The Best Side Quests In Elden Ring (2024)

Elden Ring is a rare example of an open-world game teeming with things to do in every corner of its sprawling and haunted world. For the most part, it's terrifying monsters that want to murder you in every conceivable way. But you will find the occasional friendly NPC that will add to your ever-increasing list of things to do in the game.

It can be tough to sort out what to do and what to skip if you're planning on skipping anything at all instead of just putting 90+ hours into this game. Regardless, let's break down some of the most interesting side quests you can embark upon based on interesting characters, stories, and great rewards you can receive.

Updated on July 11, 2024, by Alfredo Robelo: With the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, several new side quests have been added that expand the world of the Lands Between. We’ve updated this list to include a few new quests, as well as updating the information on the old quests.

16 Roderika

Upgrading Your Spirit Ashes

Roderika is one of the most useful allies for your adventure since even when you first meet her at the Stormhill Shack, she already gives you a Spirit Ash capable of poisoning enemies. Once you complete her quest, she’ll be at Roundtable Hold, and she’ll be the way you upgrade Spirit Ashes from now on.

Beyond her usefulness, Roderika’s story is about finding her own way through hardship, having lost all of her companions in Stormveil Castle. She forms a friendship with Smithing Master Hewg, but their ending is quite somber since it is implied that they die once you pick your ending.

15 Boc The Seamster

Altering Your Garments For Free

Boc can be very useful if you want to alter your armor often, since if he alters it for you, you don’t have to pay the 500 rune fee for doing it yourself. You can give him both the sewing needle and the gold sewing needle, letting him alter both normal armor and armor acquired from bosses.

His quest, like most other quests, ends tragically, but you can put some extra effort into giving Boc a happy ending. Once he makes it to Rennala, use the "You're Beautiful" Prattling Pate near him, stopping him from undergoing a fatal transformation and letting him be happy just the way he is.

14 Sorceress Sellen And Witch Hunter Jerren

You Can’t Do Both Quests

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This side quest will award you different items depending on whether you choose to side with Sellen or Jerren during the quest's climactic choice. This is a very complicated side quest as it involves finding multiple illusory walls to complete - definitely best done with a guide if you don't want to spend hours hacking away in random corners.

While you're free to choose whichever path you'd prefer, for story reasons, item reasons, or otherwise, the only way to get the armor sets for both characters (in a single playthrough) is to side with Sellen and kill Jerren.

13 Thops

The Mage Apprentice

Thops' side quest is a bittersweet story (mostly bitter, because that's Elden Ring) that'll get you access to some good spells if you're willing to venture into the weird corners you have to find to get this quest's key item.

Thops is an apprentice sorcerer who just wants to get back to his work researching the magical arts. This is why it is equal parts tragic and wonderful when you recover his key and get him access once again to the previously sealed academy, only to find him dead later at his desk, killed by who knows what. You should love the Thops's Barrier spell, though.

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10 Dung Eater

A Murderous Ending

Yes. His name really is the Dung Eater. And once you complete his side quest, you'll start taking him much more seriously than most do just after hearing his name alone. His side quest is one of the few ones that gives you a rune to unlock a secret ending.

You’ll have to find and deliver five Seedbed Curses to the Dung Eater, who will curse and threaten you the entire time. After giving him all five, you'll get a rune that unlocks a gritty ending, and you can obtain the Dung Eater's disgusting-looking armor set.

9 Corhyn And Goldmask

The Truth Of The Golden Order

Following Corhyn’s quest line will have you meeting Goldmask, and your interactions with these two characters will reveal a secret hidden at the heart of the Golden Order. This secret is also revealed to you at the final fight of the game, but having characters to discuss it with is worth going through the journey.

This isn’t the only thing revealed to you, however, since Goldmask finds a way to have a perfect Golden Order, one not based around a god but an ideal. This translates to one of the many endings to Elden Ring, one that, when you look closely, seems like one of the nicer endings to the game.

8 Patches

The Recurring Character

Patches makes a surprising return in Elden Ring, starting off as a boss fight but soon asking for mercy. Grant it, and you’ll be involved in a long quest chain filled with betrayal, teleporting traps, and NPC invasions that grant you the best armor sets in the game.

This is because you can “join” Patches on his journey to Volcano Manor, with his quest being intertwined with the invasion missions given by Tanith. She might even work as a love interest for Patches, a level of affection uncommon for him, but not unseen, if we consider Greirat from Dark Souls 3.

7 Igon

Curse You, Bayle!

In Shadow of the Erdtree, there is a path leading to the Jagged Peak filled with draconic dangers. As you climb, you’ll encounter Igon, a man who was nearly killed after his encounter with Bayle the Dread, one of the hardest boss fights of the DLC.

The intensity of Igon’s dialogue elevates this side quest from “alright” to “one of the greatest interactions of the game,” even if you don’t exchange too many words with Igon. Feel free to summon him during the Bayle fight, since his summon doesn’t buff Bayle or count towards the limit of summons you can have.

6 Lord Of Frenzied Flame

The Only Time Melina Chimes In

There are only two endings with a significant cutscene once you beat the game, and one of them is becoming the Lord of Frenzied Flame. This ending is arguably the most destructive one you can get, and that’s according to Melina, who threatens to leave your side if you go down that path.

Pursuing the Frenzied Flame really feels like delving into forbidden knowledge, since even Mohg tries to stop you, and the Outer God he follows isn’t exactly a patron of sunshine and rainbows. Even once you get to the door of the Flame, you’ll have to make sure you’re dressed appropriately, like a wretched one would.

5 Millicent

Malenia’s Bud

Millicent’s side quest has you trekking through the most dangerous places in the Lands Between, starting in Caelid and finishing at the Haligtree. Her story mirrors that of Malenia, and it is a great way to know how the Outer God of Rot affected the Empyrean and the suffering she had to endure.

This side quest is also the only way to get rid of the Flame of Frenzy’s influence, since once you’ve unlocked that ending, you are forced into it. Be warned, however, that beyond completing Millicent’s questline, you’ll also have to defeat Malenia, the hardest boss of the base game.

4 Fia

For Those Who Live In Death

Fia is a mysterious character who offers hugs in the Roundtable Hold, but she has more to do with death than comfort. This is because her goal is to make a world where those who live in death (like skeletons) can thrive, without being persecuted for what they are.

To achieve this, she’ll task you with finding the two halves of the Cursemak of Death, which ties into the lore of the demigods and the death of one of them, Godwyn the Golden. Even if you don’t want to do her ending, the whole questline explains a lot of how the world works and introduces you to Ranni, one of the most interesting characters in the game.

3 Ranni The Witch

A Soul In A Doll’s Body

Ranni’s quest is the longest and most involved story from the base game, having you meet several characters and leading to an exclusive ending. Through her, you can learn a lot about the demigods, since Ranni is the only one you can meet that doesn’t attack you on sight.

Ranni is involved in some of the darkest secrets of the game, but she’s also the only one that offers a real alternative to the status quo, leaving fans unsure if her ending is good or evil. If you’re not interested in the story, then the rewards you can get on the way might entice you, like the Moonlight Greatsword or the Mimic Tear Spirit Ash.

2 Count Ymir

The Truth Behind The Fingers

Count Ymir is an NPC you can meet in the DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, and his story unveils a lot of what was broken with the Golden Order. Following his indications will have you learn plenty about Marika, and how the Fingers were never a real guidance of Grace.

He also hides plenty of challenges, like a special boss fight that can only be accessed after helping him with ringing some bells. It is better if you do his quest sooner than later, since, if you find his boss fight too late into the DLC, you might stomp the fight before it becomes a real challenge.

1 Needle Knight Leda

Loyal To Miquella The Kind

Needle Knight Leda is the main NPC in Shadow of the Erdtree, guiding you toward your fateful encounter with Miquella. Her quest touches many others, with most of the characters you meet being related to Leda and her final fight.

How that final fight develops is what makes Leda’s quest unique, since it becomes a melting pot of interactions leading to a confrontation between multiple characters. If you complete the quest of every character, you’ll end up with a huge encounter between you, Leda, and up to 6 other characters.