Elden Ring Grand Lift of Dectus: How to get the Medallions to use the lift - or skip it entirely

The Grand Lift of Dectus, is one of a few hard barriers in the world of Elden Ring, a barrier to progression you'll come in contact with a little way into the game. Dectus is one of two larger lifts you'll encounter in Elden Ring; it's a huge elevator that bridges two of the key regions of The Lands Between - Liurnia of the Lakes and the Altus Plateau, the latter of which leads to the story-critical Royal Capital of Leyndell.

The Grand Lift of Dectus can only be operated if you also get your hands on two medallions - the most-appropriately named Dectus Medallion (Left) and Dectus Medallion (Right). You need to unite the pair to make one whole Dectus Medallion, then hoist it at the lift to get it to operate. This is the same principle that also drives another lift later on - and for that one you’ll want to get the Haligtree Medallion’s left and right parts to access an otherwise missable area of the Elden Ring map.

However, the Grand Lift of Dectus also has a secret. Elden Ring is a very open game… and so you can actually skip the Lift entirely and reach Altus without getting the Medallions. On this page, we explain how to get those Medallions, but also how to skip the lift, if you’re so inclined…

• Using the Lift by getting the Left and Right Dectus Medallions
• How to skip the Grand Lift of Dectus entirely

How to use the Grand Lift of Dectus with the Medallions

Located at the end of the Bellum Highway, it’s clear how the Grand Lift of Dectus is meant to be used in a more linear Elden Ring progression. You beat the Raya Lucaria Academy dungeon, and then you exit the academy onto the Bellum Highway and ultimately use the Grand Lift of Dectus to reach the next major area, the Altus Plateau. 

But… this is a Souls style game, and an open world one, so things aren’t quite so simple. The two items required to operate the lift, the Dectus Medallion Left and Dectus Medallion Right, are located far across the world of The Lands Between - and they’re entirely missable.

Once you have both halves of the Dectus Medallion, simply return to the Grand Lift of Dectus, stand on the platform, and press Y/Triangle to raise the Medallion and make the lift activate. You’re on your way to Altus - one step closer to Leyndell. 

Dectus Medallion Left Location

The left-hand side of the Dectus Medallion is found in Fort Haight, which is a small mini-dungeon in the form of a Fort that’s found on the south-eastern tip of Limgrave, the starting area, pointing right at the reddened land of Caelid. 

Alternatively, you can think of it as being immediately south-east of the grand forest where the Limgrave Minor Erdtree rests - just follow the path south out of the forest.

This mini-dungeon will be very difficult right at the start of the game, but if you’ve put much time in, it’ll be quite manageable, as the worst enemy is a knight. Incidentally, clearing this place is connected to the side quest of an NPC, Kenneth Haight, who is found elsewhere in Limgrave.

You’ll find the Left Dectus Medallion half inside a chest in the fort.

Dectus Medallion Right Location

Next up, the right-hand side of the Dectus Medallion, for which you’ll have to venture into the red region of Caelid. Once again, this medallion’s location is found just south of the Eastern Minor Erdtree (Caelid has two) - in a place known as Fort Faroth.

We’ve got to be honest with you; Fort Faroth is not pleasant. It’s full of flying enemies who are a bit of a nightmare for many Elden Ring classes and attribute stat builds to handle until they get some more power.

However, you don’t actually have to beat them - you can just dash past them, climb a ladder, open a chest, and then grab the medallion. Even if you’re weaker, that’s doable, especially if you don’t mind losing some Runes along the way.

Fort Faroth is also where you can grab the powerful Radagon's Soreseal item, which is a very powerful accessory for melee-focused builds. You should grab it while you're there. 

How to skip the Grand Lift of Dectus to get to Altus Plateau

Alternatively, if you don’t want to mess around with keys, medallions, and entirely optional forts… you can skip the whole affair. In fact, the method of skipping the Grand Lift of Dectus means you don’t even need access to Bellum Highway, which means it can be done without grabbing a Glintstone Key or stepping foot into the Raya Lucaria Academy dungeon - though we recommend you do, in order to gather another Great Rune, Remembrance, and unlock the character respec.

To skip the lift, simply get down into the watery bit of Liurnia of the Lakes and keep following the water north. It’ll take you past the academy, and then north-east. You’ll find a Site of Grace called The Ravine on the way, which shows you that you’re on the right path. 

When you reach an area with a tiny Erdtree and a Golden Seed, you know it’s time to start climbing - there’s wooden structures for mining that begin to climb up the cliff faces.

Ultimately, this route leads you to the Ruin-Strewn Precipice, a little mini-dungeon all of its own that’s functionally very similar to a lot of the mines you’ve likely already visited in search of weapon and Spirit Ashes summon upgrade materials.

Work your way through these areas and you’ll eventually come across a boss - the Maga Wyrm Makar. Magma Wyrms are common mini-bosses and are basically like mini-dragons. It’ll spit fire that creates lava on the floor - avoid the lava. There’s an NPC summon that can help you out with this fight - we suggest you accept the offer and hit up that summon sign.

Once Maga Wyrm Makar is dead, you’ll get a new Site of Grace and access forward. From here, a short journey spits you out into the Altus Plateau and a first Site of Grace up there - meaning you now have access to this area without using the Lift of Dectus! The Royal Capital awaits.