The Academy of Raya Lucaria is the sorcerers’ school in the middle of Liurnia of the Lakes, and it holds two of the game’s key bosses: the Red Wolf of Radagon and Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, a shardbearer. You cannot simply walk in. A glowing seal blocks the gate, and it only lets you through once you carry an Academy Glintstone Key. This guide shows where the key is, how to grab it without fighting the dragon that guards it, how to get through the seal, and what to do with the second key you find inside.
| Region | Liurnia of the Lakes, central island |
| What blocks the way | A barrier seal on the Academy gate |
| Key needed | Academy Glintstone Key (key item) |
| First key | Corpse on the small island west of the Academy, south of the Crystalline Woods grace |
| Guarded by | Glintstone Dragon Smarag (optional, can be skipped) |
| Second key | Corpse on a chandelier in the Church of the Cuckoo ceiling, inside the Academy |
| Graces inside | Church of the Cuckoo, Schoolhouse Classroom, Debate Parlor, Raya Lucaria Grand Library |
| Bosses inside | Red Wolf of Radagon, Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon |
Where is the Glintstone Key in Elden Ring?
The first Academy Glintstone Key lies on a corpse on a small island just west of the Academy. The island is in the lake south of the Crystalline Woods grace, and Glintstone Dragon Smarag sleeps on it among large blue flowers. The key is on the corpse behind the dragon.
- Unlock the Crystalline Woods grace on the western side of central Liurnia, or come up from the south through the Academy Gate Town area.
- Ride south around the craggy island in the lake. From the south side you can also head north and reach the same spot.
- Spot the dragon. Smarag lies on the ground with the corpse just behind it.
- Grab the key and leave. Ride Torrent around the dragon, loot the corpse and ride off. You do not have to fight Smarag to keep the key.
Should you fight Glintstone Dragon Smarag?
Smarag is an optional boss. If you are strong enough, beating it gives a Dragon Heart for Dragon Communion (see our Dragon Heart guide). It resists magic heavily, so sorcerers should use physical attacks or incantations. If you are under-levelled, take the key and come back later.
How to get through the sealed Academy gate
- With the key in your inventory, go to the South Raya Lucaria Gate on the bridge that leads up to the Academy.
- Walk into the shimmering barrier. With the key it no longer pushes you back. If it still repels you, step back about a metre and try again.
- Fight through the gate area and enter the Academy. The first grace inside is the Church of the Cuckoo, reached through the left doorway from the first chapel-like room.
Each key is bound to you once used, so you cannot trade it. There is no secret way around the seal: you need the key.
Route through the Academy to Rennala
- Church of the Cuckoo: rest here first. The church area is full of sorcerers and Glintstone enemies.
- Schoolhouse Classroom: cross the graveyard and ride the waterwheel lift to reach this grace. The lift west of it is also where the Abductor Virgin trap to Volcano Manor waits (see our Volcano Manor guide).
- Red Wolf of Radagon: behind a golden fog door further up. Read our Red Wolf of Radagon guide before you go in.
- Debate Parlor: this grace appears in the Red Wolf arena once the boss is dead. It opens the courtyard and the rooftops.
- Raya Lucaria Grand Library: a lift leads up to Rennala. Our Rennala boss guide covers both phases.
Where is the second Glintstone Key?
A second Academy Glintstone Key sits inside the Academy, on a corpse hanging from a chandelier in the ceiling of the Church of the Cuckoo. You reach it after the Red Wolf of Radagon.
- Start at the Debate Parlor grace and go out through the door in front of it.
- Climb the slope and the broken staircase on the left, past two sorcerers.
- Jump the railing onto the stairs and follow the rooftops to a ladder. Beat the Glintstone Sorcerer at the top.
- Drop to the small ledge below, then jump onto the church roof.
- Jump through the open window onto the rafters, walk to the nearest chandelier and drop onto it to loot the key.
Should you give the Glintstone Key to Thops?
Sorcerer Thops at the Church of Irith in Liurnia wants an Academy Glintstone Key so he can go back to the Academy. He politely refuses the first key you find; give him the second one from the Church of the Cuckoo. After that he leaves the church for good, so buy any sorceries you want from him first. You later find him dead outside the Schoolhouse Classroom, where his body gives Thops’s Barrier, Thops’s Bell Bearing and an Academy Glintstone Staff.
Raya Lucaria Academy checklist
- Unlock the Crystalline Woods grace in Liurnia.
- Sneak past Smarag and loot the Academy Glintstone Key.
- Pass the seal at the South Raya Lucaria Gate.
- Rest at the Church of the Cuckoo, then the Schoolhouse Classroom.
- Beat the Red Wolf of Radagon and unlock the Debate Parlor.
- Take the rooftop route for the second key and give it to Thops.
- Beat Rennala in the Grand Library.
Related: after Rennala is dead you can talk to her to respec your character with a Larval Tear. Our Larval Tear guide lists where to find them, and the Academy also leads on to the Altus Plateau once Liurnia is done.
FAQ
Do I have to kill Smarag to get the Glintstone Key?
No. The dragon is optional. Ride around it on Torrent, loot the corpse behind it and leave.
How many Academy Glintstone Keys are there?
Two. The first is on Smarag’s island west of the Academy, and the second is on a chandelier in the Church of the Cuckoo inside the Academy.
Is there another way into Raya Lucaria Academy?
No. The seal on the gate always needs the key, so you have to pick it up first.
The barrier still pushes me back. What do I do?
Check that the Academy Glintstone Key is in your key items, then step back about a metre and walk into the barrier again.
Source: routes checked against Fextralife’s Elden Ring wiki (Academy Glintstone Key, Academy of Raya Lucaria and Glintstone Dragon Smarag pages), the Elden Ring wiki.gg Academy of Raya Lucaria page and DualShockers. We left out a recommended level because the sources do not agree.
Further reading: Academy Glintstone Key on the Fextralife Elden Ring wiki.