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Volcano Manor

Volcano Manor is both a recusant headquarters and the entrance to a large legacy dungeon built around a ruined settlement, volcanic hazards and serpent enemies. It is worth visiting for its NPC questline, unique assassination rewards, the Serpent-Hunter weapon and one of the game's major shardbearer battles.

Importancemajor

Key takeaways

  • Do not kill Rykard early if you want the full set of Manor contracts, Rya’s Manor scenes, Bernahl’s special invasion, Patches’ contract and the associated rewards.
  • The front door is not the whole dungeon Join the Manor, take the Drawing-Room Key, then investigate the apparently sealed wall in the drawing-room corridor.
  • The most reliable entrance is through Rya after reaching Altus Plateau You can also ride across Mt Gelmir or reach the interior through an Abductor Virgin trap at Raya Lucaria.
  • The three principal Tanith contracts target Old Knight Istvan, Rileigh the Idle and Juno Hoslow, Knight of Blood. Bernahl and Patches provide additional contracts.
  • The main dungeon contains Prison Town, Temple of Eiglay, Guest Hall, Audience Pathway and the Rykard arena. These are connected parts of Volcano Manor, not separate overworld locations.
  • The boss arena contains the Serpent-Hunter, a purpose-built weapon whose special attacks are dramatically enhanced against the God-Devouring Serpent and Rykard.

About this guide

Base game only. Spoilers: This guide covers the Volcano Manor legacy dungeon, its connected interior districts, the Rykard boss route and the Manor’s associated NPC missions. It does not cover Shadow of the Erdtree or Elden Ring Nightreign.

Overview

Volcano Manor is a legacy dungeon on Mt Gelmir, but it is also the headquarters of Praetor Rykard’s recusants and the centre of one of *Elden Ring*’s largest interlocking quest hubs. The visible manor is only the entrance to the location. Its full scope includes the Drawing Room and residential wing, the hidden Prison Town, Temple of Eiglay, Guest Hall, Audience Pathway, Subterranean Inquisition Chamber, the Abductor Virgin route and Rykard’s arena.

The location deliberately has two identities. The first is a functioning manor where Lady Tanith recruits Tarnished, distributes assassination contracts and hosts visitors such as Knight Bernahl, Patches, Rya and Diallos Hoslow. The second is a ruined volcanic settlement beneath and beyond the building, filled with serpent-men, crawling albinaurics, bloodhounds, magma, undead soldiers and the Godskin Noble.

Volcano Manor is optional as a dungeon, although Rykard is a major shardbearer and his Remembrance unlocks important rewards. The Manor’s missions are highly missable: defeating Rykard ends the active Manor contract sequence and moves or removes several characters.

The manor

The entrance is a wealthy but unsettling residence perched on the volcanic mountain. Its polished furniture, candles and formal dining arrangements contrast with the faction’s stated purpose: hunting Tarnished who serve the Roundtable and opposing the Erdtree.

The manor’s public side is concentrated around the entrance hall and drawing-room corridor. This is where most social activity takes place. The apparently empty rooms and doors are misleading, because much of the dungeon is reached through a concealed passage rather than through the obvious front route.

Prison Town

Prison Town is the largest exterior section of the dungeon. It is a cramped settlement of stone houses, bridges, rooftops, wooden walkways and lava channels. The area is designed around vertical exploration. Streets frequently dead-end, while roofs, balconies and side paths lead to weapons, talismans, smithing materials and shortcuts.

The town is populated by serpent-men and other hostile creatures rather than ordinary civilians. Its name and layout suggest a settlement under Manor control, but it is not presented as a normal functioning town with shops or residents.

Temple of Eiglay

Temple of Eiglay is a major landmark and one of the principal checkpoints. The Godskin Noble is found here. Defeating the boss allows the player to use the temple’s lift and opens a more direct route towards the upper volcanic platforms and Rykard.

The temple has strong serpent-cult imagery and functions as a transition between the Prison Town settlement and the inner approach to Rykard’s audience chamber.

Subterranean areas

The lower routes include lava channels, hanging cages, collapsing platforms and areas patrolled by Abductor Virgins. The Subterranean Inquisition Chamber is particularly dangerous because the terrain restricts movement while the enemies attack from several directions.

The Abductor Virgin route is both a dungeon section and a special access route. It should not be confused with the Abductor Virgins encountered in other regions. The pair encountered in the underground complex form an optional boss encounter.

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Route 1: Rya’s invitation

This is the cleanest story route.

Rya then teleports the player directly into the Volcano Manor entrance. The invitation is a quest item specifically intended to grant access through Rya.

Route 1: Rya’s invitation: steps

  1. 01
    Find Rya at Liurnia’s Scenic Isle.
  2. 02
    Recover her necklace from Blackguard Big Boggart. You may purchase it from him for 1,000 runes or kill him.
  3. 03
    Receive the Volcano Manor Invitation.
  4. 04
    Reach Altus Plateau.
  5. 05
    Meet Rya either near the Lux Ruins route or at the Grand Lift of Dectus, depending on how you entered the plateau.
  6. 06
    Select the option to take Rya’s hand.

Route 2: travelling across Mt Gelmir

The player can ride through Mt Gelmir and reach the Manor by the mountain road. This route involves the surrounding overworld, including hostile soldiers, iron maidens and volcanic terrain. It is useful if you want to explore Mt Gelmir naturally, but it is not necessary to unlock the Manor’s interior.

Route 3: Abductor Virgin transport

At the bottom of Raya Lucaria Academy, allow an Abductor Virgin to kill the player with its grab attack. The player is transported to a subterranean part of Volcano Manor.

This route is unusual because it allows access to the deeper complex before joining the Manor. It is possible to explore towards the Godskin Noble and Rykard without first accepting Tanith’s invitation, but doing so risks bypassing the Manor’s character content. The two principal paths from the arrival point lead towards the Abductor Virgin encounter or towards the volcanic interior.

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Lady Tanith

Lady Tanith stands beside the entrance Site of Grace. Speaking to her and choosing to join the Manor grants the Drawing-Room Key. The key opens most of the relevant doors in the westward corridor. It also causes Bernahl to move from Warmaster’s Shack to the Manor’s eastern quarter.

Tanith is the faction’s public face. She presents the recusants as a family of champions, but the Manor’s activities involve assassinating other Tarnished and ultimately feeding champions to Rykard.

Drawing Room

The Drawing Room is the main mission room. It contains:

The first contract is found on a table after joining. Later letters appear after completing the previous assignment and returning to Tanith for the reward.

Drawing Room

Bernahl’s service

Recusant Bernahl sells Ashes of War from the Drawing Room. His stock is connected to his quest progression and to the player’s involvement with the Manor.

The exact availability depends on Bernahl’s progression and whether his bell bearing has been obtained. Eruption is specifically sold by Bernahl in the Manor for 8,000 runes.

Other facilities

Volcano Manor has no conventional smith, merchant, cook or inn. The functional services are:

The apparent dining rooms and shop-like interior furnishings are scenery, not purchasable businesses.

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Residents and major characters

Lady Tanith

Mistress of Volcano Manor and Rykard’s consort. She gives the Drawing-Room Key, distributes assassination letters and awards the player for successful contracts.

Rya, also called Zorayas

Rya begins the invitation route and later appears in the Manor’s drawing-room wing. Her quest reveals that she is not what she first appears to be. Her scenes are closely tied to the Manor, Rykard and the serpent people.

Complete Rya’s relevant dialogue before killing Rykard. If her Manor progression is left unfinished, later dialogue and the Tonic of Forgetfulness sequence can be lost.

Recusant Bernahl

Bernahl relocates to Volcano Manor after the player joins. He sells Ashes of War and later supplies a contract involving Vargram the Raging Wolf and Errant Sorcerer Wilhelm. His invasion in Crumbling Farum Azula is also connected to his wider quest, but that fight is not inside Volcano Manor.

Patches

Patches appears near the entrance after the player has joined and has completed the relevant initial Manor progression. He gives the player a special contract for Great Horned Tragoth at the Ruin-Strewn Precipice Overlook. His contract rewards the Bull-Goat Set through the Tragoth encounter.

Diallos Hoslow

Diallos can appear in the Drawing Room after his earlier quest stages. His Manor scenes are part of a larger quest that eventually moves away from the dungeon. He is a visitor and quest participant rather than a permanent Manor merchant or soldier.

Volcano Manor Apparition

A nameless ghost appears in the corridor beyond the drawing room after the area has been reloaded several times, provided Rykard is still alive. The apparition begs the player to kill the serpent and explains that the Serpent-Hunter was left in the Lord’s Chamber. After Rykard’s defeat, the ghost disappears and leaves the My Thanks gesture.

Named character directory

The last group are contract targets or invasion-associated characters rather than permanent residents.

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The Manor’s main activity is a sequence of invasion missions. The red signs appear in the target’s region after the player collects the appropriate letter.

Named character directory

Tanith’s contracts

Tanith’s rewards include Magma Shot, Serpentbone Blade and Taker’s Cameo. The Magma Shot can still appear in the Drawing Room after Rykard if Old Knight Istvan was killed afterwards, but this is a recovery state rather than a reason to postpone the normal quest sequence.

Tanith’s contracts

TargetDestinationMain reward
Old Knight IstvanLimgrave, near the Limgrave ColosseumScaled Set and Magma Shot from Tanith
Rileigh the IdleAltus Plateau, near the Bridge of IniquityCrepus’s Vial and Serpentbone Blade from Tanith
Juno Hoslow, Knight of BloodMountaintops of the Giants, west of Shack of the LoftyHoslow’s Set, Hoslow’s Petal Whip and Taker’s Cameo from Tanith

Patches’ contract

After the appropriate Manor progression, Patches gives Letter to Patches. The target is Great Horned Tragoth at the Ruin-Strewn Precipice Overlook. The invasion rewards include the Bull-Goat Set, one of the game’s highest-poise armour sets.

Bernahl’s contract

Bernahl gives Letter to Bernahl, directing the player to Leyndell to invade:

This encounter awards the Raging Wolf Set. It is a Manor-associated activity, although the fight itself occurs in Leyndell rather than inside the dungeon.

Recommended contract order

The important restriction is that killing Rykard locks later steps in Tanith’s questline and ends the Manor’s active contract progression.

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For the broadest content, use this order

  1. 01
    Join Volcano Manor.
  2. 02
    Speak to everyone in the entrance and Drawing Room.
  3. 03
    Complete Old Knight Istvan.
  4. 04
    Return to Tanith and collect the next letter.
  5. 05
    Complete Rileigh the Idle.
  6. 06
    Complete Patches’ Great Horned Tragoth contract.
  7. 07
    Complete Bernahl’s Vargram and Wilhelm invasion.
  8. 08
    Advance Rya’s quest and inspect the Manor interior.
  9. 09
    Reach the Mountaintops of the Giants.
  10. 10
    Complete Juno Hoslow.
  11. 11
    Finish all remaining dialogue.
  12. 12
    Enter Rykard’s audience route and defeat him.

1. Join the Manor and open the Drawing Room

Speak to Tanith and accept the invitation. Take the Drawing-Room Key. Enter the corridor beside Tanith and open the first relevant doors.

Collect the Recusant Finger and the first letter. Before leaving, speak to every available NPC, particularly Rya, Bernahl, Patches and Diallos.

2. Find the hidden entrance

The route into the dungeon is concealed behind a wall in the drawing-room corridor. Search the rooms carefully rather than assuming the manor ends at its social wing.

The hidden route leads into the Prison Town section. Activate Prison Town Church as soon as possible. It provides a valuable checkpoint before the settlement’s bridges, lava channels and rooftop routes.

3. Explore Prison Town

Move slowly through the town. Look above and below the main street because many items sit on roofs, balconies or lower ledges.

The settlement contains fixed loot, enemy drops and several routes to the church and temple. Enemy drops are not the same as guaranteed placed items, so do not treat a farming result as a unique dungeon collectible.

4. Defeat the Godskin Noble

The Godskin Noble is found at Temple of Eiglay. The fight is optional if the player uses certain bypasses, but defeating the boss is the intended route through the temple.

The temple and surrounding platforms contain several fixed items, but the area’s most important function is opening the route to Rykard.

After victory

  1. 01
    Activate Temple of Eiglay.
  2. 02
    Use the lift in the temple.
  3. 03
    Follow the upper volcanic route.
  4. 04
    Explore side platforms before taking the main route towards the Audience Pathway.

5. Search the optional lower routes

The Subterranean Inquisition Chamber and Abductor Virgin areas contain optional exploration and a boss encounter. These routes are particularly dangerous for characters with low fire resistance because of lava, fire attacks and confined spaces.

Do not assume that reaching the Audience Pathway means every section has been cleared. Return to the lower branches from the nearby Sites of Grace and check for:

6. Prepare for Rykard

The Serpent-Hunter lies inside the boss arena before the fight begins. It has no normal stat requirement and gains special long-range attacks against the serpent. Its skill is called Great-Serpent Hunt. The weapon’s projectile-like wind blades are active against the God-Devouring Serpent and Rykard but are not present in the same form during ordinary combat.

Equip it if you are unsure whether your build can handle the encounter. Upgrading it is not required for the weapon to perform its special function, although upgrades improve its ordinary weapon damage.

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Godskin Noble

The Godskin Noble uses a rapier, black flame, sweeping attacks and a rolling attack that can cross much of the arena. The temple’s open floor gives room to evade, but the boss’s roll makes remaining near the centre hazardous.

Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy

Rykard is fought in two phases. The first is the God-Devouring Serpent. The second reveals Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy.

The intended method is to use the Serpent-Hunter. Its special attacks create a long spectral blade and shockwave, allowing the player to strike from outside the lava-filled area around the boss.

Defeating Rykard awards his Remembrance and Great Rune. It also changes the state of Volcano Manor, ending the faction’s active quest hub.

Other hostile groups

The precise enemy composition differs by subarea. The town’s serpent-men are the most characteristic threat, while the underground routes emphasise mechanical enemies, fire and restricted movement.

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The dungeon’s ordinary enemies include

Quest and progression items

The Invitation is obtained through Rya’s necklace quest and enables the Altus Plateau teleport route.

Important rewards

Dungeon loot directory

The following are significant named items associated with the dungeon’s fixed exploration loot or boss route:

The Dagger Talisman is behind a two-Stonesword-Key imp seal near the route to the Audience Pathway. After opening the fog wall, the player must use the wooden catwalks and drop through the side route to reach the corpse. It enhances critical-hit damage.

Some items listed above are ordinary consumables or upgrade materials rather than unique rewards. Enemy drops, including serpent weapons and armour pieces, should be treated separately from guaranteed fixed loot.

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Lava

Lava in Volcano Manor is both environmental damage and a navigation trap. Some pools can be crossed briefly, but doing so while fighting is dangerous. Use health regeneration, fire resistance and careful camera control. Do not sprint blindly across a pool if a ledge or bridge is available.

Illusory walls and misleading doors

The entrance manor’s apparent dead end is a major secret. Search walls in the corridor after obtaining the Drawing-Room Key. Several areas only become meaningful once the player stops treating the manor as a conventional building.

Vertical routes

Prison Town frequently hides progress above the player. Roofs, balconies and wooden platforms are not decorative. If a path appears to end, check nearby rooftops and lower ledges before retreating.

Missable progression

The largest hazard is not environmental. It is progressing to Rykard too soon.

The final Tanith assassination target is tied to the Mountaintops of the Giants, so the complete Manor sequence is not available immediately after arriving in Altus Plateau.

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Completionist route

  1. 01
    Reach Volcano Manor through Rya.
  2. 02
    Join the Manor.
  3. 03
    Speak with Tanith, Rya, Bernahl, Patches and Diallos.
  4. 04
    Complete the first Tanith contract.
  5. 05
    Explore the hidden Prison Town entrance.
  6. 06
    Activate Prison Town Church.
  7. 07
    Explore Prison Town without rushing to the boss.
  8. 08
    Defeat Godskin Noble.
  9. 09
    Activate Temple of Eiglay.
  10. 10
    Explore the lower Abductor Virgin and Inquisition Chamber branches.
  11. 11
    Complete Rileigh, Tragoth and Bernahl’s contracts.
  12. 12
    Advance Rya’s quest.
  13. 13
    Reach the Mountaintops and complete Juno Hoslow.
  14. 14
    Collect all rewards and exhaust dialogue.
  15. 15
    Defeat Rykard with the Serpent-Hunter.
  16. 16
    Revisit Tanith’s former position and related NPC locations.

Fast boss route

This route is efficient but can permanently close Manor missions and rewards.

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Volcano Manor represents rebellion against the Erdtree taken to its most destructive extreme. Its recusants reject the Roundtable’s claim that Tarnished should seek the Elden Ring, instead hunting fellow Tarnished and offering their strength to Rykard.

Rykard’s transformation is central to the dungeon’s imagery. He allowed himself to be devoured by the great serpent, becoming part of it rather than merely commanding it. The result is an apparent contradiction: Volcano Manor calls itself a family of champions, yet its champions are ultimately consumed by the lord they serve.

The hidden ghost reinforces this interpretation. He was once connected to Rykard but abandoned him when the lord’s ambition became depraved. The Serpent-Hunter was left behind as a last attempt to stop the transformation. The weapon’s description likewise suggests that Rykard’s former followers searched for a means to halt their master after his heroic aspirations degenerated into greed.

Prison Town and Temple of Eiglay broaden the faction beyond a single aristocratic household. They show the Manor as a cultic settlement with its own architecture, religious imagery, soldiers and subterranean infrastructure.

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Fast boss route: steps

  1. 01
    Reach the Manor by Rya or the Mt Gelmir road.
  2. 02
    Join the Manor and take the Drawing-Room Key.
  3. 03
    Enter the hidden route.
  4. 04
    Cross Prison Town.
  5. 05
    Defeat Godskin Noble.
  6. 06
    Take the lift from Temple of Eiglay.
  7. 07
    Reach the Audience Pathway.
  8. 08
    Pick up the Serpent-Hunter.
  9. 09
    Defeat Rykard.

After defeating Rykard

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Is Volcano Manor a separate region?

No. It is a legacy dungeon located in Mt Gelmir, with its own connected interior districts and Sites of Grace. Mt Gelmir’s overworld remains a separate area.

Can I reach Rykard without joining the Manor?

Yes. The Abductor Virgin route can bring the player into the deeper dungeon, and other paths can reach the boss. However, bypassing Tanith’s invitation risks missing the Manor’s NPC missions and rewards.

Does joining Volcano Manor make every NPC hostile?

No. Joining unlocks a faction mission structure. The assassination targets are specific invasion encounters and do not turn the whole game world against the player.

Does killing Rykard end the Manor quests?

Yes, it locks subsequent steps in Tanith’s questline and changes the positions or availability of several characters. Complete the contracts and dialogue first.

Is the Serpent-Hunter permanently missable?

Normally, it is placed in the Rykard arena and remains available as the intended weapon for the fight. It does not require normal attribute investment and gains its special serpent-hunting attacks in that encounter.

Are the shops in Volcano Manor real businesses?

Bernahl’s Ash of War service is functional. The manor’s other rooms, tables and storefront-like details are scenery or faction dressing rather than ordinary purchasable businesses. The game does not provide a general armourer, smith or consumables merchant inside the Manor.

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