Elden Ring features a wide variety of NPCs, each with a unique set of tasks. The quest of Ranni the Witch is one of them that stands out above the others. One of the largest and most complex quests in the game, it takes you to practically every place and unlocks one of the best game endings while also offering a ton of fascinating backstory. In this guide, MmoGah will show you how to complete this quest. Bear in mind that this quest is difficult, so some Elden Ring items will be required.
Meeting Ranni
Immediately after the game begins, you will see Ranni in Limgrave's Church of Elleh. She will offer you the Spirit Calling Bell that you need to summon ashes, and she will tell you that this is the last time seeing her.
Of course, you'll run into her again, but this time it'll be in Liurnia. You can get to Lurnia either by defeating Godrick in Stormveil Castle or via the secret route between Limgrave And Lurnia, east of the castle. Continue moving north along the edge while remaining on the western side of the area, then go to Caria Manor and defeat Royal Knight Loretta. After that, you will be in an area called "Three Sisters". There you will see three towers, and you have to go to the middle one (Ranni's Rise). Ranni will ask you to enter her service. You can't refuse a witch lady who is both adorable and enigmatic. She requests that you speak with her friends, Preceptor Seluvis, Blaidd, and War Counselor Iji. By doing so, you'll activate the quest's next phase and discover your next destination, Nokron's underground city.
Talk to Seluvis and Sellen
You must talk to each of Ranni's followers to get information about the location of Nokron, The Eternal City. Go to Seluvis's Rise, the tower to Ranni's Rise's left. After speaking with Seluvis, travel to the Road To The Manor Grace, which is close to Caria Manor, to speak with W.C.Lji.
Now, you have to travel to the Siofra River, which is underground and only accessible by an elevator found in Limgrave's Mistwood. There you will find Blaidd, east of the Grace, behind the huge pillars. Talk to him until he sends you back to Seluvis. Go back to Seluvis' Rise and choose the "ask about Nokron" option. He will tell you that a sorceress by the name of Sellen knows more about the city. She can be found in Limgrave's Waypoint Ruins. Sellen will tell you that you must change the constellation of the stars to reach Nokron because Ranni's fate and the fate of the stars are connected. That means only one thing, and you have to beat General Radahn. This will definitely be the most frustrating section of the quest, so I suggest you fully upgrade your weapons with some Elden Ring runes.
Visit Nokron and Find the Fingerslayer Blade
After you defeat General Radahn, a star will crash into Limegrave, and it will create a huge hole in the ground. In order to reach Nokron, the Eternal City, you must go down that hole. Keep moving until you reach the city's first Site of Grace. From the Site of Grace, move forward and through the gate on the far side of the space into the courtyard. Go across the bridge and through the yellow fog.
There you will have to beat the game's most interesting boss, the Mimic Tear. After winning, walk out of the boss arena and cross the bridge in front of you.
Turn left to enter the forest area before the bridge's finish. Find the Grace on the cliff's edge. Stay on the left side of this forest and dodge the enemies, as they can surround you very quickly. When you reach the first level of this area, leap from this Grace down onto the top of the building in front of you. Be cautious. There will be a lot of powerful and mimic enemies in this area. Try to avoid them because it will take a lot of time to fight each one. At the very end of this area, there will be a massive doorway leading to a room with a chest. There you will find the Fingerslayer Blade, which Ranni was looking for, by opening this chest.
The next step is to give the Fingerslayer Blade to Ranni. Return to Ranni's Rise in Liurnia and talk to her. She will gift you the Carian Inverted Statue once you have spoken to her a few times. If you have some troubles with this quest, here you can find some additional tips and tricks that will help you.
Carian Study Hall
The Carian Study Hall is located about halfway up Liurnia's east side. The only thing you could do if you've been here before was battle Preceptor Miriam and gathered some goodies. But this time, in the main hall, move forward and look at the pedestal in front of the globe.
You can access a new section of the Carian Study Hall by returning to the elevator shaft behind the globe. Actually, you'll be on the lower level of the section you could previously explore. Once Miriam has been defeated once more, you can descend to the ceiling and find a door that opens to the Liurnia Tower Bridge Site of Grace. You'll face a Godskin Noble if you head east along the bridge. After passing the Divine Tower of Liurnia, take the elevator to the Site of Grace.
You will find the Cursemark of Death and the Stargazer Heirloom on a corpse at the very top of the tower. The last part of Ranni's questline is about to start. Return to Ranni's Rise, but this time turn toward the tower that is furthest to the right. You can now access Renna's Rise, which was previously closed. Enter the doorway at the top of the tower by climbing the ladder. When you reach the top, a Waygate will be there that will teleport you to Ansel River Main.
The Ainsel River Main
There is a body with a Miniature Ranni doll close to where you exit. Take this and go down the path to the Main Site of Grace at the Ainsel River. Here you can talk to Miniature Ranni. When you repeatedly choose the option to speak with her, she will eventually tell you to take out the Baleful Shadow, which is located further into this area. Continue traversing the river until you reach the western region of the map, and there you will find a Site of Grace called Nokstella Water Basin. You'll need to walk for a while until you get to the second elevator that will transport you underground to the Site of Grace. There will be a tunnel just in front that leads to the Baleful Shadow boss, who will show up close to a coffin by the water. Baleful Shadow shouldn't be a particularly difficult opponent at this time. He has an obtrusive appearance and can consume three flasks throughout the battle. Try to duck in his direction if you're a "melee" player so you can get behind his back and deal a ton of damage with a backstab. Due to his quickness, it is important to stay outside of his reach to lure him into attacking so that you can dodge and launch a counterattack. By defeating Baleful Shadow, you can retrieve the Discarded Palace Key.
The Discarded Palace Key unlocks a chest in Raya Lucaria Academy's Grand Library. Now, it's likely that you have already completed this dungeon. If not, you must travel to Liurnia of the Lakes' center and defeat Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon. Once you've completed this, quickly move to the Grand Library and use the key to unlock the chest behind Rennala. You will get the Dark Moon Ring back, which is the next key item in this quest.
Lake of Rot
The following stage of Ranni's quest is unpleasant. Return to the underground Ainsel River where you battled Baleful Shadow, then sprint past the arena to an elevator that will transport you down to the next Site of Grace and the Lake of Rot shoreside. Once you get there, you're confronted with a big red lake that, if you try to cross it, will infect you with Scarlet Rot. There are a few ways for you to move through. I recommend you to accept the Scarlet Rot damage and just keep on consuming the flasks. Get to the opposite side where you will find the Site of Grace. Beyond this is the Grand Cloister, where you can find an optional Ulcerated Tree Spirit that, if defeated, will drop a Golden Seed. Your next stop is the coffin at the top of the Rot waterfall.
Unbelievable as it may seem, you have to enter the coffin to rest before moving on to the next area, which will be a challenging boss fight. If you need any help for the next area, here you can find some useful Elden Ring information.
Astel, Naturalborn of the Void
Even though Astel is a tricky boss, the appropriate strategies can bring him down. The best location to inflict harm is on his head, so aim there. He makes a number of physical, AoE, and ranged attacks, but your best chance is after his orb attack. In general, it helps to be quite aggressive with Astel. You should also be near him because many attacks will completely miss you if you are close enough. You must stay alert since he has the ability to alter his patterns and even teleport away while still doing damage. Usually, he'll just teleport away, but occasionally Astel will appear above you and grab you. If you can't see where he is, be prepared to dodge, because his next move could be lethal.
His binding fang strike, which will grab you and probably one-shot you, is another threat. Prepare to flee as soon as you notice the shining on his fangs. Finally, when his health is down to half, a meteor storm will start. At this point, dodging will be your best friend, your only option.
After you defeat Astel, you'll receive the Remembrance of the Naturalborn and 80,000 Elden Ring runes. The Deep Ainsel Well lift will now be accessible. Take this and travel to the Moonlight Altar.
Moonlight Altar
Finally, you are on the elevated section of southern Liurnia, immediately above the Albinaurics Village. The only route to this area is through this questline. The Cathedral of Manus Celes can be found in this region to the north. The Site of Grace is close to a cave that requires some cautious navigating. After that, enter a dark tunnel that is in front of you.
Continue on until you come to Ranni's lifeless body and a few severed fingers. Now you will have to put the Dark Moon Ring on Ranni's finger.
After doing this, speak with her again. She will now formally introduce you as her consort and inform you that her next destination is the night sky. This quest, or should I say this compelling and exhausting journey is now officially over, and you will have the option of Ranni's ending. As a reward, you'll also receive the Dark Moon Greatsword, which deals with frost and moonlight damage. It's an impressive weapon if you happen to be a "greatsword" player.
Ranni's Ending
So, after you finish this quest, you will now have the opportunity to watch Ranni's ending. Just a reminder that this is not required and is entirely optional. So, after beating the final boss, all you have to do is touch the blue summon sign on the floor.
She dissolves The Golden Order and creates her Order. She also ends The Greater Will's control over The Lands Between.
After that, Ranni goes on a trip intended to last a thousand years. She is leaving The Lands Between with the Tarnished and her Order. For the first time, The Lands Between is left without a lord as a result of her absence. Hopefully, this Elden Ring Ranni questline guide has provided you with all the information you need to finish the quest and access the Ranni ending. Have fun!
