This 5-storey area is still packed with poison and a whole host of new enemies (including a boss that would - hands down - win every ‘Jabba the Hut’ cosplay competition going). There are also a couple of NPC encounters here if you’re following their story-arcs for the achievements/trophies.

Watch out for the Poison Horn Beetles that crawl around slowly and emitting poison gas. Manakin’s will leap around the place super quick and throw poison darts and hit you fast. But they’ve low poise; so shield users can block then counter-attack with confidence.

To make navigating this area easier; we’re going to break it down into each of the five floors.

Floor 1¶

The lower part of the floor (with the two Undead Steelworkers ) isn’t safe to fully traverse until you’ve burned the windmill on floor three . So for now, run up the narrow stairs and kill all Beetles and Steelworkers up here (there’s around four Steelworkers up here too).

Frankly, ignore the stairs leading to the right as there’s a trapped chest surrounded by loads of enemies and it only holds a measly [Torch] inside (so save yourself the hassle).

However, you should notice a ledge to the right that’s overlooking the poison pool (just before the Boss fog gate). If you carefully leap across to it you can find [3 x Titanite Shards + Soul of a Nameless Soldier] and a metal chest containing [Heavy Crossbow + 15 x Heavy Bolts] .

This heavy crossbow will be very useful for the imminent boss encounter if you’ve not got any heavy ranged weaponry or spells.

Boss Battle - Covetous Demon¶

Seems like Jabba the Hut’s number one fan is baying for blood. Luckily, if you’ve got sufficient ranged equipment, it doesn’t have to be your blood he goes for. If you look up you’ll notice pots above the arena.

Quickly shooting one down will release a Hollow that will distract the boss for a while; allowing you to get in quite a few hits unnoticed. Simply repeat when that Hollow is no more to make the fight super easy.

If you want to fight it ‘normally’, then here are our best tips for you:

• Equip your best weapon (such as a two-handed Bastard Sword in our video) and get close if you’re melee (don’t worry, the boss is very slow) or use your ranged magic attacks from across the room.
• If you’re going in melee-style then get a couple of hits in on its side and then back off. If he raises upwards he’s about to lunge forwards, so run or roll out of the way.
• As long as you’re not greedy and stay to its side (preferably with your shield up as a safety net) you really shouldn’t have any troubles with this easy boss.

Floor 2¶

Run through the newly opened doorway and run up the stairs. If you’ve been speaking to Lucatel throughout then she’ll be up here to chat to again. Once you’re ready; activate and rest at the bonfire.

At the top of the next set of stairs, watch out for the two Manakins and the Undead Steelworker at the back of the room. These guys are fast; so block first and then hit them afterwards. There’s also a [Radiant Lifegem] on a corpse at the back of the room.

The adjoining room has a narrow walkway and a new enemy known as a Grave Warden . Watch out for its magic-tipped spear and take advantage of its low-poise by hitting it hard and fast (just be careful not to fall of the ledge). You also need to be wary of the snipers at the other side of the room who’ll be firing at you too.

In the area past the walkway, be super careful of the two Makains that will drop down when you approach the ladder. Block their attacks and hit them hard and fast to make light work of them. The other end of this room leads to another Manakin and a chest containing a [Pike] .

Floor 3¶

Floors three (and four) are arguably the most important parts of Earthen Peak as they contain a few key secrets (one of which you can’t come back to ‘activate’ once you’ve beaten the boss).

Up ahead is another Manakin and to the right, behind the fog gate, is your next Bonfire . Light a torch here and then take it back to the edge of the outside platform where the windmill blades are rotating.

Floor 4¶

There’s [3 x Black Firebombs] near the steps and if going for the [Manakin Mask] at the back of the room; watch out for the floor trap and the Manakin hiding behind the pillar at the back.

The second secret is located past the wooden barrier, outside, on your left. Smash one then head left to speak with Laddersmith Gilligan . Spend 2000 souls with him and he’ll drop a ladder down allowing you to reach the [Twinkling Titanite + Pharros Locstone] below.

Ignore the ladder back inside for now as it’ll skip a few nice items (and you’ll not get to speak to NPC Pate should you wish to continue his storyline).

Instead, came back in off the ledge after speaking with Gilligan and go around the corner. Pull the lever on the wall (but note doing so means you can’t come back this way again). However, if you wait for the lift in the next room to rise you’ll find a [Large Soul of a Proud Knight + 1 x Divine Blessing] .

A bit further up is a narrow corridor and down in the right-hand room is Pate (surrounded by poison-filled pots). Speak to him to continue his story and then be wary of the upcoming corridors leading to floor 5 as they’re packed with Wardens and Desert Sorceress’ .

Before heading up you can take a right (where the Warden is) and kill the Sorceress straight ahead. You can now jump across for some loot or drop down to a path below you (under the door).

Head into the nearby room - that’s behind you - for the spell [Great Heavy Soul Arrow] . Leave by opening the locked door which will take you back to Pate’s location.

Floor 5¶

The upper floor has a [Pharros Lockstone] in a trapped wooden chest and there’s another chest near the metal blades containing a [Mirrah Shield] .

Around the corner is a corridor and at the far end are some poison pots by a wall on the right. Destroy the pots and press A/X/PC Key to open the illusion wall where you’ll find a [Spell Quartz Ring +1] on a corpse. You now need to be wary as it’s an enemy-packed gauntlet to the boss room.

The upcoming corridors are packed with Sorceress’ , Wardens and even a Dark Spirit (that uses an irritating sickle to get around any shields). So you need to be super-cautious going forwards.

Break the poison pots with arrows to kill the closest two Sorceresses’ in the hallway and then watch out for the Warden and other Sorceress to the right. Leave area to the left for now (as it leads to the boss) and continue up the stairs.

At the top-left of the stairway you’ll find the Dark Spirit ; so lure it downstairs for more room to dodge and counter-attack. If you look right after going up the stairways then you’ll spot a room packed with Poison Horn Beetles , a - pointless - Pharros Lock and a chest.

Heading backwards and up to where you found the Dark Spirit , head right and press your action button up against the middle of the wall for a secret Bonfire room! If you repeat this for the other wall on this ledge you’ll uncover a hidden room with a chest holding a [Petrified Something] .

Go back down to the area below and kill the two Warden’s guarding the stairs. If you want help with the upcoming boss then you can summon the really helpful Jester Thomas by turning human and using his summon sign located to the right of the stairs. There’s also a [Poison Stone] located on a corpse to the left of the stairs.

Boss Fight - Mytha the Baneful Queen¶

If you’ve followed our advice then the poison will only be left on the outer ring of the arena (massively increasing your chances at survival).

And if you’ve summoned Jester then he’ll hit her hard and often with magic making the fight almost trivial (as long as you remember to dodge her attacks).

If you’re going in solo then here are our tips for success:

• Keep your shield up as her spear has massive reach and can hit hard and fast.
• Her greatest cool downs come after missed Lunging Thrusts, Head Bombs and Tail Swipe moves.
• Take your time, stay away from the edges and - as always - don’t get greedy!

Head up through the open passageway and ride the lift to the next area; Iron Keep !