How to skip Stormveil Castle in Elden Ring

Stormveil Castle is the location of Elden Ring’s first major difficulty spikes, in the form of two real boss fights against Margit, the Fell Omen and Godrick the Grafted. They’re both very difficult, and can get frustrating, so you might be thinking, “Can I just skip this part? Maybe come back later… maybe not…” Well, you can skip Stormveil Castle, Margit, and Godrick, and here’s how.

Related: Elden Ring: How to break the glowing statue in Stormveil Castle

Start at the Stormhill Shack Site of Grace and head north. After you pass (or defeat) a group of soldiers, the road will curve to the left towards the heavily guarded castle approach. At this point, don’t follow it. Instead, continue heading north. There’s a road marked on the map here, but it’s been worn away to a barely noticeable path. Pass under the large bridge and the road will re-appear. Follow it to the end of a broken bridge, then drop off the end and head south. At the top of the ridge, go through the gap in the cliff and follow the path northwest. It’s a long path, but there’s nothing hostile on it except two packs of wolves. Eventually you’ll emerge in Liurnia of the Lakes on the north side of Stormveil Castle.

Should you skip Stormveil Castle?

If you’re getting frustrated by the boss fights, and want to explore a new part of the map, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t skip Stormveil Castle and take a look around Liurnia of the Lakes. But you shouldn’t skip Stormveil Castle entirely. Eventually, you’ll need to come back and beat those bosses, so that you can progress the main story of the game. Plus, the fact of the matter is that there are going to be much harder bosses than Margit and Godrick later in the game, so you’ll need to be powerful enough to beat them if you want to progress much further beyond Stormveil.