You've finally made it. The golden boughs of the Erdtree are towering over you, the music has shifted into something regal and terrifying, and you’ve just put the Draconic Tree Sentinel in the dirt. You approach the massive gates of Leyndell, Royal Capital, expecting to waltz right in and claim your throne. Instead, you hit a literal yellow fog wall. A message pops up, cold and blunt: you cannot proceed without more great runes.
It’s frustrating. Honestly, it’s one of the few moments where Elden Ring stops being an open-world "go anywhere" adventure and starts acting like a bouncer at an exclusive club. You thought you were the main character, but the game just told you that you aren't important enough yet.
Basically, the fingers—those creepy, massive celestial hands at Roundtable Hold—have a set of rules. You need two Great Runes to enter the capital. Not one. Not zero. Two. Most players end up here with just Godrick’s trophy in their pocket, wondering where they went wrong.
The Barrier at the Capital: What is Actually Happening?
The seal on Leyndell isn't a glitch. It’s a lore-mandated gear check. From a narrative perspective, Enia the Finger Reader explains that the Greater Will needs to see a certain level of "worth" before you're allowed to enter the city where the Elden Ring was shattered.
Technically, you can see the city from the start of the game. You can even bypass Stormveil Castle by taking the hidden cliffside path to the east, skipping Godrick entirely. But you can't skip the Great Rune requirement. If you try to enter the capital through the main gate or even the "back way" via the Deeproot Depths portal, the game checks your inventory for those two shimmering circles of power. If they aren't there, the seal stays up.
It's a weirdly rigid moment in a game that usually lets you break it. You could be level 150 because you spent ten hours farming crows in Mohgwyn Palace, but if you don't have those two specific items, the story stops dead.
Which Great Runes Should You Go For?
Most people grab Godrick the Grafted’s Great Rune first. He’s the "intended" first boss at Stormveil. He’s loud, he’s got too many arms, and he’s relatively easy once you learn his rhythm. Once he’s down, you have one. You’re halfway there.
But who is number two? You have options, and honestly, your choice changes the entire vibe of your mid-game experience.
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Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon
This is the path of least resistance. Rennala lives in the Academy of Raya Lucaria in Liurnia of the Lakes. The fight is spectacular—lots of floating children and a second phase that looks like a dreamscape—but she isn't nearly as aggressive as the other demigods.
The interesting thing about Rennala’s "Great Rune" (the Great Rune of the Unborn) is that you don't even have to activate it at a Divine Tower. It’s already "on," and its primary purpose is allowing you to respec your stats. If you want to enter Leyndell as fast as possible, Rennala is your best bet.
Starscourge Radahn
Then there’s the hard way. Radahn is waiting in Caelid, the land that looks like a literal nightmare. To even fight him, you usually have to trigger the Radahn Festival. This is a massive, chaotic battle where you summon a dozen NPCs to help you take down a giant riding a tiny horse who can turn into a literal meteor.
It's a much harder fight than Rennala, but his Great Rune is arguably better for melee builds since it boosts HP, FP, and Stamina. Most players who get the "you cannot proceed without more great runes" message have already beaten Godrick but skipped the Academy, heading straight for the capital instead. If that’s you, you’re either turning around to go to the lake or heading south to the red wastes.
The Alternatives: Rykard and Mohg
Technically, you could get Rykard’s Great Rune by finishing Volcano Manor. It’s a trek, and the boss fight involves a gimmick spear, but it counts. Then there’s Mohg, Lord of Blood. You could get his, but if you’re strong enough to beat Mohg before you’ve even stepped foot in Leyndell, you’re probably a seasoned veteran who isn't reading this because you already know how the game works.
Activating the Runes: The Step Most People Forget
Here is a nuance that trips up a lot of players. Beating the boss gives you the Great Rune, but it’s "depleted." It has no power.
While you only need the item in your inventory to pass the seal at Leyndell, you actually need to visit a Divine Tower to make the rune useful. For Godrick, it’s the Limgrave Divine Tower. For Rennala, you don't need to do this (she’s the exception). For Radahn, his tower is a platforming nightmare in Caelid.
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If you're staring at that golden barrier in the capital, check your "Key Items" tab. Count them. If you see two, and it’s still not letting you in, go talk to Enia at the Roundtable Hold. Sometimes the game needs you to trigger her dialogue about the "Two Fingers" before the barrier recognizes your achievements.
Breaking the Sequence: Can You Skip the Requirement?
The Elden Ring speedrunning community is insane. They’ve found dozens of ways to bypass the "you cannot proceed without more great runes" restriction over the years. Early on, there was a "wrong warp" glitch that let you teleport directly into the heart of the capital from the Weeping Peninsula’s Tower of Return.
Most of those have been patched out by FromSoftware. However, the portal in the Deeproot Depths (accessible after beating Fia’s Champions) used to be a way in. But even that portal is deactivated now unless you have—you guessed it—two Great Runes.
There is one very specific, very "glitchy" way involving an elevator skip and an Exploding Ruptured Crystal Tear, but for 99% of players, you just have to play the game. Go back to Liurnia. Beat the moon lady. It’s easier than trying to break the game’s physics.
The "Hidden" Gate: Why the Draconic Tree Sentinel is a Distraction
A lot of players think the Draconic Tree Sentinel is the gatekeeper. They spend three hours dying to his lightning horse, finally win, and then get told they can't go inside. It feels like a slap in the face.
The reality is that the Sentinel is just guarding the physical entrance. The magical entrance is handled by the barrier. It's a bit of poor signposting on the developers' part, honestly. They put a boss there to challenge you, but the boss isn't the actual lock; he’s just the guy standing in front of the door.
Actionable Steps to Fix the "Cannot Proceed" Error
If you are currently standing outside the capital and can't get in, follow this exact sequence. No fluff, just the fix.
- Check your inventory. Open your menu, go to "Key Items," and look for the circular Great Rune icons.
- Verify you have exactly TWO. If you only have Godrick's, you need to leave.
- Head to Raya Lucaria. This is the fastest second rune. Go to the center of Liurnia of the Lakes, find the Glintstone Key on the rocks behind the dragon Smarag, and enter the Academy. Beat Rennala.
- Visit the Roundtable Hold. This is the "hidden" requirement. Even if you have two runes, the barrier sometimes won't disappear until you have spoken to Enia the Finger Reader in the room with the Two Fingers. She needs to acknowledge your power.
- Return to the Capital Outskirts. Warp back to the Draconic Tree Sentinel's grace point. The yellow fog should now be gone, or it will allow you to pass through it.
If you already have two runes and talked to Enia but it’s still blocked, you are likely trying to enter through a gate that isn't the main story entrance. The "official" way in is the path guarded by the Draconic Tree Sentinel on the northeast side of the city. Other entrances, like the elevator from the Divine Bridge (accessible via a trap chest), won't let you into the rest of the city until you’ve progressed from the inside first.
Go get that second rune. Rennala is waiting, and honestly, her boss fight is way more fun than banging your head against a literal golden wall.
Once you’re inside Leyndell, the game’s difficulty spikes significantly. Spend those souls—sorry, runes—now. You’re going to need the HP.
Next Steps:
Go to Liurnia of the Lakes and locate the Academy of Raya Lucaria. If you haven't found the Glintstone Key yet, look for a meeting place map found on a corpse near the Academy's main gate; it will point you to the dragon-guarded island to the west. After defeating Rennala, ensure you return to the Roundtable Hold to speak with Enia to officially "register" your progress before returning to the Leyndell gate.