In the Lands Between, there are gateways to other dimensions distributed around the country. When you go through these portals, you are transported to an area that looks similar to where you entered from, but with a few differences. Around you is a circle of white fog that is impassable, and the environment seems a little colorless than what you’re used to. When you take a few steps forward in this territory, a fearsome enemy will spawn, and you will have to defeat it or die attempting to so you can go back to your world. These regions are called Evergaols, and in this guide, you’ll learn where to find and how to kill the Ancient Hero of Zamor.
Ancient Hero of Zamor Overview
Not much is known about the backstory of this opponent other than they are the sworn enemies of the Fire Giants for as long as anyone can remember. Despite not having much lore with them, they’re still just as unnerving. They seem to be covered in ice and frost, but they’re still very adept fighters. There are three of these heroes to be found, but each has the same move sets and weaknesses.
Initially, this can seem like a near-impossible fight with how quickly you can die from the Frost. However, as long as you’re well prepared, you’ll defeat this adversary in no time.
What is the Ancient Hero of Zamor’s weaknesses?
Ancient Hero is a humanoid enemy, so he is susceptible to Blood Loss, although actually landing a hit so you can Hemorrhage him is another story. Other weaknesses are Lightning and Fire.
Elden Ring Ancient Hero of Zamor Location
There are three different locations where you can find this enemy. None of them is necessary to progress the main story in Elden Ring, however.
First Location
The first hero can be found in the Weeping Evergaol in the eastern area of the Weeping Peninsula. The closest Site of Grace is the Fourth Church of Marika. To get inside, you’ll need a Stonesword Key.
If you go slightly northeast from that Site of Grace, you’ll find the Evergaol.
Second Location
The second one is in the Giant-Conquering Hero’s Grave on Mountaintops of the Giants. The nearest Site of Grace is Zamor Ruins.
The cave entrance is slightly northeast of the Site of Grace.
Third Location
The third one is in the Sainted Hero’s Grave in Altus Plateau. Rampartside Path is the closest Site of Grace.
From that Site of Grace, head west along the path and you’ll come across the way to access the grave.
Pre-Fight Strategy
With nothing but ice abilities that will take chunks out of your health and kill you quicker than you can process, this fight can be pretty scary. Let’s evaluate what you can do to prepare for this battle.
Take advantage of the boss’s vulnerabilities
Let’s review some recommendations of weapons and spells that can aid you in exploiting these soft spots.
Weapons
- Staff of the Guilty: Needs 8 Strength and 12 Faith to wield, imposes 45 Blood Loss. Acquired by defeating Thorn-Fire Sorcerers leading up to the Guardians’ Garrison in the Mountaintops of the Giants.
- Ghiza’s Wheel – A colossal weapon that inflicts 70 Blood Loss, requires 28 Strength and 18 Dexterity. Drops from killing Inquisitor Ghiza, invader at Volcano Manor, up the stairs to the left.
- Veteran’s Prosthesis – A fist weapon that deals 53 Lightning damage, and needs 15 Strength and 12 Dexterity. Dropped by Commander Niall at Castle Sol in Mountaintops of the Giants.
- Dragon King’s Cragblade – Heavy thrusting sword that deals 59 Lightning, and requires 18 Strength and 37 Dexterity. It’s obtained by trading in the Remembrance of the Dragonlord to Enia at Roundtable Hold.
- Ancient Dragons’ Lightning Spear – Generates a red bolt of lightning, then thrusts it into the ground, causing waves of lightning to cover the ground and move outwards. Requires 32 Faith; can be purchased from Brother Corhyn or Miriel, Pastor of Vows, after handing over the Ancient Dragon Prayerbook. The prayerbook can be found in Crumbling Farum Azula in a large building next to the Crumbling Farum Azula Site of Grace.
- Electrify Armament – Requires 15 Faith to use, and scales to Faith. Can be purchased from Brother Corhyn or Miriel, Pastor of Vows, after giving them the Dragon Cult Prayerbook. The prayerbook is dropped by a Leyndell Knight south of the Artist’s Shack in Liurnia of the Lakes.
Get some help
While you can’t use spirit summons or multiplayer for the hero in the Evergaol, you can use either one of them against the other two. Some recommendations for summons:
- Banished Knight Oleg – Summons a dual-wielding knight to fight at your side; takes 100 FP to cast. You can find Oleg’s ashes by defeating the Ulcerated Tree Spirit boss in the Fringefolk Hero’s Grave. To get there, use two Stonesword Keys on the Imp Statue next to the Stranded Graveyard Site of Grace.
- Lhutel the Headless – Calls on a spear and shield using fighter to aid you and needs 104 FP. This spirit’s ashes are dropped by killing the Cemetary Shade at the Tombsward Catacombs towards the middle western part of the Weeping Peninsula. The entrance is to the east of Tombsward Ruins.
- Spirit Jellyfish Ashes – Evokes the spirit of a jellyfish that spits out poison to assist you; requires a low cost of 31 FP. These ashes can be obtained by exhausting the conversation with Roderika at Stormhill Shack in Limgrave along the path before Stormveil Castle.
Raise your stats
Although Frostbite can be difficult to defend yourself against, it’s not impossible. You can raise your Endurance to increase your Robustness, which will mitigate the amount of ice that will affect you. If you’d rather put your runes into something else, your Vigor so when you are afflicted, you have extra HP to save you. Keep in mind Endurance soft caps at 50, and Vigor soft caps at 40.
Equip the right gear
Talismans are a great way to help bolster your defenses against Frostbite and general physical attacks. There are also other consumables that can help you just as much. Take these objects into consideration when you’re taking a look at your items.
- Stalwart Horn Charm – Greatly raises your robustness (your resistance to Hemorrhage and Frostbite) by 90. To find this talisman, travel to eastern Liurnia to the Mausoleum Compound and go north up the hill, then turn left and follow the narrow path southwest. When you come across some vertical-standing rocks, go around them counter-clockwise until you see an entrance. Go in and you’ll find the charm on a corpse to your left.
- Dragoncrest Shield Talisman – Reduces physical damage taken by 10%. Get this talisman by heading to the Bestial Sanctum in the northeastern part of Caelid. Just north of the building, drop down to the lowest level on the cliffs and you’ll find this item.
- Invigorating White Cured Meat – Boosts Robustness by 75, lasting for 120 seconds. You can also use this to reduce the amount within your build-up meter, but it takes 15 seconds to empty it. While you can buy these, it’s more energy-saving if you craft them yourself. Find the Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook [2] by purchasing it from Merchant Kale at the Church of Elleh in Limgrave. The nearest Site of Grace is The First Step; from there, head north past the Tree Sentinel and the church will be on your left.
Fight Strategy
After all this preparation, you’re finally ready to conquer Ancient Hero. Keep in mind, that these are mere suggestions to assist you. If you find something that fits your play style better, use that instead.
Hit and run
If you’re a melee user, your best plan is to get your hits in when you can. There are openings after his attacks, and if you’re fighting the one in the Evergaol, you might be able to get a few lashes as he spawns in. You can also get around him during his Chilling Attack, as he’ll be on his knees and do some damage from behind.
Parry when you can
Thankfully, some of the Ancient Hero’s attacks are parryable. However, this is most beneficial in the second half of the fight. The attack you may have the best chance at parrying is his Spinning Attack if you time it right, and any other basic swings he has. Have a shield on hand if you decide to try it, and make sure you have the Parry skill attached to it.
Use magic when you can
Magic is the better attack against this adversary since you can keep a distance and deal a decent amount of damage. If you’re a spell caster, try using spells like Stars of Ruin or Shard Spiral to help you. For archers, use Dwelling arrows to do some harm to him. If anything, you can use Ashes of War that are magic-based to use this to your advantage.
Rewards
Regardless of which Ancient Hero of Zamor you defeated, it’s a victory that shouldn’t be overlooked. For each one, you receive a decent payout that makes the fight worth it.
Weeping Evergaol:
- 5,400 Runes
- Radagon’s Scarseal: A talisman that bolsters your Vigor, Strength, Endurance, and Dexterity by 3 – but at the cost of increasing the damage you take by 10%
Giant-Conquering Hero’s Grave:
- 83,000 Runes
- Zamor Set: Includes Zamor Curved Sword and Zamor Mask; Legwraps; Armor, and Bracelets. The sword comes with the Zamor Ice Storm skill and deals Frostbite build-up. The set is light and offers protection against magic and physical damage.
Sainted Hero’s Grave:
- 24,000 Runes
- Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff Ashes: Summons a spear and shield-wielding knight to assist you in battle. Costs 108 FP to cast.
The winnings yield some abilities that the hero used, including Zamor Ice Storm and his ice-type weapon, so the ones that choose to go down the road of an Ice build benefit the most from defeating the enemies in the graves. The talisman is good for anyone as long as they like to live on the edge a little and take that risk. Overall, the winnings for each boss are great, and are assets for all builds and play types.
And with that, we’ve come to the end of this guide. How did your fight turn out? Let us know in the comments section.
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