Jolan, the sword hand of the night is one of the new NPCs you’ll encounter in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. A mysterious and rather stern character, Jolan’s side quest is closely tied to Count Ymir’s quest, and completing it can reward you with one of the game’s rarest new Spirit Ashes.
Below we will tell you exactly how to complete Jolan Swordhand of Night questas well as the choices you can make at the end of it that determine the reward you will receive. So read on for our walkthrough on how to complete the Swordhand of Night Jolan side quest.
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First encounter – where to find Swordhand of Night Jolan
Swordhand of Night Jolan is located in the Manus Metyr Cathedral in Scadu Altus. She stands next to a pillar near the western exit, which leads to a small cemetery. Here is her exact location on the map below:
To access Manus Metyr Cathedral, you will need to follow the road that leads to the eastern side of the Shadow Keep. Starting from the Grace Site ‘Ruins of Moorth“, head east under the large arch until you come across a hidden hole in the ground near the crooked church steeple on the north side of the ruins. This path drops down into a ravine, bringing you safely to the lower edge of the cliffs:
Follow the path down, using the ledges to descend into the underground passage. Go all the way to the end until you reach a ladder that will take you to the village of Bonny. You will need to pass through this village to continue your journey to the cathedral, following the wooden bridges to the east.
After the Grace Site’Bridge leading to the village“, head north through the woods with the wolves and past the Furnace Golem on the other side of the rock tunnel. Continue north up the slope and you’ll see the Cathedral on the cliff above you.
At first, Swordhand of Night Jolan will not appear inside the cathedral. Instead, you will need to Talk to Count Ymir first. Once you do, you’ll find Jolan leaning against a pillar near the western exit that leads to the cemetery:
Talk to her until her dialogue is over and she’ll tell you a bit more about Ymir. She doesn’t have much to say at this point though and will soon refuse to say anything else. For now, continue Count Ymir’s quest and find the location of the first map of the ruins.
Second meeting
After visiting the Finger of Rhia Ruins and ringing the hanging bell, return to the Cathedral and speak to Jolan again. She’ll be a bit more communicative this time, but that’s about it. Talk to her until her dialogue is over, then head out to find the second location on the Ruins map.
NB: Don’t worry if you forget this step and accidentally explore the second location on the Ruins map without returning to the Cathedral to talk to Ymir or Jolan. The quest will proceed normally and you won’t miss any dialogue options or rewards.
Third meeting
Now that you have visited the Dheo Fingers Ruins and rung the second Hanging Bell as part of Ymir’s quest, you can return to the Cathedral once more to progress Jolan’s quest.
Jolan won’t have anything new to tell you until you speak with Count Ymir about visiting the second Finger Ruins. Once he gives you the third Ruins Map, rest at the Grace Site inside the Cathedral and pass the time. You’ll find that Ymir has now disappeared from his throne, allowing you to interact with him to reveal a hidden ladder leading beneath the Cathedral.
It turns out that the third card refers to the cathedral itself, and as you go down you will discover the Miyr’s Fingers Ruins
Fortunately, Anna isn’t a particularly difficult opponent. Her claw armament can deal bleed damage, but she’s easily parried and blocking her attacks with a shield doesn’t require much stamina, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to defeat her quickly.
Once she was defeated, go back to Jolan to tell him that you were attackedShe will express her disbelief and ask you not to say any more on the subject. “I only have one star,” she says. “And only his words will do…”
Talk to her again and she’ll tell you she’s indebted to you for telling her about this incident, but she still won’t hear of it. You have nothing more to say to her at this point, so head back underground to Miyr’s Finger Ruins to ring the third and final hanging bell.
NB: Ringing this bell will instantly transport you into battle against Metyr, the Mother of Fingersone of the ten Remembrance bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree, so make sure you’re prepared for this fight before interacting with the bell.
Fourth and final meeting
After defeating Metyr, Mother of Fingers, quickly return to the cathedral. Jolan and Ymir will both have disappeared from the cathedral, but if you interact with Ymir’s throne again, Jolan will appear as an NPC invader to fight you.
She accuses you of having injured Ymir “irreparably” by defeating Metyr, and that he now wants you dead. How ungrateful!
As you might expect, you’ll need to defeat Jolan in combat before you can advance her quest. She’s a very similar opponent to Swordhand of Night Anna, except Jolan uses a sword instead of claws. She can also deal bleed damage if she hits you or if you absorb her attacks with your shield, but she’s still easy to counter with a well-timed parry to open up valuable attack windows.
If defeated, she will scream for Ymir, who will now also appear to attack you as a full-fledged boss, complete with her own large health bar and the new title Count Ymir, Mother of Fingers.
As a Glintstone Wizard, Ymir has a lot of magical attacks at his disposal, as well as the ability to summon Fingercreeper monsters to aid him in battle. Luckily, his defenses are practically non-existent, and it doesn’t take much for him to break through them and land a lot of hits very quickly. You can also use the pillars inside the cathedral to avoid his magical attacks, making this a fairly easy boss fight overall.
Once defeated, the cathedral will return to normal and you will be able to leave it again. But before that, rest in place of grace and pass the time.
SO, return to Jolan’s previous position by his usual pillarand you will find her slumped against the wall. She will call Ymir, telling her that she can no longer see the stars or the sky.
Here you will have the choice to give him one of two items if you have them in your possession: the Iris of Grace or the Iris of Occultation.
NB: Your choice here determines your final reward for completing Jolan the Nightsword Hand quest, and you cannot obtain both items in a single playthrough. Therefore, you will need to think carefully about which item you prefer to receive:
- Give Jolan the Iris of Grace and you will receive the Jolan Spirit Ash Night Sword Handwhich can later be transformed into ultra rare Jolan and Anna Esprit Ash If you’re looking for Anna’s remains at the very top of Rabbath’s Rise, check out our full walkthrough on how to get Jolan and Anna’s Spirit Ashes for more details.
- Give Jolan the Iris of Occultationon the other hand, and you will receive the weapon The sword of the night.
Personally, we gave Jolan the Iris of Grace. Sure, the Iris of Occultation might be more in keeping with his theme of darkness and night skies, but a new Spirit Ash is a lot more fun than yet another sword, in our opinion. You are free to make your own choice, so choose whichever option you feel is best to conclude Jolan’s Swordhand of Night quest.
Need help? Improve your stats by finding all the locations of the Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes in Shadow of the Erdtree. You can also see which Erdtree bosses you have left to defeat and find awesome new weapons to aid you in your adventure.
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