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For that matter, Elden Ringis filled to the brim with hidden side quests. Most of them are elusive and are easily missed. This can be rather troublesome as some of these hidden side quests can unlock secret endings. To know which of them are worthwhile or have dire ramifications, then make sure to squint really hard to look for these hidden side quests.
Updated April 30, 2022, by Sid Natividad: Elden Ring side quests are some of the best parts of the game’s open-world design philosophy. This is because almost all of them are hidden in plain sight, prompting players to be inquisitive and curious. Thus, the best quests in Elden Ring are those that players didn’t expect to just pop up through exploration. There are plenty of these hidden Elden Ring side quests and so it wouldn’t be fair if just a handful of them are included. Others are just too moving or too significant to the lore to ignore. Hence, this list has been updated to include even more Elden Ring side quests in case players need a checklist of the awesome hidden ones.
15 Patches’ Questline
Trigger Location: Murkwater Cave boss fight in Limgrave Rewards: Patches as a merchant and Bull-Goat armor set
It’s not that hard to miss Patches’ questline but it’s easy to mess it up, meaning some parts of it might as well be hidden. Players will have to spare him in the boss fight in Murkwater Cave and then keep looking for him all over Limgrave and Mt. Gelmir.
He eventually ends up in Volcano Manor, where he’ll give an important quest that rewards players with the most protective armor in the game. He eventually moves to the Shaded Castle and then back to Murkwater Cave. As usual, it’s best to treat Patches without any ounce of trust even though players are compelled to spare him.
14 Rya’s Questline
Trigger Location: Volcano Manor rooms Rewards: Daedicar’s Woe
Rya’s questline can be triggered earlier in Liurnia of the Lakes but it doesn’t really officially begin until players have pledged themselves to the Volcano Manor. There, players will discover Rya’s deepest and darkest secret along with the Volcano Manor’s oddities.
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The rewards for this questline aren’t really much, but Rya moves a lot within the Volcano Manor so it can be easy to miss her and to progress the quest. However, it being one of the saddest stories in Elden Ring makes it worthy of players’ attention.
13 Boc’s Questline
Trigger Location: Limgrave Rewards: A new friend and personal tailor
Boc is literally hidden in Elden Ring since he’s been transformed into a shrub by some evil demi-humans somewhere near the road past Agheel Lake North. He will call out to the players if they’re in close proximity, but, even then, it’s a bit difficult to pinpoint his exact location if players are unaware that NPCs can also disguise themselves as environmental props.
After that, he’ll move to several locations and it can be hard to keep track of him. In any case, players will want to donate their Tailoring Tools and Sewing Needles to Boc as he can make some rather fine and exquisite adjustments to most armor in Elden Ring.
12 Millicent’s Questline
Trigger Location: A shack south of Sellia, Town of Sorcery at Caelid Rewards: Millicent’s Prosthesis, Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, Unalloyed Gold Needle
Millicent’s questline is an important one as the rewards are too valuable to pass up. The Unalloyed Gold Needle alone lets players reverse a bad ending. Meanwhile, the two Talismans are also build-defining. Starting Millicent’s quest is no problem, there are signs that point to the quest giver.
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Progressing Millicent’s quest, however, involves one of the vaguest instructions in the game. There’s no indication that she’ll move to the middle of nowhere in the Altus Plateau and that players have to give her a prosthesis found in an obscure castle. Past that point, it does get a bit easier, but it’s still also easy to ruin her questline in the late-game.
11 Nepheli Loux’s Questline
Trigger Location: Kenneth Haight Rewards: Ancient Somber Smithing Stone
Nepheli Loux’s questline is another long one and it starts early with Kenneth Haight looking for an heir to Limgrave. It turns out that Nepheli is the only viable candidate, but, throughout the game, she runs into plenty of issues that could have easily barred her from the Limgrave throne.
For one, players will have to keep Gatekeeper Gostoc alive as she’ll be Nepheli’s servant. Moreover, players will need to find a way to cheer up a sad Nepheli through some obscure hoop that requires returning to the game’s starting area (Chapel of Anticipation). The reward is worth it, thankfully.
10 Iron Fist Alexander’s Questline
Trigger Location: Stormhill, to the north of the Agheel Lake North Site of Grace Rewards: Alexander’s Innards & Shards of Alexander Talisman, also friendship with a jar
The closest thing to the Onion Knight in Elden Ring would be Iron Fist Alexander. He’s an absolute unit of a jar-man or pot-man and surprisingly, those things know how to fight. Alexander also has his own martial arts. Players can seek him out in Northern Stormhill.
Early in the game, he’ll be there stuck on the ground asking for help. Players will have to smack him to free him in order to set off his quest chain. Afterward, players will have to look for him in the Carian Study Hall in Liurnia of the Lake, Gael Tunnel, Seethwater Terminus in Mt. Gelmir, and finally in the Crumbling Farum Azula where he’ll challenge players to a duel.
9 Blaidd’s Questline
Trigger Location: Upon entering Mistwood for the first time Rewards: Somber Smithing Stone [2]
Blaidd is the big wolfman who serves Ranni and players can find him brooding on top of some ruins in Mistwood. He’ll also howl though it’s easy to miss it so be sure to increase the game’s volume. Players will have to ask Merchant Kalé in the Church of Elleh about this and he’ll instruct them how to get Blaidd’s attention.
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After that, Blaidd will task players with finding and defeating someone. All this leads to a fight in the Forlorn Hound Evergaol which is easy enough. Blaidd will then reward players with a Somber Smithing Stone [2] which is an upgrade item for special weapons.
8 Millicent’s Questline
Trigger Location: Gowry in his shack near the road to Sellia’s gate in Caelid Rewards: Unalloyed Gold Needle
Millicent is a tragic character in Caelid suffering from the Scarlet Rot plague but his adoptive father Gowry plans to cure her. Hence, Gowry will ask players to retrieve a needle that can do just that. It’s dropped by Commander O’Niel, a boss in the swamp near Sellia.
Afterward, players will earn Millicent’s friendship (make sure to return to Gowry’s shack to look for her after curing her). She’ll then move a lot. First in the north of the Erdtree-Gazing Hill Grace in Altus Plateau; then in Windmill Heights Grace after defeating the village’s boss; then the Ancient Snow Valley Ruins Grace at Mountaintop of the Giants; finally at the Prayer Room Grace at Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree.
7 Volcano Manor Questlines
Trigger Location: Volcano Manor in the western Altus Plateau Rewards: Several impressive armor sets and weapons as well as access to Volcano Manor
The reason why this one’s easy to miss is that accessing the main road of the western Altus Plateau is quite a monumental trek. And even as players get acquainted and indoctrinated into the Recusant covenant, doing invasion errands for them, it will be easy to mess up that quest chain.
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For one, there are several characters here that give out their own quests. Initiating the Rykard boss fight too early (and defeating him) will lock players out of these questlines for good (until NG+). For safer measures, simply hold off on fighting Rykard until players have exhausted all NPC dialogues after each visit to the Volcano Manor.
6 Unlocking The Consecrated Snowfield & The Haligtree
Trigger Location: Albus (disguised as a pot) near the Village of the Albinaurics Site of Grace in western Liurnia of the Lakes Rewards: A whole optional endgame region and possibly a Great Rune
The area to the west of the Mountaintop of the Giants is actually a hidden optional place. It’s a huge frozen wasteland that can be accessed if players explore Liurnia of the Lakes thoroughly and if they located the Village of the Albinaurics. After unlocking a Site of Grace in this area, they need only look for a lone pot and hit it once.
This will reveal an old albino man who imparts them a left half of a medallion along with instructions on finding the right half. As Gideon Ofnir in the Roundtable Hold for more information about his other half. Once players find it, they can use the medallion in the Grand Lift Rold to get to the secret area.
5 Brother Corhyn’s Questline
Trigger Location: Roundtable Hold Rewards: Alternate good ending
Technically, Brother Corhyn’s questline isn’t hidden since he’s conspicuous enough in the Roundtable Hold. However, the steps in-between once he’s decided to leave the Roundtable Hold. Players will then have to look for a creepy character named Goldmask if they want to keep track of Brother Corhyn’s progress. Goldmask is all over two locations in the Altus Plateau.
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Corhyn will then join Goldmask then move to the colosseum at Leyndell. He’ll also give an incantation, Law of Regression that players will have to use to reveal a specific message west from Erdtree Sanctuary Grace. The final missable step is talking with Corhyn and Goldmask on a bridge south of Stargaze Ruins. After the boss fights in the Crumbling Farum Azula, Goldmask can be found dead on Leyndell with an important Great Rune on its corpse. This will alter the ending.
4 Dung Eater’s Questline
Trigger Location: Dung Eater in his secret room in Roundtable Hold Rewards: Dung Eater’s gear & alternate bad ending
Dung Eater is responsible for one of the bad endings in Elden Ring where everyone gets a horrible fate. He makes his presence known in Roundtable Hold, alright. However, he won’t budge until players give him at least one Seedbed Curse. Three are in Leyndell Royal Capital, two are in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, and one is in Volcano Manor.
Players will have to free him from his dungeon, complete a Boilprawn Shack side quest, and then get to fighting Dung Eater (don’t kill him unprovoked as this will ruin the questline). After giving him all Seedbed Curses and defeating him, he’ll give players a Great Rune that will alter the ending.
3 Lord Of Frenzied Flame Questline
Trigger Location: Mohg, the Omen in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds in Leyndell, the Royal Capital Rewards: Alternate bad ending
For an even worse ending, make sure to meticulously follow the Lord of Frenzied Flame questline. This one begins in the sewers of Leyndell and requires players to defeat Mohg, the Omen. Behind his altar is a fake wall that will reveal a passage full of opponents that inflict madness.
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Players will have to proceed to this area (stripping their armor and weapons to unlock a certain door) until they get to the Three Fingers where their character will be branded. This will unlock a new ending and also possibly lock players out of all other endings.
2 Fia’s Questline
Trigger Location: Fia, Roundtable Hold after activating the Grand Lift of Dectus Rewards: Alternate grey area ending
Fia has something to give apart from those notorious hugs and that would be a chance to gain a debatably good ending. Because after the players have activated the Grand Lift of Dectus (which is part of the main quest), then Fia will start giving them a task.
This involves murdering someone and accessing a hidden boss fight. Players will also have to have completed Ranni the Witch’s questline in order to fully progress this questline. Once it’s all done, Fia will reward the players with an ending-altering Great Rune.
1 Ranni’s Questline
Trigger Location: Ranni in Ranni’s Rise in the Three Sisters area in Caria Manor Rewards: Alternate grey area ending
Ranni the Witch’s version of Elden Ring’s ending is considered by some as the best. To get to it, however, players will have to go through almost the entire game keeping her questline in mind. It involves talking to Ranni, exploring Siofra River, defeating Starscourge Radahn, exploring Nokron, and obtaining an item and ring (the one in the chest in the Rennala boss fight Grace) for Ranni.
That’s the first half. The second half is doing some errands for Ranni’s doll in Ainsel River, Nokstella, and Lake of Rot. Ranni’s Moonlight Altar will have become available by then. This unlocks another debatable ending where players finally get to overcompensate for their being initially “maidenless.”
Elden Ring is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Microsoft Windows.
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