Elden Ring: How To Reach Altus Plateau Without Using The Grand Lift
One of the most engaging aspects of "Elden Ring" is the way its open world is constructed to create totally unique experiences for each new player. Players will all end up in the same locations as they progress through the game, but the way they reach those locations can vary wildly depending on how much they explore, or where they decide to go within the Lands Between. A great example of this is the Siofra River area, which can be found either by descending the Siofra River Well in the Mistwood Forest, or by locating the Deep Siofra Well hidden within a Caelid ravine.
Similarly, there are several different ways to reach the Altus Plateau area, though by far the most blatant is through the use of the Grand Lift of Dectus. The lift is located in the far northeast of Liurnia, though it can only be accessed after the player has found both halves of the Dectus Medallion. The first half is found in Fort Haight in the Weeping Peninsula, and the second is in Fort Faroth in Caelid. This is by far the easiest way to reach Altus Plateau, though there is another method that allows you to reach the area without using the lift at all.
Climbing up the Ruin-Strewn Precipice
The other method of reaching Altus Plateau involves making your way through the gorge directly to the left of the Grand Lift of Dectus. You can reach this path by warping to any Site of Grace in the water below the Academy of Raya Lucaria and heading north until you reach the mouth of the gorge. Keep following the path that snakes through this ravine until you come upon a large open area with a series of ruins, wooden buildings, and scaffolding – all of which clings to a sheer cliff face.
There is a Site of Grace located at the foot of this massive network of supports and ladders, and players will want to rest there before beginning the long journey up to the Plateau. The path forward is mostly linear, and players will have to ascend several ladders and elevators while contending with the various bat-like enemies that call this area home. Eventually, players will reach the very top of the scaffolding, and will find another Site of Grace in front of a fog gate that houses the "Magma Wyrm Makar" boss fight. Defeat the Magma Wyrm and step out through the other side of its boss room to finally reach Altus Plateau.
Making the journey up through the Ruin-Strewn Precipice is so much more exhilarating than simply riding the Grand Lift up to the Altus Plateau, and it's a climb that truly every "Elden Ring" player ought to experience at least once.