Elden Ring guide: Dragon-Burnt Ruins walkthrough

The Dragon-Burnt Ruins are an explorable section in Elden Ring’s West Limgrave area. In this area, there is a trap chest that will send you into Caelid, along with another containing the Twinblade. There is also an overworld boss to the north. In this Elden Ring Dragon-Burnt Ruins guide, we’ll tell you how to find the ruins, how to tell the chests apart, and where in Caelid you might end up.

Dragon-Burnt Ruins location and enemies

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

There is no site of grace directly at the Dragon-Burnt Ruins. It is most easily approached from the west, for example from the grace at The First Step. There are Giant Bats on the way, but they can be easily ridden past using Torrent.

More dangerous enemies block the path from other graces. Approaching from the south or east, you will have to fight or outrun several Giant Crabs. And to the north is the overworld boss Flying Dragon Agheel.

The ruins are full of Undead Soldiers. They are technically hostile but can easily be ignored and walked past. However, there are also several dogs, who are agile, observant, and can be tricky to deal with in packs. Try to lure them out one by one if necessary. Underground, there are also rats, which pose the same issues.

Dragon-Burnt Ruins chests

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

There are two chests in the Dragon-Burnt Ruins. They are both in small underground rooms marked by torches at their entrances.

One chest has a Twinblade, which is a useful early-game weapon. It is a Standard/Pierce blade that requires 18 Dexterity.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

However, the other chest is a trap which will send you to the Sellia Crystal Tunnel in Caelid.

The Twinblade chest is in a less crowded area, and a smaller underground room. When you go down the stairs, the door will be immediately in front of you. Through that door, the chest will be pushed back away from the candles.

The trap chest is the one surrounded by soldiers chanting to Agheel. You can also tell the difference because it is preceded by a large room filled with rats. Once you go through the door, the chest itself is central to the room, close to the candles. If you open the chest and don’t want to be transported, jump back quickly to avoid the smoke.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

If you are transported to Sellia Crystal Tunnel, the enemies in the area will be significantly stronger than those in Limgrave. It is unlikely that you will be able to explore this area if you have only been in Limgrave so far. But you won’t be unable to travel to any other site of grace at first.

Instead, turn right out of the small cabin and sneak past the enemies. By following the path and dropping down off the wooden platform, you will reach the site of grace at the entrance to the tunnel. If you die, you will respawn in the cabin again.

Once you reach the site of grace, you will need to both rest there and exit the tunnel to be able to fast travel. (You can explore the Swamp of Aeonia first, but again, the enemies are much higher level than those in Limgrave.) The exit of the tunnel is to the left of the grace, and there is some Rot Grease to the right.