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Grand Altar of Dragon Communion Location What Can You Do at the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion
Exploration in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree retains the open-world nature of the base game while leaning into the looping interconnectivity reminiscent of the original Dark Souls . Entering the Shadow Realm puts players in an open field, allowing them to see miles into the distance to places they can’t visit yet.
One of these locations is the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion, the successor to the Church found in the Lands Between, with its very own unique quest and an area boss. Here is how to reach it.
Updated July 10, 2024, by Hamza Haq: If the Elden Ring DLC proves anything, it’s that FromSoftware isn’t afraid of locking entire regions behind seemingly random obstacles that are incredibly easy to miss. The top right portion of the map is locked behind a gesture, the Cathedral of Manus Metyr, Rabbath’s Rise Tower, and the entire lower section of the Shadow Keep is hidden behind a small hole in Moorth Ruins, and the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion is only accessible by going through the Dragon’s Pit dungeon.
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Grand Altar of Dragon Communion Location
The Grand Altar of Dragon Communion is located southeast of the Gravesite Plains, accessible via a circuitous route starting from the front entrance of Castle Ensis in Shadow of the Erdtree.
Start from the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace and cross the Ellac Greatbridge to the northeast. Activate the Castle Front Site of Grace just before the steps leading up to Ensis, and follow the road southeast. It will lead you to the Pillar Path Waypoint Site of Grace.
Just west of the Site of Grace, there will be a prone NPC crying out in pain. This is 
Igon , an NPC with a short questline that rewards players with the 
Igon’s Set , 
Igon’s Greatbow , and 
Igon’s Bell Bearing (used to craft ammo for Igon’s Greatbow). Exhaust his dialogue to trigger the start of his quest.
Just past Igon, the road bends westward before continuing south until it ends in a cavern leading down to the Dragon’s Pit. This is a fairly small, linear dungeon with an easy boss at the end called the Ancient Dragon-Man. Defeat the boss (drops the Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana) and open the large green door to exit into the open-world.
Following the path east will lead to a large basin with a white dragon sitting in the middle. Stay close to the edge of the basin and move toward the southern exit to avoid aggroing it. This path leads directly towards the dead body of a gigantic dragon, with a red fire burning in a bowl just in front of the corpse. This is the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion.
What Can You Do at the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion
Talk to the Priestess, and she will tell you that she serves the Dragonlord Placidusax, who has been grievously wounded by Bayle the Dread, a traitor to his own kin. She will ask the player to kill Bayle and come back to her. Completing this quest to defeat Bayle The Dread will allow players to gain the ability to obtain the Priestess Heart, a reusable item that allows a character to transform into a human-sized Ancient Dragon.
The Dragon Priestess’ questline has two different outcomes, depending on the choices a player makes, and both endings offer different rewards.
If players kill Bayle the Dread as requested, when they return to the Grand Altar, they’ll find the Priestess dead where they left her, and on her dead body will be two items: 
Priestess Heart and 
Flowerstone Gavel . Alternatively, if players offer the Priestess Thiollier’s Concoction at night before defeating Bayle, the Priestess will fall asleep and only wake up after Bayle is dead. This route ensures that she survives. Talk to her to obtain the 
Dragonbolt of Florissax and the Dragon Communion Priestess Spirit Ash.
After killing Bayle, players will also be able to use the altar to obtain 
Bayle’s Tyranny or 
Bayle’s Flame Lightning , two new incantations exclusive to the DLC. You can also exchange 3 Dragon Hearts for the 
Ghostflame Breath Incantation by selecting the Ritual of Dragon Communion.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Released June 21, 2024
Developer(s) FromSoftware