Elden Ring is a massive game, a sprawling world full of intrigue with stories and danger hidden around every corner of The Lands Between. It’s also a game jam-packed with amazing side quests which players can easily miss on their first playthrough.
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Apart from the Tarnished’s main goal of becoming Elden Lord, these seven quests take players on emotional journeys involving tragedy, ambition and betrayal whilst digging into the deep lore of the world George R.R. Martin helped to create. As well as, of course, the cinematicboss fightsthat FromSoftware are so well known for.
7Ranni The Witch
A Four-Armed Wife? Yes, Please!
One of the earliest, yet easiest-to-miss NPCs in the game, Ranni’s quest leads to one of the ‘happier’ endings in the game – The Age Of Stars ending. The epic scale of this quest has players interacting with fan-favorite NPCs, including Blaidd and Seluvis, and exploringstunning hidden areassuch as Nokron, Eternal City and the Ainsel River.
It’s more than just exploration and sightseeing though, as you will find yourself fighting some of the best secret bosses in the game, like the Dragonkin Soldier Of Nokstella and The Regal Ancestor Spirit, all the while learning about the grandiose lore of The Lands Between, the Two Fingers andQueen Marika.
There are rewards to be earned too, with the Dark Moon Greatsword (a recurrent themed weapon in FromSoft games) and Blaidd’s armor set being attainable. All in all, missing Ranni’s quest is akin to missing half the game, and remaining maidenless for eternity to boot.
6Alexander, Warrior Jar
His Body May Be Frail, His Spirit – Certainly Not
A character who makes himself instantly endearing, the boastful Warrior Jar Alexander encounters the Tarnished in less than ideal circumstances, with his head stuck in the ground. He requests the player to whack his behind to free him, leading to one of the funnier bits of dialogue in the game.
However, as his story progresses, so too does the tone shift from jolly fun to tragedy as the Jar’s ambitions of becoming a mighty warrior prove too grand for his brittle body to keep up with. Alexander’s quest culminates in an epic duel against him at Crumbling Farum Azula, rewarding the player with one of thestrongest talismansin the game, The Shard of Alexander.
5Millicent
Depressed or Driven? Perhaps Both
Millicent, a relative of Malenia, Blade of Miquella, first meets the player in a catatonic state, bereft of all hope or willingness to live. Yet, over time, she finds inspiration in the Tarnished and recoups her strength to help them in some difficult encounters, proving her relation to one of the strongest characters in the game’s universe.
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Millicent’s questline leads players to learn more about the Outer God Of Rot and its curse, while also offering some poignant emotional moments that question what it means to be an individual. Accompanying her to the end allows the player to earn the Millicent’s Prosthesis or Rotten Winged Sword Insignia Talismans, the latter upon helping her defeat her four sisters in one of the hardest NPC fights the game has to offer.
4Sorceress Sellen
Hidden Face, Exposed Feet – Witches Be Crazy
First found within the Waypoint Ruins, Sellen plainly introduces herself to the Tarnished as a mere sorceress, but it quickly becomes apparent there is more to her than meets the eye. Sellen’s story is one which questions the importance of loyalty in the face of grand aspiration.
Upon learning some of her sorceries, she tells the player that she was outcast from Laya Lucaria as a traitor, the reason for which becomes quite obvious when her humble facade wears off to reveal a Graven Witch with a cunning, traitorous personality.
Apart from the gearand spellswhich can be obtained to make some strong mage builds, Sellen’s quest leads to some of the wildest moments in the game, ending with her finally getting her comeuppance for past actions by being turned into a literal ball of sorcerers.
3The Dung-Eater
Even the Sewers are Too Good for This Psychopath
Fair warning: this one is disgusting, but that’s the point. The Dung-Eater is a character instantly recognizable as someone who should be kept beyond smiting distance. Yet there is something strangely alluring about his sickness, both mental and physical.
One of the most disturbing characters FromSoftware has ever written, the Dung-Eater is a serial killer infatuated with the defilement and desecration of the corpses he creates. Completing his questline allows players to obtain the Blessing Of Despair ending, one of the darkest outcomes for The Lands Between.
Although it lacks the significant gameplay-related rewards of some other quests, if you like your lore twisted and your worldbuilding dripping with grim horror, the Dung Eater’s quest is an absolute must.
2Fia, Deathbed Companion
She’ll Give You a Hug – Along with Mental Trauma
The only source of comfort after your umpteenth death to a no-name enemy, The Deathbed Companion, Fia is found sitting listlessly within a room of the Roundtable Hold, offering to hug the player and give them a Baldachin’s Blessing at the cost of some HP. The air of melancholy she exudes is palpable, and it only becomes stronger as her questline progresses.
Fia’s quest is one of the few sources of lore around Godwyn, Prince Of Death, the only Demigod character who isn’t actually present in the game. It leads players to learn more about the Black Knives faction, the death of Godwyn and the eventual fate of the Rune Of Death.
The quest ends with the Tarnished facing off against one of the most cinematic bosses in the FromSoftware catalogue in the form of Lichdragon Fortissax, and unlocking the Age Of Duskborn ending – a path that aims to normalize death in a world obsessed with immortality.
1Rya The Scout (and the Volcano Manor Plot)
She’s a Snake – But Only Literally
Part of one of the longest and most convoluted questlines in perhaps any game, Rya initially comes off as a friendly but strange and foolishly naive girl with a weird posture who just wants her necklace back. But following her story reveals the dark nature of her origin and the twisted machinations of the Volcano Manor.
Cluelessly raised as a human despite being born a Man-Serpent, Rya’s journey is a touching exploration of identity, acceptance and loyalty. Over the course of the quest, Rya eventually learns of her nature as being the offspring of a terrible ritual, with players having the option of giving her the Tonic Of Forgetfulness to make her return to her good-natured, carefree old self.
Whether you choose to make the Man-Serpent forget her true identity, or leave her to accept it, Rya’s quest offers one of the most emotional payoffs in Elden Ring.
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