Carian Study Hall walkthrough, how to solve the pedestal puzzle in Elden Ring

The Carian Study Hall is a seemingly normal tower in the Liurnia region of Elden Ring. The tower is a stepping stone in Ranni’s questline, but its can be a little tricky as it turns out to be a messed-up funhouse home to a clown known as Preceptor Miriam.

Learn how to defeat Preceptor Miriam, use the pedestal to invert the tower, and get to the top in this walkthrough.

Carian Study Hall location

Graphic: Johnny Yu | Source images: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Johnny Yu

The Carian Study Hall is located on the eastern side of Liurnia and is just below the Artist’s Shack Grace. However, we do recommend that you cross the stone bridge behind the shack and descend the hill rather than taking a leap of faith off the cliff edge.

Carian Study Hall walkthrough

Before starting, we recommend that you progress through Ranni’s questline to the point where you’ve given Ranni the Fingerslayer Blade, after which she will give you the Carian Inverted Statue. In doing so, you’ll be able to explore the entirety of the Carian Study Hall in one go.

Graphic: Johnny Yu | Source images: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Johnny Yu

Enter the Carian Study Hall and head up either of the staircases. Move straight ahead to find an elevator, and ride it to the upper floor. Turn right to find a golden rune (3) on the corpse, where two spirits will spawn (you’ll be seeing a lot more of these).

Head up the stairs on the opposite side of the room to face off against Preceptor Miriam and her army of spirits. As you deal damage to Preceptor Miriam, they’ll teleport further and further up the tower. Continue to chase them until they teleport to the top floor of the tower. Before riding the elevator to the next floor, collect the Carian Glintstone Staff at the top of the stairs.

Graphic: Johnny Yu | Source images: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Johnny Yu

Ride the elevator to the top floor and go up the stairs, but don’t enter the next room immediately. If you’re using a ranged build, you can attack her from this room, simplifying the fight. For melee users, Preceptor Miriam will walk over to the room if you stay hidden in the corner beside the door.

When Miriam has gotten closer to you, you can jump out of the room and hopefully attack them to death. If they’re still alive and teleported away, we recommend climbing the ladder to the rafters above. From here, you can land a jump attack and take them out. After they’ve been defeated, you’ll receive the Magic Downpour sorcery spell.

Graphic: Johnny Yu | Source images: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Johnny Yu

Climb up the ladder to the rafters to find another ladder to the east. Go up to the top rafter and look southwest to spot a corpse with the Cerulean Seed Talisman. Return down the ladders and head to the eastern side of the floor to find a golden rune (4).

That completes the regular Carian Study Hall, so let’s return to the entrance for the inverted portion.

How to use the pedestal in Carian Study Hall

Before starting this section, make sure that you have the Carian Inverted Statue, which is given to you after you’ve given Ranni the Fingerslayer Blade as part of Ranni’s questline.

Graphic: Johnny Yu | Source images: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Johnny Yu

Teleport to the Study Hall Entrance Grace to find an altar with an interactable pedestal in front of a globe. Place the Carian Inverted Statue onto the pedestal to flip the tower upside down. Head up the stairs on either side and drop into the elevator shaft ahead, but make sure you land on the ledges!

Graphic: Johnny Yu | Source images: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Johnny Yu

Jump into the window and defeat the lesser fingercreepers inside. Ahead of you, you’ll see a large platform in the middle of the room with two lesser fingercreepers and (respawned!) Preceptor Miriam, who’ll sling spells at you from afar. Follow the path on your left and make sure to hug the wall before dropping onto the narrow ledge below. Turn around, collect the Mask of Confidence, and make your way to the middle platform to defeat Preceptor Miriam. Once slain, you’ll receive the Lucidity sorcery spell.

Graphic: Johnny Yu | Source images: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Johnny Yu

Facing away from the entrance, turn to the right and follow the path downwards, defeating enemies along the way. At the bottom of the path, look below you to find large circular chandeliers. Make your way down to the rafters below you by hopping from chandelier to chandelier.

Graphic: Johnny Yu | Source images: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Johnny Yu

Drop down to the lower rafters and collect two holyproof dried liver and eight glintstone fireflies off the nearby corpses. Hop down one last time to the hexagonal platform and step on the pedestal in the middle, which will technically ascend you to the top of the tower. Look to the east to spot large double doors that’ll take you to the Liurnia Tower Bridge Grace. The bridge will take you to the Divine Tower of Liurnia, but be careful as a Godskin Noble will spawn at the center of the bridge. After, you defeat the Godskin Noble, you’ll be able to progress in Ranni’s questline by ascending the Divine Tower and retrieving the Cursemark of Death.