exhaustive spawn table.
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Ordinary enemies
Ancestor Spirit
The Ancestor Spirit is the boss of Hallowhorn Grounds (South). It is an optional Great Enemy encounter reached by touching the activated southern remains.
The fight combines physical attacks with spectral movement and fire-like arcane attacks. The spirit can leap through the air, charge across the arena and release supernatural flames. It can also absorb nearby animal spirits, temporarily gaining behaviour associated with them.
Reward
The southern boss is therefore particularly useful to players collecting spirit summons or pursuing the underground ancestral theme.
Regal Ancestor Spirit
The Regal Ancestor Spirit is the northern counterpart. It is an optional Remembrance boss and is encountered only after lighting the six northern beacons.
It uses many attacks associated with the ordinary Ancestor Spirit, but the encounter is more elaborate. At around half health it can restore itself by siphoning life from the player and nearby spirit animals. It can also disappear and re-emerge from another animal in the arena, making target control more important than simply remaining underneath its body.
Reward
The remembrance can be exchanged for one of the boss’s associated rewards or consumed for runes. The available sources confirm the remembrance as the principal boss reward, but this guide does not reproduce a full exchange inventory without a separately verified item source.
Boss directory
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Confirmed location rewards
The northern boss’s broader associated rewards include the Ancestral Spirit’s Horn and Winged Greathorn in the game’s remembrance exchange context, but the reviewed sources do not provide enough detail to present a complete verified exchange table here.
Confirmed location rewards
| Location | Source | Confirmed reward |
|---|---|---|
| Hallowhorn Grounds (South) | Defeat Ancestor Spirit | Ancestral Follower Ashes |
| Hallowhorn Grounds (North) | Defeat Regal Ancestor Spirit | Remembrance of the Regal Ancestor |
Collectible directory status
A full pickup directory should be treated cautiously. Some walkthroughs mention nearby Ghost Glovewort, Smithing Stones and other items in the wider Siofra and Nokron routes, but those are not automatically items within the Hallowhorn Grounds boundary. For that reason, this draft does not attach neighbouring collectibles to the Grounds without reliable location-level confirmation.
This is an important boundary distinction: an item found on a path leading past Hallowhorn Grounds may belong to Siofra River, Ancestral Woods, Night’s Sacred Ground or Nokron rather than to the ceremonial site itself.
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There is no known shop, merchant, forge, map marker service or permanent NPC hub inside Hallowhorn Grounds itself.
The precise usefulness of each checkpoint depends on which Hallowhorn site is being attempted. The South site is best treated as part of the lower Siofra expedition, while the North site is linked to the later Nokron and Ancestral Woods progression.
Facilities directory
No functional shop or business has been verified within the Hallowhorn Grounds structures themselves.
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Useful nearby facilities and checkpoints include
Blaidd and Ranni’s questline
The northern Hallowhorn area is close to the upper Siofra route used during Ranni’s questline. Blaidd can be encountered in the Siofra region while investigating the route to Nokron, and guides commonly place him north of the Hallowhorn area or near the Ancestral Woods route.
However, Blaidd is not a resident of Hallowhorn Grounds. He is a visitor associated with a wider questline, and the quest’s important progression is tied to Nokron rather than to lighting the Hallowhorn beacons.
Quest-related characters
The boss encounters themselves are not required to complete Ranni’s questline. The northern Hallowhorn Grounds and nearby Ancestral Woods are useful geographical reference points, but the main quest objective is the discovery of Nokron and the Fingerslayer Blade.
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Efficient route for the South site
- 01Enter Siofra River through the Siofra River Well.
- 02Activate the nearest lower-area Site of Grace.
- 03Explore the riverbank and Worshippers’ Woods.
- 04Light the eight beacons in a wide loop.
- 05Collect only clearly verified lower-Siofra items on the way.
- 06Return to the southern horned remains.
- 07Defeat Ancestor Spirit.
- 08Continue exploring Siofra only after the boss if you want to avoid repeatedly crossing the beacon field.
Efficient route for the North site
- 01Enter Nokron through the post-Radahn crater.
- 02Follow the main route until reaching the upper Siofra and Ancestral Woods.
- 03Activate the Ancestral Woods Site of Grace.
- 04Search the surrounding ruins and paths for the six beacons.
- 05Complete the beacon puzzle before attempting the boss.
- 06Touch the northern remains and defeat Regal Ancestor Spirit.
- 07Resume the Nokron route towards Night’s Sacred Ground and the wider Ranni objective.
Exploration checklist
North
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The Hallowhorn Grounds are among the clearest examples of a religious tradition operating outside the Golden Order’s normal framework.
The Remembrance of the Regal Ancestor states that ancestral spirits exist beyond the Erdtree’s purview and presents life as something that can spring from death. This idea is reflected visually in the spirits’ bodies, where antlers and buds appear alongside exposed bone and decay.
The Ancestral Followers appear to imitate this principle through their clothing and rituals. Their horned headgear resembles the antlers of the spirits, suggesting devotion, lineage or an attempt to preserve the ancestral way of life. The Hallowhorn Grounds are therefore more than boss arenas. They are ceremonial sites where the player witnesses a competing understanding of life, death and spiritual continuity.
The two sites may represent related stages of the same tradition:
This is an interpretation of the environmental and item evidence rather than a fully explicit in-game historical account.
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North
| Question | South | North |
|---|---|---|
| Which boss is present? | Ancestor Spirit | Regal Ancestor Spirit |
| How many beacons? | Eight | Six |
| Where is it? | Lower Siofra River | Upper Siofra, near Ancestral Woods and Nokron |
| What does it award? | Ancestral Follower Ashes | Remembrance of the Regal Ancestor |
| What progression opens the route? | Siofra River Well | Radahn and access to Nokron |
| Is it tied to Ranni’s route? | Not directly | Geographically adjacent and relevant to the Nokron stage |
| Is it mandatory? | No | No |
Are Hallowhorn Grounds and Hallowhorn Grounds (North) the same place?
No. The game and reference material use the shared name for two separate locations. The southern site contains Ancestor Spirit, while the northern site contains Regal Ancestor Spirit.
Why is the horned body not glowing?
The relevant beacon puzzle has not been completed. The South site needs eight flames; the North site needs six.
Do I need to defeat Ancestor Spirit before Regal Ancestor Spirit?
No. Their progression is independent. You can reach and defeat the northern boss before the southern one if your route and character strength allow it.
Is either boss required for the main story?
No. Both are optional encounters.
Is Hallowhorn Grounds part of Nokron?
Only the northern site is closely associated with the Nokron and upper Siofra route. The southern site is in the lower Siofra River region and should not be collapsed into Nokron for mapping purposes.
Does lighting the beacons unlock a permanent shortcut?
The beacons activate the horned remains and permit the relevant boss encounter. They should not be treated as a general-purpose fast-travel or world-state shortcut.
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This guide separates the two Hallowhorn Grounds sites and confirms their bosses, beacon counts, general approaches, faction association and principal rewards. The following areas remain insufficiently verified from the sources consulted:
Those details should be added only after checking a map database or game-data source that clearly distinguishes the South and North sites. The current article is therefore best treated as a substantial base-game guide draft, not as a claimed 100% collectible or object census.
Sources
- Hallowhorn Grounds (South) | Elden Ring Wiki | Fandom — eldenring.fandom.com
- Hallowhorn Grounds (North) Walkthrough and Location | Elden Ring｜Game8 — game8.co
- Regal Ancestor Spirit - Eldenpedia — eldenring.wiki.gg
- Elden Ring Interactive Map｜Game8 — game8.co
- Elden Ring: How To Find Siofr River & Fight The Ancestor Spirit | Secrets Guide - Gameranx — gameranx.com
- Hallowhorn Grounds (North) | Elden Ring Wiki | Fandom — eldenring.fandom.com
- Ancestor Spirit | Elden Ring Wiki | Fandom — eldenring.fandom.com
- Rannis questline guide — uploads-ssl.webflow.com