Castle Morne and Irina are the two biggest reasons to head south at the start in Elden Ring.
Elden Ring’s open world can make progression challenging, but new players should head south to conquer Castle Morne and complete a quest from a special NPC. This contained story goes through all the beats that make Elden Ring so great, and its relative ease makes it a solid choice for a brand new Tarnished. Here’s how to find Irina and complete her quest in Castle Morne.
The quest starts by meeting Irina, a character that shares many similarities to an NPC from Dark Souls 3.
Where to find Irina in Elden Ring
Irina is an Elden Ring NPC located in the Weeping Peninsula.
Follow the main road south until you come across her sitting on a rock to the right of the main road. She will explain that her home castle is experiencing an uprising where all the servants have turned on their masters. Irina requests the player to deliver a letter to her father Edgar urging him to escape the castle. She says that he is stubborn, but should come around eventually.
From there, simply continue going down the main road until you reach Elden Ring’s Castle Morne. The entrance is a long elevator with a Site of Grace just before it. The goal of this area is to explore the castle, deliver the message to Edgar, and complete his own task. Considering its proximity to the starting zone, Castle Morne is recommended for new players around level 15. Starting armor and weapons from most starting classes should be enough to take on this challenge.
How to clear Castle Morne and finish Irina’s quest
After using the Castle Morne lift, players should see a massive execution pyre with a bunch of misshapen enemies celebrating their successful rebellion. These enemies don’t aggro as a group, so picking them off or sneaking around them will work. Just watch for the attack dogs on the left side of the area.
In the back is a helmeted monster. Either attack it or sneak behind it, as an upcoming ladder will prevent the monster from chasing.
Climb the ladder and take out the servants blocking the path. Behind them are two flying monsters, so use ranged or jumping attacks to knock them down. At the end of the bridge, there’s an easy-to-miss ladder on the left side. Climb down and finish off the fight between the knights and the servants. Continue down the path and you’ll reach Edgar, the lord of the castle, who claims he can’t leave until a certain threat is vanquished.
Now double back to the bridge and proceed to the path across from the ladder. This will eventually lead to another Site of Grace called “Behind the Castle.” Drop down and head to a bridge with a bunch of scared servants. Drop down again from the bridge to a tower, then to a cliff, and finally to the beach below. The southernmost section with a sea gate hides a powerful boss, who is the evil force that Edgar mentioned.
How to defeat the Leonine Misbegotten in Castle Morne
For some players, Leonine Misbegotten will be the first major boss they encounter. His fast slashes and slams can deal major damage, so don’t get greedy with attacks. The Leonine Misbegotten is vulnerable after his jumping slam attack, but watch out for a second jump after the first. With most weapons, there’s enough to swing and then react to a second jump by rolling. If he’s particularly troublesome, try upgrading weapons or breaking out some Spirit Ashes to help.
After beating the Leonine Misbegotten and claiming his Grafted Blade Greatsword, return to Edgar and show him evidence of the kill. In addition to the Sacrificial Twig from earlier, Edgar will recognize your actions and leave to meet with Irina.
Go back to the original meeting point to learn how this quest resolves. There is no happy ending, but that’s something FromSoftware fans should be expecting by now.
