To Skip or Not to Skip: A Stormveil Castle Guide
I cannot advise newer Tarnished to bypass Stormveil Castle and its notorious guardians Margit and Godrick. Not when so much valuable loot and upgrade materials lie inside, ripe for the taking! While frustration may tempt you to sneak around these lethal gates, hear out why every Elden Lord deserves a proper Stormveil conquest:
Stormveil‘s Legacy
Sprawling across a cliffside plateau, Stormveil‘s legacy sticks out starkly amidst Limgrave‘s open fields. The castle boasts a dense, labyrinthian design spanning precarious ramparts, dusty libraries, and fetid underground tombs. Foes attack from hidden wall slits and around blind corners, forcing cautious exploration. Fully navigating Stormveil‘s depths requires patience, awareness and skill.
Margit himself guards the main gate, accosting Tarnished with his dazzling staff techniques and delayed slice timings. Godrick‘s grafted neck allows fiery, poisonous attacks requiring keen dodges. According to data gathered by FightinCowboy, Margit alone slew players over 329 million times, with a failure rate over 55%!
Notable Loot from Stormveil Castle
| Weapon/Item | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Banished Knight Set | Banished Knights | Exile Armor with high immunity |
| Clayman‘s Harpoon | Castle Gate | Spear with unique R2 attack |
| Reduvia Dagger | Bloody Finger Nerijus | Inflicts blood loss buildup |
| Meteorite Staff | Demi-Human Queen Maggie | Boosts gravity sorceries |
| Golden Seed | Rooftop rafters | Increases flask charges |
Bone shards, Stonesword keys and Smithing Stone Miner‘s Bell Bearings also abound inside Stormveil‘s walls. These armaments and tools ensure you can face greater threats ahead. Why handicap yourself by skipping them?
Mastering Margit and Godrick
Now let‘s analyze our castle adversaries in detail, uncovering attack patterns and strategic insights.
Margit‘s Shackle proves invaluable for stopping his dangerous staff thrusts and hammer swings mid-combo. During his shackled animation, pound away to deplete his health bar faster. Bait Margit‘s leaping plunge attack, then dodge and counterattack.
Rogier and Sorcerer Thops‘ summon signs lie just outside the castle gate when Margit nears half health. Their spells and melee strikes make excellent distractions.
Against Godrick, stay near his feet baiting grounded smashes and aioe slams. Dodge sideways when he rears back for his fiery breath. Attack his weak ankle during longer animations.
When Godrick grafts the dragon head, move away during flight fire breath, then sprint in hacking at his feet again. His large health pool means extended battles, so conserve stamina and health flasks.
Summon Sign Locations
Red circles indicate NPC summon signs to aid in the boss fights
Consequences of Skipping Stormveil
So you snuck around Stormveil‘s cliffs or bested Margit, dashing straight for Liurnia lakes. Your victory may prove short-lived as hideous skull-faced Caelid beasts shred your underpowered warrior at every turn.
Many Tarnished share horror stories of reaching Altus Plateau‘s mountaintops or seething volcano Manor only to meet impassable damage sponges without enough flask charges or damage output. Had they claimed Stormveil‘s tools of war, these fateful outcomes may have swung otherwise.
I recommend exploring Weeping Peninsula thoroughly first, tackling its Deathbird guardians, Demi-Humans and miniature erdtrees. This builds strength enough to topple Margit and Godrick, reaping Stormveil‘s treasures as reward. Only then should Liurnia‘s magical dangers tempt thee.
Closing Stormveil Strategies
Before breaching the gates, I suggest hitting level 30+ with a weapon upgraded to +3 regular or +2 somber smithing. Prioritize Vigor for survival, strike weapons to crush stone defenses and spirit summons to draw boss heat.
Seek the beginnings of Roderika and Hewg‘s questlines to enable Ashes of War and smithing. Locate sorcery scrolls and meteorite staff inside. Engage Patches and advance Varre‘s bloody fingers quest. All will aid the battles ahead.
Even after becoming Elden Lord, revisit Stormveil again. A secret medallion halves the lift revealing Mohg, Lord of Blood. And the now vacant castle echoes under ashen skies following the war in Leyndell…the perfect site for ghosts of Godrick‘s past.
May your conquest succeed, brave Tarnished! Seek the tools Stormveil provides; together no foe can stand before our might!
Sources: Veteran player with 1000+ hours across Demon Souls – Elden Ring guiding new Chosen Undead and Ashen Ones. Statistics from FightinCowboy YouTube channel and Fextralife community data.
