Prince of Death's Throne

Key takeaways

• Prince of Death’s Throne is a Site of Grace and story chamber, not the whole of Deeproot Depths.
• Reach it by travelling through Deeproot Depths from Across the Roots, usually after taking the coffin beyond the Valiant Gargoyles in the Siofra Aqueduct.
• Fia’s Champions guard the approach Defeating them causes the Prince of Death’s Throne Site of Grace to appear.
• Fia’s presence and the Lichdragon Fortissax fight require progress in her quest, including obtaining the Cursemark of Death through Ranni’s questline.
• Fortissax awards the Remembrance of the Lichdragon Fia later provides the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince, which enables the Age of the Duskborn ending.
• The room contains no ordinary shop, merchant, dungeon branch or conventional settlement. Its importance is almost entirely narrative and quest-based.

About this guide

Overview

Prince of Death’s Throne is a small but important story location in Elden Ring, found at the northern end of Deeproot Depths. It is not a broad region equivalent to Deeproot Depths itself. In the game’s location hierarchy, the name primarily refers to a Site of Grace and the surrounding root-chamber, including Fia’s position, the enormous corpse of Godwyn the Golden and the entrance to Fia’s dream. The approach from Across the Roots and the wider Deeproot Depths are neighbouring areas rather than part of the throne site proper.

The location is the endpoint of Fia’s questline. It contains the optional boss Lichdragon Fortissax, the quest reward Mending Rune of the Death-Prince, and a narrative encounter with Godwyn, whose transformed body is known as the Prince of Death. Fia’s Champions are fought immediately before the Site of Grace appears, making them the area’s entrance boss rather than a separate Deeproot Depths encounter.

Named locations within or directly attached to the site

The sending gate is associated with the Prince of Death’s Throne area, but it is not available immediately. It becomes usable after Fia’s quest has been completed. It provides a route back towards Leyndell rather than opening a new branch of the throne chamber.

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The throne site is built around an immense tangle of roots at the deepest foundations of the Erdtree. The chamber is wet, dark and dominated by purple-black water, bulbous growths and the distorted body of Godwyn. The environment is a visual continuation of the Deathroot corruption seen elsewhere in the game, particularly in places where Godwyn’s dead body has spread its influence through roots.

The phrase “throne” is metaphorical as much as architectural. There is no conventional chair or royal hall. The central focus is Godwyn’s enormous, partially submerged corpse, whose swollen features and root-like growths represent the physical remains of the soulless demigod. Godwyn’s body rests in Deeproot Depths beneath the Erdtree and is identified in the game’s lore as the Prince of Death.

The arena is divided into two practical states:

These are not two separate overworld locations. Deathbed Dream is a quest-created encounter space entered from the throne chamber.

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Named locations within or directly attached to the site

• Across the Roots

Named locations within or directly attached to the site: steps

1. 01
   The waking chamber, containing the Site of Grace, Fia and Godwyn’s corpse.
2. 02
   Deathbed Dream, an isolated boss arena reached through Fia’s quest interaction.

Route from Nokron

The normal route begins in Nokron, Eternal City:

Deeproot Depths is an optional underground area reached after progressing through Nokron and the Ancestral Woods. The coffin after the Valiant Gargoyles is the standard story route into it.

Route from Nokron: steps

1. 01
   Progress through Nokron and the Ancestral Woods.
2. 02
   Enter the Siofra Aqueduct.
3. 03
   Defeat the Valiant Gargoyles.
4. 04
   Interact with the coffin at the rear of the boss arena.
5. 05
   The coffin transports you to Deeproot Depths.
6. 06
   Travel through the root-covered area to reach Across the Roots.
7. 07
   Follow the roots towards the north-eastern chamber.
8. 08
   Defeat Fia’s Champions.
9. 09
   Activate the newly revealed Prince of Death’s Throne Site of Grace.

The root approach

From Across the Roots, follow the enormous roots towards the throne chamber. The route is narrow and uneven, with several drops that can kill a careless player. Torrent is useful in the open sections of Deeproot Depths, but some root passages are better handled on foot because the usable surfaces are thin and the camera can make jumps difficult.

The route is principally a traversal challenge rather than a dungeon with doors, switches or branching rooms. Search the sides of the roots before entering the boss area if you are completing the wider Deeproot Depths region, but do not confuse those side paths with additional parts of Prince of Death’s Throne.

Access requirements for Lichdragon Fortissax

Arriving at the Site of Grace does not automatically unlock Fortissax. To enter the dream:

The Cursemark is obtained through the inverted Carian Study Hall sequence during Ranni’s quest. Fia’s quest and Fortissax therefore overlap with Ranni’s progression, but the player does not need to complete Ranni’s entire ending route.

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Access requirements for Lichdragon Fortissax: steps

1. 01
   Progress Fia’s quest until she relocates from Roundtable Hold.
2. 02
   Obtain the Cursemark of Death through Ranni’s questline.
3. 03
   Speak to Fia at Prince of Death’s Throne.
4. 04
   Give her the Cursemark of Death.
5. 05
   Exhaust her dialogue.
6. 06
   Rest or reload the area if necessary.
7. 07
   Interact with Fia while she is asleep.
8. 08
   Choose to enter the Deathbed Dream.

Fia, Deathbed Companion

Fia is the principal living character at the throne. After her Roundtable Hold sequence, she relocates here and remains beside Godwyn. Her purpose is not to sell items or provide a repeatable service. She advances her quest and, after the Fortissax encounter, becomes the source of the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince.

Speak to her repeatedly before and after giving her the Cursemark. Her dialogue establishes her intention to unite with the remains of Godwyn and create a new form of order in which Those Who Live in Death are not automatically rejected.

Godwyn the Golden

Godwyn is not a conventional NPC and cannot be spoken to. His corpse is the physical centre of the location. He was killed during the Night of the Black Knives, but his soul died while his body continued to exist. That imbalance produced the monstrous Prince of Death and allowed Deathroot to spread.

His body here is distinct from the many lesser manifestations of Deathroot seen elsewhere. The chamber is the clearest view of the source and scale of Godwyn’s transformation.

D, Beholder of Death

D is associated with the location through Fia’s quest, but he is not normally present in the throne chamber. His corpse appears earlier in the Roundtable Hold sequence, and his relationship with Fia establishes the conflict between her sympathy for Those Who Live in Death and the Golden Order’s hostility towards them.

D’s brother

D’s brother is not a permanent resident of the throne chamber. His involvement is conditional on the player giving him the Twinned Armour in Nokron’s Siofra Aqueduct. If that quest state has been arranged, he later appears over Fia’s corpse and affects the post-quest reward sequence.

Fia’s Champions

Fia’s Champions are the entrance boss encountered on the approach to the throne. The fight consists of multiple hostile NPC-style combatants appearing in succession rather than one large monster. Their equipment and tactics are varied, so the battle can become dangerous if the player allows several opponents to remain active at once.

Lichdragon Fortissax

Lichdragon Fortissax is an optional remembrance boss encountered inside Deathbed Dream. The fight is available only after the Fia quest conditions have been met. Fortissax is a large undead dragon with lightning attacks, airborne strikes and Death-related hazards.

The arena is spacious, but the dragon’s size can obscure attack cues. Stay near the head when safe, since attacks against the head deal better damage than striking the legs. However, the player should retreat quickly when Fortissax creates lightning weapons or summons area hazards.

Fortissax rewards

Boss directory

• Fia’s Champions
• Lichdragon Fortissax

Mending Rune of the Death-Prince

The Mending Rune is the location’s most important item. It is created through Fia’s interaction with Godwyn and represents her attempt to alter the Elden Ring so that life in death has a recognised place in the world.

At the end of the game, the rune can be selected after defeating the final boss to achieve the Age of the Duskborn ending. It is not required to finish the main story or to defeat the Elden Beast.

To obtain it

1. 01
   Deliver the Cursemark of Death to Fia.
2. 02
   Enter Deathbed Dream.
3. 03
   Defeat Lichdragon Fortissax.
4. 04
   Return to the waking throne chamber.
5. 05
   Collect the rune from Fia’s body.

Fia’s equipment

After completing the dream sequence and returning to the throne chamber, Fia’s clothing can be collected from her body:

The precise post-quest state can also be affected by the Twinned Armour quest involving D’s brother.

Remembrance of the Lichdragon

The boss remembrance is awarded for defeating Fortissax. It is separate from the Mending Rune and does not itself unlock the Age of the Duskborn ending.

Prince of Death’s Throne Site of Grace

The Site of Grace appears after defeating Fia’s Champions. It provides the normal functions of a Site of Grace:

It is also the main reset point for Fia’s dialogue and quest progression.

Sending Gate

A sending gate is associated with the location and becomes available after Fia’s quest has been completed. It provides a return route towards Leyndell, Royal Capital. It is not a shop, shortcut that is available on arrival, or alternative entrance to Deathbed Dream.

Recommended completion route

1. 01
   Enter Deeproot Depths through the coffin after the Valiant Gargoyles.
2. 02
   Activate Across the Roots.
3. 03
   Follow the roots towards the north-eastern chamber.
4. 04
   Defeat Fia’s Champions.
5. 05
   Activate Prince of Death’s Throne.
6. 06
   Speak to Fia and exhaust her dialogue.
7. 07
   If Fortissax is unavailable, leave and obtain the Cursemark of Death through Ranni’s quest.
8. 08
   Return and give Fia the Cursemark.
9. 09
   Speak to her again until the dialogue is exhausted.
10. 10
    Rest at the Site of Grace or reload the area.
11. 11
    Interact with the sleeping Fia.
12. 12
    Enter Deathbed Dream.
13. 13
    Defeat Lichdragon Fortissax.
14. 14
    Return to the waking chamber.
15. 15
    Collect the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince from Fia.
16. 16
    Collect Fia’s clothing.
17. 17
    If you gave D’s brother the Twinned Armour, reload the area and resolve his later encounter.
18. 18
    Use the Sending Gate if you want a fast route back towards Leyndell.

Efficient checklist

Before leaving the area, confirm that you have:

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Fortissax can be unavailable

The Fortissax fight does not appear simply because the player has reached Deeproot Depths. Fia must be in the correct state and must receive the Cursemark of Death. If the sleeping interaction is missing, check the following:

D’s brother and the Twinned Armour

Giving the Twinned Armour to D’s brother in the Siofra Aqueduct changes the later state of Fia’s quest. This is not required to obtain the Mending Rune, but it can affect the post-quest scene and additional rewards. If you want to preserve the option, do not give away the armour until you have decided whether to complete that branch.

Fia’s death

Fia’s death is part of the quest progression once the Mending Rune has been created. It is not a failure state caused by entering the location. The important point is to collect the rune and equipment before moving on.

Ending selection

Obtaining the Mending Rune does not lock the player into the Age of the Duskborn ending. The rune is an ending option used after the final boss. The player can still select another eligible ending if the relevant requirements have been met.

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Prince of Death’s Throne is where several strands of Elden Ring’s history meet:

Godwyn’s body is important because it demonstrates the consequences of dying in an unnatural way. His soul was destroyed, while his body remained. The result is neither ordinary life nor ordinary death. Fia’s goal is not simply to revive him. Instead, she seeks to create a new order in which beings afflicted by life in death are incorporated into the world rather than hunted as aberrations.

This gives the location a different role from a conventional boss arena. Fortissax is a battle inside the consequences of Godwyn’s death, while Fia’s quest concerns what those consequences should mean for the future of the Lands Between.

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The most important boundary distinction is between Prince of Death’s Throne and Deeproot Depths. Deeproot Depths contains many separate landmarks, enemies and collectibles. Prince of Death’s Throne consists principally of the final root chamber, its Site of Grace, Fia’s quest state and the attached dream encounter.

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Ending selection

Is Prince of Death’s Throne a full region?

No. It is primarily a Site of Grace and a compact story location within Deeproot Depths. The wider Deeproot Depths should be documented separately.

Can I fight Fortissax immediately after defeating Fia’s Champions?

Usually not. You need to progress Fia’s quest and give her the Cursemark of Death before the sleeping interaction becomes available.

Is Fia a merchant here?

No. Fia is a quest NPC. Her role is dialogue, quest progression and the creation of the Mending Rune.

Do I need to complete Ranni’s entire quest?

No, but you must progress far enough to obtain the Cursemark of Death. Ranni’s quest remains a linked prerequisite for this part of Fia’s story.

Does the Mending Rune automatically give the Duskborn ending?

No. It unlocks the option. You choose it after the final boss when selecting an ending.

Are the Nameless Eternal City items part of Prince of Death’s Throne?

No. The Nameless Eternal City is a separate subarea of Deeproot Depths. Its items should be listed under that location or under the wider region, not under the throne chamber.

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Sources

• Prince of Death's Throne | Elden Ring Wiki | Fandom — eldenring.fandom.com
• Deeproot Depths | Elden Ring Wiki | Fandom — eldenring.fandom.com
• Godwyn the Golden | Elden Ring Wiki | Fandom — eldenring.fandom.com
• Elden Ring Deeproot Depths Guide - GameSpot — gamespot.com
• Fia, Deathbed Companion - Eldenpedia — eldenring.wiki.gg
• Lichdragon Fortissax - Eldenpedia — eldenring.wiki.gg