Dark Souls 3 NPC quests - defeating the Crystal Sage
Heading back to Leonhard, Ludleth, Anri and Horace
CHECKLIST: BEFORE DEFEATING THE CRYSTAL SAGE BOSS
At the end of the Road of Sacrifices, just before the entrance to Farron Keep, you'll find a small crumbling stronghold, home to the area's few remaining sorcerers. In order to reach Lothric's imposing Cathedral of the Deep, you'll need to navigate the ruins and defeat the Crystal Sage boss. Before destroying the sage, however, ensure that you've completed the following steps.
1. Give the Pale Tongue to Leonhard the Ringfinger
Once the Curse-Rotted Greatwood has been defeated, warp back to Firelink Shrine and locate Leonhard near the central throne. Give him the Pale Tongue that you found in the Fire Demon area earlier and, in return, you'll receive the Lift Chamber Key.
2. Use the Lift Chamber Key and defeat the Darkwraith for Leonhard
Warp to the Tower on the Wall bonfire and make into the tower below. Next, drop from floor to floor until you reach the bottom. Locate the locked door in the nearby wall and open it with the Lift Chamber Key. On the other side of the door, ride the elevator down and kill the Darkwraith to retrieve the Red Eye Orb. From this point on, you'll be able to find Leonhard in Rosaria's Bedchamber in the Cathedral of the Deep. However, progressing his quest line too soon will halt that of Sirris of the Sunless Realms, so it's wise to complete her story first.
3. Give Ludleth of Courland the Transposing Kiln
By defeating the Curse-Rotted Greatwood earlier, you secured the precious Transposing Kiln. Now is as good a time as any to return to Firelink Shrine and hand it over to Ludleth of Courland, sat on a throne on the left-hand-side of the main chamber. Once he has the kiln, speak with him to turn any boss souls that you acquire into uniquely powerful spells and weapons.
Note that placing four Lords of Cinder souls in their thrones at the shrine will cause Ludleth to disappear. You'll still be able to use the Transposing Kiln features if this happens, but won't be able to collect certain items that pertain to other side quests. As such, it's best not to place any Lords of Cinder on their seats until the very end of the game.
4. Locate Anri of Astora and Horace the Hushed
Anri of Astora and Horace the Hushed can be found close to the Halfway Fortress bonfire, along the Road of Sacrifices. Speak with them both to initialise their quest line. This will also make Horace available to summon for the Deacons of the Deep boss fight a little later on.
5. Introduce yourself to Sirris of the Sunless Realms
Once you've made yourself known to Anri and Horace on the Road of Sacrifices, return to the Firelink Shrine and speak with the newly-arrived Sirris of the Sunless Realms. Although she appears to brush you off, her quest line will still begin. Note that participating in any activity involving the Rosaria's Fingers covenant (aside from the initial step of joining it), will prematurely and permanently end Sirris' quest line, so be careful and stick closely to this guide!
6. Ingratiate yourself with Orbeck of Vinheim
As you approach the Crystal Sage boss fight arena in the Crucifixion Woods ruins, you'll reach a long, split-level room. Just outside the room, to the left of its entrance, you'll find a staircase leading to a balcony above. Head on up, take a left and speak with the Orbeck of Vinheim, hunched over a desk in the corner. Provided your Intelligence stat is at 10 or higher, he'll offer to assist you, warping back to Firelink Shrine. If your stats aren't yet suitable, raise your Intelligence level then come back and speak with him again.
On your return to Firelink Shrine, you'll find Orbeck on the lowest level, below and to the right of the walkway leading to Blacksmith Andre. Orbeck will teach you sorceries, and his selection can be expanded by giving him the scrolls that you find throughout your journey. Note that Orbeck will leave your game permanently if you fail to give him a single scroll before killing four bosses.
As long as choose a non-sorcerer-based starting class at the beginning of the game, you'll receive the Young Dragon Ring from Orbeck after giving him one scroll and purchasing three spells. After purchasing 15 spells, you'll gain a gesture and the Slumbering Dragon Crest Ring. Once all of his spells have been purchased, Orbeck will leave Firelink Shrine and become available to summon in the Lothric, Younger Prince boss fight.
Note that Yuria of Londor will encourage you to kill Orbeck if he arrives at Firelink Shrine before you complete the optional wedding ceremony side quest. If you choose to kill him, you can give Yuria his ashes in order to receive the Morion Blade. Killing Orbeck, however, will prevent you from buying further sorceries, meaning that it's generally wiser to allow his quest line to reach its natural conclusion and offer Yuria the ashes that you find later in the game.
Continue to the list of things to do before facing the Deacons of the Deep and the Abyss Watchers.
Go back to the start of our guide to Dark Souls 3 - how to complete every NPC quest in one playthrough.
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