Altus Plateau is the golden-hued heartland that sits above Liurnia, announcing in no uncertain terms that you've crossed into the game's second act. Where Liurnia felt grey and waterlogged, Altus burns with amber light and an ominous sense of imperial decay. The ruins of the Erdtree's faithful litter the roads, perfumers and knights patrol in tight formations, and a massive abductor virgin guards the road north to Leyndell. Threat level sits comfortably mid-range — the open field enemies can be ignored or outmaneuvered, but walking blindly into a group of those shield-bearing Crucible Knights near the Outer Wall Phantom Tree will hurt. Expect to operate efficiently at level 60 and feel genuinely comfortable by level 75.

Recommended Approach

Arrive via the Grand Lift of Dectus (requires both halves of the Dectus Medallion) or by climbing the Ruin-Strewn Precipice from the north end of Liurnia — the latter drops you directly at the Magma Wyrm Makar boss fog and is worth doing regardless for the items along the way.

Once on the plateau, activate the Altus Plateau Site of Grace immediately west of the lift and then ride south-east to grab the Erdtree Gazing Hill and Outer Wall Phantom Tree grace sites. These two anchor your fast-travel web for the whole region. Avoid the roads near the Capital Outskirts until you're ready — the Draconic Tree Sentinel blocking the Leyndell gate hits harder than anything else in this zone.

Prioritize clearing the minor erdtree area early. The Ulcerated Tree Spirit there drops useful runes and a Golden Seed, and the fight is forgiving enough to use as a warm-up. Then sweep north through the Altus Tunnel (if you haven't already) to grab the Fallingstar Beast out of the way. From there, detour east to the Shaded Castle to confront Elemer and pick up the Valkyrie's Prosthesis for Millicent's questline. Finally, loop back to clear the Goldenride Evergaol for Godefroy before heading into Leyndell.

Talk to Diallos at the Volcano Manor later, but if you encounter him at the Roundtable Hold beforehand, exhaust his dialogue — his quest threads through this region's consequences. Speak to Goldmask near the Minor Erdtree when you find him standing motionless; he's easy to miss and central to Brother Corhyn's ending questline.

Key Items

Valkyrie's Prosthesis — Found in a chest on the upper floor of the Shaded Castle, this iron prosthetic is the key item for Millicent's questline. Do not skip it if you care about her arc or the Unalloyed Gold Needle payoff much later.

Stonesword Key Imp Statue (Sealed Tunnel) — The Sealed Tunnel south of the Minor Erdtree contains a fog wall hiding an Onyx Lord and, more importantly, a path down to the Volcano Manor invasion. Two Stonesword Keys open it; bring them.

Golden Seed (Minor Erdtree) — Awarded after the Ulcerated Tree Spirit fight. At this stage of the game, one more flask charge is meaningful in every subsequent encounter.

Crucible Feather Talisman — Dropped by the Crucible Knight Siluria in the Deeproot Depths (accessible via a coffin in Ainsel River), but the Crucible Knights patrolling Altus drop the Crucible Knot Talisman and are worth farming if you use heavy armor builds.

Perfume Bottle — Scattered throughout the plateau and essential crafting material for uplifting boluses. Stock up here before Leyndell, where Scarlet Rot becomes a recurring inconvenience.

Boss Order

Fallingstar Beast (Altus) — Field boss in the crater north of the Minor Erdtree. Rated 3/10 because its charge attacks are heavily telegraphed and it staggers easily with jump attacks. Kill it first while you're fresh; it drops the Fallingstar Beast Jaw weapon and a decent rune payout.
Ulcerated Tree Spirit (Altus) — Fight underneath the Minor Erdtree. More chaotic than the Fallingstar Beast, but its hitboxes are consistent once you recognize the lunge pattern. Stay at mid-range, punish the belly-slam, collect your Golden Seed.
Godefroy the Grafted (Goldenride Evergaol) — This is functionally a rematch against Godrick with identical moves. If you beat Stormveil, you beat this. Summon Spirit Ashes if you want a completely trivial clear.
Elemer of the Briar (Shaded Castle) — Save this for last among the four. His telekinetic sword attacks demand you learn timing rather than brute force, and he's notably more dangerous than the others. Positioning near his left flank and maintaining medium distance during the wind-up phases makes the fight manageable. He drops the Briar Greatshield and Marais Executioner's Sword.

Exit Path

With Altus cleared, you have two forward routes. The primary path is through the Leyndell, Royal Capital — enter via the Draconic Tree Sentinel gate east of the Outer Wall Phantom Tree grace (or bypass him through the Avenue Balcony shortcut if you find the ladder). The secondary path branches west up to Mt. Gelmir via the Bridge of Iniquity, leading eventually to Volcano Manor and Rykard. Both zones feed back into Leyndell's late-game beats, so either order works, but Mt. Gelmir first is recommended if you want Rykard's Great Rune before tackling Morgott.

◆ ❦ ◆