In Elden Ring, you are presented with a choice upon reaching the Volcano Manor nestled in the peak of Mt. Gelmir. The Manor is an imposing place and you’ll meet with a new NPC that will give you the option to Join Volcano Manor or not. It’s not immediately clear what this choice does, so in this guide, we’ll explain what happens if you do choose to join Volcano Manor or decide to leave without joining.
Should You Join Volcano Manor in Elden Ring?
First off, nothing happens if you choose not to join Volcano Manor. You can simply continue to play the game as you were before without any consequences. You will miss out on a fairly interesting questline and a bunch of unique gear if you don’t join, but the questline is completely optional. However, if you’re interested in a key component of the game, Online Invasions, you’ll want to join.
If you do join Volcano Manor, you will receive a key that will unlock access to a new room called the Drawing Room. There are multiple new NPCs to meet in the Drawing Room of Volcano Manor, including a character who will sell you new Ashes of War for your weapons, but the most important item that you can obtain is the Recusant Finger. This item grants you unlimited invasions similar to the Bloody Finger that you can earn from White Mask Varre.
After collecting the Recusant Finger in the Drawing Room, you can pick up the “Letter From Volcano Manor” item on the table which will give you the name and location of a Tarnished NPC that you must invade and defeat. These assassination contracts are a core part of the Volcano Manor questline, and killing these targets will eventually lead you to a secret boss that cannot be fought via any other means.
After reading the leader in your inventory, the target’s location will be marked on your map with a red icon. The first NPC that you’re sent after is named Old Knight Istvan, and he can be found in Limgrave. Heading out to the quest area, you will find a red summoning sign on the ground. Use this to invade Old Knight Istvan’s world. If you defeat him, you will get the Scaled Armor Set as a reward. You can then head back to the Volcano Manor after completing this task to the Magma Shot.
Once Old Knight Istvan is defeated, you can keep collecting letters from the Drawing Room in Volcano Manor to learn the locations of additional assassination targets. Finding and defeating these Tarnished targets will progress the Volcano Manor storyline, allowing you to learn more about the characters found within the Manor and their fight against the Erdtree.
Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
- This article was updated on March 6th, 2022
