The question of “should I join Volcano Manor or not” in Elden Ring has troubled many players. If you have played previous Dark Souls games you can understand why this is a bother. Because in those games when you joined a Covenant you got perks for joining a faction, you also faced penalties if you broke some rules. But let’s not digress into Dark Souls, even if you didn’t play those games you might be wondering if your ending is affected by this choice. Keep reading this guide to learn what happens when you join Volcano Manor in Elden Ring & also what happens if you choose not to join.
Should I Join Volcano Manor in Elden Ring?
Yes, it is best if you join Volcano Manor. There are two main consequences of this choice:
- If you choose to join, you get the Drawing Room Key which unlocks the questline.
- And if you choose not to join, well nothing much really happens. We will get to this part in a bit but for now, let us check why you should join.
As explained before, when you join, you get the Drawing Room Key. This unlocks the Drawing Room where you can find letters for the questline and different NPCs. In this questline, you pick the letters and defeat the NPCs the letters ask you to:
- First, defeat Old Knight Istvan at Limgrave.
- Next, go and talk to Knight Bernahl. This step is optional but you can buy Ashes of War from them.
- After that, defeat Rileigh the Idle at Altus Plateau.
- Next, you have to beat Juno Hoslow, Knight of Blood at Mountaintops of the Giants.
- Spoilers Ahead: These three assassinations allow you to get direct access to Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy boss fight.
If you decided to join Volcano Manor do check our guide on Tonic of Forgetfulness to get help with Rya’s questline. One of the NPCs in Volcano Manor.
What Happens if you Don’t Join Volcano Manor?
Nothing really happens if you don’t join Volcano Manor. You won’t get the drawing-room key until you join so you basically lock yourself out of the questline. Thus you also miss out on all the rewards from the above assassinations. And instead of getting a shortcut to Rykard, you have to find the other way to get to him.
The best part is even if you decide not to join you can always join Volcano Manor later.
That covers everything you need to know about whether you should join Volcano Manor in Elden Ring or Not. If you need more help on questlines and similar choices for this game then check out our other Elden Ring guides.