How to unlock the Ancestor Spirit boss in Siofra River

Want to find out how to unlock the Ancestor Spirit in Elden Ring? If you've already taken a trip to the gorgeous underground region—accessed via the Elden Ring Siofra River well—you've probably noticed that big ol' temple with the lamps outside, and inside, the body of a giant stag who seems a little worse for wear. It's one of the more obvious setups we've seen in the FromSoftware games when it comes to Elden Ring bosses. 

But how do you unlock the Siofra River boss? Well, it's a puzzle that'll see you explore the new region: You'll be lighting flame pillars, while trying to avoid getting smashed by giant crabs, and sniped by minotaur archers. Siofra River is a tough region, and I certainly don't recommend heading here right away.

That said, here's what you need to do to unlock the Ancestor Spirit boss and the Elden Ring flame pillar locations you'll need to find.

Elden Ring Ancestor Spirit: All flame pillar locations

From the Siofra River Bank Site of Grace, you may have noticed that the temple with the stag inside, the Hallowhorn Grounds, has eight unlit torches on the front of it. In the middle of the river in front of it is a pillar with a pillar. Light this, and one of the torches on the temple steps will light up.

So, you're going to be searching throughout Siofra River for seven corresponding Elden Ring flame pillars to light. In the screenshot above, you can see all of the relevant locations marked with diamonds. The skull symbol marks a portal that will take you to the north end of the map, bypassing the crabs and minotaur men between. You can also see Siofra River's three Sites of Grace, and the Hallowhorn Grounds Temple with the boss in the southeast.

The pillars all look the same as the first, but most are guarded by more minotaur men and rats, so it's best to sneak around where you can. It's also easiest to fight the minotaur men from horseback, though beware their charge attacks. The enemy you really need to be aware of are the minotaur men archers, who have extremely long range, and whose arrows are basically undodgeable. These archers are especially troublesome in the northern end of the map, so be sure to sneak, or move from cover to cover.

Once you've lit all eight flame pillars, you'll get a message, and you can head back to the Hallowhorn Grounds to try the boss. Touch the stag, and you'll be transported to the boss arena. It's honestly one of the most atmospheric bosses in the game, so enjoy.