Altus Plateau is the golden region above Liurnia of the Lakes, and Leyndell, Royal Capital sits on its eastern edge. A wall of cliffs keeps you out, so there are only a few ways up: the Grand Lift of Dectus, which needs a two-piece medallion, or the Ruin-Strewn Precipice, a cave route you can walk with no key item at all. This guide covers both, two hidden shortcuts, and what you need before the capital gate will let you in.
| Main route | Grand Lift of Dectus, north end of the Bellum Highway (eastern Liurnia) |
| Key item | Dectus Medallion (Left) + Dectus Medallion (Right) |
| Left half | Chest on the tallest tower of Fort Haight (eastern Limgrave, near Mistwood) |
| Right half | Chest on the eastern tower of Fort Faroth (Dragonbarrow, Caelid) |
| No-medallion route | Ruin-Strewn Precipice from the Ravine-Veiled Village grace (northern Liurnia) |
| Boss on that route | Magma Wyrm Makar |
| Side effect | Resting at any Altus Plateau grace starts the Radahn Festival |
| Leyndell gate | Needs two Great Runes and a visit to the Roundtable Hold |
Route 1: How to use the Grand Lift of Dectus
- Get the left half. Ride to Fort Haight in eastern Limgrave, just south-east of Mistwood. Climb to the top of the tallest tower and open the chest for the Dectus Medallion (Left).
- Get the right half. Travel to Fort Faroth in Dragonbarrow, north-east Caelid. The fort is full of bats; run past them, climb the ladder up the eastern tower and open the chest for the Dectus Medallion (Right). Radagon’s Soreseal is in the same fort.
- Find the lift. In eastern Liurnia, follow the Bellum Highway north to its end. Rest at the Grand Lift of Dectus grace inside the lift building.
- Hoist the medallion. Stand on the platform between the four giant statues and use the interact button. The halves join and the lift carries you up.
- Rest at the top. The Altus Plateau grace is just to the left at the top of the ramp. Touch it to save the route for fast travel.
Route 2: How to get to Altus Plateau without the Dectus Medallion
If one half is missing, walk up through the Ruin-Strewn Precipice instead. It is a mine and cave dungeon in the north of Liurnia, and it ends in a lift to western Altus.
- Reach the Ravine-Veiled Village grace in northern Liurnia, north of the Academy of Raya Lucaria.
- Climb the ladders and wooden mining platforms above the grace into the Miners’ caves.
- Rest at the Ruin-Strewn Precipice grace on the cliffs after the first cavern, then push on to the Ruin-Strewn Precipice Overlook grace just before the boss.
- Beat Magma Wyrm Makar in the highest cavern. Use our Magma Wyrm Makar guide if the fire gives you trouble.
- Take the lift up from the boss cavern and follow the path to the surface, then rest at the first Altus Plateau grace you reach.
Worth grabbing on the way: Smithing Stones [3] and [5], a Lost Ashes of War on a body at a cliff edge, and the Serpent-God’s Curved Sword a few levels below the main path.
Other ways up: Volcano Manor and Deeproot Depths
- Abductor Virgin shortcut: under the waterwheel in the Academy of Raya Lucaria, let the Abductor Virgin grab you. It carries you into a hidden part of Volcano Manor. Beat the two Abductor Virgins there and you come out in the Altus Plateau and Mt. Gelmir area. It is hard at low level, but once you touch a grace you can teleport out. All three ways into the manor are in our Volcano Manor guide.
- Fia’s champions: after you beat Starscourge Radahn, go through Nokron (see how to get to Nokron), take the coffin down to the Deeproot Depths and defeat Fia’s champions near the Across the Roots grace. Their waygate drops you in a chapel next to Leyndell’s East Capital Rampart. It closes after you beat Maliketh.
Does reaching Altus Plateau start the Radahn Festival?
Yes. Activating any Altus Plateau or Mt. Gelmir grace starts the festival at Redmane Castle, no matter which route you took. Parts of Ranni’s questline can trigger it too. When it is on, the waygate on the bridge outside Redmane Castle works, and you can read our Starscourge Radahn guide before you go.
How to get from Altus Plateau to Leyndell, Royal Capital
- Head north-east from the lift toward the Erdtree and into the Capital Outskirts.
- Cross the north-eastern bridge over the moat. A fog gate at its end stays shut until you beat the Draconic Tree Sentinel guarding the capital’s side entrance.
- Make sure you carry two Great Runes and have visited the Roundtable Hold at least once. Without both, you cannot go further. Rennala’s Great Rune counts even though it is never restored; Godrick’s must be restored at the Divine Tower of Limgrave. Full rules are in our Great Runes guide.
- Enter along the walls from the East Capital Rampart grace. Morgott waits at the foot of the Erdtree; after him the path goes on to the Mountaintops of the Giants.
Altus Plateau checklist
- Fort Haight tower chest: Dectus Medallion (Left).
- Fort Faroth tower chest: Dectus Medallion (Right).
- Ride the Grand Lift of Dectus, or clear the Ruin-Strewn Precipice and Magma Wyrm Makar.
- Rest at the Altus Plateau grace (the Radahn Festival begins).
- Collect two Great Runes and visit the Roundtable Hold.
- Beat the Draconic Tree Sentinel and enter Leyndell.
Related: how to get to Ainsel River and the Lake of Rot, the other big hidden route out of Liurnia. Near the Outer Wall Phantom Tree grace on the way to the capital, a pair of Tree Sentinels guards the road; our Tree Sentinel guide covers their weaknesses and rewards.
FAQ
Where are the two Dectus Medallion halves?
The left half is in a chest on the tallest tower of Fort Haight in eastern Limgrave. The right half is in a chest on the eastern tower of Fort Faroth in Dragonbarrow.
Can I get to Altus Plateau without the Grand Lift of Dectus?
Yes. Walk through the Ruin-Strewn Precipice from the Ravine-Veiled Village grace and beat Magma Wyrm Makar; the lift behind the boss takes you up. No medallion is needed.
Why can’t I get into Leyndell?
You need two Great Runes and at least one visit to the Roundtable Hold, and the Draconic Tree Sentinel’s fog gate must be cleared. Check that Godrick’s rune has been restored at the Divine Tower of Limgrave.
What changes when I reach Altus Plateau?
Resting at any Altus grace starts the Radahn Festival. If you explore Redmane Castle before that, it is full of enemies and has an extra boss pair, a Misbegotten Warrior and a Crucible Knight.
Source: routes checked against Fextralife’s Elden Ring wiki (Altus Plateau, Grand Lift of Dectus, Ruin-Strewn Precipice, Leyndell, Royal Capital, Sites of Grace and Radahn Festival pages), the Elden Ring wiki.gg, RPG Site and PowerPyx. We left out a recommended level and the exact surface grace for the Precipice route because the sources do not agree.
Further reading: Altus Plateau on the Fextralife Elden Ring wiki.