Elden Ring Volcano Cave Walkthrough: Queen Margot and the Jar Cannon

The Volcano Cave is a dark Demi-Human den in the northernmost corner of Mt. Gelmir, above the Volcano Manor. It is easy to ride past, and our Jar Cannon page warns that skipping it means never meeting Demi-Human Queen Margot, the only source of that weapon. The cave also holds the Coil Shield, the snake-shaped small shield that raises poison immunity, and a crowd of Demi-Humans who can drop the Great Knife and, outside, the Spiked Club.

Where the Volcano Cave is

From the Bridge of Iniquity Site of Grace on the Altus Plateau, ride northeast to the First Mt. Gelmir Campsite. Look for the watchtower by the grace and take the bridge beside it; it ends at a ladder where a Grafted Scion ambushes you, an optional fight you can ignore. Keep climbing ladders until you come out on a cliff edge, and the cave mouth is there. The Coil Shield page routes it the same way and adds the shortcut: let the Abductor Virgin at the bottom of the Academy of Raya Lucaria grab you and it delivers you to the manor's Subterranean Inquisition Chamber, so the cave is reachable before you hold a single Dectus medallion.

Volcano Cave walkthrough and the Coil Shield

Inside, the cave is tunnels full of Demi-Humans, and one of them hides the shield. From the Site of Grace go right into a small tunnel. At its end drop down onto the ledge, then turn straight back and enter the second tunnel behind you. It ends in a small closed room; clear the Demi-Humans and the corpse on the floor carries the Coil Shield. It needs 10 Strength and 10 Dexterity, scales E in Strength, and adds 40 immunity while equipped. Its skill is Viper Bite, a poisoning strike with enough range that the poison weapons guide ranks the shield second among every poison armament in the game, and the shields guide recommends it as the small shield to swap in for the Swamp of Aeonia and the Lake of Rot even if you never parry.

The Demi-Humans are worth farming from the grace too. The Great Knife page lists the Volcano Cave as one of three Demi-Human groups that drop the dagger, at 2.7 percent per 100 Discovery, with a Silver Pickled Fowl Foot to tilt the odds. A large Demi-Human outside the cave drops the Spiked Club, which the blunt weapons guide pairs with the one at the Coastal Cave as the two places to get it.

Demi-Human Queen Margot and the Jar Cannon

Queen Margot waits at the end with a magical staff, 3,971 HP and 111 defence, and she is vulnerable to critical hits, fire, poison and Scarlet Rot. The Jar Cannon page keeps it simple: roll back to avoid her attacks, roll in and hit her from underneath, and lean on Hoarfrost Stomp, Rock Sling or a Spirit Ash if you have them. She drops 11,000 Runes and the Jar Cannon, a ballista once fired at the Volcano Manor itself. It has no guard stats, 192 physical attack, a range of 50 and a critical of 100, needs 34 Strength and 12 Dexterity, upgrades with Somber Smithing Stones, carries the Kick skill, and fires only great bolts, not great arrows. It is slow to reload, and its strength is breaking the guard of enemies with high defences from a distance.

Volcano Cave loot checklist

Volcano Cave FAQ

Can I reach the Volcano Cave before the Grand Lift of Dectus?

Yes. Being captured by the Abductor Virgin under the Academy of Raya Lucaria puts you in the Volcano Manor's basement, and from the manor the First Mt. Gelmir Campsite and the ladders up to the cave are open. The dungeons guide lists the chamber as the fast route into the manor for the same reason.