Elden Ring is a massive open-world game with tons of secret locations and items to find. Figuring out where to go can be extremely difficult due to both the size of the game’s world and the extreme difficulty associated with combat and exploration.
One reliable way to find powerful loot is to conquer the many Evergaols found throughout the world. Evergaols act as a holding cell for some of the game’s toughest enemies. Each Evergaol challenges the player’s skill, pitting them against these foes in a battle to the death.
Updated on the 14th August 2024 by Callum Marshall: “Thanks to the new DLC expansion Shadow of the Erdtree, more players than ever are returning to The Lands Between for another crack at this brutal and punishing Soulsborne epic. Which means you’ll be taking on the Evergaols and their respective bosses all over again. So we have added some new info, including the best order to take on each Evergaol.”
Best Order To Take On The Evergaols
While everyone will have their opinion on which order is best to take on these Evergaols due to the open nature of Elden Ring’s format, and the fact that many players make natural discoveries in a unique order. We would suggest that, for the easiest time possible, you consider taking the Evergaols on in this order below:
- Battlemage Hugues
- Bols, Carian Knight
- Ancient Hero of Zamor
- Adan, Thief of Fire
- Alabaster Lord
- Bloodhound Knight Darriwil
- Crucible Knight
- Godefroy The Grafted
- Roundtable Knight Vyke
- Alecto, Black Knife Ringleader
Forlorn Hound Evergaol
The
Forlorn Hound Evergaol
can be found just south of the Agheel Lake Site of Grace in southern Limgrave. Inside this Evergaol, players will encounter Bloodhound Knight Darriwil. They are a hard boss, as they move very quickly, can disappear and reappear at will, and also have some very powerful attacks that cause bleed build-up.
However, due to how early you face them in the game, the bleed damage isn’t all that debilitating, at it will only hit for roughly as much as one standard attack. Plus, all of their attacks are parryable. So, if you sit back and analyze this boss and make use of early-game lightning items like
, you’ll come out on top and walk away with Bloodhound’s Fang.
Weeping Evergaol
The
Weeping Evergaol
can be located just to the east of the
Fourth Church of Marika
in the
Weeping Peninsula
. Inside this Evergaol is the Ancient Hero of Zamor, a boss that has access to frostbite magic, and a variety of close-quarters attacks that can be devastating.
The easiest way to beat this boss is by using ranged lightning or fire magic, or failing that, using
, as this tends to avoid projectiles to ensure you land each attack.
They are very ineffective from distance, but even if you do go with a melee strategy, if you focus on precise dodge rolls and the bait and strike method, you should be fine. Just don’t hide behind your shield, because that won’t fly here.
The reward for successfully completing the Evergaol is Radagon’s Scarseal (a useful Talisman). This Evergaol does require players to have a
to enter.
Stormhill Evergaol
The
Stormhill Evergaol
is located just south of the
Stormhill Shack
in
Limgrave
. Players will face off against the Crucible Knight in this Evergaol. You’ll come across many different crucible knights on your Elden Ring adventure, but this will likely be your first.
They make use of powerful holy attacks, so if you have a
, use it. Plus, they have access to a wide variety of slow, but powerful melee attacks. So the key here is to avoid their melee combos with swift dodges, and then attack as they recover.
The reward in the dungeon is an Incantation called Aspects of the Crucible Tail. This is likely one of the first Evergaols players will come across, but it should not be underestimated.
Also, bear in mind that this boss is immune to bleeding and poison, so status effects won’t bail you out in this encounter.
Sellia Evergaol
There are a couple of Evergaols that will reward players with Spirit Ashes, and the Sellia Evergaol is one of them. This Evergaol is located near Caelid’s Abandonded Cave and will force players to fight Battlemage Hugues.
If you are a Magic user, this will be a relatively tricky fight as Hugues has a strong resistance against magic attacks. However, if you are a strength/melee build, this boss will prove to be a piece of cake, as they are easily staggered.
But regardless of your preference and build, a great way to render their attacks useless is by using the
to absorb magic attacks.
Once defeated, players will receive the Spirit Ash for the Battlemage so they can summon him to fight by their side.
Malefactor’s Evergaol
Malefactor’s Evergaol
can be discovered soon after players have completed
Stormveil Castle
, which means they have already gotten one of the game’s major bosses out of the way in the form of
.
That being said, Adan, Thief of Fire will be no pushover and has access to a wealth of fire-based attacks that will humble you if you’re ill-prepared. A good way to negate these fiery attacks is by equipping the
if you have access to this helpful Talisman.
Then, as for the fight itself, using
, or a Lightning weapon like the
, for example, can work a treat, as they are weak to lightning.
Magic users will have an easy time with this fight, but if you’re a melee user, the best way to approach this is by keeping your distance, avoiding their fire-based incantation, and then when they switch to melee, this is when you take risks and attack with fervor.
Ringleader’s Evergaol
Ringleader’s Evergaol can only be accessed by progressing in Ranni’s Questline, which means it will likely be encountered much later in your adventure.
This is just as well, as the fight housed within this Evergaol is a really tough one. Alecto is a brutal boss with insanely fast attacks and melee combos that will break your guard pretty much every time of asking, making a shield useless in this encounter.
The key here is to dodge precisely and often, and wait for small windows after their Helmsplitter and Knife Sweep attacks, as these are the best opportunities to get some free hits in. But in truth, there’s no truly easy way to deal with Alecto other than being reactive, patient, and clinical.
However, the turmoil this fight puts you through is worth it, as you’ll get your hands on the Black Knife Tiche Spirit Ashes, which are, in my humble opinion, are only second to the
in terms of quality.
Cuckoo’s Evergaol
Cuckoo’s Evergaol can be found just south of The Four Belfries Site of Grace in Liurnia, and players will have to face off against Bols, Carian Knight.
This one seems like an imposing foe, but in truth, their huge frame is more of a hindrance for this big guy, as this allows you to roll below their legs, get in behind them, and hack away with careless abandon. You do need to stay on your toes, as they can swing around and counterattack, but it is easy enough to avoid if you stay vigilant.
You will also need to watch out for their Greatblade Phalanx attack if at a distance, as the tracking on those blades is really accurate, but all in all, it’s one of the easier Evergaol fights.
Successful players will then gain access to the Greatblade Phalanx incantation for themselves, which is a great option for magic users.
Royal Grave Evergaol
The
Royal Grave Evergaol
is located near
Caria Manor
in northern Liurnia. Players will fight the Alabaster Lord in this Evergaol, but only after they manage to work their way through the perils that await in Caria Manor.
Alabaster is supposed to be a very intimidating boss thanks to their Meteorite attack, and they can be if you’re a magic user, or someone that keeps their distance.
However, the best way to beat this boss is by exploiting the long animation time of their cast, and because you’ll be at such close range, it’s very unlikely their meteors will be able to track you anyway.
His slice attack, and his Lightning Orb do demand more respect and some precise dodge rolls, but if you can navigate his very limited pool of attacks, you’ll walk away with the Meteorite spell, which you can probably put to better use than Alabaster ever did.
Golden Lineage Evergaol
Godefroy the Grafted, found in the
Golden Lineage Evergaol
is pretty much a re-skin of
with the added caveat of not including a second phase with a giant Dragon Arm. The moveset they use is more or less the same with some very minor changes, so if you manage to deal with Godrick, it is just more of the same.
Much like Godrick, the
are super helpful to inflict Scarlet Rot build-up, but generally, this fight is won by remaining patient, keeping them at a distance, and then punishing them when they are recovering from one of their storm attacks.
Those who beat Godefroy will gain access to the Godfrey Icon, one of the best Talismans in the base game, so while this may be a repeat boss, it’s well worth taking him on to get his loot.
Lord Contender’s Evergaol
Then, lastly, we have the Lord Contender’s Evergaol which is located far to the north in the
Mountaintops of the Giants
. Here you will find Roundtable Knight Vyke, a fellow tarnished with access to strong Lightning attacks, but is also strangely vulnerable to lightning damage as well.
This means that
or weapons like the
are your best bets to take them down. Plus, you can negate a lot of the lightning attacks that come your way by equipping the
.
The most dangerous attack to watch out for here is
but if you can weather the storm, you’ll gain the Fingerprint Armot set and the Vyke’s Dragonbolt incantation for your troubles.