Moonveil is a celebrity among the weapons of Elden Ring. You will frequently see it being used by streamers because it’s a powerful katana that emits magical waves.
It also has good scaling with INT and DEX and can be the staple weapon for a Samurai+Sorcerer hybrid build.
You can get the Moonveil Katana in the early game by defeating a Magma Wyrm boss inside the Gael Tunnel located in Caelid.
You can access the tunnels within 10 minutes of starting a new game if you rush toward it. Additionally, you don’t have to beat any big bosses to get there.
Although, there is a catch to all this. You must kill Magma Wyrm, the fire-spewing optional boss to obtain the Moonveil Katana. This boss is tough as nails and is very challenging to beat early on without some preparation.
One additional problem with the boss fight is the confined underground battle arena which plays in this boss’ favor.
The Magma Wyrm tends to charge around, vomiting damaging lava that covers the already limited grounds we are allowed to maneuver in.
So before you head to take him on, you need to be prepared. Let’s Discuss !
Important Note: This is regarding the Jar NPC Iron Fist Alexander. If you follow these steps without rescuing him in Limgrave near Saintsbridge, he will automatically move on to the end of Gael Tunnels. If this happens, you will miss out on getting the Triumphant Delight Gesture and an Exalted Flesh from him.
Get to Magma Wyrm
- First, obtain the East Limgrave Map Fragment from the Mistwood forest. This Map Fragment also reveals the Map of Western Caelid.
- You need to get to Caelid. The quickest way is to get trapped by the chest in Dragon Burnt Ruins and get teleported to Caelid. You will spawn inside the Sellia Crystal Tunnels and will have to escape the Tunnels. Alternatively, you can go northeast of Limgrave, past the Summonwater Village, to reach Caelid.
- After getting out of the tunnels, go through the Sellia Town of Sorcery on Torrent while avoiding the mages there and head to the Sellia Highway by getting out of the Sellia town gate in the south.
- You will need to avoid enemies and an angry giant along the way to reach the Gael Tunnels going through the Caelid Highway. The highway’s path is perfectly laid for navigating and reaching the Gael Tunnels.
- You can find the Map Fragment of Caelid along the way. Avoid the enemies that are prowling the main path. If you see a gang of enemies prowling along the path, take to the sides along the path.
- You can follow the marked map guiding your path toward the Gael Tunnels. If you reach Caelem Ruins, you are going the right way. If you chose the alternate path, just head east of Summonwater Village and navigate to the Gael Tunnels.
- Once you reach the entrance of the Gael Tunnels, enter, avoid the soldiers, and jump into the pit. Do not jump from the center, jump down the left side to intermediate ledges. One of the ledges even has a small tunnel with Somber Smithing Stone you can loot.
- On the pit is the Site of Grace of Gael Tunnels, rest there before you venture in deeper.
- Explore the cave till you go down a ladder and find a large wooden gate. Behind this gate is the Magma Wyrm.
- Don’t fight him yet, instead, activate the Rear Gael Tunnel Entrance Site of Grace a bit further in the same level of the tunnel and open the door to Limgrave, as we will need to prepare for the fight.
Prepare to Fight the Magma Wyrm
Strategy
The stone-scaled dragon is one tough boss. It is resistant to fire damage, and it only has one weak spot, which is its head. So, make sure you are hitting its head as much as you can. You can attack its tail, which takes less damage but is a safer option.
Melee attackers must be careful as the dragon tends to use swiping attacks that hit a large area. Ranged attacks are a much safer way to approach this fight, as the Magma Wyrm is a giant boss, and being in close quarters to it means you might not see his whole body and get hit by something outside your vision.
Weapons
The best way to defeat it early on is by using the sorcery Rock Sling, which can be found alongside Meteorite Staff in a nearby area.
Using sorcery is ideal because you are looking for Moonveil, which ultimately needs a 23-level investment into the INT stat. Rock Sling only needs 18 INT to be wielded, so grind your level till you can use it.
Follow the video guide to get both the Meteorite Staff and Rock Sling.
Spirit Ashes
You can also use Spirit Ashes to fight this boss. Find someone who can take its aggro while you make your way around to damage this monster.
The easiest to use is Spirit Jellyfish Ashes, as it uses less FP and can take a lot of aggro.
If you have enough FP, you can use Banished Knight Engvall Ashes, as he can be found very early on in the game inside the Murkwater Catacombs.
You can also use Crystalian Ashes or Banished Knight Oleg Ashes, but getting both of these is quite a detour.
If you are already in the later stages of the game, you can use Redmane Knight Ogha Ashes, as he is quite resistant to fire damage.
Talismans
Use the Flamedrake Talisman to reduce fire damage. You can find the base version of the Flamedrake Talisman in Grove Side Cave which is close to the beginning area of Limgrave towards the north of the Church of Elleh.
This is usually the first small dungeon we can venture into.
Defeat the Magma Wyrm and Get Moonveil Katana
If you have everything prepared, you are ready to fight Magma Wyrm. Fast travel back into the base of Gael Tunnels close to the boss-fight entrance gate and head in.
Magma Wyrm has two phases, but they are hardly different from each other.
In the video guide, we have shown our exact approach to defeating this boss, but you might want to do it differently. Don’t worry we have you covered.
When to Attack
When he uses his sword, it’s best to perform a dodge roll forward towards him and attack his head as it’s the weak spot. His sword attacks take a while to perform, so it is best to attack him once you learn the patterns.
When he throws a lava projectile toward you, he only gives you a small opening, so make sure to poke and retreat or prepare to dodge if you are committing to attack him during this opening.
When Not To Attack
When he uses his lava charge, avoid him and let him complete this attack, as the lava on the floor damages you too.
If you get greedy and try to attack him during the lava charge, you might get cornered between the lava and the Magma Wyrm leading to a quick death.
Once you defeat the Magma Wyrm, he will drop a Dragon Heart and the Moonveil Katana.
Now that you obtained Moonveil early, spend a little more time farming some level-ups and becoming able to use it.
How to Use the Moonveil Katana?
The Moonveil needs 23 INT, 18 DEX, and 12 STR to be wielded. The Moonveil’s weapon skill fires a wave of light while performing a slash.
Both the wave and the slash deal damage individually, making this weapon quite lethal from close range.
Moonveil also deals magic damage along with physical damage, in addition to that, Moonveil also builds up bleed status. Mooveil’s scaling to INT and DEX increases as you upgrade this weapon. Now you see why this is one highly coveted weapon.
You can use Moonveil in a power stance with another katana on the off-hand. The dual katana shreds foes quickly, making them bleed to death with a few rapid swipes.
