Elden Ring‘s Volcano Manor location is the home of the blaspheming Tarnished hunters in the Lands Between. Lord Rykard the Blasphemous, the demigod that presides over the manor, has rebelled against the Elden Ring Golden Order. As such, the manor and its inhabitants have taken to eliminating all other Tarnished that might stand in their way of complete domination in the Lands Between.
[Warning – Elden Ring spoilers follow.]
Volcano Manor is located in the western hemisphere of the Altus Plateau at Mt. Gelmir. Getting there can be quite difficult, especially if players haven’t progressed past the first two bosses: Godrick the Grafted and Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon. There are many obstacles and enemies along the way that leads up to Volcano Manor’s entrance – including a fire dragon. Nevertheless, after players progress past the initial challenges and finally pick up the unlock fragment that reveals the northwestern part of Elden Ring‘s big map, they gain access inside the Volcano Manor. Upon entering, the Tarnished protagonist is met by the lady Tanith sitting in her chair, accompanied by her knight, in which she begins giving small details into the history of Lord Rykard and Volcano Manor.
Volcano Manor became the headquarters for Tarnished assassinators once Lord Rykard committed the grave sin of blasphemy against the Erdtree. While the Golden Order is in charge of protecting the Elden Ring and Erdtree, the blasphemers that follow Lord Rykard try to destroy it so that a new order can take power in the Lands Between. In conjunction with RPG elements, Elden Ring’s Tarnished protagonist can also take part in Lord Rykard’s blasphemous endeavors, destroying the old Golden Order entirely.
Lord Rykard’s Greed Is What Led To His Blasphemy & Tarnished Crusade
Once, Lord Rykard was like the rest of the demigods – a holder of a rune shard and protector of the Golden Order. However, Godwyn the Golden’s assassination, which sparked the Shattering war, caused a lot of chaos to ensue in the Lands Between. All of the demigods found themselves warring with one another to become the next great ruler, including Rykard himself. In fact, there was so much warring that it left certain areas in the Lands Between in complete ruin, such as the Caelid Wilds and many of the strongholds in other regions. Players can explore Elden Ring‘s world for themselves to get a better understanding of the Shattering event; Altus Plateau even has a war memorial that indicates how the fight between Lord Rykard and the other demigods was the most destructive battle during the war.
Rykard, however, in stark contrast to the other demigod siblings, decided to strike a deal with the God-Devouring Serpent and rid the Lands Between of the old Golden Order entirely. This was the great blasphemy he committed because he merged himself with a beast that was directly opposed to the Erdtree’s grace – forever. In many ways, Rykard can be seen as analogous to the biblical figure of Lucifer, who decided the only fitting measure forward is to rebel against the presiding authority. And, since Elden Ring‘s exiled Tarnished are the only ones blessed by grace to restore the Golden Order’s authority, Lord Rykard must destroy them if he’s to usurp the original power structure. Thus, he calls on other Tarnished to join his rebellion against those like themselves. Similar to the Shattering, where demigod kin fought each other, Rykard created a new proxy that pinned Tarnished against Tarnished.
In many ways, Lord Rykard went too far, even for his most loyal subjects. While many who join Volcano Manor support Rykard and his endeavors to destroy the burning of the Erdtree, others realized his malice had taken him to a place of no return. The lore isn’t entirely straightforward, but some characters like Elden Ring’s Melina, who agrees burning the Erdtree is the best solution for the Lands Between, also ended up plotting against Rykard from the inside. And as players who’ve joined Volcano Manor find out, the protagonist is charged with facing him and the God-Devouring Serpent at some point in the optional Legacy Dungeon.
Elden Ring’s Protagonist Can Join In On The Hunt For Tarnished
Joining with Lord Rykard the Blasphemous and the Volcano Manor is an optional choice in Elden Ring, and players don’t have to be part of burning the Erdtree or assassinating other Tarnished. However, many decide to join not so much because they want to destroy the Golden Order or Erdtree – although that’s definitely a possible reason – but because it offers extra quests, armors, weapons, and more. At least in one playthrough, players should join Elden Ring‘s Volcano Manor to experience the extra elements, including some different storytelling aspects, such as seeing the round table hold on fire and unlockable dialogue options that aren’t until after joining. For the most part, however, it doesn’t affect the experience of enjoying Elden Ring‘s story; if anything, it adds some color and deeper understanding about the Lands Between.
If players reach the point of facing Lord Rykard himself, they’ll find that he can be a difficult boss to defeat, like many other bosses in Elden Ring. Lord Rykard has quite a skill set that may require several attempts to figure out, making him a boss many players will want to use a guide for. Summoning another player to help can also be of immense benefit to defeating him. One thing Rykard’s fight doesn’t do is repeat other Elden Ring boss fights, making it a must-see boss battle among the game’s many. After defeating Rykard, he says something interesting: “No one will hold me captive. A serpent never dies.” This statement can be taken in a speculative way that Rykard isn’t actually dead and he could make a return in some way (not unlike Margit), but it might also be simple dramatic jargon from a defeated and powerful enemy. Nevertheless, it’s a tough battle, as all FromSoftware bosses should rightfully be.
Lord Rykard and the Volcano Manor’s mission to hunt down the Tarnished is directly linked to their rebellion against the old Golden Order. Their mission is to rule the Lands Between with a new iron fist that is no longer subjugated to the Erdtree’s grace and life force. Like many of the other Elden Ring characters and demigods, Lord Rykard’s greed was his and the Volcano Manor’s downfall in the end.
