Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree Location and Walkthrough - Elden Ring Guide - IGN (2024)

Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree is an optional sub-Dungeon located within the Miquella's Haligtree Legacy Dungeon. Elphael is one of the most difficult locations in Elden Ring and also features the game's hardest boss. It is intended for high level, endgame players. This page will contain walkthrough and guide information on how to reach Elphael, all the treasures and items that can be found inside, tips for navigating the dungeon, and how to defeat the area boss.

Sections in this Page

• How to Get to Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree
• Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree Walkthrough
• Elphael Inner Wall
• Drainage Channel
• Malenia, Blade of Miquella Boss Fight

How to Get to Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree

Elphael is only accessible after completing the Miquella's Haligtree dungeon and defeating Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree. Exit her boss arena and follow the path ahead, down the ladder and elevator. This will take you straight to the edge of Elphael. Cross the bridge just outside the elevator (there is a Cleanrot Knight here, as well as a Holy Grease x3). Enter the chapel on the other side of the bridge to reach the Prayer Room Site of Grace, and the start of the dungeon.

Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree Walkthrough

Exit the Prayer Room via the doorway near the Site of Grace and you will find yourself at the top of a high wall, with a path ahead of you leading downward. There are a few knight enemies ahead of you, not much stronger than anything we have dealt with in the past BUT beware the glowing footsoldiers because they can detonate themselves and deal massive damage. Note the doorway on the left, go inside to find some resting soldiers and a Golden Rune [12].

Go back outside and continue down the stairs. Kill the next resting soldier, then look left again where you will see yet another open doorway. Head inside and up the stairs, killing the soldiers in the way as you step out onto the balcony at the top. Grab the Smithing Stone [8] from the edge of the balcony, then jump up onto the branch in front of you. Following it up will take you to the top of a nearby tower where you can grab the Miquellan Knight's Sword. We do not want to take the ladder down at this point, so walk back up the path and back to the balcony.

Below the balcony is a platform with two more soldiers. Drop down and kill them, then drop down again onto the staircase below. Here you will see one soldier looking out over the railing and an item hanging over the railing. Approach the enemy, but beware the soldier hiding in the corner, waiting to ambush. Kill them both and you can claim the Lightning Greatbolt x5.

Down the stairs and straight ahead you will see a knight patrolling in front of a small building. Sneak up and backstab him, but beware the second enemy lying in wait inside the building who will try and push you off the ledge. Head inside the building where you will encounter two more resting enemies, as well as a Smithing Stone [7].

On the other side of the building is yet another resting knight, as well as a Stonesword Key door. Use a key to dispel the barrier and you can claim the Triple Rings of Light spell from the chest inside. Retrace your steps back to the stairs and head down. Here you will encounter two more knights and find a Immunizing White Cured Meat next to an open doorway.

Through this door are two Cleanrot Knights, but before we engage with them we need to take a little detour. Go back up the stairs to the balcony where we grabbed the Lightning Greatbolts earlier. Look over the railing and you will see a buttress you can jump down into that will let you reach the platform on top of the room we were just looking into. Jump over to it and you will encounter another Cleanrot Knight stalking the area. These guys are pretty easy to beat with a good shield and Guard Counters but beware their golden spear thrust which deals massive damage and inflicts scarlet rot (dodge roll forward the instant after the spear starts glowing to avoid easily).

Kill the Cleanrot Knight, as well as the nearby soldier, then you can freely loot the chest inside the room the Cleanrot Knight came from, which gets you the Cleanrot Knight Finlay Ashes. Exit the room and look left where you will see another buttress you can reach by jumping from the roof. Ascend the buttress to reach the ledge above where there is another room with a chest in it. Loot the chest to receive a Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone.

Exit the room and make your way to the end of the ledge to find a body with yet another Seedbed Curse. Drop down onto the large branch behind the body in the chair, then follow it down to find yourself on the ledge on the opposite side of the Cleanrot Knight room from earlier (you will also find Old Fang x5 here). From this side you can get the drop on the large group of guards that patrols this area.

Now you can enter the Cleanrot Knight room from the back, getting an easy backstab on both knights and drawing them out into a 1v1. Once they are both dead you can grab the Smithing Stone [7] from inside the room, and the Golden Rune [10] from the attached balcony.

From here the path ahead is blocked by a large number of turrets, multiple powerful knights, and an Erdtree Avatar. There is a Site of Grace just beyond so you can try to simply rush through, but there is an easier way. Return to the spot near that giant branch where we found the Old Fangs earlier. You will notice a buttress that leads down to a platform on the other side of the gap. Jump onto the buttress and cross over and you will find yourself on another rooftop, occupied by a bunch of plant enemies. Ignore them entirely and proceed to the left side of this platform where you can drop down onto the staircase below.

Some enemies from inside the building you were just standing on will likely notice you and come out onto the stairs. Kill them, then climb up the stairs where you will find yourself face to face with the soldiers manning some of the aforementioned turrets. Kill them, and the soldier with the torch off to the right, then you can claim the Smithing Stone [8] from the ledge near the turrets and Haligtree Soldier Ashes from the nearby altar.

Just past the turrets you will see another large buttress that hangs over the courtyard with the Erdtree Avatar below you. Climb up the buttress and you will see a ledge on your right. Take a running jump from the buttress to reach the ledge, then go inside the connected tower where you will find a small room with a Haligtree Knight Helm. Look over the nearby edge and you will see the Elphael Inner Wall Site of Grace below. Carefully drop down and activate the Site, then grab the nearby Smithing Stone [6].

Here we are faced with a very difficult encounter. Outside the door, back the way we came, is the aforementioned Erdtree Avatar and his goons. No matter how you take him on you do not have much space to battle, plus you have to deal with two powerful Haligtree knights at the same time. There is really no great way to go about this, but at least you can use an Ash Summon to create a distraction. If you're really struggling to win you can pull the enemies back, past the Site of Grace and into the thin hallway beyond where the Erdtree Avatar cannot fit. This way you can kill the two knights, then go back and fight the Avatar one on one. Killing this Avatar will get you a Lord's Rune.

One the trio are all dead you can kill the two soldiers manning the turrets in front of the avatar and finally claim the item in the bushes next to where the Avatar was standing, a Sacramental Bud, as well as the items laid out on the bridge in front of the turrets, an Arteria Leaf and a Golden Rune [11].

With one Erdtree Avatar down we might as well make a detour to kill the other one in the area, which you probably noticed patrolling the tops of the castle walls. Warp back to the Prayer Room Site of Grace and head out the door. Kill the four soldiers in your way, then look for this buttress on the right that connects to one of the nearby towers. Jump onto the buttress and cross over to the tower, then use the tower to reach the castle wall where you can see the Erdtree Avatar walking around.

This time we have a lot more space to battle the Avatar, though you still need to be careful not to let him smack you off the castle walls. Follow the usual playbook here: dodge roll through his big obvious melee attacks, hit him once or twice, then back off. Run away when he spreads his Scarlet Rot, and do a running strafe to avoid his homing magic spells.

Don't get greedy with your attacks and you will be able to claim victory eventually, and your reward: a Rotten Staff. Walk along the bridge and you can also find a Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone, some Aeonian Butterfly, and a Numen's Rune.

Follow along the castle walls and you will come up to a staircase that leads you into a small building with a Crystallian inside. You will need a blunt weapon to defeat the Crystalian, or you can just run into her room, grab the Somber Smithing Stone [9] inside, and run away.

Make your way backwards out of the building and back onto the stairs. Look over the railing of the staircase and you will see a ledge you can jump to on the other side. From this ledge you can reach a connected buttress, then drop down to a platform with a doorway on it.

Inside is a dark room with another Seedbed Curse in it that overlooks another room that is full of Crystallians. Make sure you equip a weapon that deals blunt damage, then drop down and prepare to take on the Crystallians. I highly recommend using an Ash Summon here, preferably the Ash Mimic which is guaranteed to deal blunt damage along with you. And remember, they can be backstabbed! Kill all the Crystallians and you can loot the items in their room: a Somber Smithing Stone [9] and Pickled Turtle Neck.

Exit the room and you will find yourself on a long street at the bottom of the castle walls. Start by turning around and following the street south. Here you will encounter a number of those powerful teleporting abomination enemies. You can tell where they will appear by looking for the glowing flames on the ground. Your Ash summon should be able to follow you through this entire area to help make things a little easier. You will encounter one near a small building with a torch out front. Kill the abomination and check inside the building to find a Beast Blood x3.

Keep following the street south and you should come across two more abominations and a body with Aeonian Butterfly x4 before coming across a dead end with a Stonesword Key door. Grab the Golden Rune [12] off the body outside the door, then use a key to open the dispel the barrier and grab Marika's Soreseal from the altar inside.

Turn around and start heading north. Just past the building with the Crystallians you will see a small building on your right with a Lord's Rune inside, then just past there is a ladder, which we are going to ignore for now (though some of the soldiers at the top of the ladder may notice the fighting and climb down). Past the ladder is a left turn leading to a small courtyard with one more abomination, a Smithing Stone [8], and another ladder that leads back to the area where we battled the first Erdtree Avatar.

With the Smithing Stone in hand we can go back to the ladder and climb up. Here you will find a small room with a couple of soldiers and two Cleanrot Knights. If you don't want to battle them in this small space you can run and go back down the ladder to draw them to the street below (in this way you can use your Ash Summon again as well). Once you've managed to kill all the knights you are free to grab the items in the room, a Warming Stone x2 and Spiritflame Arrow x15.

With those items in hand we are finally ready to progress to the next area, so warp back to the Elphael Inner Wall Site of Grace and rest up.

Elphael Inner Wall

Go down the stairs near the Site of Grace and into the hallway below. Climb on top of the giant root to your left and you will see a chest guarded by a few Crystalians. Because battling them is a bit annoying I would recommend just running in, grabbing the Rotten Crystal Sword from the chest, then running back to the Site of Grace to reset the zone.

Go back into the hallway and go left this time. Go past the roots and make your way to the end of the hall where you will find a Hero's Rune [5] behind a giant goblet. Go back down the hall and climb up the giant root that is leading to the hole in the wall.

This root will lead you outside to a cliffside that overlooks a rotten swamp (yes, another one). Drop down to the ground below where you will immediately encounter a pest warrior. Make your way down the cliff toward the swamp, but keep an eye on your left where you will see another pest warrior standing in the rot guarding an item. You will probably be inflicted with Scarlet Rot while walking in the swamp to kill the pest and grab the Rot Grease.

Now you can make your way down to the giant swamp below. You are forced to walk at a slowed pace while in this swamp, and there are a number of pest warriors and smaller pest enemies lurking under the surface. Repeatedly rolling seems to be a little quicker than walking, but can make you susceptible to getting attacked. Additionally, you will have to deal with the Scarlet Rot build up and damage, so you want to move as quickly as possible across the swamp.

Thankfully there aren't too many items in the area so you can mostly beeline for the other side. Stay close to the ledge on the right side and make your way across, then drop down onto the branch on the other side. Make your way to the end of this branch then use it to reach the next one underneath. Make your way up the second branch and you will end up on the cliff on the other side of the swamp.

If you are infected with Scarlet Rot you will want to immediately run into the open doorway on the wall ahead, drop down the ladder to the left, then run down there aqueduct where you will find the Drainage Channel Site of Grace. Rest up and head back up to the cliffside so we can grab some more items, starting with the Golden Rune [11] near the top of the ladder.

Head out the door and immediately go up the hill on your right. Kill the pest warrior here, then look to the left where you will see a large branch that extends out to another platform across the gorge.

This is a large circular-ish platform with raised ledges around the edges and a swamp in the middle. There is only one item on the platform, sitting in the middle of the rot. If you attempt to approach the item the ground will start shaking and a Scarlet Rot infected Tree Spirit will slither out to battle you. Thankfully the swamp on this platform does not cause as much Scarlet Rot as the previous one and does not cause you to force walk, so it is very possible to battle the Tree Spirit while standing in it. But there is also a good amount of space around the edges where you can fight as well, if you would rather avoid the rot altogether (just don't let the Spirit push you off the edge).

Same strategies as always apply here. Stay under the Spirits mid-section, right around where its arms touch the ground. Keep an eye out for the Spirit's heavily telegraphed slam and tail whip attacks, and be sure to dodge roll away when it tries to grab you in its mouth. At around half health the Spirit will start to glow and unleash an explosion, so be sure you step away before you get caught in it. Defeat the Spirit to get a Golden Seed, and grab the rare item from in the swamp, a Great Grave Glovewort.

With the Tree Spirit defeated we have done everything in this area. Warp back to the Drainage Channel Site of Grace and get ready to move forward.

Drainage Channel

Exit the Drainage Channel via the exit near the Site of Grace and you will find yourself on a large branch hanging over the outer parts of the Brace. Walk along the branch until you reach the end of the branch, which hangs over a buttress.

From this buttress you can drop to another another branch on the left which lets you get to another buttress, which lets you get to another branch, which finally lets you get on the roof of a tall chapel.

You should see a couple of holes in the roof of the chapel. Look down into them and you should see some ceiling beams below. Carefully drop down onto one of the beams, then walk along them to the back of the chapel. You should see a ledge with a chest and a couple of pest enemies on it. Drop down onto the ledge and kill the enemies, then loot the chest to get the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman.

From here we can drop down to the ledges on the left or right side of the chapel. We are going to drop to the right side. Use the doorway on this ledge to get onto the outside balcony where you will find a Nascent Butterfly.

Go back into the chapel and drop down to the bottom floor where you will run into a few more pest warriors. From here you can get out onto the balcony on the left side of the chapel where you will find an Aeonian Butterfly. There is also an elevator here that will take you down to the bottom of the Haligtree where you will find the Haligtree Roots Site of Grace, the boss door, and a second elevator that will take you back up to a tower near the Prayer Room Site of Grace. Go down and rest if you like, but we still have some more exploring to do around this chapel.

Exit the chapel through the front door and you will find yourself in the middle of a long field. We will start by going to the left, down the hill covered in gravestones. As you make your way down the hill you will cross a few more of the pest enemies, so make sure you kill them as you go so you don't have to deal with too many of their projectile swarms. Because there are so many its not a bad idea to do a little sneaking and get the drop on them instead of just running in.

About halfway down the hill is a sort of altar where three of the pest warriors are worshipping, along with a few of the smaller pests as well. You will want to approach as stealthily as you can and start by killing the three smaller pests if possible, then turn your attention to the closest pest warrior and see if you can kill them before they have a chance to stand up. If you find yourself swarmed simply run back up the hill. They can be a little slow moving so it is possible to separate them in this way. Another thing to keep in mind is that these enemies are incredibly susceptible to being toppled by a Guard Counter, so if you want to play it safe just stay in shield and wait for their attacks to bounce off, then counter.

Once you've defeated all of them you can claim the Numen's Rune off the stone altar they were worshipping in front of. Just a little further down the hill is another small area with even more pest warriors, so use the same strategies detailed above to defeat them, then claim the Ghost-Glovewort Picker's Bell Bearing 3 that they were guarding.

Make your way back up to the chapel so we can explore the opposite side. This side is a larger field that is populated by a number of different Haligtree Knights. First things first, beware the powerful knight that is hiding behind the chapel. He will try and ambush you as soon as you come around the corner, so deal with him first. Next move on to the small group of knights resting at the graves near the chapel. The sounds of the battle will likely draw in the other nearby knights, so be ready to take on 2-3 more enemies. Remember you can always back away to break up the pack, but keep your eyes on the enemies because a few of them have ranged magic attacks. If you don't mind being a little cheesy you can also make use of the nearby ledge to throw them off their game, as they will get stuck in an animation when they drop down from it.

Kill these knights and keep making your way down the hill. You will find a Arteria Leaf x3 on a body in the middle of a large puddle, then a Hero's Rune [5] at the base of a large tree near the cliff's edge. There are also two more knights here, one of which has a great bow, so be careful to avoid the mix of ranged and melee attacks they can put out.

If you keep exploring further down the hill you will not find any more unique items, but there are a bunch of Miquella's Lily if you need them, as well as some more knights. If you don't care about any of that go back to the chapel and down the elevator to the Haligtree Roots. Check the side room where you will see a giant flower with an item sitting in front of it. Grab the item to receive the Traveler's Armor Set. With that last item in hand the time has come... Rest up at the Site of Grace and prepare to take on...

Malenia, Blade of Miquella Boss Fight

At last we have arrived, the boss of the Haligtree: Malenia, Blade of Miquella, quite possibly FromSoft's most devious invention yet. Malenia has all the typical trappings of a difficult boss (high damage, oppressive attack pattern, tricky combos), but what truly sets her apart is her unique lifesteal mechanic that gives her health back on every hit, even when you block. This means you can't just hide behind your shield and wait for an opening, or else she will steal back every bit of damage you deal. This can turn the battle into a long, drawn out war of attrition, but the better approach is to simply damage race her with the most powerful weapon you can find.

Weapons that have long range abilities like Rivers of Blood, Moonveil, and Sword of Night and Flame are all great picks for this fight. We also recommend having a 100% physical block shield with Barricade Shield to deal with one of her tricky attacks, and some defensive gear like the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman we got earlier.

Using an Ash Summon in this fight is very tempting, but keep in mind she can lifesteal off of your summon the same way she can from you. If your summon gets caught up in one of her long combos it may do more harm than good. Ash Mimic is probably your best option. The 2v1 attacks will keep her stun locked, maybe even leading to topple. Another option is Latenna the Albinauric, who you can place on the edge of the boss arena and let her shoot from far out of attack range. Just be sure you do NOT let Malenia turn her attention to Latenna or she will absolutely shred her.

Ready? Okay. Time to fight. First thing to note is that Malenia does not really zip across the battlefield very often. She doesn't have any projectile attacks so if you never get close to her she will likely just slow walk towards you until you approach. You can use this to your advantage any time you need to heal or rest for a second.

When you do approach it is important to identify which of her attacks are easily punished, so here are some things to look out for:

• Her basic sword attacks should just be avoided or blocked. She will usually execute two to three wide swings in a row, then end with a jumping slam attack or sweeping kick that deals massive stamina damage on shield. There is an opportunity to Guard Counter here, but I would advise against it due to the unpredictability or her combos.
• When you see her long blade slide backwards up her hand she is about to do a short dash followed by a multi-hit combo. I recommend just blocking the first three hits, then rolling toward her to avoid the fourth. From here she can extend the combo into a jumping slam or a delayed wide swing. Both are punishable, but you need to read her movements quick to decide which one she is preparing for (jump vs. stay on ground).
• When you see her do a spinning jump she is about to let loose one of her kicks. DO NOT block this attack or you may be guard broken. Instead roll toward her and immediately try to punish with a few hits. Move quick though! If you wait too long she will extend into a different combo finisher which can catch you off guard.
• If she pulls her blade back, but still has it pointed towards you she is about to do a fast, long range thrust. This is one of the easiest moves to punish, simply roll away when she dashes in, then hit her two or three times as she is regaining her posture (there is an alternate version of this where she jumps into the air before dashing, but the dodge and punish are the same).
• HOWEVER, if she pulls her blade back with it pointed up and away from her she is about to do a short range uppercut followed by an aerial slam. This is also highly punishable, simply roll into the initial uppercut, then strafe around her to avoid the slam. Hit her two or three times in the back.
• Finally, if she gets into her stance with the blade pointed horizontally (but not pointed at you) she is about to dash in with a powerful double slash. Dodge in, then strafe to avoid the second attack before punishing.
• If she instead pulls her empty back she is about to do one of her most deadly moves, the dash grab. Roll away IMMEDIATELY when she starts moving to avoid getting grabbed. This attack deals massive damage, but just like the other dashes it is punishable with two or three hits.
• The one attack we absolutely DO NOT want to see is her Waterfowl Dance. This is the move we NEED the Barricade Shield for. She signals this move by lifting into the air and curling up into a sort of fetal position for a moment, before flying toward you with a flurry of slashes. You will want to activate Barricade as soon as you see her float and block the entire first volley of attacks. After this she will pause, unleash another set of attacks, then pause again, and unleash another set of attacks followed by one final area slash. To avoid the second and third flurries you need to dodge roll INTO her as she begins the next set of slashes. This is pretty difficult to do, but with a few attempts you can get the timing down consistently. Make sure you do not run in to punish her until AFTER the final area slash has happened.

Note about attacking Malenia: your attacks will likely stagger Malenia, but only two or three times before she will react. Her usual reactions are to dash left, dash right, or simply dash backwards away from you. IF she faces you during her dash, you can move in and stagger her again with another attack before her next action. IF she dashes and turns her back to you she is about to unleash a slash, so simply step back and await the next attack. Occasionally she will also just decide it is not your turn and deflect your attack.

With all of the above knowledge in mind, your job is to simply win the battle of attrition. Take as few hits as possible and make sure you are punishing more than she is getting back via blocked attacks. You can accelerate this process using one of the aforementioned weapons. For example, using Rivers of Blood you can execute 3-5 hit combos from outside of melee range, dealing massive damage and Bleed. You will still need to keep an eye out for her dash attacks and flurry, but your high damage output will mean a quicker fight and less opportunities for her to heal. Just make sure you have enough Mind or FP Flasks to keep up the assault.

With enough practice and determination you will become an expert at defeating Malenia. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning....

Malenia, Goddess of Rot Boss Fight

Yep, of course there is a second phase to this fight. As if that first phase wasn't hard enough now we have to face down a faster, more aggressive Malenia with stronger attacks. Oh, and of course she can inflict Scarlet Rot as well.

She will always open the battle with the same attack, an aerial dive that leads into a giant area of effect blast that inflicts Scarlet Rot. You have a moment to drink one Flask and put your guard up before she will dive. As soon as you see her make her move roll toward her, then run away as fast as you can to avoid the blast. You will probably get hit at least once, but that is no issue. A giant flower will bloom around her, dealing continuous Rot to anyone who stands too close.

This is a great opportunity to heal up or eat any damage bonus items you might have. As soon as the flower begins to fade run in and start attacking. You should be able to get three or four hits before she reacts, usually with a spinning kick. If you see the kick coming you can roll in and get in another hit or two, but she likes to follow it up with a jump into slam attack, which now leaves a delayed explosion on the ground that will prevent an easy punish.

From here things get very messy. Her combos have changed slightly and she is far more aggressive than she was in phase one. Because of how deadly she is you aren't likely to get much time to learn the new movements before she kills you. Instead I recommend a simple strategy: run away. Malenia is faster than you, but if you keep running away (being sure to dodge any dashes she might do) you can eventually bait her into doing a bad attack.

The main ones we want to see are her simple aerial dash attacks. She will leap high into the air, hover for a moment, then dash toward you with an easily dodged attack you can punish with two or three back attacks. However, if she points the sword TOWARD you while in the air she is going to land and pivot before immediately executing another grounded dash attack. This is easy to dodge as long as you see it coming, and can be punished just as easily as any other dash.

Another easy punish is her doppelganger attack. She will float high into the air, then send down a flurry of doppelgangers who will attack one by one. The doppelgangers will attack about five times (these do not lifesteal, so you can simply block with Barricade) before Malenia herself flies toward you with a thrust attack. This attack can be punished similarly to the grounded dash, but you need to be careful because she will occasionally chain this directly into a SECOND dash attack, which can also be easily dodge rolled before punishing.

Finally, she will occasionally do the blooming flower attack from the start of the battle. This is probably the best attack to see because it is incredibly slow and easy to punish, meaning you can take a second to heal, buff up, then hit her with everything you've got.

Similar to phase one, ranged weapon abilities like the ones on Moonveil or Sword of Night and Flame are invaluable here. They let you punish the attacks I've mentioned above without ever really putting yourself in real danger. All you really need is enough patience and luck to burn her down before she catches you with her enhanced Waterfowl Dance or grab attack.

Your reward for beating Malenia is the Remembrance of the Rot Goddess (which lets you craft her incredible sword), Malenia's Great Rune, and the satisfaction that you have overcome FromSoft's most devilish challenge yet. Congratulations!