In Elden Ring: Nightreign, no structure is bigger than the Castle. Plus, it isn’t randomly located — you’ll always find it right smack dab in the middle of the Limveld expedition map where you can’t help but see it. So the Castle must be important, right? It is. The Castle is guaranteed to reward you with at least four Dormant Powers if you explore it thoroughly.
An example Limveld map with the Castle marked.
Since the Castle is so large, we’ll break it down into its three main parts — the Ramparts, the Baily, and the Interior — and we’ll discuss each one in turn.
The Ramparts
Multiple chests
Troll (special enemy) — rewards Dormant Power
You can climb up into the Ramparts using the stairs located along the outer walls of the Castle. When you get up there, you’ll encounter a variety of soldiers and a few chests, plus an enemy that doesn’t register as a boss in the user interface — usually a giant troll with a large collection of pots, which he’ll proceed to throw at you if you give him a chance. Defeating the boss will gain you a Dormant Power.
The troll on the Ramparts.
The Baily
Lion Guardian — special enemy, rewards higher-tier Dormant Power
The Baily is the easiest part of the Castle to reach. You can get to it by jumping down from the Ramparts, or by opening a gate from the Interior, or just by walking straight through the Castle’s main entrance and then jumping across the chasm that has split the Castle in two.
Inside the Baily, you’ll encounter more soldiers plus a large, sleeping lion — which will wake up and attack you when you get close enough to it. The Lion Guardian is an agile boss with a sword strapped to its arm, so be careful with it, especially when it leaps into the air to pounce on you.
Interestingly, the Lion Guardian isn’t treated like a boss, similarly to the Ramparts enemy encounter. (I.e., you won’t see its name and health bar in the interface when you attack it). Yet, the lion rewards better Dormant Powers than regular bosses, and it also appears to spawn each day (alongside the two soldiers). So, if you’re interested in Dormant Powers, be sure to pay it a visit — or two.
Beware the sword strapped to the lion’s arm.
The Interior
Random boss (Great Enemy) — rewards higher-tier Dormant Power
Chest — rewards Dormant Power
The only way to reach the Interior of the Castle is via the river that runs underneath it. The passages here will take you directly to an isolated chamber where you’ll encounter a random boss. This boss is categorized as a “great enemy,” and can include the Crucible Knight and Leonine Misbegotten (whom you might remember from Elden Ring).
You’ll receive one Dormant Power for defeating the boss in the Interior, and you’ll find a second as you make your way upwards from the boss chamber — but this second Dormant Power won’t be from another boss fight. You’ll discover it inside the chest next to the gate leading to the Baily.
The Crucible Knight.
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Steven Carter
Starting with cassette tape games on the TRS-80, Steven has been playing, creating, and writing about games for a long, long time. This makes him experienced, not old. Lately, Steven has been focusing on walkthroughs, making sure everybody knows how to solve Towers of Hanoi puzzles.
