An enigmatic storyline involving the mysterious Fingers, the Count Ymir quest is one of the most interesting in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. But completing it requires players to go from one side of the map to the other, so here’s what you need to do to finish Count Ymir’s quest.
Count Ymir quest guide in Shadow of the Erdtree
1) Head to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr
To begin the quest in Elden Ring, you will need to navigate to Count Ymir himself, who is located in the Cathedral of Manus Metyr. To get there you have to cross through Bonny Village and the two bridges to the other side, before following the path through the woods to reach the Church District Highroad Grace. Count Ymir will be inside the building sitting on a chair. Exhaust his dialogues and he will give you a map and a curious item needed to complete the quest.
2) Find the Finger Ruins of Rhia and ring the bell
This next step requires you to go to the far south side of the map, in the areas with blue and white flowers. To get here you need to reach the Dragon’s Pit dungeon and clear it. It’s located northeast of the Castle Front Grace, right under the Suppressing Pillar.
From the Dragon’s Pit Terminus Grace head straight until you see a slumbering dragon in a lake, then go to the right and follow the path until you reach a massive dead dragon and the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion Grace. Head straight and pass the area until you see colossal stone structures leaning against the cliff on your right. Descend upon them with Torrent and you will be on the beach. Keep heading left until you see another structure which you can ascend, and you will find the Finger Ruins of Rhia.
From the Grace, descend down the path on your right and keep heading inward the area until you see a cluster of fingers curled over something. In the center of that cluster you will find the first Sounding Bell. Ring it and you will receive a Crimson Seed Talisman +1.
3) Return to Manus Metyr and speak to Count Ymir
Once you return to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr and exhaust Ymir’s dialogue, he will give you another map to yet another ominous ruin. This is a required step to continue the quest.
4) Head to the Finger Ruins of Dheo and sound the bell
To unlock this area you will need to get the O Mother gesture, which itself is located in Bonny Village. To find it, teleport to the Bonny Village Grace and head to the very northern corner of the village area. There you will uncover a corpse leaning against a grave holding a purple item. Take it and you will have the O Mother gesture.
Then, head to the Shadow Keep, Back Gate Grace, the one you take just before your fight with Commander Gaius. Immediately to your right will be an altar room of sorts and a statue holding a Scadutree Fragment. Pick the fragment up if you haven’t already and approach the statue. Use the O Mother gesture and the statue will move to the side, showing a passage. Take the Hinterland Grace and prepare for a boss fight.
Two Tree Sentinels guard the area. It’s your choice if you want to fight them. Passing them and heading right leads to the Shaman Village, while keeping straight ahead brings you to the Hinterland Bridge and Fingerstone Hill Graces. To the immediate left of the latter, you will find a Fallingstar Beast boss, which is also optional. Press ahead of this grace to reach the Finger Ruins of Dheo.
Remain cautious since the enemies in this area can snipe you from across the zone, stun you, and kick you off Torrent. I found the most success by keeping to the right and using the massive boulders and fingers as cover. Find the same cluster of fingers as with the other ruins and ring the Sounding Bell.
5) Come back to Manus Metyr and speak to Jolan and Ymir
Jolan will be located leaning against a pillar to the right of you when you enter Ymir’s chamber. Speak to her and exhaust her dialogue for some spicy and well-written voice acting. Then continue to Count Ymir and again exhaust all of his dialogue. Once done, reload the area to continue with the quest.
6) Interact with the chair
The chair will now be entirely vacant with no Ymir to be found. Approach the chair and you will get an “Examine” prompt. Use the associated key and your character will crouch to press a button on the chair. The chair will then open, revealing a ladder that leads to a strange area hidden beneath Manus Metyr.
7) Go to the third Sounding Bell in the area and fight the Mother of Fingers
Activating the third bell in this questline, the one located in the same strange area you descended into, will take you to Metyr, The Mother of Fingers. Before you get to the bell itself you will be invaded by Anna, a knight similar to Jolan.
This is an excruciatingly difficult boss that has numerous ways to deflect you but it is necessary for it to fall to continue the quest. My advice is to take a Mimic Tear Ash with you since the boss doesn’t immediately aggro when you enter the area, giving you more than enough time to prepare for the fight. There’s no Grace here, but don’t worry, there’s a Stake of Marika right next to the bell itself.
8) Teleport to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr Grace and prepare to fight
After beating the Mother of Fingers, teleport to the main Manus Metyr Grace and re-enter Ymir’s chamber. Approach the chair and you will be invaded by Jolan, who is quite mad about what you did to the Mother. She’s an easy kill and will get perma-staggered by most upgraded weapons.
Upon slaying her Count Ymir himself will invade you next and attack you with all his might, summoning numerous fingery friends to help him. With an upgraded weapon and lots of Scadutree Blessing, however, Ymir and his allies will quickly fall.
9) Teleport to the Grace again and speak to Jolan for a reward
Jolan will be at the same pillar she was before, only lying down and slowly dying. Speaking to her unveils two options for players, and you will need either the Iris of Occultation or Iris of Grace. Depending on what you give Jolan you will either get her Katana or gain her as a Spirit Ash. Upgrading the Spirit Ash changes it to summon both Jolan and Anna, the latter of which invaded you under the church earlier.
You can get the Iris of Occultation and Iris of Grace by exploring the Shadow Keep. You find the first Iris of Occultation near the Church District Grace, and another when you remove the water and fight an Ulcerated Tree Spirit that spawns near the Sunken Chapel.
An Iris of Grace is found in the Storehouse in Shadow Keep. Go to its first Grace and head immediately left to find an elevator. In the area with all the Jars, you will find the item.
Keep in mind there is another quest that also requires these two items for rewards, Fire Knight Queelign, so if you don’t think Jolan’s rewards are worth it, you can skip it. Another reward awaits you in the graveyard of Manus Metyr where you will receive the Cherishing Fingers spell.
