Location
Once the lands start to get misty and rocky, keep your eye out for a Walking Mausoleum. This one has a bell on it so you should hear it parading around from quite a distance. Hug the shoreline once you see the Mausoleum and look among the bushes to find a path to the Crystal Tunnel. The entrance is well-hidden, so be thorough.
Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel
Before you even see the title card of this area you'll wind up at an elevator. There are a number of ledges beside the elevator that will allow you to reach the bottom safely by jumping, though this time there's nothing to be found on them besides Cracked Crystals. Not worth the risk.
Activate the Site of Grace and the summoning pool at the bottom, then carry on down the passage. Ahead the tunnel widens and you'll see a miner coming down some stairs on your right. Take him out and look at the platform on your right, similarly killing the second miner that's up on the platform. There's a chest in front of a small shrine up here that contains a Somber Smithing Stone [2]. If you jump up behind the shrine you'll find a Somber Smithing Stone [3].
A tunnel across from the platform leads northeast, into a much larger mining area. Kill the miner who's slowly patrolling on your right, then look around the platforms. There are several more miners hard at work. Two of them are only working on more Cracked Crystals, though the first on the right is chipping away at a Smithing Stone [2]. Directly across from this miner is a thin support beam leading across a chasm, and if you're careful you can walk across it and leap over several gaps in the walkway to reach a Smithing Stone [3] and a Somber Smithing Stone [3]. Aim yourself towards the wall if you're unsure of your jumps.
Across from an elevator shaft you can't use yet is another tunnel. At the end you'll find another, more stable mining area. There are two miners ahead on a lower platform who will rise up to attack you if you approach, and on their right, down a side tunnel, are two spellcasting miners on patrol. You can tell them apart from the rest because they wear capes. These miners can use Glintstone Pebble on you from a distance, and will use Glintstone to send additional bolts your way. Very annoying, and potentially deadly. Always look for ways to kill these guys first.
Look down the passage the two mages came from for two Smithing Stones [3], then look under the platform you started out on. There's another mage lounging down here on your left. Kill him, then grab the Smithing Stone [3] off of the wall near him. Check near the sole miner working under the platform for a Golden Rune [3].
Ahead is an elevator. Ignore it and break through the barrels to the left of the shaft. There are ledges below you, and the second one grants access to a mine shaft. Go through it to find a Somber Smithing Stone [2], then peer over the edge of the rocks below your feet. There's another ledge down here with a Somber Smithing Stone [3] on it. You can fall safely down from here to the wooden platforms below, in the next open area. (There's nothing back by the elevator, so don't worry about backtracking.)
Before you even see the title card of this area you'll wind up at an elevator. There are a number of ledges beside the elevator that will allow you to reach the bottom safely by jumping, though this time there's nothing to be found on them besides Cracked Crystals. Not worth the risk.
Activate the Site of Grace and the summoning pool at the bottom, then carry on down the passage. Ahead the tunnel widens and you'll see a miner coming down some stairs on your right. Take him out and look at the platform on your right, similarly killing the second miner that's up on the platform. There's a chest in front of a small shrine up here that contains a Somber Smithing Stone [2]. If you jump up behind the shrine you'll find a Somber Smithing Stone [3].
A tunnel across from the platform leads northeast, into a much larger mining area. Kill the miner who's slowly patrolling on your right, then look around the platforms. There are several more miners hard at work. Two of them are only working on more Cracked Crystals, though the first on the right is chipping away at a Smithing Stone [2]. Directly across from this miner is a thin support beam leading across a chasm, and if you're careful you can walk across it and leap over several gaps in the walkway to reach a Smithing Stone [3] and a Somber Smithing Stone [3]. Aim yourself towards the wall if you're unsure of your jumps.
Across from an elevator shaft you can't use yet is another tunnel. At the end you'll find another, more stable mining area. There are two miners ahead on a lower platform who will rise up to attack you if you approach, and on their right, down a side tunnel, are two spellcasting miners on patrol. You can tell them apart from the rest because they wear capes. These miners can use Glintstone Pebble on you from a distance, and will use Glintstone to send additional bolts your way. Very annoying, and potentially deadly. Always look for ways to kill these guys first.
Look down the passage the two mages came from for two Smithing Stones [3], then look under the platform you started out on. There's another mage lounging down here on your left. Kill him, then grab the Smithing Stone [3] off of the wall near him. Check near the sole miner working under the platform for a Golden Rune [3].
Ahead is an elevator. Ignore it and break through the barrels to the left of the shaft. There are ledges below you, and the second one grants access to a mine shaft. Go through it to find a Somber Smithing Stone [2], then peer over the edge of the rocks below your feet. There's another ledge down here with a Somber Smithing Stone [3] on it. You can fall safely down from here to the wooden platforms below, in the next open area. (There's nothing back by the elevator, so don't worry about backtracking.)
Kill the miner near your landing spot to get a Smithing Stone [2], then check out the thin support beam that stretches between this platform and the next. There's a magic-using miner on the other side. Rush across and kill him before he can hit you on the beam and knock you off. There's another magic user up the stairs on the left; similarly rush and kill him. Check along the raised end of the platform for a Smithing Stone [2] and two Smithing Stones [3]. On this upper platform is a lift, and you can use it to ride back up to the entrance in case you need a refresher. Trigger the lift anyway and jump off if you don't need to go back up, just so the shortcut is active.
In the next tunnel you'll see a form in the road ahead, and a Marionette Soldier will run out of the room on the right. Back up and kill it before proceeding. If you look above the doorway on the left you'll see two more Marionette Soldiers, suspended from the ceiling, and they can be a major pain if allowed to spew arrows. Knock them down with ranged attacks and quickly destroy them.
Check the first room on the right for a Smithing Stone [1] and a Smithing Stone [2], then head down the corridor and look inside the second room on the right. There are two Soldier Marionettes inside, minding their own business, and a third is dangling inside the doorway, on your right. Draw out the visible Marionettes with ranged attacks - they use blades, and you don't want them anywhere near you - then head into the room and ping the third Marionette off the wall. The three of them are guarding a chest that contains a Crystal Knife.
To the south is one more mining chamber, and three miners are working away in the middle of it while a fourth, larger miner watches over them. Ambush the fourth from above, watching out for a magic user who may enter the fray from the left as you fight. Another aggressive miner sits on the platform to the right may join in, as well, but usually not. Scour the room for a Smithing Stone [2], four Smithing Stones [3], and a Somber Smithing Stone [1]. The side chamber to the north contains the Shatter Earth Sorcery.
The final passage here leads to a lift. Ride it down a short way, then jump off the back to land on a ledge. There's a Somber Smithing Stone [3] on the topmost ledge. Ledge-hop your way to the bottom and you'll see the boss fog ahead. Grab the Somber Smithing Stone [1] to your right, then heal up and head inside.
In the next tunnel you'll see a form in the road ahead, and a Marionette Soldier will run out of the room on the right. Back up and kill it before proceeding. If you look above the doorway on the left you'll see two more Marionette Soldiers, suspended from the ceiling, and they can be a major pain if allowed to spew arrows. Knock them down with ranged attacks and quickly destroy them.
Check the first room on the right for a Smithing Stone [1] and a Smithing Stone [2], then head down the corridor and look inside the second room on the right. There are two Soldier Marionettes inside, minding their own business, and a third is dangling inside the doorway, on your right. Draw out the visible Marionettes with ranged attacks - they use blades, and you don't want them anywhere near you - then head into the room and ping the third Marionette off the wall. The three of them are guarding a chest that contains a Crystal Knife.
To the south is one more mining chamber, and three miners are working away in the middle of it while a fourth, larger miner watches over them. Ambush the fourth from above, watching out for a magic user who may enter the fray from the left as you fight. Another aggressive miner sits on the platform to the right may join in, as well, but usually not. Scour the room for a Smithing Stone [2], four Smithing Stones [3], and a Somber Smithing Stone [1]. The side chamber to the north contains the Shatter Earth Sorcery.
The final passage here leads to a lift. Ride it down a short way, then jump off the back to land on a ledge. There's a Somber Smithing Stone [3] on the topmost ledge. Ledge-hop your way to the bottom and you'll see the boss fog ahead. Grab the Somber Smithing Stone [1] to your right, then heal up and head inside.
Ringblade Crystalian
The final defender of the Crystal Tunnel, this lone Crystalian is pretty easy. Using one large ringblade and several smaller ringblades to fight, the Crystalian spends the battle dancing around the room, either trying to slice you at close range or hitting you with its boomerang-like ringblades from a distance. Because the Crystalian is alone this fight shouldn't be an issue. Some tips:
The final defender of the Crystal Tunnel, this lone Crystalian is pretty easy. Using one large ringblade and several smaller ringblades to fight, the Crystalian spends the battle dancing around the room, either trying to slice you at close range or hitting you with its boomerang-like ringblades from a distance. Because the Crystalian is alone this fight shouldn't be an issue. Some tips:
- Hit the Crystalian as many times as you can, as early as you can, so long as you aren't putting yourself at risk. Crystalians don't take much damage from non-striking weapons until you break their poise, which requires a number of hits. Once you break their poise the Crystalian will stagger under every hit, and you can essentially stun lock it and beat it to death.
- Wait for the Crystalian to stop moving before you attack, assuming you're fighting close up. Its leaping blade spins will knock you around.
- If this battle is challenging, bring in some summons. It doesn't matter if they're upgraded or not, they just need to gang up on the Crystalian and attack it from multiple angles. Its poise will be broken in no time, and you can slide in and finish it off.