Elden Ring Mohgwyn Palace Guide

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Ben is our Soulsborne correspondent that takes on the crushing difficulty of FromSoft games so you don't have to. He's a master of crafting guides that will see you take on bosses like The Orphan of Kos, Malenia, Blade of Miquella and The Nameless King and live to tell the tale. However, it's not all doom and gloom when it comes to Ben's gaming habits. He's also into more whimsical games like Pokemon and Stardew Valley.

Gaining Access To The Palace

First, you’ll need to find a way to get in.

Luckily for you, there are two known methods; depending on how early on you want to access this area:

White-Faced Varre

Well known for his timeless ‘madienless’ line at the beginning of the game, White-Faced Varre always seemed to be hiding something, either that or he knew something that we didn’t. Many players would have slaughtered him for his impudence or forgotten about him entirely, but completing Varre’s questline is vital to accessing Mohgwyn’s Palace during the early game.

The steps needed to complete his questline are surprisingly straightforward:

Obtain a Great Rune and speak to Enia at the Roundtable Hold. Any Great Rune will do, but I recommend getting Godrick the Grafted’s because it is much easier to get a hold of at this point in the game.
Travel to Rose Church to find Varre. He will move from his original location to this house of worship southwest of Liurnia of the Lakes.
After talking with Varre for a while, he will hand you the Festering Bloody Finger, an invasion/PVP item.
Use the Festering Bloody Finger to invade another player three times. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose these invasions.
After returning to Varre, he will ask you to join his covenant of the Bloody Lord, accept this offer, and hand you the Lord of Blood’s Favor item, imploring you to soak it in the Blood of a pure maiden, dead or alive.
After showing Varre the blood-soaked Favour, he will reward you with a reusable Bloody Finger and the Pureblood Knight’s Medal; you can use this unique item to teleport directly outside of Mohgwyn’s Palace.
You can fight Varre near the Mausoleum Dynasty Midpoint site of grace to obtain six Festering Bloody Fingers and Varre’s Bouquet.

Additional Varre Info

There are three potential maidens you can find to help you progress Varre’s questline:

There’s the Church of Anticipation, which can be reached by unlocking the second belfry at the Four Belfries.
There’s another at the Church of Inhibition; this place can be found northeast of Liurnia of the Lakes.
You can also kill Irina, an NPC that can be found sitting at the entrance to the Weeping Peninsula. She fled from Castle Morne after a rebellion occurred there. Note that killing Irina here will end her and Edgar’s questline.

Gateway Teleporter (Yelough Anix Ruins)

The other method to getting to Mohgwyn’s Palace is travelling to the Gateway Teleporter, which is just shy of the Yelough Anix Ruins, which can be found in the Concentrated Snowfield. To gain access to this area, you need to grab the two halves of the Haligtree Medallion:

Left Side of the Haligtree Medallion:- Found in Castle Sol which sits in the northeast of the Mountaintops of the Giants.
Right Side of the Haligtree Medallion: Given to you by Albus in the Village of the Albinaruics, he will be disguised as a jar, so you’ll have to hit him (Not too hard, mind you!) to get the item.

Navigating Your Way Through The Palace Grounds

Now that you’ve finally made it to Mohgwyn’s Palace, you’ll have to find your way around. Depending on how you choose to get here, you’ll spawn in a different spot:

Via the Gateway Teleporter

After heading through the magical device, you’ll find yourself in a pitch-black cave, so be sure to equip a lantern. Keep on going until you emerge from the cave and see Mohgwyn Palace in all its glory.

The Palace Approach Ledge-Road

Stick to the left ledge until you see a Site of Grace in the distance; simultaneously, you should also see an archway directly below you. Aim carefully and drop down onto it.
After aquatinting yourself with the Site of Grace, head down the path filled with red & white Albinaruics. All the white ones will be non-hostile unless you attack them, but the red ones will be aggressive no matter what.
After clearing the immediate area of the Albinaruics, keep heading down the road until you come across a diverging path. The main route is arguably much safer than the side path but the latter houses various rare and valuable items. These two paths connect later on in the area as well.
Despite what path you choose, you’ll always end up having to encounter dangerous enemies in the Blood Lake. You will also be regularly invaded by humanoid White-Faced enemies that will stalk you throughout the entire area. So I recommend sneaking past enemies or taking them down one-by-one to attract as little attention as possible.
Eventually, you’ll come across a sub-section of the Blood Lake that is connected to a forest and is inhabited by solely red Albinaruics. The ones in the lake are pretty regular, but the Summoner Albinaruics in the forest are capable of calling forth massive skeletons that can fire devastating laser beams. It is possible to flee from these guys if you’re not looking for a fight.
You can explore the forest freely from here until you come across the steps to the Dynasty Mausoleum. The steps for navigating the Mausoleum are laid out below.

Via the Pureblood Knight’s Medal

Upon first spawning at the Palace, you’ll find yourself at the foot of a staircase. You can either continue up the stairs or head through the forest.

Up the Stairs

After climbing the stairs, you find yourself in the domain of the Moghwyn Dynasty Mausoleum, be sure to loot the first corpse you see because it will net you the map of the area. Head up another flight of steps to find a Site of Grace
After yet another flight of stairs, you’ll see some Draugr-like enemies wandering about; these guys are particularly nasty as they will deal Blood Loss damage when they die, so to save yourself the trouble, ignore them and sprint past them.
Another set of stairs will reveal more Draugrs; this time, some aggressive ones will charge directly at you and explode. There’s no way to tell which ones are violent until they spot you, so stay on your guard!
As you progress up the mountain, you’ll eventually run into these enormous masses of flesh that will block your path. They will not move and will have to be killed for you to progress. You can use a hit-and-run tactic with them, as these blobs don’t possess long-range attacks.
Eventually, you’ll reach the apex of the mountain and will see a large doorway; head through it to reach a pitch-black cave. Make sure to equip a lantern!
This section is where it gets tricky. As you delve further into the cave, many Blood Mages will spawn at specific intervals. These foes are extremely dangerous and agile, as well as being exceptionally proficient with Blood Loss attacks. Stay aware of your current environment and use it to your advantage; it will be much easier to face these enemies one-on-one instead of together.
After passing through some more Blood-Loss Draugrs, you’ll eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel. Head through the doorway and acquaint yourself with the Dynasty Mausoleum Midpoint Site of Grace. Congratulations, you made it through Mohgwyn Palace!
From here, you can choose to take on the Congregation, which is made up of a mob of Red Albinaruics and a single Blood Mage or take the elevator up to Mogh’s boss room.

The Perfect Rune Farming Spot

The community has declared that the Palace Approach Ledge-Road is the best and most efficient way to farm runes. Just by repeatedly defeating all of the Albinaruics with the Gold Scabbard Talisman equipped will net you an obscene amount of runes with next to no effort.

Gold Scarab Talisman:- Increases the number of Runes you gain from fallen enemies. It can be found in the Abandoned Cave in Caelid.

Depending on what build you decided to go with for your character, your approach to slaying these enemies may differ, but I will still give you a general idea of how to go about it:

After resetting the area and leaving the Site of Grace, equip a bow or a long-range spell, such as Loretta’s Bow. Shoot at the large mutant crow across the cliff; who will aggro you and then run off the cliff edge to his death.
Re-equip your primary weapons and head down the path, defeating any white non-hostile Albinaruics along the way. These guys aren’t powerful, so they should pose no threat to you.
Eventually, you’ll gain the ire of the Red Albinaruics. These delightful fellows are easily capable of dealing Blood Loss to you and can stunlock you to death with their cartwheel attack. Be sure to take them out as soon as possible; you don’t want to be surrounded and overwhelmed by these guys.
After you clear out the immediate area, all that will be left will be a patrolling group of Red Albinaruics. Quickly dispatch them and head back to the Site of Grace to reset the area.

Useful NPCS & Items

Since this area is so vicious and unforgiving, there are some precious and rare items up for grabs if you know where to find them:

NPCS

Imprisoned Merchant:- Can be found in the cavern just before the Dynasty Mausoleum Midpoint Site of Grace.
Stanching Boluses (3):- A type of herbal medicine that prevents the build-up of Blood Loss. (Sold for 1200 Runes each)
Rune Arc(3):- A shattered piece of the Elden Ring grants the user a slight HP boost upon use. (Sold for 8000 Runes each)
Stonesword Key(5):- A stone key in the shape of a sword; it can be used to unlock Imp Seals. (Sold for 5000 Runes each)
Bloodrose:- Roses that are slick in Blood; they are well-loved by those who serve the Lord of Blood. (Sold for 800 Runes each)
Dwelling Arrow:- A type of arrow that supposedly houses the spirits of small animals. Deals magic damage to the target. (Sold for 160 Runes each)
Burred Bolt:- A sadistic type of arrow that burrows deep into the flesh and causes Blood Loss damage to the target. (Sold for 200 Runes each)
Lost Ashes of War (1):- Empty ashes that Master Hewg can use to recreate various Ashes of War. (Sold for 5000 Runes)
Festering Bloody Finger (10):- A vile finger blackened with blood congestion allows the user to invade other players’ worlds. (Sold for 2000 Runes each)

Useful Items & Spells

Nascent Butterfly:- An exceedingly rare crafting material, many people hardly believe it even exists. Allows you to create useful items such as Dappled White Meat, which temporarily boosts your Robustness, Focus & Immunity.
Golden Seed:- An essential item capable of increasing the amount of Crimson Tear flasks you can carry at any given time. (Found on a central island on the southern side of the Blood Lake)
Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone: A unique upgrade material that strengthens certain weapons to +10, allowing them to do the maximum amount of damage possible. (Can be found in a chest after the optional Congregation battle just before the Lord of Blood’s boss battle)
Smithing Stone (8):- A upgrade material that strengthens most weapons to +24. Allows your weapon to deal more damage to enemies (You can find 8 of these in Yelough Anix Tunnel)
Ghost Glovewort (8):- An upgrade material that strengthens Spirit Ashes to +8. Allows your Spirit Ash to do more damage and take more hits (One found north of the Palace Approach Ledge-Road Site of Grace)
Grave Glovewort (9):- An upgrade material that strengthens Spirit Ashes to +9. Allows your Spirit Ash to do more damage and take more hits. (Found near some graves, west of the Blood Lake)
Lord’s Rune:- A rare type of consumable Rune that grants the user 50,000 Runes upon use. Very useful if you want to level up quickly or purchase some items from a vendor. (Found on a corpse sitting in front of a pillar along the western path)
Haligdrake Talisman +2:- A potent talisman that boosts the wearer’s defences against Holy damage, this Talisman is very useful against the final boss of the game, the Elden Beast, since it greatly reduces the damage you take from its Elden Stars attack. (Found in a cluster of graves near a Corrupted Crow)
Nomadic Warrior Cookbook (24):- A cookbook containing a few advanced crafting recipes, such as the Swarm Pot & the Roped Fly Pot. (Found on the edge of the cliffs, southeast of the Blood Lake)
Swarm of Flies:- A type of Incantation that rapidly tracks the target and deals Blood Loss to them. Useful at whittling down your foe’s HP and Stamina from a range. (Found along the east wall near the Blood Lake, directly north from the Palace Approach Ledge-Road Site of Grace)

Mohg, Lord of Blood

As I mentioned, Mohg is the boss of this entire area for a good reason. You may have guessed this already by his title, but this enemy is mighty and proficient with Blood Magic. So if you’re planning on taking on this optional boss, you’ll need to know what’s coming.

Strengths

Physical (Standard):- Mohg is pretty resistant to Standard damage.
Physical (Strike):- Mohg is pretty resistant to Striking damage.
Physical (Thrust):- Mohg is pretty resistant to Thrusting damage.
Physical (Pierce):- Mohg is pretty resistant to Piercing damage.
Magic:- Mohg is relatively resistant to Magic damage.
Holy:- Mohg is relatively resistant to Holy damage.
Fire:- Mohg is highly resistant to Fire damage.
Lightning: Mogh is relatively resistant to Lightning damage.

Weaknesses

Poison:- Mohg can be Poisoned via spells and crafted items.
Scarlet Rot:- Mohg can be afflicted by Scarlet Rot via Incantations and crafted items.
Blood Loss:- Ironically enough, Mohg can be afflicted with Blood Loss via projectiles & weapons.
Frostbite:- Mohg can be afflicted with Frostbite via spells & weapons.
Sleep:- Mohg may be afflicted with Sleep, but it will require a large number of Sleep-inducing items.
Madness:- Mohg is immune to the Madness status.
Death Blight:- Mohg is totally immune to the Death Blight status.

Strategy

This fight will be difficult regardless, but to make it a little easier, you can use special items, such as Mogh’s Shackle or the Purifying Crystal Tear, mixed in with your Flask of Wonderous Physick.

Mohg’s Shackle: A unique item that binds Mohg to the ground and prevents him from attacking for a few seconds. Note that it can only be used during his first phase. You can also use this item against Mohg, the Omen, to achieve the same effect. Although similar in name, this boss is different from the Lord of Blood, relying on slinking about the arena and trying to catch you off-guard. You can face this opponent in the depths of the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds. (This item can be found in the depths of the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds)
Purifying Crystal Tear: A unique item that can negate Mohg’s curse’s effects. (Dropped by Elenora, Violet Bloody Finger at the Second Church of Marika in Atlus Plateau)

Regarding your battle with the Lord of Blood, Mohg possesses a surprisingly extensive range of attacks, from slashing and thrusting with his spear to scorching and bleeding you with his unique Bloodflame Incantations; you really don’t want to come unprepared for this battle.

Here are some special attacks to look out for during the fight:

Bloodboon Ritual: Mohg will thrust his spear into the air and chant after counting down three times. You will be affected by Blood Loss as the boss will constantly regain his health. Whilst this attack is unavoidable, you can use your Purifying Crystal Wonderous Physick to reduce the potency of Mohg’s healing and your Blood Loss.
Bloodboon: Mohg will splash some Bloodflame at you; this flame will linger on the ground and cause a build-up of Blood-Loss if you get hit or stand in it.
Spear Swings: Mohg will swipe at you rapidly with his spear in a 2-3 hit combo; he may delay the final swing or use an overhead slam with it instead. It’s easy to get stun-locked by this combo, so I recommend rolling with each swing to dodge them.
Bloodflame Talons: For this attack, Mohg will slash at the air with his claws, leaving searing claw marks behind; these marks will explode soon after. I recommend rolling away directly after the initial slash to avoid the explosion.
Blood Tax: Mohg will thrust his spear forwards, dealing relatively severe damage and Blood Loss build-up.

After you emerge victorious after your battle with the Lord of Blood, you’ll obtain the Remembrance Of The Blood Lord. Like every other major boss in Elden Ring, defeating a powerful enemy will net you their Remembrances and Great Runes; the former can then be exchanged for unique items and armour via Enia at the Roundtable Hold. You’ll have to scale the Divine Towers to activate their Great Runes. For example, for Mohg’s Great Rune, you’ll need to travel to the top of the Divine Tower of East Atlus.

Mohg’s Boss Items

Mohgwn’s Sacred Spear (Weapon)

Thanks to its long reach and powerful weapon skill, this large fork is the longest of all the Great Spears in Elden Ring and is often used by Blood build characters, especially in PvP. To wield this mighty weapon, you’ll need the following:

Strength: 24 (Has a D in Scaling)
Dexterity: 14 (Has an E in Scaling)
Arcane: 27 (Has a D in Scaling)

Mohgwyn’s Scared Spear has the unique weapon skill, Bloodboon Ritual. This skill causes your character to thrust the weapon upwards thrice, causing a surprisingly large AoE explosion of Blood each time. After this, the weapon will be coated in the Bloodflame buff for a while, which deals fire damage and increases Blood Loss build-up simultaneously.

I also recommend using the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia Talisman, which dramatically increases the damage of successive attacks. This Talisman works wonders with the multiple explosions from the Bloodboon Ritual weapon skill.

It is little wonder why this weapon is s beloved by the community.

Bloodboon (Incantation)

This Incantation is similar to the same technique as the weapon skill on the Mohgwn’s Scared Spear. However, this iteration causes you to throw an arc of blood flame in front of you. Note that this Incantation is relatively slow to use and remarkably weaker than its weapon’s counterpart. You’ll need 14 points in Faith & 17 points in Arcane to use this spell.

Mohg’s Great Rune

Mohg’s Great Rune is unlike the others you may come across in the game. It doesn’t outwardly buff your HP or other attributes like Godrick’s and Margott’s. Likewise, the Great Rune of the Blood Lord doesn’t directly benefit your character, but it instead boosts the power of your Spirit Ashes and Summons.

You can activate this Great Rune in the exact location you activate Margott’s: The Divine Tower of East Atlus. You can reach this tower by travelling to the Lendyell’s Outskirts elevator tower and then taking the right exit instead of going down the elevator to the Forbidden Lands Site of Grace. Of course, you’ll be ambushed by the Fell Twins mini-boss before reaching the tower, but don’t worry; these guys are surprisingly easy to deal with.

You can also acquire the Lord of Blood’s robes, but these are only available after you defeat him. You can purchase this piece of equipment from Enia at the Roundtable Hold:

Lord of Blood Robes:- Sold for 20000 Runes

FAQs

Question: Is it worth going through all of the trouble to get to Mohgwyn’s Palace?

Answer: I can 100% say that it is worth the effort. There are many rare items you can pick up in this area, as well as having an incredible Rune framing spot that works really well regardless of your progression in the game. The battle against Mohg also provides a unique level of challenge that you’ll struggle to find with other bosses in Elden Ring.

Question: Do the White-Faced Enemies keep spawning forever?

Answer: Nope, the White-Faced enemies will stop invading you after being defeated or if you kill Mohg.

Question: Is it worth killing the enemies roaming the Blood Lake?

Answer: I’d recommend only killing the ones that block your path. I feel like it would be a bad idea to try and fight the numerous enemies just because you can; they can do a terrifying amount of damage and can easily inflict Blood Loss on your character. I’d recommend sneaking past certain enemies, like the Mutant Crows and the Albinaruics.

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