Elden Ringis filled with tragic stories often told through questlines of various NPCs found in the Lands Between.Shadow of the Erdtreeintroduces the mysterious Count Ymir who needs a helping hand with ringing a few bells found at various ruins. His questline has many powerful rewards that make this lengthy journey worthwhile. Here’s everything you need to know about Count Ymir’s questline and its rewards along with a handful of puns thrown in for good measure.
Keep in mind that this guide will contain many spoilers. However, I’ll avoid spoiling anything outside this questline’s scope.
Where is Count Ymir inElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree?
Count Ymir sits atop the throne in theCathedral of Manus Metyrfound in the Scadu Atlus region. This area is southeast of the Shadow Keep and northeast of Castle Ensis. As with many of the locations inElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, getting there isn’t as simple as it looks on the map. Here’s how you’re able to get to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr.
Moorth Ruins to Bonny Village
Bonny Village to Bridge Leading to the Village
Don’t skip picking up the O Mother gesture. You’ll need to use this gesture later on in the questline to progress.
Bridge Leading to the Village to Cathedral of Manus Metyr
Starting the Count Ymir questline inElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Enter the cathedral and activate the Site of Grace. Don’t worry, the cathedral is devoid of any hostiles at the moment. Past the Site of Grace, you’ll see Count Ymir sitting atop a throne. Speak with him and exhaust his dialogue to receive aRuins MapandHole-Laden Necklace.
Talk to him once more and he’ll explain that the map leads to a finger ruin and that he wants you to ring the hanging bell that’s there. Give him a chuckle and wave and then move towards the western exit of the cathedral. You’ll find a fearsome NPC namedSwordhand of Night Jolanstanding against a pillar. She’s Count Ymir’s bodyguard and plays a role later on in the questline, and a short quest of her own afterward.
Continue through the western exit and you’ll reach a small graveyard. There’s an interactable gravestone that can be read. You’ll learn that this is the grave of Yuri, a child taken before his time. Return to Jolan and then Ymir and exhaust the new dialogue options. Now it’s time to delve into the first ruins.
Where to find the first ruins for Count Ymir’s questline
The first set of ruins that you’ll need to go to is called theFinger Ruins of Rhiain the Cerulean Coast region. Check out ourCerulean Coast guideif you haven’t discovered this area yet.
Once here, your objective is seen clearly in the distance. A cocoon-looking object hangs in the middle of a circle of fingers. Believe it or not, these are the bells you need to be ringing. By ringing, I mean performing a kissing animation– classicElden Ring.
But before you dash to your death, you should become familiar with the enemies that you’ll be struggling with at each of the ruins. There are multiple sorcerers which have an extremely long-range spell that stuns you for seconds, even when riding Torrent. When hit, the creatures can teleport to your location and begin to eat you for dinner. Take cover using nearby rocks and structures to avoid getting stun-locked and killed.
Once you’ve reached the bell, sound it and you’ll receive theCrimson Seed Talisman +1. Return to Ymir in the cathedral and he’ll be holding a small hand creature. Tell him about your journey and he’ll give you theBeloved Stardust TalismanandRuins Map (2nd)as a reward. That’s right, you’ve got another bell to smooch.
Exhaust Ymir’s dialogue about Miquella and then speak to Jolan. She’ll be willing to assist you with fightingMessmer the Impalernow that you’ve earned Ymir’s trust. It’s time to head north from the cathedral and make your way to the second ruins.
Where to find the second ruins for Count Ymir’s questline
To reach the second ruins,Finger Ruins of Dheo, you’ll have to access theScaduviewregion. The majority of this section takes place in theSpecimen Storehouseof the Shadow Keep. There are many twists and turns in this area, so refer to our guide onhow to get to Scaduviewif you find yourself running in circles.
Shadow Keep, Back Entrance to Hinterland
If you’ve followed our Scaduview guide, you should be at theShadow Keep, Back EntranceSite of Grace. At first, only the exit outside which leads toCommander Gaiusis accessible. But that isn’t where we are headed for this questline. The room to the right of the Site of Grace has a giant statue of Marika. Remember the “O Mother” gesture you picked up at Bonny Village? Stand in front of the statue and use the “O Mother” gesture and the statue will move aside, revealing a secret passage leading to theHinterlandSite of Grace.
Hinterland to Hinterland Bridge and Fingerstone Hill
From here, it’s practically a straight shot to the Finger Ruins of Dheo. You’ll need to slay or evade two Tree Sentinels along the way but you shouldn’t have a problem booking it across the bridge to theHinterland BridgeSite of Grace.
Shortly after the bridge, you’ll come across theFingerstone HillSite of Grace. Just as you did in the Finger Ruins of Rhia, carefully evade the stun spells and ring the second bell. You’ll receive theCerulean Seed Talisman +1in your inventory.
Congratulations, from this point onward there won’t be much more running around to do, but there will be one more bell to interact with. Return to Count Ymir and he’ll give you aRuins Map (3rd). Rest at the Site of Grace, and Ymir will move to Yuri’s grave outside.
Where to find the third ruins for Count Ymir’s questline
With Ymir off of the throne, you’ll be able to interact with it to reveal a hidden ladder leading below. Prepare for combat, as you’ll be invaded bySwordhand of Night Anna. Defeating her shouldn’t be too difficult. The reach of her claws can be deceiving as they’re much longer than they look. Her Ash of War shoots needles which apply moderate bleed buildup, so look out for that attack. I simply baited out her jump attacks and punished them with thrusts and jump attacks of my own.
After slaying Anna, you’ll receive herClaws of Night. You may be tempted to rush to the third bell but before doing so, head back up to the cathedral and speak with Jolan. Tell her about your encounter with a Swordhand of Night. She’ll tell you she’s indebted to you, but that Count Ymir is her “only star.”
After you’ve rested at the Site of Grace to refill your flasks, it’s time to ring the third bell which will send you into a boss room. Your opponent is quite a handful.Mityr, Mother of Fingersis like a twisted version of Master Hand fromSuper Smash Bros. A finger-trap would do wonders on this boss.
After you turn Mityr into finger food, you’ll receive theRemembrance of the Mother of Fingers– as if you needed more hands in your pockets.
The final battle with Jolan and Count Ymir
Travel back to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr Site of Grace and you’ll be invaded by Swordhand of Night Jolan. It seems Ymir is disappointed in you and Jolan is keeping her word about handling business for him.
Just like with Anna, Jolan has a new DLC weapon with an awesome Ash of War. Look out for when she holds her sword out to the side, known as entering a stance. The attack is similar to the bladestorm that Alecto, Black Knife Ringleader does (the assassin that drops the Black Knife Tiche Spirit Ashes). Her weapon is theSword of Night, which you can acquire shortly after completing this questline.
Make short work of Jolan and try to conserve your flasks. Immediately after her defeat, Ymir himself will show up to tell you that he’s… the real mother? If you recall, Ymir mentioned he’s a glintstone sorcerer; that means he’s going to be annoying to deal with. He repeatedly teleports around the battlefield doing glintstone sorcerer things. By now, you’ve fought more fellas like him than you can count on your hands.
The only thing to look out for is when you get close and he curls in like he’s charging up an explosion. A circle of fingers spew out from around him dealing heavy damage. I suggest using sprinting or jumping heavy attacks to take him down since in my experience, he would teleport before I could land a combo.
After defeating him, you’ll claim the High Priest armor set, the Maternal Staff, and Ymir’s Bell Bearing. Rest at the Site of Grace and then go out to Yuri’s grave. You’ll find theCherishing Fingerssorcery, the finger explosion spell that Ymir used.
You might have noticed that Jolan is slumped against the pillar she used to lean against before. There are two different items you may give her to receive either the Sword of Night or her spirit ashes (which begins a questline of its own). If you want to learn about how to combine her spirit ashes with her sister’s, check out ourJolan and Anna spirit ashes guide.
