You’ve seen him. That big, goofy, round lad stuck in a hole in the middle of Limgrave. Iron Fist Alexander is basically the mascot of Elden Ring at this point, but honestly, his story is way darker than most people realize. It starts with a literal slap on the butt and ends with one of the most emotional duels in the entire game.
If you’re trying to navigate the Alexander quest Elden Ring provides, you aren't just looking for a cool talisman. You're following a warrior who knows he’s fundamentally flawed and is desperately trying to "cook" himself into something better. Literally.
Getting started with the big guy
Most people first bump into Alexander in Northern Stormhill. He’s stuck. You hear him before you see him, yelling for a "jolly good slap" to get him out of the mud.
Don't overthink it. Just walk behind him and hit him with a charged heavy attack.
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A lot of players worry they’ll aggro him if they hit too hard. Don't sweat it. It takes a few good whacks to pop him loose. Once he’s out, he’ll give you some Exalted Flesh and talk about the festival in Caelid. This is your first hint at where he's going, but the game doesn't just teleport him there.
The Gael Tunnel detour
You don’t have to find him here, but it adds a lot of flavor. If you head to the back entrance of Gael Tunnel (the border between Limgrave and Caelid), you’ll find him behind a locked door. He’s too big to fit through. It’s a classic FromSoftware "well, shucks" moment.
Talking to him here basically reinforces his desire to reach Redmane Castle. If you skip this, he’ll just show up at the festival anyway. The game is pretty forgiving with his early steps.
The Radahn Festival: Where things get messy
The Alexander quest Elden Ring fans remember most is the Starscourge Radahn fight. Alexander is one of the few NPCs who actually does work in that fight. He’s tanky. He spins. He takes hits that would delete a normal Tarnished.
But after the fight? That’s where the mask slips.
Go find him near the new Site of Grace in the Wailing Dunes. He’s scrounging. He’s literally stuffing the remains of fallen warriors into his jar body to "repair" himself. It’s gruesome if you think about it for more than two seconds. He’s a graveyard in a pot. He admits he cracked during the fight and feels like a failure.
"I am but a meager shard of what I once was."
He’s having a total existential crisis. This is the turning point for his character. He decides he needs to go to the "fiery mount in the north" to temper his body.
The Oil Pot problem in Liurnia
This is where 90% of players get stuck. Alexander finds himself in another hole, this time south of the Carian Study Hall in Liurnia.
Smacking him won’t work this time. He’s too dry. He tells you he needs to be "slicked up."
- You need an Oil Pot.
- To get the recipe, go to the Siofra River (the underground area).
- Find the Abandoned Merchant hidden in the ruins.
- Buy the Nomadic Warrior's Cookbook [17].
- Craft the pot using a Melted Mushroom and a Cracked Pot.
Throw the oil at him, give him a smack, and he’s free. He’ll reward you with more Exalted Flesh and head toward Mt. Gelmir. Honestly, it’s kind of a chore, but you can’t skip it if you want the best version of his reward later.
Bathing in the lava
Next stop: Seethewater Terminus. You’ll have to kill a Magma Wyrm first. It’s annoying, but once it’s dead, look for Alexander standing right in the middle of a lava lake.
He’s just... standing there. "Tempering" himself.
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You can stand on a rock nearby to talk to him so you don't melt. He gives you the Jar helm, which is hilarious and actually decent for certain builds. He tells you his next destination is the "Forge of the Giants."
If you’ve made it this far, you’re in the home stretch. He’ll be available as a summon for the Fire Giant boss. Pro tip: Summon him. He’s one of the few summons that doesn’t feel like a liability in that fight because he can actually tank the Giant’s massive AOE attacks.
The Final Duel in Crumbling Farum Azula
This is it. The end of the road. You’ll find him in the floating city of Crumbling Farum Azula, specifically near the Dragon Temple Lift.
He’s standing on a large ruin, looking out at the sky. He doesn't need help getting out of a hole this time. He wants a duel.
He knows he can’t beat the gods, but he wants to see if he can beat you. It’s a sad fight. He uses all his classic moves—the spin, the slam—but by this point in the game, you’re likely an unstoppable powerhouse.
What you get for winning
When you defeat him, he shatters. His final words are actually pretty moving—he's happy to die at the hands of a true champion. You get two main items:
- Shard of Alexander: This is the big one. It boosts the attack power of your skills (Ash of War) by a massive 15%. It’s arguably one of the best talismans in the game.
- Alexander's Innards: This is a key item. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Don't eat it.
What to do with the "Innards"
A lot of people think the quest ends in Farum Azula. It doesn't.
Take those "innards" back to Jarburg (a hidden village in Liurnia, below the Carian Study Hall). There’s a little guy there named Jar Bairn. If you’ve progressed Diallos’s questline alongside this, you can eventually give the innards to Jar Bairn.
The kid will be devastated but inspired. He’ll set off on his own journey to become a warrior jar, leaving you the Companion Jar talisman. It’s the perfect, bittersweet ending to the whole saga.
The truth about the "Great Jar"
There’s a common misconception that Alexander is related to the Great Jar in Caelid (the one who stands in front of the Colosseum). While they are both living jars, they don't interact. The Great Jar is more of a static challenge, while Alexander is a nomadic seeker.
Also, with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, we learned a lot more about how jars are made. It turns out the "living jar" process was originally a horrific punishment involving shamans. Alexander being a "warrior jar" is a slightly more "honorable" evolution of that process, but it’s still fundamentally a vessel full of dead people.
That’s why he’s so obsessed with quality. He wants the best "stuffing" inside him. By fighting you, he’s hoping your greatness will somehow become part of his legacy.
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To wrap this up, the Alexander quest Elden Ring experience is the gold standard for FromSoftware NPC design. It's funny, it's weird, and it ends in a way that makes you feel like a jerk for winning. If you missed the early steps, don't panic—check the Radahn arena first. He stays there a long time before moving on.
Go get that Oil Pot recipe now. You'll need it sooner than you think. Once you have the Shard of Alexander, try pairing it with the Blasphemous Blade or any high-damage Ash of War to see just how much of a difference that 15% boost makes in late-game scaling.