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Aldia's Keep Walkthrough

From the Gates

As you enter through the Shaded Woods doors, by wearing the  King's Ring you acquired in the Undead Crypt, on left is a corpse with Soul of a Nameless Soldier and Petrified Dragon Bone. To the right behind stairs in corner, is a corpse with Fire Seed. There is a roaming pack of Prowler Hounds in the tall grass that inflict bleed and petrification. Another corpse, closer to the middle of the tall grass has 10x Poison Throwing Knife, with a corpse visible a few feet away holding 3x Alluring Skull . If you follow the ridge to the left you come across a Mimic that contains a Malformed Skull and Dark Mask.

In a little wooden hut to the left of the stairs up to the big structure ahead, is the Foregarden bonfire. You may meet Lucatiel of Mirrah here, if you kept her alive during three earlier boss fights, she will reward you with her sword and armor: Mirrah Greatsword, Lucatiel's Set.

Brother from another Mirrah

Go up the stairs and drop into the fountain to loot a corpse with a Radiant Lifegem. Continue up the stairs and go the left corner of the building’s doorway. Loot the corpse for a Twilight Herb. Walk into the building to trigger the invasion of the black phantom, Aslatiel of Mirrah.

After defeating him, the moving carriage next to you holds a Basilisk. You can lure an Ogre over to break it, and it does not reset until NG+, or until you have burnt a Bonfire Ascetic. Although, this is not recommended,  as invaders can use this to annoy the host -or if that works in your favour, go for it.

Dead Undead Dragon Hall

Upon entering you are greeted by an impressive and imposing dragon’s skeleton, that lunges forward if you get too close. Run out of the room as soon as you see him move, and after his head lunge, he will die and drop Aldia's Key. Loot the corpse on the ground in front of the dragon for a Fading Soul. 

Walk straight ahead and into the 3 archways. If you make a left you will encounter several messages on the ground imploring you to pull back. At the end of a hallway is a lever; pulling this lever will free Navlaan, canceling out a side quest and loot. This also allows him to invade you dark spirit in multiple areas from now on. If you do pull the lever, go back and down the opposite hallway where you meet the now free Royal Sorcerer Navlaan. He talks to you briefly and becomes available as a merchant. If instead of doing this you visit him as hollow, without pulling the lever, you will activate his side quest. For more information, click here.

Mirror, Mirror...Mirror

Go up the stairs then head right, ignoring the stairs to your left momentarily. Once you enter this area with the mirrors ahead, do a U-turn to your right and you will encounter a chest containing the Great Magic Barrier, at the end. Go back down the hallway and you walk into a room of mirrors. Three of which will break and release a hostile phantom each, out of the mirrors. A corpse in this room holds a Northern Ritual Ring +2 and a Petrified Dragon Bone.

Free the Beasts

Return to the stairs we ignored earlier and head up them to find a petrified Ogre. Revive it with a Fragrant Branch of Yore for the complete experience. Take the next flight of stairs up to find yourself in the next section with the Giant Basilisk.

Alternatively, take the staircase to the left of the cyclops to go one level up to where you see a Giant Basilisk in a cage, surrounded by petrified people. Attacking it makes it aggro and possibly destroy the cage. To alleviate the risk, take care of it with range from a distance. Killing it may yield a Magic Stone or Dragon Sage Hood. A corpse in front of where it’s cage was holds a Crimson Water. Head to the right side of cage to find a hallway that leads to an iron chest with 2x Bonfire Ascetic. Return to where the cage of the Basilisk, and walk through into the next room.

First a Skeleton, Now a Statue

A statue of a dragon greets you in the center of the room and behind it a shut door. Pull the lever dangling from its mouth to open the door into the next room. This also shuts the door you came in through so if you need to return back through, pull the lever again. In the next room there is a Pharros contraption wall and a corpse under a table, with a Radiant Lifegem. Using a Pharros Lockstone  here greatly illuminates the area, giving you better visibility for the ambush ahead.

Shrek 3

At the end of this hallway, an Ogre trapped in a suspended cage can be seen. You can walk past most caged enemies in this area. There are two Dragon Acolyte lurking behind the paintings. They can also be be provoked by attacking the paintings. There is also a locked door that will be breached by an Ogre here; he can smash through the chained door on the left side of the hall which is locked (revealing a chest with a Malformed Shell) and can break walls for you if you time it right. The Ogre can also free the caged monsters.

To the left is a disposal pit leading to the acid cell below, this room has an acolyte in it. The disposal pit can be reached by taking the door opposite the second painting -in which an acolyte burst out of. Before heading down, you want to do two things:

1. A Pharros' Lockstone is in the lab behind the shelves on the right of the entrance. Just destroy them all.
2. On the way down the stairs to the pit there is an illusory wall to the left that reveals the Ritual Site bonfire.

Once down the stairs, you will reach the acid pit. It is recommended you kill these enemies using ranged attacks if possible, then remove all of your armor and rings to avoid corrosive damage in order to retrieve the Large Soul of a Nameless Soldier, 4x Corrosive Urn, 2x Divine Blessing,  Soul Geyser, and Petrified Dragon Bone.

Journey to the Dragon Boss

To access the locked doors that are on the right side of the hall, you are required to light all 4 sconces in the area that trigger the event that re-animates the dragon skeleton in the first room. After opening these locked doors you can use this pathway to sneak behind one of the Ogres that break through a doorway. This room has four Dragon Acolytes, and a Gargoyle, three Mimics and an Aldia Warlock.

This room also contains a lever that allows you to drop all the hanging cages. If you attempt to run through this room, the Acolytes will follow you and alert the Ogre. The next close door will have an Ogre behind it and will also burst through the wall as before.

If you use the lever to drop the cages, a Mimic holding a Fragrant Branch of Yore, another monster will drop 3x Twinkling Titanite. The Giant Poison Brumer will drop a Corrosive Urn, a further mimic will drop the Black Witch's Staff. Royal Sorcerer Navlaan dark spirit will also invade here if you freed him earlier. Once you get past him it is a straight run to the fog gate and on to the Guardian Dragon.

BOSS FIGHT: Guardian Dragon

After defeating the boss, exit the arena to pick up Dragon Scale from a corpse and take the elevator to Dragon Aerie.