Elden Ring: How to get to Altus Plateau

Not sure how to reach the Altus Plateau in Elden Ring? As you might know, the Elden Ring map is absolutely gigantic (and bound to get bigger with the Shadow Of The Erdtree expansion!). Liurnia may be the largest of the regions in terms of sheer traversable space, but the Altus Plateau just to its north is one of the most confusing to reach for new players.

The Altus Plateau is located right next to the capital, Leyndell, and it's the main path towards the capital, which means you'll need to learn how to reach it sooner or later. In this guide, we'll walk you through how to get to Altus Plateau using either the Grand Lift Of Dectus or the hidden pathway through the Ruin-Strewn Precipice.

How to get to Altus Plateau in Elden Ring

There are three ways to get to the Altus Plateau in Elden Ring:

• Go through the Ruin-Strewn Precipice (BEST METHOD).
• Use the Grand Lift Of Dectus (requires both Dectus Medallion halves).
• Via the Raya Lucaria Academy Abductor Virgin.

The most obvious way to get to Altus Plateau is via the Grand Lift Of Dectus at the very north-east edge of Liurnia. This lift will take you straight up into the Altus Plateau, but it can only be activated by finding both halves of the Dectus Medallion. And that might prove a bit difficult at this stage of the game, as it requires you to enter Caelid first - an area which we consider to be more challenging than Altus Plateau itself in our Elden Ring area order guide.

Because of that, we recommend you take the Ruin-Strewn Precipice path up to Altus Plateau. This area is guarded by enemies aplenty, but none of them should be beyond your level if you've already fought your way through Liurnia.

How to reach the Ruin-Strewn Precipice

To get to the Ruin-Strewn Precipice, simply follow the ravine in the lake in the north of Liurnia. At the end of the pathway you'll see a cliff face with pillars carved into it, and wooden structures going up the wall. From there you can climb a ladder into the Ruin-Strewn Precipice.

The Ruin-Strewn Precipice path is fairly linear, so after a little while you'll arrive at a boss fight with Magma Wyrm Makar. Defeat this boss and proceed out through the other side of the cave, and you'll emerge in the Altus Plateau.

How to use the Grand Lift Of Dectus

If you want to use the Grand Lift Of Dectus, then you'll need to gather both halves of the Dectus Medallion. The first half is located in Fort Haight in the southeast corner of Limgrave. The second half is far harder to reach; it's in Fort Faroth in Caelid. We've got full details on where to find the Medallion halves in our Grand Lift Of Dectus guide.

Caelid is a much more challenging area overall than the Altus Plateau, so it makes more sense to us to go through the Ruin-Strewn Precipice. However, you can simply beeline straight to Fort Faroth and ignore everything else in Caelid if you just want to quickly unlock the Grand Lift. Even then, you're required to get through a pretty tough ground floor of Fort Faroth, guarded by Chanting Winged Dames and Giant Bats.

How to use the Abductor Virgin to reach Altus Plateau

There's a final secret (and not ideal) method of reaching the Altus Plateau: get abducted by an Abductor Virgin. A specific Abductor Virgin, mind you. If you've progressed Patches' quest far enough, he'll let you know that if you get caught inside one of those metallic constructs beneath the Academy Of Raya Lucaria, then they'll bring you back to Mount Gelmir.

The Abductor Virgin in question is located below the giant water wheels which you'll pass through on your way up to the Academy. Ride the water wheels down as far as you can go, and then get yourself killed by being grabbed and pulled inside the Abductor Virgin's body. When you "respawn", you'll be in a closed-off area of Mount Gelmir.

Follow the path in front of you, and you'll reach a boss fight with a pair of Abductor Virgins. It's a tough fight with Mount Gelmir scaling, so this is probably the hardest method of all. But if you manage it, then just past the boss room you'll emerge from the cave with a clear path into the Altus Plateau.

That's every way to get to the Altus Plateau in Elden Ring. To prepare yourself for the increased difficulty there compared to Limgrave and Liurnia, check out our handy guides on the best weapons, best builds, best armor sets, and best spells in Elden Ring.