How to complete the Ranni quest in Elden Ring

Wondering how to complete the Elden Ring Ranni quest? This is one of the coolest plotlines in the whole game—a personal story that focuses around a set of characters and their motivations, while also letting you explore some beautiful underground locations, and get a great weapon in the bargain.

You'll first encounter Ranni when she gives you the Elden Ring Spirit Calling Bell, though she'll call herself Renna during this encounter, and she's a pretty mysterious NPC. She claims you'll never see her again, but if you head to Ranni's Rise in Liurnia, you can start her quest and help her out. In this Elden Ring Ranni quest guide, we'll walk you through every step. As with every FromSoftware NPC quest, there might multiple ways of approaching this, but this is what worked for us.

This walkthrough contains a good deal of story spoilers in relation to secret locations and Ranni, so avoid if you want to experience that stuff yourself. 

Elden Ring Ranni quest summary

Below is a broad summary of the key steps to Ranni's quest, but lower down we'll explain in more detail:

• Meet Ranni in Ranni's Rise at Caria Manor
• Meet Blaid in Siofra River
• Talk to Seluvis to get his letter of introduction for Selen
• Talk to Selen to find out about Radahn
• Talk to Blaidd about Radahn
• Head to Redmane Castle
• Defeat Radahn to free the stars
• Head to East Limgrave and down into the star crater
• Head to the centre of Nokron to get the Finger Slayer Blade
• Return and give the blade to Ranni
• Head to Renna's Rise and go through the portal
• Collect the Miniature Ranni Doll and talk to it at a grace until it speaks
• Defeat the shade of Blaidd near the Rot Lake to get the key
• Head to the Raya Lucaria Grand Library to open the chest and get the ring
• Head across Rot Lake and descend the ledges to climb inside the coffin
• Defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void
• Head into the Cathedral of Manus Celes and down through the hole
• Put the ring on Ranni's finger
• Claim the Darkmoon Greatsword

How to start

How to begin the Ranni quest 

First, head to the Caria Manor in the northern part of West Liurnia. On your way up the road, be sure to talk to the giant blacksmith, Iji, since he'll become relevant later. Head inside the manor and make your way through it, watching out for those horrific hand monsters. After the Troll Knight on the stairs, you'll come to a big room with a pool surrounded by chairs—an Elden Ring boss setup if ever we saw one. 

This is where you'll fight Loretta, and she's a tricky boss, with an arsenal of sorceries, and a sickle that has a nasty reach from the back of her horse. Take the time to beat her yourself or use Elden Ring Spirit Ashes, before heading out into the garden. There are three towers up here: Renna's Rise, Ranni's Rise, and Seluvis' Rise. Make your way to middle tower, Ranni's Rise.

Head to the top and talk to Ranni to start the search for the lost city of Nokron. After that, go back downstairs to chat to the other members of your merry little band. Blaidd, the Elden Ring wolf man, will tell you he's heading to Siofra River to look for Nokron and to meet him there.

How to find Nokron

How to find Nokron in Elden Ring

Make your way to Siofra River through the Siofra River Well in the Mistwoods of East Limgrave. You'll find Blaidd further inside the underground region  Talk to him, and he'll explain that he can see Nokron up above, but can't find a way to get there. Follow these steps:

• Head to Iji on the road up to the manor to talk about Nokron, Blaidd, and Rena.
• Go to Seluvis' Rise to get the potion for Nepheli, then to ask about Nokron. Seluvis will give you a letter of introduction to Sorcerer Selen.
• Make your way to the Waypoint Ruins of East Limgrave, south along the road from the Agheel Lake North Site of Grace. 
• Defeat Mad Pumpkin Head in the basement to unlock Selen and give her the letter. She'll tell you to kill Radahn.
• Head back to Blaidd to tell him what she said about Radahn, and he'll mention the festival of combat at Redmane Castle, and tell you to meet him there.

Starscourge Radahn tips

Defeating Starscourge Radahn

Now for the hard part. Head to the fort at the most southeasterly point of Caelid: Redmane Castle. Sprint past the defences with Torrent, your Elden Ring mount, and jump around to the right past the troll at the gate to sneak in. You'll eventually come to the Chamber Outside the Plaza Site of Grace. Good news is, by doing this quest, you've actually skipped a pretty horrible boss. In the next chamber where that boss should've been, are the contestants for the festival, including Blaidd and Alexander, The Iron Hand. 

Head up and talk to the announcer, then use the lift, and the portal to enter the boss. Starscourge Radahn is a horrible boss to fight, but here are some tips:

• Don't summon, since this fight is far easier on horseback.
• Summon NPCs throughout the fight using the signs that will reappear when they die.
• Let the NPCs bring Radahn into melee while you dodge his ranged attacks at a distance. This will prevent him using his basically undodgeable rain-of-arrows attack.
• The best option is to chip away at Radahn from a distance using sorcery or poison.
• For those using melee, wait for his combos to end, then sprint in with Torrent to charge attack his rear and horse. To maximise the power of your attacks, I definitely suggest using some talismans such as the Lance Talisman, Axe Talisman, or the Blue Dancer Charm.
• Watch out for his second phase where he'll return as a flaming meteor. He'll summon four asteroids around him, and when he runs away from you, he's going to fire them. Stay near the ridge crest, and you can use the hill to block them.                                        

Once Radahn is dead, the stars will return, and one will fall to earth in East Limgrave.

Exploring Nokron and Nokstella

Exploring Nokron and Nokstella

Head to the south section of East Limgrave and you'll spot a load of floating rubble and a crater. Go through the crater to enter Nokron, Eternal City. Progress through the area, past the Mimic Tear boss, and into the forest with the ancestral warriors. Find this Site of Grace: it lets you access the Night's Sacred Ground by jumping across rooftops. In the centre of this area, below the giant finger reader sitting on the throne, you'll find the Finger Slayer Blade in a chest. 

Give the blade to Renna back at Renna's Rise and she'll give you the Carian Inverted Statue that unlocks the Carian Study. If you want to know where Blaidd went, talk to Iji. 

It may not unlock right away, but now head to Renna's Rise and through the portal into Ainsel River. Nearby you'll find the Miniature Ranni. Take her to a grace and talk to her until she replies. Tiny Ranni will tell you to head into Nokstella to kill some shades. If you talk to her at graces along the way, she'll explain her story.

Make your way under the shooty stone bug, and through Nokstella until you descend an elevator into a garden with ant-riding Nox monks. Head right to find another elevator that leads down to the Nokstella Waterfall Basin grace. Sprint past the Basilisks to find yourself invaded by Blaidd. Kill him and Ranni will thank you, giving you the Discarded Palace Key. Head to the Raya Lucaria Grand Library where you fought Rennala and open the chest to find the Dark Moon Ring.

Lake of Rot and Astel, Naturalborn of the Void

Lake of Rot and Astel, Naturalborn of the Void

From where you fought Blaidd, head down into the Lake of Rot. You can stand on the switches to make platforms appear, but I recommend beelining straight towards the giant doorway on the right side if you have enough flasks to stay alive. There's a grace just beyond the doorway. Using the nearby ledges, descend to where the Pests are gathered below. Don't head towards the room at the end, but go right to the stone coffin by the waterfall. Climb in.

This will start a cutscene, and you'll find yourself outside a fog door. Astel, Naturalborn of the Void is like something directly out of Bloodborne, a cosmic nightmare scorpion who has array of AoE attacks. Your best bet is to smack him in the face with jumping attacks when you can to stagger him, while remaining aware of his AoEs, and his grabs with his pincers. Once he's dead, carry on and up the elevator.

The Moonlight Altar

The Moonlight Altar

You're finally here! The end of the road. Head up from the elevator to the big cathedral you can see. A dragon boss will spawn that you can fight, but if you'd prefer not to, just run inside. In the centre of the Cathedral of Manus Celes, there is a hole in the floor you can descend through. Inside you'll find Ranni and some very dead fingers. Slip the Dark Moon Ring onto her finger. She'll thank you for becoming her champion, and after she disappears, the Darkmoon Greatsword will appear in front of you. And that's how to complete Ranni's quest in Elden Ring.

Epilogue

So, what happened to Blaidd?

If you're interested in where Blaidd went, head back to Ranni's Rise to find the wolf man. It's also worth going to talk to Iji afterwards, for an epilogue to the quest.