You’re exploring the Deeproot Depths, or maybe you’re just poking around under Stormveil Castle, and you see it. A face. It’s huge, bloated, and looks like it’s melting into the masonry. This is the Prince of Death's Cyst, and honestly, it’s one of the most unsettling items in all of Elden Ring. It’s not just a talisman that boosts your Vitality; it’s a literal piece of a god's undying flesh that is currently infecting the entire Lands Between.
Most people just equip it to stop from getting Insta-killed by Basilisks and move on. That’s a mistake. If you look closely at the item description and the environment where you find these things, you realize that Godwyn the Golden didn't just die. He became a biological virus.
The lore behind the Prince of Death's Cyst
Godwyn was the first of the demigods to die. But thanks to the Black Knives and Ranni the Witch, he only died in soul, not in body. His soul is gone, but his flesh is still "alive" in a very horrific, stagnant way. Because he was buried at the roots of the Erdtree, his corruption—this manifestation of Deathroot—is spreading through the groundwater and the soil like a cancer.
The Prince of Death's Cyst is basically a physical lump of that corruption.
It’s nasty. When you find the first one in Stormveil, it’s right near that massive, puckered face in the basement. Rogier tells you about it, but he doesn't quite capture the scale of the disaster. This isn't just "undead" stuff. This is a fundamental flaw in the Golden Order. By removing the Rune of Death, Marika thought she was making a world of eternal life. Instead, she created a world where things can rot forever without ever truly disappearing.
Where to find these growths
You actually find the "Cyst" and its upgraded version, the "Pustule," in very specific spots.
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- Stormveil Castle: This is usually the first encounter. You have to drop down past the many-armed Grafted Scion and reach the very bottom. There’s a Ulcerated Tree Spirit there. Kill it, and you can pick up the cyst near the giant, distorted face of Godwyn.
- Deeproot Depths: This is where the "Prince of Death's Pustule" (the +1 version) lives. You find it on a corpse near the waterfall area.
Think about the geography for a second. Deeproot Depths is the source. Stormveil is miles away and high up on a cliff. The fact that the Prince of Death's Cyst is showing up in Stormveil means the roots of the Erdtree have carried Godwyn's "corpse-skin" across the entire continent.
It’s everywhere.
Why Vitality actually matters in Elden Ring
Let’s talk mechanics. The Prince of Death's Cyst raises your Vitality. In Elden Ring, Vitality is the specific stat that resists Blight.
Blight is the worst status effect in the game. Period. When that bar fills up, you don't just take damage. You get impaled by thorns of deathroot from the inside out and die instantly. It doesn't matter if you have 99 Vigor and 2000 HP. You’re done.
Using the cyst is basically fighting fire with fire. You are using a piece of the Prince of Death to protect yourself from the Deathroot he is producing. It’s a bit ironic. If you’re planning on traversing the Lake of Rot or dealing with those annoying worm-faced guys in Altus Plateau, you’re going to need this talisman.
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The connection to Those Who Live in Death
There’s a whole faction built around this. Fia, the Deathbed Companion, wants to basically lie with Godwyn’s corpse to give him a "second life" as the Prince of Death. She sees the Prince of Death's Cyst not as a gross tumor, but as a holy relic.
It’s a different perspective. To the Golden Order, it’s a blemish. To the followers of the Prince of Death, it’s the beginning of a new era where death is part of the natural cycle again, even if that cycle looks like a nightmare.
The item itself looks like an eye starting to form in a mass of grey skin. That’s because Godwyn’s body is trying to recreate itself everywhere. Have you noticed the "eyes" on the crabs in the moats? Or the faces on the backs of the crabs near Leyndell? That’s the Prince of Death's Cyst spreading into the local fauna.
It’s an ecological disaster.
How to use it effectively in your build
Don't keep this thing equipped all the time. It’s a waste of a talisman slot for 90% of the game.
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Keep it in your "back pocket." When you hear the clicking sound of a Basilisk or see the grey fog of a Wormface, swap it in.
- Pair it with the Lucerne: For some reason, certain weapons just feel right with a "Death" build, but the Lucerne has great reach for keeping Blight-inducing enemies away.
- The Beast Eye: If you have the Beast Eye (from Gurranq), it will quiver when you are near Deathroot. Usually, if that eye is quivering, it’s time to put on the Prince of Death's Cyst.
- Don't ignore armor: Certain sets, like the Lionel’s Set or the Mushroom Set, have naturally high Vitality. If you stack those with the talisman, you become almost immune to instant death.
Practical steps for your next playthrough
If you want to fully experience the story of the Prince of Death's Cyst, you need to follow Fia’s questline to the end. Don't just kill the D, Hunter of the Dead, and call it a day.
- Go to the basement of Stormveil and touch the bloodstain near the giant face. This triggers Rogier's dialogue.
- Find the Cursemark of Death at the top of the Divine Tower of Liurnia.
- Travel to the Deeproot Depths and find the actual body of Godwyn.
When you stand in front of that massive, fish-like corpse in the roots of the tree, look at the Prince of Death's Cyst in your inventory. It looks exactly like the skin of the thing you’re standing in front of. It’s a gruesome detail that FromSoftware nailed.
It’s not just a stat stick. It’s a piece of a fallen god that refuses to stay buried. Using it is a choice to embrace a bit of that darkness to survive a world that’s already falling apart.
To get the most out of your defense, prioritize finding the +1 version (the Pustule) in Deeproot Depths as soon as you are high enough level to handle the Gargoyles. The jump in Vitality is significant and can be the difference between a frustrating "YOU DIED" screen and actually finishing the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince questline. Keep your Vitality high, watch the ground for roots, and never trust a frog with big eyes.