Elden Ring: Moonveil location and build guide

How to get one of the best early-game swords

FromSoftware/Bandai Namco

Finding the Elden Ring Moonveil location is something you can do pretty early once you reach The Lands Between proper, though it may take a bit of practice and effort to win the katana. It’s worth the trouble, though. Moonveil is one of the best Elden Ring weapons for the early- and even the mid-game, thanks to its excellent versatility and how well it fits with melee and magic builds.

Our Elden Ring Moonveil location guide points out where to get it and what you need to invest in for the weapon to actually work.

Elden Ring Moonveil location

Moonveil lives in Gael Tunnel, a tricky little cavern tucked away in a valley between Limgrave and the hellish Caelid region. You do need to take a slight detour into Caelid to reach the tunnel, but the route doesn’t take you into particularly dangerous territory. Travel to the Rotview Balcony Site of Grace – circled in yellow on the image below – and hop down the cliff to your south. 

Taking a detour through the bad place / FromSoftware/GLHF

Turn around, and you’ll see the entrance to Gael Tunnel.

The dungeon itself is pretty straightforward, but you may find the boss at the end challenging at lower levels. It’s a giant Magma Wyrm - not one of the main Elden Ring bosses, but still a nuisance. It uses flame, feet, and sword to attack. It’ll spew magma from its mouth in a trail, and getting stuck in it is a good way to find yourself back at the nearest Site of Grace. Avoid lingering near its mouth for too long.

Nothing big, just a leap off a cliff / FromSoftware/GLHF

If you stay at its side or rear, you’ll force the wyrm to turn, which gives you a few seconds of breathing room where it can’t attack. Sometimes, however, it’ll do a quick turn and knock you back or a big stomp that staggers you for a moment. Just make sure to stay aware of what it’s doing so you can dodge at the right time.

You get a Dragon Heart for your victory, along with the Moonveil Katana.

Elden Ring Moonveil build

The Moonveil’s stat requirements are:

• 12 strength

• 18 dexterity

• 23 intelligence

Big slice / FromSoftware/GLHF

That’s pretty high, but the sword’s damage scales well with intelligence, which means you’ll deal quite a bit of damage the higher your intelligence stat is. Don’t ignore your endurance stat, though. Moonveil is a melee weapon, so you’ll be in the thick of things in any fight and need the stamina to dodge roll.

Moonveil works well as a standard sword, but a lot of its damage comes from its unique skill, Transient Moonlight. Using that will sheathe the weapon, and then what happens next depends on the attack you use. A light attack sends a horizontal arc of moonlight out in front of you, and a heavy attack sends a vertical streak of moonlight out that lasts longer and deals more damage. 

Invest your level-up points in intelligence, endurance, mind, dexterity, and vigor, in that order, and you’ll be good to go.

If you're after more Elden Ring help, check out our recommendations for the best Elden Ring Spirit Ashes and tips for how to get the Frenzied Flame ending - and why you might want to.