Elden Ring: Should You Join Volcano Manor?

While progressing through Liurnia of the Lakes in , the Tarnished will be presented with the opportunity to join Volcano Manor, and it's an invitation they should accept. features a number of branching side quests and missions in its massive open world, the Lands Between, although not every character encountered is necessarily heroic. The denizens of Volcano Manor very much fit into that "" bracket, not only because they are directly opposed to the Erdtree and the Fingers, but also because they will task the player with assassinating other Tarnished.

Founded by Lord Rykard centuries before the main events of , Volcano Manor is home to assassins who hunt fellow Tarnished. In order to gain the favor of the head of the Manor, Lady Tanith, players will have to complete her contracts. This essentially serves as an introduction to the PvP mechanics of, as players are first tasked with invading the world of an NPC Tarnished and killing them. It's grim work, and the fiery backdrop and menacing decor of Volcano Manor may lead some to feel guilty about what they're being asked to do.

A cleverly-hidden detail in Elden Ring appears to reveal the existence of a new faction debuting in the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

However, ultimately, joining Volcano Manor has no downsides in relation to 's story. If anything, ignoring it has a greater impact, as failing to join will mean missing out on some cool extra content — not to mention some unique armor sets. Players aligned with the Two Fingers, or who otherwise do not wish to go against the Guidance of Grace may instinctively refuse the invitation to join Volcano Manor in . But, bar some questionable quest objectives, there are actually zero negatives to joining. Doing so doesn't detract from the story or other side quests.

But it's not just that players have nothing to lose from joining Volcano Manor: they also have much to gain. Their assassination targets don't come back to bite them, and they gain access to some