Alongside the many quests of Leda and her companions, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree invites you to complete the long series of missions entrusted by Count Ymir, who introduces other NPCs such as Jolàn, the swordsman of the night.
Jolàn’s position
By default, Jolàn is not present on the map. As mentioned above, you must start Count Ymir’s quests. As a reminder, you can find him in the Manus Metyr Cathedral, east of Occult Altus. To reach him, you must go through the hole in the ruins east of Altus to reach the village of Bonny below. Then, simply follow the main road around the cathedral to the east.
Once you receive the first map of the ruins from Ymir, Jolàn will appear in the cathedral, leaning against one of the pillars on the right, near the side door leading to the cemetery.
Receive help from the night swordsman Jolàn
Talk to Jolàn several times, she is not very friendly. She will end up asking you to go elsewhere.
The only way to progress her quest is to complete the first step of Ymir’s quest, by finding the first ruins, on the South Coast. When you return to the Cathedral, speak to Ymir. Return to Jolàn, and she will finally agree to assist you in combat in the future.
Jolàn and Messmer
It is on one of the difficult and mandatory fights of the DLC that Jolàn will bring you his help. His golden summoning mark is in the boss room of Messmer. It is not practical to use it during the fight between the deluges of blows, but in return, it will not increase the maximum life of the boss. It is a free summon.
Messmer Elden Ring: How to beat this boss?
The headliner of ER’s SotE DLC awaits you atop the Black Castle, with its flames and snakes. Check out a video of the fight, as well as a written guide with tips and tricks, to kill him more easily.
Anna, Jolàn’s sister
As you probably guessed, you need to continue your progress in Ymir’s quests. After finding the ruins to the north with the second map and reporting to Ymir, reload the cathedral area. Interact with the now free throne, in order to enter the secret ruins under the cathedral.
You will then be invaded by Anna, Jolàn’s sister “with a heart of gold”, whom Count Ymir had mentioned in passing during a conversation. You have no choice but to kill her. In return, you will receive the Claws of the Night.
Fight against Jolàn
After ringing the third bell and then killing Metyr the Finger Mother, return to the Manus Metyr Cathedral. As you approach the throne once again, it is Jolàn’s turn to invade you to kill you.
Watch her hands carefully, if she puts away her shield and takes a special stance with her katana, it means she’s going to unleash a fearsome area attack after charging at you. It really hurts. It’s better to move away and let her use her attack in the void. You can also break her stance with an attack by being quick. After killing Jolàn, Count Ymir will appear, in the form of a boss. Unfortunately, you won’t receive any loot for the moment.
Which Iris to give? Grace or Occultation to obtain the Night Katana?
By reloading the area once more, after the fight, Jolàn will appear in the same place as before, against a pillar, but dying. The situation is completely identical to Queelign’s.
The reward you will get depends on the item you choose, at least if you have both in stock. Otherwise, you will only have one option, or none at all.
- Iris of grace : Jolàn will transform into Spirit Ashes that you can summon in battle. At first glance, this seems like a lesser reward than the Sword of Night (see below), but it unlocks an additional step in this quest, with the possibility of obtaining a much more powerful summon.
- Occultation iris : Jolàn dies, and you receive his katana as a reward, thenight sword.
Jolàn and Anna
If you choose to give the Iris of Grace to Jolàn, a special reward awaits you in the secret room of the Rabbath Tower. To reach it, you must go through the Shamans Villageto the far north. The location should be familiar to you, since you passed nearby to complete the second stage of Ymir’s quests.
Climb down the rocks along the cliff to the south to approach the wizard tower below. You’ll eventually see a balcony to jump onto.
You will find a puppet of Jolàn inside. By interacting with it, the game will offer to merge the souls of Jolàn and Anna, which will modify your Ashes of summoning Jolàn’s spirit, and add Anna. This will make her very powerful. By interacting again, you can separate them, although this has no interest as far as we know. Once upgraded, the Ashes of summoning Jolàn and Anna are considered extremely powerful, potentially more so than the Mimic.
Going down one more floor in the tower, you will find a Machinist’s Cinerary Pearl. It allows you to buy Large Magic Tiles.
How to get Jolàn’s Night Armor?
Unfortunately, Jolàn’s armor set is not obtained through his quests. It is found in a seemingly unrelated dungeon. These are the Bonny Gaolssouth of the village of the same name. You passed nearby to reach the cathedral.
The armor is hidden in a hard to reach section. You have to make good use of the elevator pots in order to get down to this section. You will find all the armor, as well as the Shield of the Night a little further.
