Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree — Leda Questline Walkthrough

To complete Needle Knight Leda’s quest in Shadow of the Erdtree, follow her from the Cocoon of the Empyrean through Belurat, Castle Ensis, Shadow Keep and Enir-Ilim. The key decision is at Shadow Keep: choose the golden summon sign to help Ansbach if you want to keep him available as a later ally. Before burning the Sealing Tree at the Church of the Bud, finish the Freyja–Ansbach exchanges and any other NPC quests you care about; burning it closes off most unfinished NPC questlines.

Before you start: reach the Realm of Shadow

Shadow of the Erdtree requires the Elden Ring base game. Bandai Namco’s official product page lists a combined Shadow of the Erdtree Edition; check that the edition you buy is compatible with your platform.

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To enter the expansion, defeat Starscourge Radahn and Mohg, Lord of Blood. Then interact with the arm hanging from the cocoon in Mohgwyn Palace to travel to the Realm of Shadow. Leda is waiting by the cocoon. See Bandai Namco Europe’s Realm of Shadow entry guide.

Leda questline walkthrough

1. Meet Leda at the Cocoon of the Empyrean

After entering the Realm of Shadow, speak with Leda at the cocoon in Mohgwyn Palace. This begins her route through the expansion.

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2. Defeat the Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Belurat

Progress through Belurat and defeat the Divine Beast Dancing Lion. After the fight, read the Tower of Shadow Message to advance Leda’s trail.

3. Reach Castle Ensis and defeat Rellana

At Castle Ensis Checkpoint, find and read the Message from Leda. You can summon Leda for the Rellana, Twin Moon Knight fight. Defeat Rellana to reach Scadu Altus.

4. Speak to Leda at Highroad Cross after the great rune breaks

When Miquella’s great rune breaks, the charm affecting the group ends. Speak to Leda at Highroad Cross. She asks whom she should suspect; the available responses include Thiollier, Hornsent or no one. PC Gamer’s walkthrough says Leda pursues Hornsent regardless of your answer, so this dialogue does not decide the later summon-sign encounter.

5. Decide whether to help Leda against Hornsent

At Shadow Keep, resolve the Hornsent summon-sign encounter if you want the rewards associated with helping Leda against him. Afterward, return to Leda and speak with her. This is a separate choice from the later Storehouse decision involving Ansbach: do not treat the two encounters as the same branch.

6. Complete Freyja and Ansbach’s item exchange

Do this before burning the Sealing Tree. PowerPyx’s route lays out the following sequence:

1. Exhaust Freyja’s dialogue at Three-Path Cross, then speak with her again at Storehouse, Seventh Floor.
2. Speak to Ansbach in Shadow Keep’s Storehouse and obtain the Secret Rite Scroll from Storehouse, Fourth Floor.
3. Give Ansbach the scroll. Tell him about Freyja’s decisions and exhaust his dialogue until you receive the Letter to Freyja.
4. Give the letter to Freyja at Storehouse, Seventh Floor.
5. If Ansbach remains in the Storehouse, return to him and pass on Freyja’s message.

7. At the Storehouse signs, choose Ansbach’s side to keep him as an ally

At the Storehouse summon signs, choose the golden sign to assist Ansbach. The red sign sides with Leda. PowerPyx says helping Ansbach here is required to summon him later; killing him fails his quest and removes that later assistance.

If the signs are not available, PowerPyx suggests exhausting Leda’s dialogue, defeating Messmer, then reloading the area or traveling around Shadow Keep. NPC triggers can be sensitive to quest progress, so check that you have completed the earlier dialogue and item steps before moving on.

8. Finish desired NPC quests before burning the Sealing Tree

Progress through Rauh to the Church of the Bud and defeat Messmer to obtain Messmer’s Kindling. Burning the Sealing Tree at the Church of the Bud is a point of no return for most unfinished NPC questlines, according to PowerPyx. Finish the Freyja–Ansbach exchange and any other side quests you want to complete before you burn it.

9. Reach Enir-Ilim and face Leda

After the Sealing Tree sequence, continue through Enir-Ilim to the confrontation with Leda and her allies. If you preserved Ansbach’s route, use his golden summon sign before the fight. PowerPyx also reports that Ansbach can be summoned for the final boss.

Which choice should you make?

What Ansbach rewards are reported?

PowerPyx reports that after the final boss, Ansbach drops Wise Man’s Mask, Ansbach’s Attire, Ansbach’s Manchettes, Ansbach’s Boots, Obsidian Lamina and Furious Blade of Ansbach. This is the outcome reported in its June 20, 2024 walkthrough; it has not been independently verified here.

Sources and version context

The route details and trigger advice here are drawn from PowerPyx’s Ansbach, Leda and Freyja walkthrough and PC Gamer’s Leda quest steps guide, both published June 20, 2024. Walkthrough outcomes are guide-reported rather than independently tested, and patches may affect NPC triggers.

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