RELATED: Game Awards 2022: Every Game of The Year Nominee, Summarized

As with any other area in Elden Ring, Liurnia of the Lakes contains a whole host of both mandatory and optional bosses. On top of that, the enemies focus mostly on magic, as most of them belong to the academy, so confrontations with them will usually require a different approach.

Updated November 26th, 2022 by Jacob Buchalter: Elden Ring’s Liurnia of the Lakes region is one that seems very bare at first. As players gallop on Torrent through the flooded forest with occasional enemies, ruins, and buildings popping up, this zone seems to keep things pretty basic. But, the further the Tarnished goes, the more they’ll discover that Liurnia of the Lakes is one of the game’s most packed and scenically diverse regions.

For example, just in this lake region alone, the Tarnished will find themself up against giant lobsters, sentient magic hands, golems made of crystal, magic-casting dogs, barely clothed Alabaster Lords using gravity magic, living jars, and even a giant turtle that runs a church. So, let’s go through all of the bosses in this area, including all the optional ones, and break down where they’re located, what items they drop, and what their gimmicks are.

Liurnia Of The Lakes Boss Locations & Drops

Liurnia of the Lakes can be divided into three sections according to the Map Fragments players can find beneath the spire statues in Elden Ring; East Liurnia, West Liurnia, and North Liurnia. Each one of them has its own certain themes going on as well as its own pile of terrifying bosses.

Cleanrot Knight

The Cleanrot Knight is a perfect example of a tactic that Elden Ring uses quite often, introducing elite enemies as bosses to get players used to fighting them and to show what’s to come. The boss’ variant of this Rot-infested Malenia-loyal knight can be found northwest of the beautiful Stormveil Castle in Stillwater Cave. From the castle’s exit, the cave is just a bit toward the broken bridge that leads down to the watery lake, but more to the east. Look out for any Spirit Jellyfish, as these enemies are the telltale sign that the Tarnished is close.

Trek through the Cave full of Bats, Miranda Sprouts, and Rot Servants to eventually reach the Cleanrot Knight at the end who drops 3,300 Runes, Winged Sword Insignia Talisman, and the Cleanrot Knight’s Sword.

Erdtree Burial Watchdog

There are Erdtree Burial Watchdogs that can be fought in almost every region of Elden Ring’s Lands Between, and Liurnia of the Lakes is no different. These watchdogs have a few different variations to their appearances and movesets, depending on their locations. This watchdog, in particular, has three heads and wields a staff to cast spells.

This version is inside the Cliffbottom Catacombs, east of the Purified Ruins, a location full of the usual Imps but also a good number of Omens who can be hard to deal with. Thankfully, this variant isn’t too different from the usual Burial Watchdog, but it will use Glintstone Sorceries, so watch out for those. Once defeated, the Erdtree Burial Watchdog will drop 3,200 Runes and Kaiden Sellsword Spirit Ashes.

Both Night’s Calvary

There are two Night’s Cavalry, another type of boss that reappears frequently, in Liurnia of the Lakes, both of which only appear at night. One can be found north of the Highway Lookout Tower and will drop 5,600 Runes and the Ice Spear Ash of War. The other is located south of the Bellum Church Site of Grace and also drops 5,600 Runes as well as the Giant Hunt Ash Of War and the Nightrider Glaive.

There are a total of 9 Night’s Calvary to be found in the game, and the approach to fighting them is mostly the same since all of them are on horseback.

Tibia Mariner

Like the Erdtree Burial Watchdogs or Night’s Calvary, the Tibia Mariners can be found in various locations throughout the Lands Between. These skeletal cronies are part of Those Who Live in Death and will often summon other undead of all different types during their boss encounters. The one in Liurnia is found right about in the middle of the Artist’s Shack and Liurnia Highway North Sites of Grace just hanging out in a small area of water in a clearing of trees.

Beating this boss, which shouldn’t be too bad given how simple their moveset is, rewards players with 4,700 Runes, a Deathroot, and the Skeletal Bandit Spirit Ashes.

Bell Bearing Hunter

The Bell Bearing Hunters are another example of bosses that only appear at nighttime like the Deathbirds and Night’s Calvary. Each one defeated will reward players with a different Bell Bearing Key Item that they likely looted off the merchant the Hunter killed. In Liurnia of the Lakes, a hunter will appear late at night and invade players in the Church of Vows.

RELATED: Elden Ring: Tips For Completing Siofra River

If the Tarnished can make it through their shockingly difficult boss battle and take out the hunter, they’ll get 6,000 Runes and the Meat Peddler’s Bell Bearing upon its death. The Bell-Bearing Hunters are some of the most imposing bosses in the game with the most interesting arenas, so it’s a bit of a shame that they don’t play any sort of role in the story whatsoever.

Deathbird

Yet another example of a field boss that players will be fighting multiple times is the Deathbird. Again, like the Night’s Calvary, they only spawn at night. Thankfully, there are a few variations of these horrifying creatures that use different spells and weapons so it won’t become too tedious to fight them. This one is found on Scenic Isle, which is the small landmass just south of the Boilprawn Shack Site of Grace. Once killed, this avian monstrosity drops 6,600 Runes and the Red-Feathered Branchsword Talisman.

Death Rite Bird

The Death Rite Bird is similar to the Deathbird but is essentially an upgraded version with more attacks that use ghost flame, a type of cold fire that usually inflicts Frostbite. The first Death Rite Bird the Tarnished will encounter is just a bit south of the Gate Town North Site of Grace and can only be found at night. If players manage to defeat this ancient death-bringing bird, they’ll get 7,800 Runes as well as the Ancient Death Rancor Death Sorcery.

Both Erdtree Avatars

There are two Erdtree Avatars to be found in the Liurnia of the Lakes. For those who don’t remember, these are the discount Dark Souls Asylum Demon-esque creatures that stand guard over all of the Minor Erdtrees found in the game. Each one drops at least one of the many Crystal Tears used for the Flask of Wonderous Physick. As for the two in Liurnia:

Erdtree Avatar 1: Northeast Liurnia next to the Walking Mausoleum AKA the Mausoleum Compous Site of Grace. From here just head up the nearby cliff to the north and then simply follow the path to the nearby Minor Erdtree. Once killed, this Avatar drops 5,800 Runes, the Holy-Shrouding Cracked Tear, the Lightning-Shrouding Cracked Tear, and the Magic-Shrouding Cracked Tear. Erdtree Avatar 2: The other Erdtree Avatar is right up the path northward from the Converted Tower Site of Grace. The battle is much the same as the other Avatar, and this one drops 5,800 Runes, the Cerulean Crystal Tear, as well as the Ruptured Crystal Tear.

Black Knife Assassin & Cemetery Shade

The Black Knife Catacombs are a rare example of an underground location like the Caves, Catacombs, or Dungeons having two separate boss encounters. The primary boss for this Catacomb is the Cemetary Shade, but there’s an optional boss found behind a hidden pathway and it’s another Black Knife Assassin. Both of these bosses are ones that players will have likely fought before in Limgrave, but each one is just a bit different than the first time they’re fought. The Black Knife Assassin fight is in a much smaller room than the one in the Limgrave Evergaol and the Cemetary Shade has skeleton allies this time rather than fighting alone. Still, neither boss should pose too much of an issue.

Upon defeat, the Black Knife Assassin drops 1,600 Runes, the Assassin’s Cerulean Dagger, and the Black Knifeprint Key Item which ends up being a part of Fia the Deathbed Companion’s questline. On the other hand, the Cemetery Shade drops 3,500 Runes and the Twinsage Sorcerer Spirit Ashes.

Crystalians (Ringblade, Spear, & Staff)

In Liurnia of the Lakes, there are a total of three Crystalians fought over two boss encounters. One such encounter can be found inside Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel just northwest of the Church of Vows. This is a single Crystalian using a Ringblade and some small Chakrams. And, it’s basically an introduction to the enemy type to show players how they’ll need to focus on Stance Breaking these enemies first in every encounter. Once defeated, it drops 3,000 Runes and Smithing-Stone Miner’s Bell Bearing 1.

The second encounter is a bit tougher as it includes fighting against two Crystalians at once inside the Academy Crystal Cave, a small Cave that can be found simply by staying in the shallows and hugging the outside western edge of the Raya Lucaria Academy. Inside there is a Spear Crystalian and a Staff Crystalian, both of which use moves that one would expect from those weapon types. Once those are broken, the Tarnished will receive 3,300 Runes and the Crystal Release Crystalian Sorcery.

Glintstone Dragon Smarag

Glintstone Dragon Smarag is likely the second Dragon boss fight that players will encounter, with Flying Dragon Agheel in Limgrave being the first. Unlike Agheel, Smarag is a giant Dragon that has feasted upon many devout sorcerers, and as such his body has been mutated by their Glintstone sorceries, making him a magic Dragon. Smarag can be found snoozing just west of Raya Lucaria Academy guarding a small landmass with three corpses on it. One of these is the Academy Glintstone Key that players need to get into the Academy, but thankfully if necessary, players can just do a death run to grab this instead of being forced to beat Smarag first.

Like most other Dragons, Smarag is completely trivial for those using Bleed weapons, but for everyone else, either of his Glintstone Fire-Breathing attacks is the only real thing they’ll need to worry about. When killed, Smarag drops 14,000 Runes and one Dragon Heart to be used at the Church of Dragon Communion to unlock Smarag’s Glintstone Breath.

Red Wolf Of Radagon

In the past, the Red Wolf of Radagon was said to be very protective of its master. After his death, the Red Wolf is still bound to his duty as Radagon’s guardian and keeps intruders out of the Grand Library and by extension the Raya Lucaria Academy. This boss is technically optional since players don’t need to beat Rennala to get to an ending, but it’s a mandatory boss if they want to clear the Academy.

Of course, any longtime FromSoftware game fan will notice the similarities between this dog and Sif, Artorias’ companion from the first Dark Souls. However, this is a magic-casting doggo rather than a purely-melee-focused one, so players will need to adjust accordingly. Once beaten, this pupper drops 14,000 Runes and a Spell Slot-increasing Memory Stone. Also, it should be noted that this absolutely won’t be the last time that the Tarnished will be fighting against enemies just like the Red Wolf of Radagon, so be prepared.

Rennala, Queen Of The Full Moon

After defeating the Red Wolf of Radagon the only real boss left in Raya Lucaria Academy is the Shardbearer, Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon. She’s a Shardbearer and also the mother of one of Elden Ring’s most beloved NPCs, Lunar Princess Ranni. And, while Ranni does technically defend her mother by summoning a copy of her at her peak for phase 2 of this boss fight, beating Rennala won’t fail or end Ranni’s questline early.

RELATED: Elden Ring: The Best Weapons For A Level 1 Run

After defeating both the puzzle phase and combat phase of her encounter Rennala drops 40,000 Runes, the Remembrance of the Full Moon Queen, and one of the 8 Great Runes, The Great Rune of the Unborn. After this Rennala stays as a permanent NPC in the Grand Library and gives players the ability to respec using Lunar Tears at any time as well as access to a certain chest related to Ranni’s questline.

Omenkiller

The Omenkiller is probably one of the most notable examples of a standard enemy that probably didn’t deserve to be made into its own individual boss fight. Players will encounter plenty of these enemies later on and they’re nothing more than elite enemies to be a bit wary around.

But, the first one the Tarnished will likely find is a boss they stumble upon in the Village of the Albinaurics. Be careful, as this Omenkiller has three dogs with it while it hunts around for any remaining Albinaurics, so take those out first. Once the fight is over, the Tarnished will receive 4,900 Runes and the Crucible Knot Talisman.

Spirit-Caller Snail

The Spirit-Caller Snail is the boss of the Road’s End Catacombs just west of the Converted Tower. These Catacombs are one of the easier ones, as their design is very basic and the only enemies inside (other than the boss) are a few Fanged Imps and a lot of hidden doors. After combing the area and finding the secret path that leads to the Spirit-Caller Snail, players will find that they’re suddenly up against a spectral Crucible Knight.

Don’t worry about this Knight too much and instead look around the room for a faint glow. This glow is the telltale sign of the Snail, so hit it and the Snail should take some serious damage before teleporting to safety. Keep distracting the Crucible Knight and look for the glow again. Rinse and repeat until the Snail is dead and players are rewarded with 3,000 Runes as well as the Glintstone Sorcerer Spirit Ashes.

The Two Onyx Lords

The Alabaster Lords found throughout Elden Ring are these being made of stone skin and are said to have come into being after a meteor struck the land long ago. They’re masters of Gravity Magic and they appear all over the Lands Between. But, in Liurnia of the Lakes, two of them show up as bosses named “Onyx Lords” (though one used to be named an Alabaster Lord, but the name was changed sometime after the game launched). There’s the Onyx Lord found in the Royal Grave Evergaol to the east of Caria Manor and the Onyx Lord at the bottom of the Sealed Tunnel behind the Caria Manor.

The Onyx Lord in the Royal Grave Evergaol is essentially the same as all the other ones that appear as regular enemies, but it can still be a difficult fight for an unfamiliar player. When beaten it drops 3,600 Runes as well as the Meteorite Gravity Sorcery. Meanwhile, the Sealed Tunnel has the second Onyx Lord at the bottom which drops 16,000 Runes, and the Onyx Lord’s Greatsword.

Bols, Carian Knight

Trolls aren’t exactly treated well in the Lands Between. They betrayed the Giants, their ancestors, in the War for the Erdtree, siding with Marika and the Greater Will. And, while doing so earned them a spot in the Kingdom, it was nothing more than a basic gesture, and Trolls are still heavily mistreated by humans. The only ones who seemed to treat Trolls with respect were the Carian Family, who gave them armor as well as blades that could use Sorceries.

So, the fact that Bois is a Carian Knight imprisoned within the Cuckoo’s Evergaol, hints at some unexpected betrayal. In any case, this Evergaol is found north of the Revenger’s Shack, and the fight itself is barely worth mentioning as Bois fights like every other Troll outside of him using the Greatblade Phalanx Sorcery when needed. Killing him grants 4,600 Runes as well as the same Greatblade Phalanx Sorcery that he was using.

Adan, Thief Of Fire

Yet another Evergaol fight, Adan is actually quite unique in that he isn’t reused later as another boss or basic enemies like the Black Knife Assassins or Troll Carian Knights are. Adan, Thief of Fire was imprisoned inside the Malefactor’s Evergaol (found high up in on the plateaus of south Liunia) after stealing the secrets of the Fire Giant/Fell God and was thus named the Thief of Fire. Adan also has lore significance, as he’s the reason that players can find the Fire Prelates all over this area of Liurnia, as they traveled down from the Mountaintop of the Giants to punish him for his crime.

As far as bosses go, Adan is rather simple, either using his flail in different ways or casting his Flame of the Fell God Incantation. Once Adan is dead, players get 3,800 Runes as well as the very same Fire Giant Incantation he stole, Flame of the Fell God.

Bloodhound Knight

The Bloodhound Knight is a trained guardian found as a boss inside Lakeside Crystal Cave, west of the Malefactor’s Evergaol. Players will recognize that this is basically just another Bloodhound Knight Darriwil fight from the Forlorn Hound Evergaol. The boss is guarding the path leading to the Slumbering Wolf’s Shack where Latenna is resting with her Wolf, Lobo.

And, from the lore found in the Bloodhound Knight items, it seems that this one chose Latenna as its master and is keeping guard over her. Sadly, defeating the Knight is necessary if the Tarnished wishes to complete her questline. Once defeated, the Bloodhound Knight drops 3,600 Runes and the Cerulean Amber Medallion Talisman, a great Talisman choice for mage characters.

Royal Knight Loretta

Royal Knight Loretta, or at least a spirit version of her, is the end boss of Caria Manor. Loretta was once a faithful Carian Knight, and as such her spirit remains at the only entranceway into the Three Sisters area to protect Ranni from danger. And, this won’t be the only time the Tarnished encounters Loretta, as the next time it’s a battle against the real her. In any case, beating “spirit” Loretta rewards players with 10,000 Runes, Loretta’s Greatbow Sorcery, and Loretta’s Slash Ash of War.

Glintstone Dragon Adula

The Glintstone Dragon Adula is a rare case of a boss that is literally designed to be unbeatable in its first encounter so that players have to face it again later in a different location. The first time the Tarnished meets Adula is right after beating the Royal Knight Loretta’s ghost at the end of Caria Manor. Adula roams the Three Sisters area, usually in front of Ranni’s Rise. Once the Tarnished manages to get it to about 50 percent health, Adula will fly away and that’s the end of the battle. Then, they won’t see Adula again until much later in the Moonlight Altar outside of the Cathedral of Manus Celes. This time, Adula can be killed, and once it is it drops 120,000 Runes, Adula’s Moonblade Cold Sorcery, and 3 Dragon Hearts.

It’s a shame that the Tarnished has to kill Adula as according to lore about it found in the description of Adula’s Moonblade, it was bested by Ranni and as a result, swore its allegiance to her. So if that’s the case, Adula should be on the same side as the Tarnished, right?

Alecto, Black Knife Ringleader

Alecto, Black Knife Ringleader is an apt name, as Alecto was quite literally the ringleader of the Night of Black Knives that stole the fragment of Destined Death from Maliketh and imbued it in their daggers to kill Godwyn the Golden. While escaping after this plot, both Alecto’s daughter and Tiche, another assassin, perished while Alecto escaped. Sadly, she was still caught sometime later and imprisoned here within the Ringleader’s Evergaol at the Moonlight Altar.

Of course, this fight is only seen near the end of Ranni the Witch’s questline, as the Moonlight Altar area isn’t accessible until players beat both Astel and Ranni’s Baleful Shadow. Be careful, because although Alecto does look like all the other Black Knife Assassins, she’s much tougher and has more moves at her disposal. Once killed, Alecto drops a big pile of 80,000 Runes and the Black Knife Tiche Spirit Ashes.

Royal Revenant

The Revenant enemies in Elden Ring are some of the most frustrating and most difficult. They’re fast, absurdly aggressive, and give the Tarnished almost no time to collect their thoughts or heal. And the Royal Revenant, a boss found in a hidden basement area of the Kingsrealm Ruins, is even more frustrating.

First off, players need to get to the Kingsrealm Ruins, and they’re along the road to Caria Manor in the eastern area of Liurnia. After getting there, they then have to find the basement and get inside. Then finally, after managing to beat the Revenant either through legitimate means or by using the healing spell strategy, they’re rewarded with a measly 3,100 Runes? Thankfully, the door it was guarding also has the Frozen Needle Rapier inside, so that’s at least a bit of a bonus.

Magma Wyrm Makar

And last up is the Magma Wyrm Makar, the boss of the Ruin-Strewn Precipice that players can go through to get to the Atlus Plateau if they don’t feel like going the usual path. Magma Wyrms are another type of enemy found as non-bosses in Elden Ring, but this will most likely be the first one the Tarnished encounters so it works as an introduction to them. Makar the Magma Wyrm is a bit of an annoying fight due to his high damage for the area he’s in and the number of AoE moves he uses.

But, if defeated, he’ll drop 24,000 Runes, the Magma Wyrm’s Scalesword, and a Dragon Heart. Some item descriptions in-game specify that Magma Wyrms are said to be humans who invested a bit too heavily in Dragon Communion, and the fact that this one is named gives some credence to that theory.

Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.

MORE: Elden Ring: The Best Boss Music Themes, Ranked