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Every Soulslike has a goal of some kind. In some, it’s to see an elaborate story through to the end. In others, it’s nothing more than a quest to kill a monster. Lords of the Fallen has multiple endings, each with its own completion conditions. Radiance is the default Good Guy ending in Mournstead and the one that most players will complete their first time through the game. Achieving this ending requires you to find and cleanse five beacons and open the door to Bramis Castle. Even if you’re pursuing a different ending, reaching the beacons is still worthwhile, as there’s often rare loot nearby. Here’s everything you need to know about reaching the Tower of Penance beacon in Lords of the Fallen.
Travel Through the Manse of the Hallowed Brothers
The journey to the Tower of Penance begins at the Vestige of Brother Jeremiah in the Leprosarium. It’s located a short distance into the Manse of the Hallowed Brothers and will act as your primary checkpoint until you find an Umbral Flowerbed in which to plant a Vestige Seed. Kill the guard in the courtyard opposite the Vestige, take his key, and use it to open the nearby door and access the rest of the Manse.
Reach the Tower of Penance
Before you reach the Tower of Penance, one last challenge stands in your way: Blessed Carrion Knight Sanisho. This boss poses a serious challenge if you can’t kill him quickly or heal fast enough to keep up with his poisonous powers. Using consumables to alleviate the poison is useful, but ultimately your strategy will depend upon your specific build. After defeating Sanisho, an Umbral Flowerbed will appear. Having a Vestige Seed planted there will be convenient later, but at the moment you should save your seed for a bed a bit further on.
Find the Exterior Elevator
Two elevators are necessary to reach the Tower of Penance beacon. To find the first, walk around the tower, starting from the spot where you defeated Sanisho. Behind the tower, you’ll find the exterior elevator. Ride it upwards, and you’ll find a second Umbral Flowerbed where you can plant a Vestige Seed. It’s preferable to do it here when you make your descent to avoid the tedious elevator ride back to the top. Once you’ve rested and have your best consumables at the ready, enter the tower.
Descend the Tower of Penance
The Tower of Penance is an intimidating collection of rickety wooden walkways and platforms that spiral their way down to the bottom of the tower. Falling from the top will kill you, as will many of the shorter drops, so mind your step and use ladders when possible. Though you can drop some distance to skip sections at the cost of your health, it’s advisable not to do so unless you’ve already cleared each area, as you can otherwise miss some worthwhile items.
Beware the Enemies
During your descent, you will encounter numerous enemies, including ranged attackers and Ardent Penitents (the cage-headed monsters). Though they’re dangerous in themselves, the greater danger is that they will knock you off the ledge or cause you to make a misstep and fall to your death. Always prioritize maintaining a safe position. There are cells dug into the walls on various levels, and they make for good fallback positions.
Trigger Umbral Switches
To descend the tower you’ll need to trigger Umbral switches. These can only be triggered while in Umbra, which unfortunately means you’ll need to make the dangerous descent without the comfort of Axiom acting as an extra life. That’s one of the biggest reasons that reaching the Tower of Penance beacon is so dangerous in Lords of the Fallen: you’re at a disadvantage from the very start, even with your best weapons in hand.
Drop Through the Middle
As you descend, there will also be spots where you can drop through the toothy holes in the center of the floor in order to reach the level below. It’s not always the safest option, but it will reliably get you down to the next level, assuming you survive the drop. Be careful, because falling puts you in a vulnerable position. It’s easy for a single hit to knock you off one of these narrow walkways, so if you drop through the middle, quickly scan your surroundings for hints of danger.
Reach the Ground Floor
When you reach the ground floor, you will be able to open the door leading to the courtyard where you fought Sanisho. You could plant a Vestige Seed in the bed here now to save yourself the descent if you die. Unless your pockets are overflowing with them, however, it’s a bad idea. There’s another Umbral Flowerbed in an even more important position below, so it’s better to plant there unless you want your run back to a difficult boss to be a long one. Before descending below ground, make sure to search the ground floor for the treasure it contains.
Reach the Shrine
At the bottom of the Tower of Penance lies a shrine, and from there, you’re one step closer to the beacon and the end of Lords of the Fallen. While facing the statue of the robed figure, turn left and follow the passageway down. Here, you’ll find an Umbral Flowerbed. This is your last chance to plant a Vestige Seed before fighting the boss, so you absolutely want to do so. Rest and prepare yourself. What comes next isn’t going to be easy.
Defeat Tancred and Reinhold
Standing between you and the Tower of Penance beacon is a two-part boss fight even tougher than Pieta. You’ll first have to defeat Tancred, Master of Castigations, and Reinhold the Immured in order to advance. Nothing about this fight is easy, especially if it’s your first time. Be sure to remove the parasite from Tancred before fighting him, and use ranged attacks as much as possible. It’s a challenging fight, but once Tancred and Reinhold lie dead you’ll be free to carry on to the tower.
Reach the Interior Elevator
Take the key you received from beating Tancred and Reinhold and return down the passageway the way you came. When you arrive at the shrine you encountered earlier continue straight ahead. Use the key to open the door and enter the elevator. It has two switches, one pointing up and the other pointing down. Use the up lever, and the elevator will return you to the ground floor of the Tower of Penance.
Ride the Elevator to the Tower of Penance Beacon
It’s easy not to realize this, but the elevator can still go further up once you reach the ground floor. Use the up lever once more. The elevator will take you the rest of the way up the Tower of Penance. If you initially missed this detail and left the tower in search of the beacon after beating Tancred and Reinhold, simply enter the tower through the front door and proceed directly to the elevator. If you already rested, enemies will have respawned. You can use ranged weapons to deal with them or just run through.
Cleanse the Tower of Penance Beacon
When the elevator arrives at the top of the Tower of Penance, you will find one of the five beacons you must reach in Lords of the Fallen in order to advance. If you are pursuing the game’s Radiance ending, you may now approach and interact with the beacon to cleanse it of Adyr’s malign influence. Before leaving, grab the items hidden around the room. Depending upon your progress route, you will likely be journeying to the Abbey of the Hallowed Sisters next, so prepare yourself for the even greater challenges to come.
Lords of the Fallen is available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
