Summary
There are plenty of moments inElden Ringwhere players will have to leave Torrent behind and face the inevitable roots of thisSoulsbornegame, namelySoulsbornedungeons. Oras the game likes to call them, Legacy Dungeons. These are pretty muchDark Soulslevels plopped on top of the Lands Between open world to mark (mostly) linear areas where players can’t use Torrent to speedrun.
In a sense, Legacy Dungeons are where players stop procrastinating. In stark contrast tothe overworldwhere players can lick their wounds and farm Runes to get stronger, Legacy Dungeons are where they prove their grinding and exploration’s worth. Butnot all Legacy Dungeons are well-designedor fair challenges. Some are preferable to others.
Updated August 02, 2025, by Hamza Haq:Exploration in Elden Ring remains one of its strongest selling points in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, allowing players to explore a vast open world that’s not afraid to hide things from the player, demanding thorough exploration to reveal all its secrets. Legacy Dungeons are the perfect examples of this phenomenon, showcasing FromSoftware’s mastery of world-building in the form of large, sprawling dungeons to get lost in.
20Miquella’s Haligtree/Elphael
Apart from the sceneryand the main boss of this Legacy Dungeon, there’s really nothing new in Miquella’s Haligtree or in Elphael. It’s an area filled with recycled monsters which would have been fine, but it seems the developers picked the most annoying and least-balanced enemies and dumped all of them in this late-game area.
It doesn’t help that Miquella’s Haligtree is room after room of death traps where players are funneled into gank fights and narrow pathways. Overall, it’s an area that seems to have been made to annoy players rather than test their late-game skills. That’s quite disappointing considering the effort needed to unlock this place.
How To Get There
Unlocking Miquella’s Haligtree and eventually, Elphael requires completing a lengthy questline. Here’s the simplified process:
19Crumbling Farum Azula
Similar to Miquella’s Haligtree, Crumbling Farum Azula is a late-gamer area. While the scenery is imaginative and amazing, this dungeon’s platforming reveals the worst thing aboutElden Ring’s movement scheme: its controls and camera.
Players are required to platform in this location except platforming in aSoulsgame is never that cohesive or agile, mostly thanks to the stubborn camera. The area is also home to some of the worst boss runs in the game.
Getting to Crumbling Farum Azula is part of the main quest. Players will simply have to defeat theFire Giantin the Mountaintops of the Giants and light up Melina in the giant kiln. This will transport players to the Crumbling Farum Azula.
18Lake Of Rot/Nokstella
Lake of Rot and the city of Nokstella were probably awesome on paper. In practice, it’s just players skipping the content by running past them in order to avoid Scarlet Rot and all the tedious enemies. While the city of Nokstella is rewarding thanks to enemies that drop Larval Tear, the Lake of Rot area is neither fun nor challenging.
It’s just there to frustrate the players once again and is just a mere nuisance in game design as players simply just run past it. It’s topped off with one of the least logical pathways to a boss arena; somehow, coffins are a better transportation method than Torrent.
In order to get to Lake of Rot and eventually, Nokstella, players will also have to complete Ranni’s lengthy questline. Eventually, this will lead to the area. Ranni’s questline is one of the most complex inElden Ring,so players will want to follow this guide.
17Castle Sol
Castle Sol almost didn’t make the cut as a Legacy Dungeon on this list since it’s small. But the enemies there ensure that players spend hours dying. The ghost Banished Knights who keep teleporting are too overpowered and leave little room for trial and error.
It’s then topped off with a boss fight that’s equally ridiculous as it forces players to summon or resort to specific tactics that invalidate their character build. The saving grace here (no pun intended) is the reward from the boss and the castle’s treasures.
Players will have to unlock Mountaintops of the Giants in order to get to Castle Sol. It’s an optional area but Mountaintops of the Giants is mandatory so unlocking that region is easy. To get to Castle Sol, players will simply have to head over to the northernmost part of the Mountaintops of the Giants.
16Caria Manor (Liurnia Of The Lakes)
Once players get past the initial fear and shock of getting assaulted by giant hands, Caria Manor isn’t so bad. The fact that it introduces one of the most terrifying enemies in the game makes it a memorable Legacy Dungeon.
The only issue with it is that it’s too small for a Legacy Dungeon and an area governed by one of the demigods. If players are quick or experienced, they can rush this whole place in just five minutes— boss included.
Caria Manor is located in the northern or northeastern part of Liurnia of the Lakes. It’s up above a hill overlooking the lake. The road is accessible through the western banks of Liurnia.
15Castle Ensis (Gravesite Plains)
Castle Ensis is a letdown in many ways as there is not much going on in this Legacy Dungeon. It features a relatively linear path with little to no hidden secrets, no backtracking and no reason to revisit the area after it has been cleared.
Rellana, Twin Moon Knightis the only saving grace for this dungeon as she is one of the best-designed bosses in the game, striking the perfect balance between challenging and fair.
How to Get There
Castle Ensis can be found directly northeast of Ellac’s Greatbridge north of the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace in the Gravesite Plains. This area is accessible as soon as players set foot in the Land of Shadow and doesn’t require clearing Belurat, Tower Settlement beforehand.
14Redmane Castle
Redmane Castle barely counts as a Legacy Dungeon because it’s quite small and there’s not much to do in the area. However, the whole place is oozing with atmosphere and history. It’s Radahn’s castle and supposedly Caelid’s bastion before Malenia nuked the whole continent.
There are a couple of lions here as enemies and not much apart from a few characters, a missable duo boss fight, and Radahn himself. Despite the lack of activities within this area, visiting the place from time to time (or for the first time) is always a pleasure due to the hauntingly impressive music and scenery.
Getting to Redmane Castle is as easy as following the main road in Caelid. Radahn’s red redoubt is due southeast of Caelid, following the road. Do be aware that the guards are not friendly and will send catapult fire down the player’s approach. There’s a teleporter before the great bridge, but it only unlocks after a certain point during Ranni’s questline.
13Midra’s Manse (Abyssal Woods)
Midra Manse is little better than Castle Ensis in terms of scale, feeling more like a linear catacomb than an actual Legacy Dungeon. However, there are a lot more secrets to be discovered here, often hidden behind fake walls or accessible via elevated walkways that might be easy to miss.
Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flamecontinues the trend of excellent bosses in lackluster dungeons. The fight is fair, with telegraphed attacks that can be anticipated and dodged with the proper response time but the musical score going on in the background is one of the best in the DLC.
Midra’s Manse can be found at the far edge of the Abyssal Woods. To get her, players will first need to take the hidden ladder behind one of the flaming boats in the area just before the bridge leading to the Storehouse, First Floor Site of Grace. Follow the route down to the painting room with the illusory wall next to it. Take the ladder down to a coffin that will drop to lower Scadu Altus. Head southwest through the water all the way to theDarklight Catacombs. Clear this dungeon to access the Abyssal Woods. Head to the southwestern edge of the Abyssal Woods to reach Midra’s Manse.
12Ainsel River
Ainsel River is where players start getting a glimpse of the vastness ofElden Ring’s underground area. It’s a Legacy Dungeon that supplements the underground wonders brought about by Siofra River (a semi-open-world area). Ainsel River is sprawling, cryptic, and oppressive thanks to a certain mini-boss that’s hard to kill.
Meanwhile, the whole area is also a prime spot for subtle and minimalistic lore exposition. There are tons of Clayman enemies and ants in Ainsel River. As a reward, players also get a glimpse of the Lake of Rot (albeit inaccessible) as a precedent of the worse things to come.
Players can find the entrance to Ainsel River in Ainsel River Well located on the eastern banks of Liurnia. It’s due directly east of the Church of Vows.
11Subterranean Shunning-Grounds (Leyndell, Royal Capital)
Moving on to debatably good areas, the sewers under Leyndell are quite polarizing. On one hand, it’s great as a horror level; that area is a nightmare maze that rivalsResident Eviltitles.
On the other hand, the platforming sections (specifically the one on the pipes with imps) are too overdone. Moreover, putting giant lobsters in a small area is just unnecessary torture. But even then, a lot of players will appreciate the cleverness that went into designing this vast dungeon.
Access to the sewer entrance is through a well near the Avenue Balcony grace in Leyndell, Royal Capital.
