Elden Ring Carian Greatsword Location & Tips

Here's everything you need to know about the Carian Greatsword in Elden Ring, and how it allows weak sorcerers to wield a greatsword!

Elden Ring Carian Greatsword
Elden Ring Carian Greatsword

Carian Greatsword Location

In Elden Ring the Carian Greatsword can be obtained quite early, though it would require you to beat one boss, Margit the Fell Omen. He is the first non-optional boss you encounter in Elden Ring, and he is what stands between you and the entrance to the Legacy Dungeon, that is Stormveil Castle, where you obtain the Carian Greatsword.

Key Takeaways

  • Elden Ring is incomplete without its magic items. There are two categories of it; Sorceries and Incantations. Sorceries relate to Intelligence while Incantations relate to Faith stat.
  • For starting as a sorcerer, Astrologer Class is the best option you have because of the highest Intelligence stat it offers. Prisoner Class is recommended if you are in a melee-sorcery hybrid class.
  • The pursuit of Carian Greatsword starts with The First Step, the first site of grace in the game. Next, you encounter the Tree Sentinel who is an optional boss. Then comes your next site of grace at the Church Of Elleh.
  • Traverse through the forest, sneaking from the Godrick Knights to the Gatefront Ruins where you get the torrent. Enter Stormgate and fight the giant Troll roaming around. Go to Stormhill, rest at the site of grace, and head to the Castleward Tunnel.
  • Defeat Margit The Fell Omen and head to Stormveil Castle. Go to the Cliffside site of grace and kill one of the Bladed Talon Eagles flying around.
  • Next comes the left wing of the Castle. Open the locked door with a Rusty Key you will get from the upper chamber. Lead the way to Rampart’s site of Grace.
  • You will encounter more Bladed Talon Eagles. Go to the Bell tower on the roof and jump into the hole. Make your way to the Rogier Sorcerer and get Carian Greatsword for 2500 runes. It is a spectral greatsword.
  • To infuse this weapon, get the Whetstone and rest at the site of grace. Use the corresponding Ash of War and a melee weapon to convert your melee weapon into a magical greatsword.

Magic in Elden Ring

While soulsborne fans are familiar with the idea of having three different kinds of spells, each having their respective types of catalysts for casting, Elden Ring has simplified the system. But don’t worry, as a combat mechanic, magic is still the same – something that allows players to expend FP (Focus Points) to use spells that either have offensive, defensive or supportive capabilities.

Albeit, Elden Ring has its spin over the magic system by dividing magic into two big categories: Sorceries and Incantations. While we’re all familiar with sorceries from previous soulsborne games, you can think of incantations as a combination of pyromancy and miracles. With that in mind, it makes more sense to see that Sorceries require a Staff to use and their potency depends on the Intelligence stat, while Incantations need a Sacred Seal to use and are conversely dependent on the Faith stat.

Elden Ring Magic
Did you know that in Elden Ring, magic is classified into Sorcery and Incantation?

Class Recommendation

If you’re a sorcerer-main, you should first choose a suitable class in the character creation menu so that you start with at least an adequate amount of Intelligence. Keeping this in mind, I would recommend running Astrologer, which comes with 16 intelligence along with an Astrologer’s Staff and two basic sorceries (Glintstone Arc and Glintstone Pebble). However, as far as melee weapons go, Astrologers come with just a measly Short Sword.

Elden Ring Astrologer
“A scholar who reads fate in the stars. Heir to the school of glintstone sorcery.” (Courtesy: Elden Ring)

So if you’re more interested in a melee-sorcery hybrid class, you can go for Prisoner, which comes with 14 intelligence along with a Glintstone Staff, one elemental sorcery (Glintblade), and an Estoc! Now that you’ve made your character and are well into the game, you must constantly be leveling up your Intelligence amongst vigor, endurance, and a little bit of strength and dexterity while being on the lookout for newer, more powerful sorceries to harness.

Elden Ring Prisoner
“Studied in glintstone sorcery, having lived among the elite prior to sentencing.” (Courtesy: Elden Ring)

Other than that, as a sorcerer, you must always have a melee weapon by your side to assist you when you run out of FP (Focus Points) and can no longer cast spells. In addition, your melee weapons must have a high affinity with magic to suit you best since melee weapons usually scale with Strength and Dexterity as opposed to Intelligence which you will invest most in. Lastly, always remember that even if your melee weapon isn’t naturally leaning towards magic, it can be induced through infusions with Ashes of War, such as the Carian Greatsword in Elden Ring.

Related Reads: Best Keepsakes for Astrologer

Being classified as a Greater Foe, Margit can be quite the challenge for new players, although, as is the case with every other boss, his moveset is readable and can be adapted to through repetition. Furthermore, you can also summon multiplayer phantoms of ashes spirits for this boss fight to make this fight easy, but that’s for another guide. Regardless, this is the Carian Greatsword location in Elden Ring from start to finish!

The First Step to Gatefront Ruins

Upon making your way out of the tutorial area i.e., Stranded Graveyard into the first, large continent of Limgrave, you will be greeted with a Site of Grace right in front of you. This Site of Grace is known as The First Step and is, quite frankly, your first step into the fantastical world of the Lands Between, the country that Elden Ring is set in. You will meet White-Faced Varre here, an interesting NPC who is also the first you meet in the game.

Elden Ring The First Step
Are you excited to explore the vast area of the Lands Between?

Regardless, make your way down the hill, and in front of you, you will see a golden-armored knight wielding a large halberd on horseback; this is the Tree Sentinel, the first (optional) boss you encounter in the game. He is a challenging foe and the only reason you should maybe consider spending over an hour on him right off the bat is if you’re feeling rusty (which is why I did it). But if you harbor no such ambitions, make your way past him (stealthily) into the Church of Elleh, resting in its Site of Grace before treading onwards into the forest ahead.

Elden Ring Church of Elleh
What if I told you there are three more Churches of Elleh scattered across Limgrave?

The forest will be patrolled by Godrick Knights, who will be equipped with a shield and a straight sword. You don’t need to fight them head-on and can easily sneak around them through the surrounding patches of grass and bushes, stealthily taking them out one-by-one. Furthermore, once you make your way out of the forest, you will see a relatively big camp of Godrick military in plain sight. Before proceeding forward, make your way to the Gatefront Ruins on the outside perimeter of the base.

Elden Ring Gatefront Ruins
Ignore the camp for now and go rest at the Site of Grace right outside the perimeter!

Resting upon the Site of Grace outside the Gatefront Ruins (or generally on the third Site of Grace you encounter) will trigger a cutscene with Melina, your to-be maiden who will grant you your horse mount, Torrent and the ability to level up. After getting Torrent, you can quickly clear out the camp next to you or take the more stealthy route if you’re feeling extra quiet. All in all, don’t forget to take the West Limgrave map fragment that rests on the pillar.

Elden Ring West Limgrave Map
Mount Torrent, get the map fragment and get out – sounds easy, right?

Gatefront Ruins to Stormveil Castle

Enter Stomgate, whose entrance is heavily guarded although left wide open, not only by Godrick Soldiers. You’ll see a giant Troll standing on a significantly elevated height in the distance – upon entering Stormgate; he will be aggro’d, causing him to leap down and defend the fortress along with the soldiers that have enslaved him. While you can gallop past these enemies on Torrent, if you wish to fight them, then first lure the Troll out of the Castle outside of the range of his supportive archers before dealing with the rest.

Elden Ring Stormgate
Don’t be deluded into thinking the troll will just sit back and watch….

Once past these waves of enemies, make your way up to Stormhill, a very windy area where distant vision is somewhat impeded. You should see luminous yet faint rays of light converging up the hill, signaling towards another Site of Grace. But before you rush over it, don’t forget that getting close will trigger several Direwolves to spawn, so take care of them first. Afterward, you may rest at the Stormhill Shack Site of Grace up ahead for your valiant efforts and even talk to Roderika to trigger her questline.

Elden Ring Stormhill Shack
Stormhill Shack, not the most comfortable place to live in…

While there is much to explore up on Stormhill, that should be for another day; right now, we want to obtain the Carian Greatsword in Elden Ring. Moving onwards, you will be greeted by another wave of well-fortified Godrick Soldiers – although they won’t be assisted by an enslaved Troll this time, they’ll be backed up by a mortar. This mortar can potentially one-shot you on direct impact, so mount Torrent and swiftly take care of that first.

Elden Ring Mortar
Kill this guy before doing anything else, understood?

Lastly, head over to the Castleward Tunnel past the mortar and rest on the Site of Grace, for what is up ahead is Margit the Fell Omen himself. As mentioned before, he is a demanding boss, but now that you have unlocked the checkpoint right before the boss room, you may go back to farming and level up your character. Do whatever you can to prepare for this fight – good luck!

Elden Ring Castleward Tunnel
Getting a good rest before heading out to battle Margit the Fell Omen…

Stormveil Castle to Rampart Tower

Going from Stomveil Castle to the Rampart Tower Site of Grace will be the most dangerous trek of this walkthrough to the Carian Greatsword in Elden Ring – so stay with me! Upon defeating Margit, make your way to the gates of Stormveil Castle – from here, you can do two things to breach the Castle. Either infiltrate from the heavily guarded front entrance (a suicide mission, to be frank) or take a hard left where Gatekeeper Gostoc will redirect you to a safer route. Don’t question why he’s helping you despite being the gatekeeper, and go with the flow.

Dark Souls 3 Gatekeeper Gostoc
This man is a 100% right, just saying.

Make your way to the large hole on the left and tread forward towards Stormveil Cliffside. Here, you will encounter Bladed Talon Eagles for the first time – these are ferocious giant Eagles who have been enslaved and forcefully fitted with sharp blades. They will shove these blades straight into you if you don’t roll out of the way timely, keep that in mind. However, should you choose to head straight to the Cliffside Site of Grace, you need only to kill one such Eagle, so don’t worry too much about that!

Elden Ring Stormveil Cliffside
The Stormveil Cliffside Site of Grace – it really is next to a cliff…

Now it’s time to head into the left wing of Stormveil Castle, so stock up on all your flasks, potions, and spirits beforehand! The first enemy you’ll see is a Castle Guard covered in a red cloak – this one, in particular, will be on scouting duty, so be sure to stealthily sneak up on him lest he sounds his loud horn. After that, you can treat this area as a normal hostile area, carefully progressing and killing enemies. Furthermore, you will encounter a locked wooden door, which will require a Rusty Key to open.

Elden Ring Black Locked Door
Finding doors that are locked 80% of the time – so nostalgic of Dark Souls.

To obtain the Rusted Key, make your way up to the upper level of the chamber, where you’ll find a dark room whose door has been left wide open. If your spider senses tingle when seeing this scenario, you’re on the right track: it is a dangerous room. However, you’ll find the Rusty Key inside it, which a Banished Knight will guard – don’t panic, for you can quickly get around his backside to deliver a visceral backstab! But if you’re still struggling due to, for instance, being underleveled, you can take the Rusty Key, die, and come back. This way, you won’t have to deal with the menacing Banished Knight.

Elden Ring Rusty Key
Seconds before I got obliterated by the Banished Knight.

After having unlocked the wooden door, climb up the stairs to ascend into the next level of Stormveil Castle. Carefully progress through the eerie chamber above, and always check your corners beforehand, for Castle Guards love the element of surprise. Regardless, you’ll eventually encounter another Banished Knight, this time with a spear and a shield, unlike the last one who had a sword and a shield. You may choose to ignore him, although a cheesy way to kill him is pushing him off the edge of the stairs into the never-ending abyss below.

Elden Ring Banished Knight
Pushing the Banished Knight off the staircase is actually pretty doable!

After dealing with the Banished Knight in the best way you know, sprint up the staircase on the right. Do not engage with any of the Castle Guards nearby, for the Rampart Tower Site of Grace is within arm’s reach, and you’re probably one little HP with zero Flasks of Crimson Tears right now!. Ascend only by one floor and take a hard left, where the lifesaving Site of Grace will greet you with open arms as you are only several more steps away from getting your hands on the Carian Greatsword in Elden Ring.

Elden Ring Rampart Tower
That moment when you’re one HP but then you find a Site of Grace.

Rampart Tower to Sorcerer Rogier

Now, the only thing that stands between you and the Carian Greatsword is many dangerous Bladed Talon Eagles. While I’ve usually given the option to ignore or fight any enemies you’ve come across in this entire journey, I would highly recommend against fighting this many Bladed Talon Eagles, as they will make quick work of you if you’re not extra sharp. Hence, do what you do best – repeatedly roll through them, and watch out for the explosive barrels those eagles like to hurl at you.

Elden Ring Bladed Talon Eagles
Run and don’t look back – trust me.

Once past them, you must run down the staircase on the right. Move along the tiles lined on the rooftop into the bell tower with a large, gaping hole in the middle. Make sure none of the previously aggro’d Balded Talon Eagles are following you at this point, and if they are, feel free to quit out of the game and join back in. With that out of the way, drop down the hole in the middle of the bell tower, but not directly; first, drop down on the small ledge and then descend below. You will now find yourself in front of a small chapel entranced with a royal red carpet.

Elden Ring Bell Tower
Make sure none of the aggro’d Bladed Talon Eagles have followed you up to this point!

Make your way inside this small room, and besides the tombstone ahead, you will meet a friendly-looking fellow with an oversized wizard hat known as Sorcerer Rogier. Talk to him, and you will see that he is a vendor that sells several sorceries, one of them being the Carian Greatsword for 2,500 runes. You should save them up from 9,000 runes you get from defeating Margit the Fell Omen.

Elden Ring Chapel
Sorcerer Rogier at the Chapel under the Bell Tower.

In the event that you don’t find Sorcerer Rogier in this location, don’t panic – this means you’ve beaten Godrick the Grafted, which has caused him to move. Rogier’s AI is designed so that he will reallocate to the Roundtable Hold after you have defeated Godrick. So, make your way back to the Roundtable Hold (which you get access to after beating Margit), and head straight ahead towards the balcony up ahead. Instead of jumping down the terrace, turn right, and you should find Rogier sitting on the floor, his back against the wall.

Elden Ring Roundtable Hold
Sorcerer Rogier at Roundtable Hold, albeit in bad shape…

An Overview on The Carian Greatsword

Now that you’ve gotten your hands on the Carian Greatsword in Elden Ring, here’s everything you need to know about it and what makes it so good. Being one of the skills passed down the Carian royal bloodline, using this weapon art allows you to materialize an energy-driven, spectral greatsword that strikes down your enemies much like your physical greatsword.

NameSpell TypeDamage TypeFP CostSlotsFaithIntArc
Carian GreatswordSorceryMagic1412400
Carian Greatsword

As sorcerers primarily invest their attribute points into Intelligence, Vigor, and Endurance, leaving a few for Strength and Dexterity, it becomes complicated for them to have the Strength and Dexterity needed to wield a viable greatsword without completely butchering their build.

Therefore, it is essential to have a light melee weapon sheathed on you to use such weapon arts to make it do what it usually wouldn’t be able to.

Elden Ring Carian Greatsword
The Carian Greatsword in all its glory!

How To Infuse The Carian Greatsword

The only pre-requisite to infusing Carian Greatsword to any sword except Colossal Weapons (which you won’t be wielding anyways) is to have a Whetstone Knife. If you don’t have it, you won’t be able to access the Ashes of War menu when you rest at any Site of Grace.

To obtain the Whetstone Knife, make your way to the Godrick base near the Gatefront Ruins Site of Grace I mentioned earlier, although you should preferably clear it out this time or at least be stealthy. You’ll find an underground path in this camp which will lead to a door, behind which there will be a chest containing the Whetstone Knife and the Storm Stomp Ash of War.

Elden Ring Whetstone Knife
The Whetstone Knife is essential for using Ashes of War!

After getting the Whetstone, rest at the nearest Site of Grace (i.e. the Gatefront Ruins if you just got the knife), and open the Ashes of War menu. Here, you will be able to select your weapons/shields and infuse them with an Ash of War, the Carian Greatsword in this case.

Choose any wieldable melee weapon you have, including the Short Sword or Estoc you get at the beginning, and infuse it with the Carian Greatsword, making sure both the weapon art and affinity changes go through. And there you have it, you have successfully converted your melee weapon into a magical greatsword!

Related Reads: Best Keepsakes for Astrologer

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between the Carian Greatsword sorcery and ash of war?

Both are, in action, very much similar but are utilized differently. First, the Carian Greatsword sorcery is much more expensive than its ash of war counterpart, sold for 10,00 Runes by Miriel, Pastor of Vows at the Church of Vows. Additionally, unlike its ash of war counterpart, which can be infused onto most swords, the sorcery requires you to have a staff catalyst as well as 24 Intelligence.

How do I infuse multiple weapons with the Carian Greatsword?

While the Carian Greatsword can only be infused with a single sword at any given time, it is possible to duplicate it so that you can use it on multiple swords. This can be achieved by providing the Blacksmith with the Lost Ashes of War and exchanging it to duplicate an already existing Ash of War in your inventory. Lost Ashes of War can be found in various locations and can be purchased from several Isolated Merchants located across the Lands Between.

Is the Carian Greatsword a chargeable weapon art?

Yes! The Carian Greatsword is a chargeable weapon art. Chargeable weapon arts are those whose potency can be increased the more you hold down L2/LT, causing a delayed but more powerful execution. In the case of the Carian Greatsword, holding down L2/LT causes the spectral greatsword to get bigger and bigger, delivering a very damaging blow at longer ranges.

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