Elden Ring: Castle Morne Dungeon Guide

Quick Links

• Castle Morne Overview

• Dungeon Walkthrough

• Leonine Misbegotten Boss Guide

If you are a longtime Souls fan you know that these games are filled with optional dungeons. Elden Ring is no exception to this rule and is filled with countless engaging dungeons that are completely optional. Castle Morne is one of the more unique examples of this kind of dungeon. It is a lot larger and more intricate than one of the caves, but it is smaller in scale than one of the larger areas like Stormveil Castle.

Ultimately, this mini-dungeon is worth your attention. Not only are there a number of unique valuables available here, but it also has a very Soulsborne-esque narrative associated with it. With a little guidance, you will triumph over Castle Morne in no time.

Castle Morne Overview

Castle Morne is south of the Bridge Of Sacrifice. As you are traveling south you will encounter someone on the side of the road named Irina. Talk to her and she will give you a letter that she wants you to deliver to her father in Castle Morne. Before you reach the castle you will encounter an encampment of soldiers and a few stray harpies. Stealthing through this section, and attacking from the shadows, is probably the best course of action. After that, if you continue along that road you will reach the castle. Take the elevator to enter Castle Morne.

There is a giant archer guarding the castle entrance. You will want to use the rubble to your left to help shield you from its titanic arrows. Once you close this distance you will be able to easily chop him down at the ankles.

Castle Morne Enemies And How To Defeat Them

You will encounter a number of enemies in Castle Morne, here is a quick reference guide for how to beat them. ​​​

Dogs And Rats

Block their attacks with your shield and then polish them off with a few swings of your weapon.

Harpy (Cleaver)

These enemies have a number of attacks. However, they tend to have their backs facing away from you in most encounters, so you can usually get a free backstab on them. Beyond that, you can knock them out of the air when they fly at you.

Harpy (Bow)

These enemies are always in the air. Perform a jumping slash to break their posture and knock them down.

Harpy (Axe)

These are the toughest harpies, but their axe swings are slow and predictable. Roll past the axe swing and punish them accordingly.

Black Slime

Use fire to defeat these gooey goons. Otherwise, if you don't have access to any fire attacks, just run past them.

Dungeon Walkthrough

Entering Castle Morne

Once you enter the Castle Morne area, you will have a lift in front of you. Take the lift to the top, and you will enter a vast courtyard. To the right, there is a dog chewing on a corpse. What you may not see is the dog in the northwest corner, waiting to ambush you. Take care of that one first. After dealing with them, your best bet is to slowly make your way around the giant mound of rubble in the courtyard, which is littered with cheering harpies.

On the leftmost path, you will have to deal with some dogs. After finishing them off, you can kill the Pumpkin Head Knight; he is sitting, so you can hammer away at him with heavy attacks, and he probably won't get a chance to take a swing himself. To your right is an alleyway that leads to a ladder.

On top of the ladder, you will fight a harpy. Another is on the bridge up ahead (he is distracted watching the festivities below). You can sneak up on him and backstab him, but two nearby harpies with bows are watching and will need to be fought immediately afterward. On the right side of the bridge is a corpse dangling on the edge that has some golden runes. After you clear the bridge, there is a ladder on your left and on your right.

Go down the ladder on your left; there will be harpies fighting soldiers. Be an opportunist and attack whoever has the most health (if you favor one side they will just attack you once the other side is killed). There is a corpse with golden runes on the ground. Follow the path up a set of stairs and talk to Edgar on top of the battlement. You can now give him Irina’s letter.

Retrace your steps and climb the ladder. This will take you to a passageway with a harpy facing the wall at the end of it. Be careful, though, there is another harpy waiting to ambush you who is concealed on the right. Your reward will be a smithing stone.

The Alternative Route

The alternative path requires that you go right in the main courtyard, which means dealing with all those harpies on that giant mount. Just keep in mind that when fighting the harpies you can always flee back to the elevator if things get too hairy. Above the mound of rubble, you will find a room that has a treasure chest on the left (with a Claymore in it). There are also stairs in that room that will lead you down to an exterior platform where two harpies are fighting a soldier. Quickly rush their backsides. Then climb the ladder when all are dead.

There is a giant melee occurring up here. Once again, play the role of the opportunist and attack whoever has the most HP at the moment. Once you have cleared out the main platform, collect the Furlcalling Finger Remedy that is near the gallows. Look to the left. There is an alleyway where two more harpies are hanging out. Kill them and you will find a Steel-Wire Torch. Finally, climb the ladder, and you will reach another bridge where you can drop down. Once you do so, you will find yourself in front of the bridge that leads you to Edgar again.

If you pass over the bridge and keep heading straight, you will reach a section where a hole has been punched into the side of the wall. Jump down, and you will be at a Site Of Grace.

Behind The Castle

When you are at the site of grace you are going to want to make your way down. You will end up on the roof of a battlement. You can drop down to your left and claim a Stone Sword Key from the corpse that is hanging over the edge of the scaffolding, or you can jump to the other stone roof and jump down the hole into a dark room that contains a harpy (as well as an imprisoned nobleman).

There is a hidden Black Slime just waiting to drop on your head at the back of the room. Make sure to look up, find it, and avoid going underneath where it is. If it lands on you, it does a tremendous amount of damage.

Exit the room, and you will see a number of harpies lining the path. They are all facing away from you, so you can just backstab them. You will also encounter a black slime. Use fire to kill it or just run past it. Finally, at the end of the path, after crossing over a bridge, you will see a burly harpy holding an axe. Once you kill him, climb to the top of the tower and claim your Twinblade Talisman. Go back down to the bridge from before and jump down onto the roof of a building below.

From here, you will need to jump across a sheer cliff. Then you will hop down and be on top of another battlement. Here there is a hole cut into the roof. You need to fall onto each beam below. When you get to the bottom you will be in a dark room filled with rats (and a harpy in the corner).

Outside this room is another Site Of Grace to your left. There is also a bridge. Cross it and kill the last two harpies you will encounter. Next, climb down the ladder, circle around the building, and find a Somber Smithing Stone. If you backtrack, and move in the opposite direction of the Fog Gate, you can find some fire arrows in a cave.

If you go after the fire arrows, a giant crap will spawn. This is, for all intents and purposes, a trap.

Finally, retrace your steps, and you will be surrounded by giant jellyfish. If you don't bother them, they won't bother you. Up ahead is the Fog Wall. Cross through, and you will encounter Castle Morne's boss: Leonine Misbegotten.

Leonine Misbegotten Boss Guide

Leonine hits very hard, and is pretty fast. However, most of his moves can be disrupted by a heavy attack. So, typically after dodging a move, you will want to use a jumping heavy attack when he is recovering. There are also a number of pieces of rubble littered around the battlefield. Use these obstructions to get space and heal. Since he is so aggressive, and rarely gives you a moment to breathe, you will need to keep an eye on your stamina and retreat when you are running low. A shield can be immensely helpful in this battle, but either way, you are going to need to be mobile, as blocking is also a serious stamina drain.

Keep an eye out for the attack where he hops to the side and lunges at you twice. On the second lunge, you can dodge into him and land some big attacks. He also has a giant swing attack that leaves him vulnerable if you dodge past it. Beyond that, try to punish with a jumping heavy attack whenever possible. Note, you can summon spirits to assist you, as well. So keep that in mind if you need someone to help create a distraction for you. Eventually, with persistence and a little luck, Leonine will fall.

For a more detailed breakdown of Leonine and his attacks, feel free to check out our detailed guide on how to beat him.

Boss Tips

• Leonine is staggered by heavy attacks, so use them whenever possible.
• You can get distance by putting one of the obstructions in between you and him. This is a good place to heal.
• He is weak to fire, so use some Fire Grease to help make things go smoother.
• You can summon spirits to take his attention off of you.
• His slower horizontal slashes can be parried easily.
• He doesn't have a ton of health, so don't worry about hitting him multiple times. Just stay the course and take your single hits wherever you can get them.

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