Leda questline guide - Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree

Looking for a walkthrough of the Needle Knight Leda quest in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree? Needle Knight Leda is a dedicated follower of Miquella in Shadow Of The Erdtree. So much so, that she plays a primary role in guiding the Tarnished through the Land of Shadow, following Kindly Miquella's footsteps in the correct progression order.

Leda has a group of allies. Naturally, this means she has the largest, most complex quest that spans across multiple NPC questlines too. Read our full rundown of Leda's quest in Elden Ring to make sure you don't miss out on important Leda questline steps and to make informed decisions about choices like 'assist Leda or Hornsent' 'assist Ansbach or Leda' with all outcomes and rewards listed.

Elden Ring Leda questline steps

Below is a summary of the key Leda quest steps in Shadow Of The Erdtree. We recommend seeing our full explanation for each stage below this, however, as this is a quest with many winding paths and will take you throughout the DLC, right to the last boss. We also have a full summary section which details which NPCs will side with or against you in the penultimate fight of the DLC.

Here are the key steps for Leda's questline in Elden Ring:

1. Speak to Leda in Mohgwyn Palace and touch the withered arm as instructed.
2. Optional: Pick up the note from Leda inside Belurat, Tower Settlement (beyond the Divine Beast Dancing Lion boss arena).
3. Travel to Scadu Altus either via the Fort of Reprimand route or through Castle Ensis.
4. Optional: Pick up the note from Leda at the Castle Ensis Checkpoint Site Of Grace.
5. Optional: Summon Leda or Dryleaf Dane for the boss of Castle Ensis, Rellana, Twin Moon Knight.
6. Meet with Leda again, this time at the Highroad Cross Site Of Grace in Scadu Altus.
7. Break Miquella's charm.
8. Speak to Leda at the Highroad Cross and choose either Hornsent or Thiollier.
9. Within the Shadow Keep, choose from gold and red summoning signs to either aid Hornsent or Leda in their fight.
10. Defeat Messmer.
11. Speak again to Leda at the Highroad Cross. Otherwise, her quest will pause here if you choose to assist Hornsent and will continue in Enir-Ilim.
12. Find the Secret Rite Scroll and deliver it to Ansbach within the Specimen Storehouse (first floor) of the Shadow Keep.
13. Aid either Ansbach or Leda. Choose from the summoning signs in Ansbach's room at the Shadow Keep.
14. Progress through the main story and reach Enir-Ilim. To do so, travel to the Church of the Bud in the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, beat the boss there (Romina, Saint of the Bud) and use Messmer's fire on the Sealing Tree.
15. After burning the tree beyond the church and travelling to Enir-Ilim, advance to the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom Site Of Grace.
16. Fight Leda and her allies. The enemies and summons available to you will depend on the choices you have made so far. See our final fight section for more details.

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How to start the Knight Leda quest in Shadow Of The Erdtree

As mentioned above, Leda is the very first NPC you'll encounter in the Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC. She is a Knight of Miquella and a staunch loyalist who promises to offer you aid in the Land of Shadow if you follow the footsteps of Kindly Miquella.

This promise does come to fruition as Leda acts as something of a guide, offering clues as to where you need to go to progress the main quest of finding Miquella.

After touching the withered arm in Mohgwyn Palace, feel free to explore the Gravesite Plain and the first major legacy dungeon, Belurat, Tower Settlement. At the top will be the first boss of the game, the Divine Beast Dancing Lion. Once defeated, take the lift to the top of the tower and you'll find a note left behind by Leda and her followers, instructing you that they have headed to The Shadow Keep in Scadu Altus. This is your next destination.

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How to get to Scadu Altus

There are two major ways to enter the Scadu Altus region. The first is to make your way to Castle Ensis in the eastern region of the Gravesite Plain. The second is to travel via the southeastern road from the Castle Front Site Of Grace and take a few Spiritsprings from below the Fort of Reprimand.

If you choose Castle Ensis, there will be a letter from Leda at the Castle Ensis Checkpoint Site Of Grace, which explains that the tower of shadow is locked behind shadowy branches. To expel the branches and reach Miquella, you'll need to go to the ruins beyond the Shadow Keep and 'burn the tree that seals the path'.

In short, the way forward and the next time you meet Leda will be at the Highroad Cross Site Of Grace in Scadu Altus. To progress through Castle Ensis you'll need to defeat Rellana, Twin Moon Knight. For this fight, you can summon either Leda or Dryleaf Dane to assist you.

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Meet Leda at the Highroad Cross

After travelling to the Highroad Cross Site Of Grace, Leda will explain that Miquella has placed a charm on her fellow travellers which has allowed them to serve Miquella together and quelled any friction amongst them.

Here, you can pick up the 'Monk's Missive' and 'May the Best Win' gesture (which you'll need later on to gain Hand-to-Hand Arts, a new weapon type). You can also converse with both Leda and Hornsent and ask Leda about Hornsent and his people:

Long ago, Queen Marika commanded Sir Messmer to purge the tower folk. A cleansing by fire. It's no wonder the hornsent holds the Erdtree in contempt.

You can gain additional dialogue about Dryleaf Dane after advancing his questline and meeting him at Moorth Ruins. Upon returning to Leda, she will suggest that Dane has followed Miquella for longer than even she has.

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How to break Miquella's charm

Now, to progress Leda's quest in Shadow Of The Erdtree you must break Miquella's charm. This will subsequently move along most of the other NPCs' quests, so make sure you're ready to do so first and consult our hub guide full of all NPC questlines for more info to make sure you haven't been locked out of anything. To break Miquella's charm, travel to one of the following areas for the first time:

• The Shadow Keep.
• Rauh Base.
• Eastern Scadu Altus (beyond Bonny Village).

You'll know when the charm has broken when you hear a shattering sound and receive the following notification:

Somewhere, a great rune has broken...

And so too has a powerful charm.

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Hornsent or Thiollier?

After breaking the charm, return to Leda at the Highroad Cross Site Of Grace. She will confirm that Miquella's charm has broken, and whilst her devotion to the god remains unchanged, she becomes paranoid as to whether her comrades feel the same devotion to Miquella or not.

She resolves to 'weed out' the non-believers and asks you who she should target first. Here you can suggest the following options:

Beware from this point on story spoilers concerning Leda, various other NPCs and quest outcomes.

• Suggest Thiollier: Leda will consider this and determine that Thiollier is no threat to Miquella due to his love for St Trina. She asks you to pick again, leaving the Hornsent as the next object of pursuit. This leaves you free to pursue Thiollier's questline if you wish.
• Suggest the hornsent: Leda will require time to consider this. Rest at a Site Of Grace and speak to her again. She agrees to pursue the Hornsent at the Shadow Keep and after another rest, both NPCs will disappear from this Site Of Grace.
• Make no suggestion: Temporarily pause making a desicion and come back later. If you wait too long, Leda will choose to pursue Hornsent at the Shadow Keep anyway.

Whichever option you choose, Leda will ultimately target and follow Hornsent to The Shadow Keep. Depending on your next few choices it is possible, however, to keep him alive.

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Assist Hornsent or Leda?

True to their word, both Hornsent and Leda will move to the Shadow Keep. Specifically, you'll want to travel to the map location above. There will be two summon signs in the eastern corner above the large stone incline. This is located opposite the stairs with the patroling Messmer soldier which leads to the large lift, right before the Specimen Storehouse.

There are a few possible outcomes depending on what you choose here:

• Assist Leda: Hornsent will die, ending his story here. Upon speaking to Leda at the Highroad Cross afterwards, she will decide that Ansbach needs culling too. You'll receive the Lacerating Crossed-Tree Talisman which enhances dash attacks. You'll also receive Hornsent's gear, the Falx curved sword, Caterpillar Mask, Braided Cord Robe, Braided Arm Wraps and Soiled Loincloth.
• Assist Hornsent: Leda will die temporarily and you'll receive Leda's Rune (worth 40,000 Runes) and Leda's Spirit Ashes (Swift Slash). The next section regarding Ansbach will skip and you'll next see her at the Enir-Ilim fight at the end of this questline. You'll receive Hornsent as an optional summon for the Messmer boss fight.
• Do nothing and ignore the signs: Hornsent survives and becomes an optional summon for the Messmer boss fight. Upon returning to Leda at the Highroad Cross, she expresses that the Hornsent is no longer a threat and she will move on to another quarry - Ansbach.

If you sided with Hornsent or avoided making a choice, after killing Messmer Hornsent is somewhat driven to madness and decides that his vengeance has yet to be quelled. He decides to target the rest of Marika's offspring and says:

Now comes the piper to collect from Marika, her offspring, and all the Erdtree's denizens.

The next time you'll see him will be at the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, where he will invade and you'll have to kill him (earning his gear in the process). You can avoid this confrontation and keep him alive, however, if you discover the Ancient Ruins of Rauh before defeating Messmer at The Shadow Keep.

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Progress Ansbach's quest

To progress this quest (if you sided with Leda or ignored the above choice), you must next speak to Ansbach in the Specimen Storehouse (first floor, Shadow Keep) and assist him. This involves the following steps:

1. Speak to Ansbach from within his room on the Storehouse's first floor. (From the Storehouse First Floor Site Of Grace, walk around the large specimen to the left, continue up the stairs then take another left. Turn left around the bookshelves and then take a right into a little room where Ansbach is studying).
2. Progress up the Storeroom until you discover the Storehouse, Fourth Floor Site Of Grace.
3. From the Storehouse, Fourth Floor Site Of Grace, turn left at the balcony and go up the stairs.
4. Continue up the next flight of stairs, past the patrolling Messmer soldier.
5. Take the stairs downwards to the left. Take a right into a room overlooking more specimens.
6. Inside this room, to the back-right corner will be a desk and lootable item. This is the Secret Rite Scroll.
7. Continue through the Specimen Storhouse until you reach Freyja on the seventh floor. Speak to her.
8. Return to Ansbach with the Secret Rite Scroll.
9. Ansbach will relate the information to you from the scroll. Essentially, Miquella plans to use Mohg's corpse to resurrect Radahn and make him his king consort and in doing so, abandon Mohg's soul. Understandably, Ansbach is upset by this.
10. Rest at a Site Of Grace and return to Ansbach, he will give you a letter to pass onto Freyja (if you have also spoken to Freyja in the Specimen Storehouse).
11. Choose whether you wish to give the letter to Freyja. She is located at the Storehouse, Seventh Floor Site Of Grace. If you give it to her, she will fight against you in a future fight, meaning you will receive her armor and Greatsword. If you withhold the letter she will not fight you but will disappear from the Shadow Keep once you discover Enir-Ilim. See our Freyja questline walkthrough for more information.
12. Rest again and speak with Leda at the Highroad Cross where she will confirm that Ansbach is her next target.

Note: Make sure you speak to Freyja on the 7th floor before giving the Secret Rite scroll to Ansbach. Otherwise, the only way to obtain the 'Letter to Freyja' quest item is by siding with Leda against Ansbach and killing him. More on this below.

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Assist Ansbach or Leda?

After completing these steps and resting at a Site Of Grace, Ansbach will no longer be in his usual room. Instead, there will be two summon signs to choose from - either to help Leda or Ansbach. These are the following outcomes depending on what you choose:

• Assist Leda: Ansbach dies, you'll get Ansbach's Longbow, Wise Man's Mask, Ansbach's Attire, Ansbach's Manchettes and Ansbach's Boots. Leda will disappear from the map for now. You'll receive the Noble Sanguine Nataan as an optional summon in an upcoming fight and the Retaliatory Crossed-Tree Talisman which enhances attacks executed after rolling or backstepping.
• Assist Ansbach: Leda dies temporarily and you'll receive Leda's Rune (worth 40,000 Runes) and Ansbach's Longbow. Ansbach will be a summonable aid in two upcoming fights (one of these is the final boss of the DLC). After the last boss, if you summoned Ansbach, you'll get the gear mentioned above as well as the Obsidian Lamina and Furious Blade of Ansbach.
• Skip the fight: If you choose to ignore the fight altogether, Ansbach will survive and he will be available as a summon for the Enir-Ilim fight.

Whichever option you choose will ultimately affect your next encounter with these NPCs. To get to this point, you need to advance to Enir-Ilim. This will take a fair bit of progression as this is ultimately where Miquella is located.

To access this area beyond the Belurat, Tower Settlement, you need to travel to the Church of the Bud within the Ancient Ruins of Rauh and defeat Romina, Saint of the Bud. Afterwards, light the Sealing Tree beyond with Messmer's fire. Then, you'll be transported to Enir-Ilim where you'll need to progress and climb the tower until you discover the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom Site Of Grace (see the map image above).

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Leda fight in Enir-Ilim

Upon discovering the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom Site Of Grace in Enir-Ilim, advance to the next room and Leda will appear. She has come to the realisation that your efforts to find Minquella aren't the same as hers and that you have come to challenge him for power. She cannot accept this so she initiates a fight to stop you.

The choices you have made so far will determine who appears in the fight and whether they will fight with or against you. These are the following possibilities:

NPC	Ally or enemy?	Reason
Leda	Enemy	Regardless of your choices, Leda will always turn against you at Enir-Ilim.
Dryleaf Dane	Enemy	Regardless of your choices, Dryleaf Dane will always turn against you at Enir-Ilim.
Hornsent	Enemy	He will fight against you at Enir-Ilim if you did not summon him for the Messmer fight and/or you killed his invader form in Rauh.
Moore	Enemy	If you tell Moore to 'put it behind you' during his questline he will fight against you at Enir-Ilim. Tell him to 'remain sad forever' to eliminate him early.
Redmane Freyja	Enemy	If you delivered Ansbach's letter to her before the Enir-Ilim fight.
Ansbach	Ally	If you sided with him against Leda and delivered the Secret Rite Scroll to him.
Thiollier	Ally	If you delivered St. Trina's message to him before the Enir-Ilim fight.
Noble Sanguine Nataan	Ally	If you sided with Leda both times.

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Leda's Armor, Oathseeker Knight Set and more rewards

After this fight, you should receive Leda's Sword and 300,000 Runes, plus whatever you loot from the surrounding corpses. We got Freyja and Dryleaf Dane's weapons and armor (having already acquired Moore's earlier on in our playthrough). Don't forget to also loot Leda's body to the right of the archway to get her armor.

Leda's Armor is actually an upgraded version of the Oathseeker Knight set. This means it has a buff to attacks performed after a dodge, roll, backstep, or dash. With a weight of 10.6, it is a good option for players that want to remain light on their feet.

Now that most of Miquella's followers are dead, that just leaves the god himself. You can continue through Enir-Ilim to face him. Depending on your choices, you may recieve a summon to help you take him on.

If you sided with Ansbach against Leda he will be available as a summon. After the fight you can gain his equipment along with the Obsidian Lamina and Furious Blade of Ansbach.

If you completed Thiollier's questline before advancing through Enir-Ilim (and relayed St. Trina's message to him), he may join you as a summon against Miquella. Afterwards, you can retrieve his gear along with Thiollier's Hidden Needle.

This concludes Leda's questline in Shadow Of The Erdtree.

That's all for Leda's quest in Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree. For more Elden Ring tips and tricks, check out our guide to the best early weapons in Shadow Of The Erdtree to get you started. Or, if you're further along in the DLC, see our best weapons guide that goes through the best of the bunch. Be sure to also check out our Map Fragment locations guide to help you access and uncover every region in the DLC and see our boss locations guide so you won't miss a single one.