Shadow of the Erdtree has a clear quest-focused cast, but no official source provides a complete census of every NPC, invader, summon, boss, or incidental character in the expansion. An independent quest guide identifies eleven named people in its core quest cast: Needle Knight Leda, Sir Ansbach, Moore, Thiollier, Redmane Freyja, Hornsent, Igon, Count Ymir, Jolan, Anna, and Dryleaf Dane. Use this as a practical quest roster, not a definitive count of every character in the DLC.
What counts as a confirmed NPC roster?
FromSoftware and Bandai Namco describe the expansion as Miquella’s story in the Land of Shadow, where a story not told in the Lands Between unfolds. Their official materials establish the premise, but do not list the DLC’s NPCs. The roster below therefore follows the quest-cast scope of an independent, fan-maintained guide, rather than claiming to include every named or temporary character.
The guide was updated September 11, 2026. That is the guide’s editorial update date, not an official certification by the game’s developers. Other guide listings mention additional figures, including Queelign and Hornsent Grandam, but the available evidence does not establish a definitive expanded list or consistent inclusion rules for every type of character.
Core quest NPCs and first-meeting locations
The locations in this table are the guide’s first-meeting areas; they are not guarantees that a character remains there as the story progresses.
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| NPC | First-meeting area | Quest connection |
|---|---|---|
| Needle Knight Leda | Main Gate Cross | De facto leader of Miquella’s followers; her questline is central to the DLC story, according to the guide. |
| Sir Ansbach | Main Gate Cross | A follower of Mohg whose quest thread is described by the guide as lore-rich. |
| Moore | Main Gate Cross | A follower characterized by the guide as gentle and mushroom-obsessed. |
| Thiollier | Pillar Path Cross | A follower of St. Trina, tied to the St. Trina story thread. |
| Redmane Freyja | Three-Path Cross | A Redmane soldier whose story connects back to Radahn. |
| Hornsent | Scaduview Cross | A native of the Realm of Shadow who offers a different perspective on the purge. |
| Igon | Jagged Peak approach | A dragon hunter; the guide notes that he can be summoned for the Bayle encounter. |
| Count Ymir | Cathedral of Manus Metyr | Connected to sorceries and a quest thread. |
| Jolan and Anna | Various | A paired quest thread that the guide says can yield a DLC-exclusive spirit ash. |
| Dryleaf Dane | Gravesite Plain | Teaches Hand-to-Hand Arts and appears in a spirit-ash-related duel. |
Jolan and Anna are two people, so the guide’s eleven named entries refer to eleven individuals even though they occupy ten table rows. The roster is useful for players looking for the central quest cast; it does not settle whether to count bosses, hostile invaders, summons, or brief dialogue characters as NPCs.
How to keep NPC quests moving
The guide describes Miquella’s Crosses as both Scadutree Fragment locations and places where NPCs gather. Characters can move between crosses as progression advances. Dialogue may unfold in stages, and sometimes speaking with one character prompts new dialogue with another. A later invasion also asks the player to choose a side, with different rewards and effects on subsequent dialogue.
For a quest-focused playthrough, the guide recommends a flexible revisit route rather than a fixed sequence:
- Speak with Leda, Ansbach, and Moore at Main Gate Cross.
- Revisit the crosses after progressing through Belurat and Castle Ensis.
- Check again around Shadow Keep, then exhaust conversations after Messmer.
- Before pushing toward Enir-Ilim, check optional NPC content and talk to characters again for newly available dialogue.
This is fan-guide advice, not a guarantee that every player’s quest states or exact sequence will be identical. Avoid killing NPCs or leaving conversations unfinished if you want to preserve opportunities to advance their quests; moving too quickly toward Enir-Ilim or skipping a cross can cut off interactions, according to the guide.
Expansion access and official collector’s contents
Shadow of the Erdtree requires the Elden Ring base game. Bandai Namco’s product information also documents an edition that includes both the base game and expansion. Its 2024 product details describe collector’s editions containing a Messmer the Impaler statue, a 40-page hardcover art book, and a digital soundtrack. Those details establish what was included in the documented editions, not current stock, price, regional availability, or a standalone art-book release.
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