Far to the west of Altus Plateau, deep withinMt. Gelmir, you’ll find Fort Laiedd surrounded by fire-wielding fanatics. Forts are a fairly common sight throughoutElden Ring, and while Fort Laiedd is not a particularly involved area, it does contain one of themost challenging enemiesin the game.
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In this guide, you will learn where to acquire every item in the area, including thePrelate’s Inferno Crozierhammer andFire Scorpion CharmTalisman, along with how to defeat the deadly Fire Prelate which stands between you and victory.
How To Reach Fort Laiedd
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The Fort Exterior
Outside of the fort, you’ll encounter several enemies,Thorn-Fire SorcerersandFire Chariotsforming the bulk of the occupying force, with a few Fire Monks scattered among them. You will also encounter a few surviving Leyndell Soldiers, but they are surreptitiously slain by the Thorn-Fire Sorcerers and Fire Monks.
The exterior of the fort doesn’t have much in the way of valuable loot, save one spot. When looking at the fort, you’ll spot a gnarled tree far off to the right, surrounded bySpirit Jellyfish. Behind this tree, you will discover aStonesword Key.
Otherwise, head to the fort’s main entrance. Most other enemies you can simply ride or sneak past, but you’ll want to deal with the loneFire Monkcamped by the fire pit at the entrance. Once he is dealt with, head up the walkway entrance and enter Fort Laiedd and the challenging encounter that awaits you.
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A Challenger Approaches: Fire Prelate
The interior of the Fort is made up of a wide-open arena with only a single enemy awaiting you: aFire Prelate. If you haven’t encountered this enemy before, he isone of the most challenging enemiesyou will face in the game, and he demands the utmost respect from you—lest you find yourself prematurely slain.
Eruption Of Flame
Once you enter the interior of the fort, and the Fire Prelate notices you, he will immediatelyerupt in flames. The bowl atop his helm will begin spewing fire all around, and this will last for a little while into the fight. The fire isn’t likely to hit you when you’re close, but it’s more intended tocatch you at middle range. This is meant to keep you close, where the Fire Prelate can do the most damage.
Periodically, when you put enough distance between you (likely to heal), the Fire Prelate will raise his right hand, summoning a fireball and hurling it in your direction. This fizzles out as soon as it hits the ground and is pretty easy to avoid.
Basic Hammer Attacks
This gigantic hammer is the weapon the Fire Prelate wields, and it can do a ton of damage. Many of his attacks havefollow-up moves, so when you dodge a swing, expect another swing to shortly follow. Also, be aware that thishammer has a surprising range, so make sure you retreat to a safe distance when you need to.
He mixes in a few basic variant attacks to watch out for. Sometimes, it’s a simple overhead slam. Other times, it’s a quick upward swing. Sometimes, he swipes from his right, then back across, and sometimes he swings from the right, spins around, and swings from the right again.
These attacks are fairly straightforward, but due to the nature of his massive weapon, every blow can spell certain doom. Always try to dodge into his regular attacks, since that affords you the best chance of avoiding taking damage and counterattacking before he recovers.
Leap And Slam
The Fire Prelate will leap up into the air and slam back to the ground, emitting a decent-sized area of effect impact. Try tododge into the Fire Prelateas he’s slamming down. He isvulnerableafter this attack for a few moments, and by rolling into him, you may end up behind him, perfect for some strong attacks.
Prelate’s Charge
Perhaps the Fire Prelate’smost deadly attack, He will hold his hammer straight up before him for a moment before swinging down, like a hammer seeking a nail. He will then charge at you, hammer aflame and in front of him. He will then follow this up with anupward swing, then he will slam down with his hammer in adevastating blow. If you manage to avoid all of these moves, he’s vulnerable after that final slam, but you might be better off retreating to heal. Just be ready for him to follow up with a fireball.
Hammer Spin Attack
The Fire Prelate draws his weapon back to his right (your left), charging up his swing, and unleashes a powerful spinning attack. Hespins around three timesin quick succession, making it difficult to dodge every move. If you may recognize the move ahead of time, your best bet is to retreat out of his range. If you get caught in one of his swings, rapid dodge to avoid the follow-up. After the third spin, his hammer digs into the dirt, and he’s vulnerable to a follow-up attack.
This move comes quickly, easily catching you off guard. The Fire Prelaterears his head backand slams it down into the ground ahead of him. It doesn’t do a ton of damage, but it can quickly set you on your heels before whatever move he tries out next. When you recognize this, try dodging toward him to the side so that you will end up slightly behind him, able to get a couple of attacks in before he recovers.
Upon defeat, he will drop his signature weapon, Prelate’s Inferno Crozier. A very heavy weapon, but a powerful one—as you now know.
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Prelate’s Inferno Crozier
This hammer is classified as aColossal Weapon, weighing 23.5 pounds and requiring a massive45(!) Strength to wield it effectively. If you have the Strength to wield this weapon, it can be devastating in your hands. It has a fairly slow move set, typical of most Colossal Weapons, but what it lacks in speed and finesse it more than makes up with raw power. The heavy attack uses the upward swing motion the Fire Prelate used against you in the battle, and when charged, the move will fling most regular enemies high into the air.
The hammer’s weapon skill,Prelate’s Charge, is the real show-stopper. When activated, the hammer erupts into flame as you slam it into the ground in front of you and charge forward, leaving a trail of flames in your wake. You can thenextend the attackby continuing to hold L2, which will extend the charge until you release the button. At the end of the Charge, you will swing the hammer upward. Itcosts 7 FP to initiatethe initial slam, then anadditional 7 FP periodicallyto extend the charge.
This weapon art can be invaluable when you’re moving through slowing terrain, like Poison or Scarlet Rot, because the weapon skill allows you to move quickly through the area.
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Loot The Fort
The Fire Prelate is the only enemy within the fort, so it is now yours. Head to the door at the rear of the courtyard and into the next room. You’ll find a winding staircase going up, and among the tables on the bottom floor, you’ll find theArmorer’s Cookbook [7].
Head up the stairs, where you’ll find many corpses from a previous battle. Loot away! On this landing, you’ll find threeSlumbering Eggs, oneGolden Rune [8], and an already opened (and empty) chest. You’ll also hear some dialogue as you roam this small area: “Eek…! The wretched fools…” but the source is elusive.
Head to the side opposite the opened chest, over by a rising parapet. You’ll spot some piled stone by acrumbling section of the wall. If you peer over the edge, you’ll spot a spirit on the other side. Stand atop the piled stones and jump to the wooden platform on the opposite side.
Loot the item to discover theFire Scorpion Charm, a powerful Charm for certain builds. It grants the wielder+12% Fire Damage, which can be a powerful boon for certain spell caster builds or weapons that deal Fire Damage.
This marks the end of Fort Laiedd. Beyond the fort to the south, you’ll find a lava flow, a surpriseMagma Wyrmboss, and beyond that, you’ll eventuallyreach the rumored Volcano Manor.
