Chapter Summaries

A gray-haired warrior returned to the Lands Between, buried a dead maiden, and gathered weapons and ashes while exploring a ruined chapel. After defeating a Grafted Scion and surviving a cliff jump, he was healed by a mysterious girl and resumed his journey with a Flask of Crimson Tears.

• The warrior awakened in his grave, realized a grave robber had taken his clothes, and followed golden light back to the Lands Between.
• He found a dead maiden at a ruined chapel, buried her as the Devout Maiden, and collected ashes from two urns.
• The warrior saw Queen Marika's statue, defeated the Grafted Scion with a broken table leg, and took its swords and cloak.
• He packed the ashes into his makeshift backpack and leaped from a cliff, breaking several bones on landing.
• A mysterious girl healed the warrior while he rested beside Torrent, then disappeared in a flash of blue light.
• The warrior took a Flask of Crimson Tears from a nearby pedestal and sensed that his journey was beginning.

A veteran Tarnished explored the Lands Between, recognized that the Elden Ring had shattered, and confronted Varre over a maiden’s death. After killing Varre, he discovered the Bloody Finger and watched a Tree Sentinel approach.

• The Tarnished activated a site of grace, stored his spirit-ash urns, and found that the grace had lost contact with the others.
• The Tarnished emerged from the Stranded Graveyard, saw the diminished Erdtree, and concluded that Queen Marika had shattered the Elden Ring.
• Varre approached the Tarnished and offered guidance, but the Tarnished questioned him about the dead maiden and exposed his knowledge of human-faced spiders.
• Varre invoked the Mohgwyn Dynasty and Mohg, but the Tarnished recognized Mohg as his nephew and beheaded Varre.
• The Tarnished took the Bloody Finger from Varre’s corpse, activated another site of grace, and examined summoning tools he had found underground.
• The Tarnished saw a Tree Sentinel approaching in the distance.

The Tarnished learned from Kale that Queen Marika had shattered the Elden Ring, the Shattering had driven many Grace-blessed people mad, and few returning Tarnished could see the guidance of grace. After trading for supplies and armor, he defeated the Tree Sentinel and headed back to the Church of Elleh with the knight’s equipment.

• The Tarnished evaded the strangely mechanical Tree Sentinel and took shelter in an abandoned church, where he met the nomadic merchant Kale.
• The Tarnished paid Kale for news, learning that Marika had shattered the Elden Ring, been imprisoned, and that her children’s fighting had plunged the Lands Between into chaos.
• Kale explained that few returning Tarnished could see the guidance of grace, and the Tarnished bought a telescope, torch, chainmail, and Crafting Kit.
• After rekindling the church’s Site of Grace, the Tarnished fought the Tree Sentinel, crippled his horse, and killed the knight at close range.
• The Tree Sentinel’s body crumbled and yielded runes, armor, a halberd, and a greatshield; the Tarnished took the weapons toward the Church of Elleh and planned to sell the armor.

The Tarnished received intelligence reports from Kale and explored Limgrave, where he met his old comrade Istvan at a cave inhabited by violent Demi-Humans. They joined forces to confront the cave’s inhabitants and prevent them from threatening Castle Morne.

• Kale gave the Tarnished reports about a Flask of Wondrous Physick at the Third Church of Marika and a person hiding in the Waypoint Ruins.
• The Tarnished searched Limgrave for treasure, fought Land Octopuses by the shore, and found a cave after following the path where a goat had fallen.
• The Tarnished summoned Istvan from a golden sign and recognized him as an old comrade from the Expeditionary Army.
• Istvan explained that he had been hired by the lord of Castle Morne to drive off Demi-Humans gathering in Limgrave before they could threaten the castle.
• The Tarnished and Istvan entered the cave together as the Demi-Humans prepared to fight.

The Tarnished and Istvan defeated the Demi-Human chieftains in a cave, then the Tarnished traveled toward the Weeping Peninsula. At the Bridge of Sacrifice, he fought through the soldiers guarding the route and continued into the peninsula.

• The Tarnished and Istvan fought the Demi-Humans in a cave, killed two chieftains, and took one chieftain’s head to deter the tribe.
• Istvan thanked the Tarnished, offered to meet him at Castle Morne or beneath a bridge in Limgrave, and left the cave.
• The Tarnished searched the cave, found tailoring tools, and set out for the Weeping Peninsula.
• At Agheel Lake, the Tarnished met Yura, learned about Godwyn’s assassination and Those Who Live in Death, and chose not to fight the sleeping dragon Agheel.
• The Tarnished crossed the Bridge of Sacrifice, defeated its Madness Soldier guards, and saw signs of conflict between soldiers, Misbegotten, and Demi-Humans along the road.

The Tarnished delivered Irina’s letter to Edgar at Castle Morne and urged him to abandon his post, but Edgar remained loyal to Godrick. The Tarnished found the Grafted Blade Greatsword and confronted the Leonine Misbegotten leading the rebellion, ending the chapter ready to fight him.

• The Tarnished met Irina, accepted her request to deliver a letter to Edgar, and left a Golden Sign so he could come to her aid.
• The Tarnished defeated the damaged Golem outside Castle Morne and fought his way through Misbegotten and Pumpkin Head inside.
• The Tarnished delivered Irina’s letter to Edgar, but Edgar refused to leave Castle Morne and asked the Tarnished to tell Irina he was sorry.
• The Tarnished rebuked Edgar’s loyalty to Godrick and crossed the castle to find the Grafted Blade Greatsword guarded by the Leonine Misbegotten.
• The Leonine Misbegotten explained the rebellion against human oppression, and the Tarnished agreed with his grievances but said he would fight back for his own people.
• The Tarnished raised the Golden Halberd and prepared to give the Leonine Misbegotten a dignified death.

The Tarnished helped Castle Morne defeat the Misbegotten uprising, convinced Edgar to leave the Grafted Blade Greatsword with its rightful owners, and reunited Irina with her father. After finding a detailed map of the Weeping Peninsula, he set out to explore and sensed a Golden Seed nearby.

• The Tarnished defeated the Leonine Misbegotten and left the Grafted Blade Greatsword with him, while Istvan returned to Castle Morne and learned the Tarnished had criticized Edgar.
• The Tarnished met Irina outside Castle Morne and assured her that Edgar would survive as the soldiers rallied and drove the Misbegotten from the castle.
• Edgar raised Castle Morne’s banner, and the Tarnished warned him that the Grafted Blade Greatsword belonged to the Misbegotten and urged him to prioritize Irina and his people over Godrick’s orders.
• The Tarnished brought Irina to Edgar and left Castle Morne after Edgar agreed to leave the sword untouched.
• The Tarnished found a Pointed Stone Stele that revealed a detailed map of the Weeping Peninsula and chose a route to explore.
• The Tarnished’s Flask of Wondrous Physick flickered as he set off, leading him to suspect a Golden Seed was nearby.

The Tarnished defeated a Night's Cavalry rider, solved the puzzle at Oridys's Rise, and found a way into a catacomb beneath the plateau. He entered the burial chambers and began exploring their traps, ending in a waterlogged area below a dangerous lift.

• The Tarnished killed the Night's Cavalry rider by breaking his horse's leg with a thrown stone and striking him down before he could summon a Spectral Steed.
• The Tarnished found three spirit turtles near Oridys's Rise, broke its seal, and claimed a Memory Stone from the tower.
• The Tarnished discovered a Stonesword Key beside a dead person on a cliff and followed the presence of souls to a catacomb entrance below.
• The Tarnished explored the catacomb, encountered an Imp Golem, and switched from his Golden Halberd to the Golden Straight Sword for the cramped passages.
• The Tarnished used a stone to trigger a trapped lift, jumped beneath it, and collected Grave Glovewort before reaching a water-covered area.

The Tarnished explored a cemetery where the Erdtree’s roots had been corrupted, then found a Hand Ballista in a nearby watchtower. He rested beside a pool after reflecting on the Lands Between’s disorder and the people returning to it.

• The Tarnished fought through Those Who Live in Death, found a Prattling Pate, and opened the cemetery’s great door.
• The Tarnished defeated the Erdtree Burial Watchdog and several Imps, then inspected the corrupted roots and found ashes labeled for Demi-Humans.
• The Tarnished returned to the cemetery entrance and concluded that the Golden Order and its system had fallen into disorder.
• The Tarnished explored an empty watchtower and took a Hand Ballista, noting that he lacked talent for sorcery and incantations.
• The Tarnished settled beside a pool of pale purple flowers and fell asleep.

The Tarnished met Trina, Saintess of the Haligtree, in a dream and rejected her request to make her a god, declaring instead that he would overthrow the Greater Will and rule the Lands Between himself. He agreed to visit the Haligtree and take Trina away, then woke with questions about her lineage and his tangled family ties.

• Trina drew the Tarnished into a dream through the Tranquilizing Flowers, and he resisted her uncontrolled charm.
• Trina introduced herself as the Saintess of the Haligtree and revealed her wish to create a new Order and become his lord.
• The Tarnished said he would destroy the Greater Will and the Outer Gods, free the Lands Between, and rule as its sole king.
• Trina accepted his resolve and asked him to visit the Haligtree in the Consecrated Snowfield and take her out; she warned him that Mohg was dangerous.
• The Tarnished woke beside the flowers and wondered whether Trina was Godwyn's descendant, then fretted over how becoming her lord would complicate his family ties.

The Tarnished explored the Weeping Peninsula, defeating the Erdtree Avatar at the Minor Erdtree and claiming its Crystal Tears. At a ruined Church of Marika, he reaffirmed his resolve to oppose the Greater Will, took a Sacred Tear, and continued northwest.

• The Tarnished defeated the Demi-Human Queen and reflected on learning magic and incantations.
• He reached the Minor Erdtree, where an Erdtree Avatar attacked him with golden energy.
• The Tarnished evaded the Avatar’s attacks, destroyed its energy core, and obtained two Crystal Tears.
• At a ruined Church of Marika, the Tarnished awakened the Site of Grace and renewed his vow to deal with the Erdtree and the Greater Will.
• He found and drank the church’s Sacred Tear, then left and continued northwest.

The Tarnished entered an evergaol and defeated an imprisoned Samar, then discovered a Walking Mausoleum containing the headless corpse of an unknown Demigod. The sight suggested that Marika and Godfrey’s Demigod descendants had begun to fall.

• The Tarnished opened the evergaol with a Stonesword Key and found an imprisoned Samar who attacked him.
• The Tarnished defeated the weakened Samar, collected a mysterious golden-red eyeball and curved sword, and retrieved the key from the shattered Imp Statue.
• The Tarnished heard a bell and found a giant turtle-like structure accompanied by Headless Knight spirits.
• The Tarnished shot skulls off the giant’s limbs, causing it to crouch, then climbed up and entered the structure.
• The Tarnished discovered that the structure was a Walking Mausoleum containing the headless corpse of an unknown Demigod.

The Tarnished returned to Limgrave, found an Uchigatana in a giant crab, and fought his way through the Miranda flowers and Pumpkin Head at the Waypoint Ruins. He met the sorceress Sellen and became her apprentice despite her expulsion from the Academy of Raya Lucaria.

• The Tarnished left the Weeping Peninsula, teleported to the Stranded Graveyard, and set out for the Waypoint Ruins to find the Flask of Wondrous Physick.
• The Tarnished killed a giant crab in Agheel Lake, recovered an Uchigatana, and demonstrated its Unsheathe technique.
• The Tarnished cut through the Miranda flowers near the Waypoint Ruins and discovered a hidden passage guarded by a Pumpkin Head.
• The Tarnished defeated the Pumpkin Head and met Sellen, a sorceress hiding in the ruins.
• The Tarnished asked Sellen to teach him sorcery, and Sellen accepted him as her first and last apprentice.

The Tarnished began studying magic under Sellen, who promised to teach him despite his lack of experience and helped him seek a fitting catalyst. On the way to the Third Church of Marika, he met Kenneth Haight, accepted a commission to reclaim Fort Haight, and learned that Godrick’s forces hunted Tarnished.

• Sellen taught the Tarnished about the origins of glintstone and moon magic and assigned him basic spells to study until he found a suitable catalyst.
• The Tarnished left Sellen at the Waypoint Ruins and headed toward the Third Church of Marika to obtain the Flask of Wondrous Physick.
• At the edge of the Mistwood, Kenneth Haight called to the Tarnished and offered him a reward for reclaiming Fort Haight.
• Kenneth explained that a Knight Commander from Stormveil had become obsessed with blood and taken over the fort, so the Tarnished agreed to investigate.
• Kenneth warned the Tarnished about Godrick’s Tarnished Hunters, and the Tarnished considered dealing with Godrick himself.

The Tarnished traveled to the Third Church of Marika, then entered Mistwood to reach Fort Haight and confront the Knight Commander. The commander sacrificed a follower to empower his sword, and the Tarnished prepared to fight him.

• The Tarnished killed a Troll on his way to the Third Church of Marika and discovered that Caelid had become a scarlet wasteland.
• The Tarnished obtained the Flask of Wondrous Physick and traveled through Mistwood to Fort Haight.
• At Fort Haight, the Tarnished defeated the soldiers and Pumpkin Head before confronting the Blood Knight Commander.
• The Knight Commander recognized the Pureblood Knight's Bloody Finger, but the Tarnished revealed he had taken it from someone he killed and crushed it underfoot.
• The Knight Commander summoned a frail follower, who willingly sacrificed his blood to strengthen the commander's sword, and the Tarnished challenged him to fight.

The Tarnished defeated Fort Haight’s blood knight captain, claimed the Dectus Medallion, and agreed to help Kenneth find a worthy ruler for Stormveil. He then set out toward Godrick’s castle and spotted a large military camp, deciding to target its sane soldiers first.

• The Tarnished awakened his Blood Wolf power, killed the knight captain, and took half of the Dectus Medallion from Fort Haight’s Watchtower.
• The Tarnished returned the captain’s head to Kenneth, who accepted the medallion as his reward and planned to reopen talks with the Demi-Humans.
• Kenneth asked the Tarnished to find someone worthy to rule Stormveil, and the Tarnished agreed while learning that Godrick was a Demigod.
• The Tarnished traveled to the Church of Elleh and continued toward Stormveil, reflecting on his lost power and inability to absorb runes.
• The Tarnished found a camp of Godrick’s soldiers and decided to deal with the few who still seemed sane before the others.

The Tarnished conquered the Gatefront Ruins, found a map of western Limgrave, and accepted Melina’s offer to turn runes into strength in exchange for taking her to the foot of the Erdtree. After receiving Torrent and growing stronger, he rode toward Agheel Lake to hunt the dragon there.

• The Tarnished silently killed the soldiers, dogs, and knight guarding the Gatefront Ruins, then claimed the map of western Limgrave and a greatsword from a carriage.
• Melina appeared at a nearby Site of Grace and offered to serve as the Tarnished’s maiden, turning runes into strength if he would take her to the Erdtree.
• The Tarnished accepted Melina’s offer, and she gave him the Spectral Steed Whistle to summon Torrent.
• Melina transformed the Tarnished’s collected runes into strength and sensed an unfamiliar power within him.
• Melina returned to the Grace, and the Tarnished rode Torrent toward Agheel Lake to hunt the dragon.

The Tarnished defeated Agheel and learned from Yura where to find a Dragon Communion Altar, then encountered Boc near the Site of Grace. After returning Boc’s mother’s sewing tools, the Tarnished accepted him as a tailor and set out for the Stranded Graveyard.

• The Tarnished and Torrent wounded Agheel’s back and wing, brought him down, and the Tarnished killed him and took his dragon heart.
• Yura stopped the Tarnished from swallowing the dragon heart, explained that it should be consumed at a Dragon Communion Altar, and warned him about Bloody Fingers after learning he carried a Pureblood Knight’s Bloody Finger.
• At the Site of Grace North of Agheel Lake, Melina cautioned the Tarnished about pursuing dragon power, and he told her he planned to explore the sealed door at the Stranded Graveyard.
• The Tarnished discovered Boc disguised as a bush, learned that the Demi-Humans at Coastal Cave had driven him out and stolen his sewing tools, and returned the Sewing Needle he had found earlier.
• Boc offered to sew the Tarnished’s clothes, and the Tarnished accepted him without judgment and told him to wait while he went to the Stranded Graveyard.

The Tarnished used the Dragon Communion Altar on the Island to absorb a dragon heart and demonstrated that he could wield draconic power directly. After telling Melina about his ancient battle with two Ancient Dragons, he returned to the Stranded Graveyard and opened the Imp Statue’s seal, revealing a vast space beyond the fog gate.

• The Tarnished reached the Island through the Coastal Cave and performed the Dragon Communion Ritual, absorbing a dragon heart and unleashing powerful draconic energy.
• Melina asked how the Tarnished could cast incantations without a catalyst, and he recounted his past battle with two Ancient Dragons and his later invitation to join the Golden Expeditionary Army.
• The Tarnished learned from Melina that Caelid held the largest surviving Dragon Communion Altar, but decided to visit it another time.
• The Tarnished returned to the Stranded Graveyard and joked with Melina about being a bandit after she noticed his Stonesword Key had been used before.
• The Tarnished used two Stonesword Keys to unlock the Imp Statue seal, and the fog gate disappeared to reveal an enormous space.

The Tarnished explored a vast, trap-filled burial ground, evading chariots and defeating its undead and other guardians. After finding Erdtree's Favor, he felt its power return and continued deeper into the catacombs.

• Melina returned to the Site of Grace, and the Tarnished jumped into a poison pool and crossed it.
• The Tarnished dodged a spiked chariot, used it to destroy a skeletal soldier, and descended to a lower level while evading spirits and another chariot.
• The Tarnished killed two Imps and broke a flame-spewing pillar to disable its trap.
• The Tarnished hurled iron balls at two Grafted Scions clinging to an overhead beam, knocking them into an abyss.
• The Tarnished retrieved Erdtree's Favor from a corpse, felt its power return, and set off to explore farther.