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How to get to Liurnia early in Elden Ring

Here's how to skip Stormveil Castle and reach Liurnia early

An establishing shot of the Liurnia Of The Lakes region in Elden Ring, with the Academy Of Raya Lucaria and the Erdtree in the background.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
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Guide by Ollie Toms Guides Editor
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Want to reach Liurnia as early as possible in Elden Ring? Liurnia Of The Lakes, to give the region its full name, is the largest area in Elden Ring in terms of traversible terrain. It's absolutely massive, and it resides to the north of Limgrave, just past Stormveil Castle.

The gentle prodding of the guidance of Grace makes it fairly clear that to reach Liurnia, you first need to go through Stormveil Castle, the first of several giant legacy dungeons in the game. But that's not actually true, because there's a way to reach Liurnia without even entering Stormveil Castle. Keep reading, and we'll show you how to get to Liurnia in Elden Ring as early as possible.

How to get to Liurnia in Elden Ring

There are two ways to reach Liurnia Of The Lakes from Limgrave in Elden Ring. The first path takes you through Stormveil Castle itself, where you'll have to fight first Margit, The Fell Omen, and then Godrick The Grafted before being allowed entry to Liurnia.

However, there is another path which allows you to bypass Stormveil Castle entirely. And while we certainly encourage you to tackle Stormveil Castle sooner or later (for the Great Rune as much as anything else), if you want to get to Liurnia as fast as possible then this is the method to choose.

Part of the Elden Ring map showing Limgrave and Liurnia, with the fastest path to Liurnia from the start highlighted in yellow.
If you want to reach Liurnia without going through Stormveil Castle, this is the path to follow! | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

How to reach Liurnia early (fastest path)

To reach Liurnia as fast as possible after beginning the game, you need to travel north from the starting point until you reach Stormhill Shack, on the outskirts of Stormveil Castle. To get here, you must head through the Gatefront which separates Stormhill from the rest of Limgrave.

From Stormhill Shack, head directly north, passing under the giant archway of the bridge above. You'll soon come to a smaller broken bridge where a Finger Reader Crone sits.

The player in Elden Ring approaches a bridge where a Finger Reader Crone sits on the right-hand side.
Look for a small broken bridge with a Finger Reader Crone north of Stormhill Shack. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

Go to the end of the bridge, and then drop down the left side onto the path below. Follow the slope up to the left and then around to the right. Continue along the path and prepare to fight two small Wolf packs guarding the area.

The player in Elden Ring looks down from the end of a broken bridge to a pathway below while on horseback.
Jump down from the bridge onto the pathway below. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
The player in Elden Ring faces off against two Wolves while on horseback.
Watch out for Wolves! | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

After that, hug the cliff around the corner to the left, and you'll arrive in Liurnia Of The Lakes, just a few paces away from the Lake-Facing Cliffs Site Of Grace.

The player in Elden Ring looks out at Liurnia Of The Lakes in the distance while on horseback.
And here we are, at Liurnia Of The Lakes. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

That's how you can reach Liurnia Of The Lakes to the north of Limgrave in Elden Ring. If you're used to Limgrave, prepare for a step up in difficulty when you start tackling Liurnian sites like the Academy Of Raya Lucaria and Caria Manor. To help prepare, check out our guides on the best weapons, best builds, best armor sets, and best spells in Elden Ring.

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