Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree - 5 Side Quests Players Should Not Skip

Highlights

The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC offers new regions, weapons, and spells for Elden Ring players to explore and discover.
Completing NPC questlines like Moore’s, Sir Ansbach’s, and Hornsent’s can lead to valuable rewards like armor sets and weapons.
Count Ymir’s questline involves uncovering secrets in murky depths and ringing bells to obtain powerful items like the Maternal Staff.

With the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, FromSoftware unleashed a massive update to the Lands Between that could’ve been a sequel to Elden Ring in its own right. There’s an entire new region to explore that’s as deep as it is wide, with a plethora of weapons, spells and secrets just waiting for eager players to discover them.

Every NPC Questline in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

There are fourteen new NPC questlines in Shadow of the Erdtree, but it’s not too hard to find most of these new DLC quest start locations.

Building on the base game’s already expansive and intriguing lore, Shadow of the Erdtree continues the time-honored tradition of vague storytelling through cryptic item descriptions, carefully placed environmental hints, and important NPCs who talk a lot without saying much. Fans are by now familiar with having to put the pieces together themselves, and this is no more evident than in Elden Ring’s quests. Nevertheless, below are some of the best new side quests players should try their best to seek out – the rewards are well worth it.

5 Moore

Mild-Mannered Merchant Just Wants Some Friends

The player character speaking to Moore in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

Complete to obtain Forager Cookbooks and Moore’s equipment.

Players can first encounter Moore outside Belurat, Tower Settlement in the Lands of Shadow. He’s a gentle, softly spoken chap who just wants to sell items and look after his “friends”. Kicking off his quest is as easy as tracking these “friends” down and collecting the various Forager Cookbooks from them – simple. But beware. These “friends” appear as the dreaded Kindred of Rot enemies from the base game, and Moore will invade the player if any of them are attacked.

After successfully collecting the books and the Black Syrup item, players should then hunt down Thiollier, then speak to Moore again after breaking Miquella’s Charm. It’s at this point that the Tarnished must make a choice that determines the outcome. But to obtain all the rewards – including Moore’s armor set and hefty Verdigris Shield – it’s recommended to have him invade after the events of Enir-Ilim.

4 Sir Ansbach

A Reliable Knight Till The Very End

The player character with Sir Ansbach and Thiollier in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

Complete to obtain 2 weapons, 2 armor sets and an Incantation.

This former knight captain and his distinctive headgear can be first encountered at the Main Gate Cross site of grace, and interacts with another quest later on. Once Miquella’s Charm has been broken, speak with Sir Ansbach at his first location and then again at the Storehouse, First Floor in the Shadow Keep. He’ll ask for the Secret Rite Scroll – hand it over and continue the journey through the Lands of Shadow for now.

Elden ring shadow of the erdtree needle knight leda quest 1

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC: Needle Knight Leda Full Quest Walkthrough

Players need to make a number of choices in Needle Knight Leda’s quest in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, and here is what they need to know.

Once the Tarnished has completed the next few steps of Needle Knight Leda’s quest, there should be a summon sign available back at the Shadow Keep Storehouse. After completing the objective, players will next have to join a battle against Miquella’s followers where Sir Ansbach can be summoned. Speak to both him and Thiollier after the fight to enable them as summons for the final encounter, after which both will drop their weapons, armor sets, and an Incantation for the player to collect.

3 Hornsent

A Man On A Mission For Vengeance

Hornsent standing on a hill in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

Complete to obtain an Ash of War, a weapon and an armor set.

Hornsent is a mysterious and vengeful warrior the Tarnished can encounter at the Three-Path Cross site of grace. Once the player has spoken to him there, he can next be found at the Highroad Cross site of grace after defeating the Divine Beast Dancing Lion and obtaining some delicious(?) Scorpion Stew. He’ll gratefully guzzle it down. After that, he’ll be available as a summon against the Golden Hippopotamus outside the Shadow Keep Main Gate.

Head back to the Highroad Cross site of grace and speak with Needle Knight Leda. She’ll ask whether she should hunt down Thiollier or Hornsent, but she’ll always go after the latter no matter which choice is made, causing two summon signs to appear at the Shadow Keep. Choose the golden summon sign to aid Hornsent to obtain the Ash of War: Swift Slash and Leda’s Rune. Next, summon him to help defeat Messmer, the Impaler and talk through all his dialogue to cause him to invade at the Church of the Bud, Main Entrance, where he’ll drop the Falx, his armor set and a soiled loincloth (lovely).

2 Igon

Give A Dragon Slayer A Helping Hand

Igon drawing his greatbow in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

Complete to obtain his greatbow, armor set and Bell Bearing.

While adventuring west from the Pillar Path Waypoint, the Tarnished will hear Igon before they see him – he’ll be screaming in pain about a dragon. Speak to him there before moving on and defeating the first Jagged Peak Drake, and then discover the Grand Alter of Dragon Communion. Slay two more Jagged Peak Drakes and report back to Igon to receive Igon’s Furled Finger.

featured image, easy to miss locations in elden ring shadow of the erdtree

7 Hidden Locations You Might Have Missed in Shadow of the Erdtree

From fake walls to moving statues, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has plenty of secret locations that the player can miss.

Next, players will have to defeat Ancient Dragin Senessax, which is very similar to Lansseax from the base game. Head up through the north exit and follow the trail of felled dragons to the top of Jagged Peak, using spiritsprings to climb higher. Squeeze through a small cave entrance to come face-to-face with Bayle the Dread. Igon’s summon sign will appear somewhere in the arena, and he’ll appear with some of the best dialogue in the entire game. When the big bad dragon is defeated, head back down the mountain and collect Igon’s armor set, his greatbow and his Bell Bearing.

1 Count Ymir, High Priest

Uncover The Secrets Behind The Fingers

The player character in front of Count Ymir in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

Complete to obtain the Maternal Staff, an armor set and a Bell Bearing.

When the Tarnished enters the murky depths of the Cathedral of Manus Metyr, they may speak with Count Ymir. From there, players will have to locate and ring the bell in the Finger Ruins of Rhia. Once that’s done, head back to Count Ymir to obtain the Ruins Map (2nd) and venture onwards to Scaduview. There’s another bell to ring in the Finger Ruins of Dheo, as well as the Ruins Map (3rd) to collect from Count Ymir.

Continue through the dungeon and locate the final bell in the Finger Ruins of Miyr. Players can then face Metyr, Mother of Fingers before traveling back to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr and interacting with the now empty throne, where they’ll be invaded by the Swordhand of Night Jolan and also have to defeat Count Ymir, High Priest. After the battle, the Tarnished can collect the High Priest set, the Maternal Staff, and Ymir’s Bell Bearing. Head out to the graveyard to find the Cherishing Fingers item to fully complete the quest.