How to complete Iron Fist Alexander's quest in Elden Ring

Iron Fist Alexander has managed to become quite the breakout character since his public reveal prior to Elden Ring's network test late last year. He combines the jolly, courageous demeanor of a knight of Catarina with a new (but equally iconic) shape. Sorry boys, this is what peak performance looks like.

Alexander's quest is long and involved, with interactions at almost every stage of the main path. Its broad overview is immediately below, with each step explored in more depth after.

• Find Alexander in Stormhill and knock him loose
• Alexander encounter at Gael Tunnel
• Conversation at Redmane Castle (possible first encounter) and Radahn summon
• Knock Alexander loose in Liurnia (requires Oil Pot from Nomad's Cookbook [17])
• Talk to Alexander near Seathewater Terminus
• Summonable for Fire Giant Battle in Mountaintops of the Giants
• Conversation in Farum Azula
• Bring Alexander's last gift for you to the Jar Bairn in Jarburg, Liurnia

First Location: Western Stormhill

Alexander is first found in Stormhill, to the east of Stormveil Castle. He's stuck in a ditch near an enemy encampment and a site of grace at the end of a bridge with a pumpkin head on it—when you're close you'll hear him pleading for help. 

Alexander will request that you knock him loose with a heavy weapon. I switched to a greatsword I didn't have the strength to properly use and got him out with two hits (but you can actually knock him loose with whatever weapon you're wielding). Listen to all of Alexander's dialogue regarding who he is and the Radahn Festival, and after resting at a site of grace, he will move to his next location.

Gael Tunnel, Caelid

The next stop on the Pot Boy World Tour is Gael Tunnel, early on in Caelid. It's also the location of the superb Moonveil Katana, one of the best weapons in Elden Ring. There is a rear entrance to the tunnel in Limgrave that will let you talk to Alexander, but to complete the dungeon and hear everything he has to say at this location, you'll want to enter from the main entrance in Caelid marked above, clear the dungeon, and open the locked door Alexander is standing near from the other side.

Exhaust Alexander's dialogue here, and he'll leave for the Radahn Festival.

Redmane Castle and Starscourge Radahn

Alexander will be one of several NPCs gathered in the courtyard of Redmane Castle during the Radahn Festival.

I have heard other players mention that it is possible to skip Alexander's first two encounters and still find him here, where he will have alternate dialogue introducing himself for the first time. I am unable to confirm that myself at this time, so if you're interested in his story you'll want to make sure to reach Alexander's first two locations before fighting the Starscourge.

Alexander will be summonable in the Starscourge Radahn boss battle, but actually summoning him does not seem to be required to continue his questline. Previous FromSoftware titles, especially Dark Souls 2, had stringent requirements for summoning NPCs in order to see their entire quests. In my experience, I was able to continue Nepheli Loux's questline without summoning her for Godrick, and I only summoned Alexander on my first attempt against Radahn—he was not present when I did my final run on the boss.

After defeating Radahn and resting at his Site of Grace, you can find Alexander nearby. Exhaust his dialogue again and he will move to his next location.

Interlude: Acquiring Oil Pots

Alexander will need a little lubrication the next time he gets stuck. Vexingly, the only way I know of acquiring the Oil Pot item he needs is by crafting them with the Nomadic Warrior's Cookbook [17] obtained from the Nomadic Merchant in the Siofra River underground region.

From the Siofra River Bank Site of Grace, go north, avoiding the enemies on your way. There is some scaffolding allowing you to climb the second set of monumental pillars in your path. Get up there, and proceed west on the scaffolding into the cliff face until you reach a point to drop down and talk to the merchant.

You can purchase the cookbook for 1,000 runes, and craft the pots with one Cracked Pot and one Melted Mushroom apiece.

Alexander and Jarburg in Liurnia

Alexander can next be found in east-central Liurnia of the Lakes, just south of the Artist's Shack Site of Grace and the Divine Tower of Liurnia.

He returned to get a good look at his home town of Jarburg (also important to his questline) and has once again found his girthy form stuck in the ground. Use one of the Oil Pots you crafted to grease him up, and smack him with charged power attacks from a heavy weapon again. I found this encounter pretty finicky—I had to use a couple of oil pots and switch weapons to get him out—but this combo will jar him loose eventually.

After exhausting his dialogue once again, it's a good idea to descend into his home town of Jarburg to talk to the Jar Bairn added in the 1.03 patch. They feature prominently in the final stages of Alexander's quest, add some context to his journey, and also feature in the NPC questline for Dialos Hoslow of all people. 

Jarburg is just over the cliff from where Alexander was stuck, and there are some tombstone platforms to climb down just south of the Divine Tower.

Alexander at Mt. Gelmir

Alexander has now gone north to Mt. Gelmir to "strengthen himself." He's a little more literal-minded than you might think: he wants to bake his clay exterior stronger in the heat of the volcano!

Alexander can be found southwest of the Seethewater Terminus Site of Grace. Maps can be a little unclear—this zone is reached by following the canyon from the Seethewater River Site of Grace in the western Altus Plateau. It is not reachable from the Volcano Manor Legacy Dungeon.

Follow the path north through the canyon then curving around Mt. Gelmir. You'll have to fight another Demihuman Queen just before the Primal Sorcerer Azur Site of Grace (be sure to pick up the powerful Comet Azur sorcery for Sellen's Questline while you're here as well.)

In between the Seethewater Terminus and Alexander's location, you'll have to deal with a Magma Wyrm boss battle. Its moveset is identical to the one you fought in Gael Tunnel, but it has been scaled up for this stage of the game, so keep that in mind for the fight.

You can walk on the magma and it will only slow you and cause minimal damage. Torrent can move at full speed, but will still take damage. There is a large island in the lava near Alexander's location from which you can talk to him and accept his gift, a spiffy and lovingly-crafted helmet. Alexander will remain at this point even after you've exhausted his dialogue until a certain trigger is reached—possibly defeating the Fire Giant but it may be earlier.

Fire Giant Boss Fight

Alexander will be available to summon again for this late-game Elden Ring boss. Again, it does not seem like you have to summon Alexander here to advance his quest. He is not available for conversation anywhere in the Mountaintops, and you can next speak to him in one of the game's final levels.

Crumbling Farum Azula

Alexander will appear in the above marked location in the Crumbling Farum Azula Legacy Dungeon. In classic Souls series fashion, the story has a melancholy end with Alexander requesting a duel to the death. He has a lot of mixups compared to the standard Living Jars, but if he defeats you, you are able to challenge him again.

After defeating him, talk to Alexander one last time, and through the tears you will see that he has bequeathed you a Warrior Jar Shard, a potent talisman which strengthens Ashes of War, as well as Alexander's Innards.

As of the 1.03 update, you have one stop left in the quest.

Return to Jarburg

If you haven't exhausted the Jar Bairn's dialogue earlier, you may have to now before handing over Alexander's Innards. In return, you'll receive the Companion Jar talisman. Raising the potency of throwing pots may not be the most optimal effect among all Elden Ring Talismans, but how could you ever unequip it once you have it?