You finally beat Godrick. You open those heavy doors at the back of Stormveil Castle, step out onto the cliffside, and the music swells. It's beautiful. The blue mist, the shimmering shallow water, the massive Erdtree glowing in the distance. But then you open your menu. It's a gray, foggy mess. If you want to actually survive this place, you need the Liurnia of the Lakes map fragments, and you need them fast.
Liurnia is huge. It’s significantly bigger than Limgrave, and unlike the starting area, it’s mostly vertical. You have the sunken woods, the massive lakebed, and then these soaring plateaus on either side that you can’t even reach until much later. Honestly, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. You'll find yourself riding Torrent into a pack of giant lobsters—which are basically the snipers of the Lands Between—before you even realize where you are.
Getting the map isn't just about seeing the roads. It’s about understanding the geography of a dying world.
The Three Pieces You Actually Need
Most people think there’s just one map. Nope. Liurnia is split into three distinct zones: North, East, and West. If you just grab the first one you see, you’re still going to be wandering blind through two-thirds of the region.
The first one most players stumble upon is the Liurnia, East fragment. It’s sitting right there on the Highroad. If you follow the main path leading north from the Lake-Facing Cliffs site of grace, you'll hit a guide monument. It’s simple.
But the Liurnia, North fragment? That’s the big one. It’s located right near the Academy Gate Town. This is where the scale of Elden Ring really hits you. The town is half-sunken, filled with those annoying albinaurics and magical glintstone scraps. The map fragment sits under a large stone pillar. Getting it feels like a relief, but then you look at the map and realize the Raya Lucaria Academy is basically a floating fortress that requires a literal key just to step inside.
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Then there’s the Liurnia, West fragment. This one is tucked away near the Northern Liurnia Lake Shore. It’s a bit of a trek. You have to ride past the Kingsrealm Ruins—watch out for the invisible wall and the Royal Royal Revenant if you’re feeling brave—and head toward the Carian Manor.
Why the Map Doesn't Tell the Whole Story
A map in Elden Ring is a liar. Well, maybe not a liar, but it’s definitely omits the important stuff. You look at the Liurnia of the Lakes map and see a flat surface. In reality? It’s a multi-layered disaster.
Take the Moonlight Altar, for example. It looks like it’s just part of Southwest Liurnia. You spend hours trying to find a spirit spring or a hidden path up the cliff. You won't find one. That entire section of the map is locked behind Ranni’s massive, game-spanning questline. You have to go through Nokstella, beat an Outer God, and take a magical elevator just to stand on a piece of ground you’ve been looking at from below for thirty hours.
The map also does a poor job of explaining the "Sunken" aspect of the lake.
There are tunnels. There are sections like the Crystal Tunnels or the Black Knife Catacombs that are technically "on" the map but exist in a completely different mechanical space. If you're looking for the Icerind Hatchet—which is still one of the best speedrun tools even after the nerfs—the map will guide you to the Temple Quarter, but it won't tell you to look for the specific chest hidden in the ruins. You have to use your eyes, not just the parchment.
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The Lobster Problem and Navigation
We have to talk about the lobsters. Snipe-shrimp. Prawn-demons. Whatever you call them, they are the primary reason navigating Liurnia without a clear plan is a death sentence.
These things have a projectile attack with a range that feels illegal. If you are riding Torrent across the open water trying to reach a map pillar, and you hear a splat sound, you're already in trouble. The map helps here because it shows you the "shallow" vs "deep" water. Stick to the areas with visible ruins. The debris provides cover.
Key Locations Visible on the Map
- The Rose Church: Found in the southwest. This is where White Mask Varré hangs out. If you want to get to Mohgwyn Palace early to farm runes, this is your primary destination.
- The Four Belfries: On the western ridge. These are portals to endgame areas and a very specific "beginning" area.
- Village of the Albinaurics: Hidden under the massive plateau in the southwest. Note: It is under the cliff, not on top of it. This confuses everyone the first time.
Solving the Academy Gate Puzzle
Once you have the North fragment of the Liurnia of the Lakes map, you’ll see the Academy of Raya Lucaria right in the center. It’s the heart of the region. But the gates are sealed by a blue magic sigil.
If you inspect the corpse at the gate, you get a "Meeting Place Map." This isn't a standard map fragment; it’s a drawing. It points you toward a small island west of the Academy.
This is where the game gets cheeky. That island is guarded by Glintstone Dragon Smarag. You don't actually have to fight the dragon—though you can if you want the Dragon Heart—you just need to sneak behind him and grab the Academy Glintstone Key from the sorcerer's corpse.
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The Verticality of the East and West Plateaus
The Liurnia map is framed by two massive landmasses.
On the East, you have the Ainsel River Well and the path leading toward the Artist’s Shack. This side is relatively accessible. On the West, everything is dominated by the Carian Manor. This is the ancestral home of the Carian Royals, and it’s protected by those terrifying "Fingercreepers"—the giant hands that drop from the sky.
If you are following the map to the northernmost tip, you’ll find the Ruin-Strewen Precipice. This is the "coward's path" to the Altus Plateau. If you don't want to find the two halves of the Dectus Medallion to use the Grand Lift, you have to climb this entire cliffside and fight Magma Wyrm Makar. The map shows a tiny little trail, but it’s actually a grueling vertical dungeon.
Hidden Details You’ll Miss
Even with a fully revealed Liurnia of the Lakes map, there are things that just don't appear.
- The Slumbering Wolfs Shack: You have to go through a cave (Lakeside Crystal Cave) to reach a tiny peninsula that looks unreachable on the map.
- Jarburg: Just south of the Carian Study Hall. You have to carefully drop down some gravestones protruding from the cliff. It's the only place where the jars are friendly.
- The Teleporters: Liurnia is littered with them. There’s one in the Laskyar Ruins that takes you straight to the Academy gates. Using these can save you ten minutes of riding through swamp water.
Moving Forward into the Altus Plateau
Once you've cleared the Academy and explored the shores, the map directs you North. You have a choice: the Grand Lift of Dectus or the Ravine-Veiled Village.
Don't leave Liurnia too early. Check the map for the "Limgrave-style" mine icons—those little orange-black holes. There’s one in the north (Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel) that provides the Smithing-Stone Miner's Bell Bearing [1]. It’s essential for upgrading your weapons so you don't hit like a wet noodle when you finally reach the capital.
Actionable Steps for Navigating Liurnia:
- Ride North immediately: Don't get bogged down fighting every prawn. Grab the East and North map fragments first so you can actually see the landmarks.
- Locate the Academy Key: Head to the island behind the Academy, grab the key from behind the dragon, and unlock the gates to get your "checkpoint" inside the school.
- Find the Smithing-Stone Tunnels: Look for the brown "burn" marks on the map. These are the mines. You need these stones to keep your damage viable.
- Talk to Rya: She’s in a small pavilion near the Laskyar Ruins. Starting her quest is the easiest way to get an invite to Volcano Manor later.
- Ignore the plateau tops: For now. You cannot get up there until much later in the game. Focus on the lake level and the immediate shorelines.