Elden Ring Ranni Questline Guide: All Locations and Steps to Unlock the Age of Stars

Ranni the Witch is a central figure in Elden Ring, with a sprawling story that feels like a campaign within the game itself. Completing her questline is essential to obtain the powerful Dark Moon Greatsword and unlock what many players consider the best ending. This guide will provide a complete walkthrough, including hidden details and lore you might otherwise miss.

Finding Ranni at the Church of Elleh

As soon as you get your horse, Torrent, make your way to the Church of Elleh in Limgrave. If you visit at night, you’ll meet Renna, a blue spirit who will give you the Spirit Calling Bell and Lone Wolf Ashes – these are really helpful when you’re starting out. Don’t worry if you miss her; you can purchase both items later from the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold.

Entering Caria Manor and Meeting the Three Sisters

After you’ve made some progress in the game, you’ll want to travel to the far northwest of Liurnia of the Lakes to find Caria Manor. It’s recommended to be around level 50 before attempting this area, as the enemies there—especially the crawling hands—are very challenging. You’ll need to fight your way through the manor until you reach and defeat Royal Knight Loretta. Once she’s down, you can exit through the back and enter an area known as the Three Sisters.

Okay, so I finally made it to the top of Ranni’s Rise, that middle tower, and talked to Ranni herself! It was a big moment – she actually told me her name is Ranni, which was cool. Then she asked me to become one of her followers, and you have to say yes to start her questline. But before I could even leave the tower, I had to go down and talk to all three of her buddies first.

Iji the Giant Smith
Blaidd the Half-Wolf
Seluvis the Sorcerer

The Hunt for the Eternal City of Nokron

Ranni needs a special item from the hidden city of Nokron, but it’s currently sealed off. I went to the Siofra River to find Blaidd, hoping he knew how to get in, but he was clueless. This begins a quest where you have to visit Seluvis in his tower, who then directs you to Sorceress Sellen in Limgrave.

Sellen explains that Ranni’s destiny is linked to the stars, but General Radahn is preventing them from moving. If you’ve already defeated Radahn, you can skip ahead to the crash site. Otherwise, you’ll need to go to Redmane Castle in Caelid and begin the festival. If you’re struggling with Radahn, check out our Radahn Cheese Strategy guide for some helpful tips.

Descent into the Starfall Crater

After you beat Radahn, a star actually crashes into Limgrave, creating a noticeable crater. I discovered it just south of the Mistwood. Look for floating rocks – they’ll guide you to the way down. It’s worth knowing the game world is built on a grid system, and this crater is a key area for moving forward. Be cautious when jumping in! I found that sticking to the eastern side of the crater is crucial – random jumps will likely result in instant death before you even land.

After entering, you’ll arrive in Nokron, the Eternal City. Your objective is to get to Night’s Sacred Ground. Starting from the Ancestral Woods Site of Grace, I found a quick way through by riding Torrent onto a particular rock and then jumping twice onto a rooftop, allowing me to bypass many enemies. At the end of this section, you’ll discover the Fingerslayer Blade inside a chest beneath a giant skeleton.

Using the Carian Inverted Statue

I returned the blade to Ranni, and she rewarded me with the Carian Inverted Statue. This statue needs to be taken to the Carian Study Hall in Liurnia. When placed on its pedestal, it completely flips the building upside down. I then fought my way to what was originally the bottom, but is now the top, to reach the Divine Tower of Liurnia. At the very top, I found the Cursemark of Death on Ranni’s old body.

Need to change your character’s stats before a difficult part of the game? You can reset them by using the Great Rune of the Unborn – just talk to Rennala at the Academy.

Meeting the Miniature Ranni Doll

Once I obtained the Cursemark, I went to Renna’s Rise, the tower north of Ranni’s. The magical seal blocking the tower is now removed, and a teleporter has appeared at the top. This teleporter will take you to the Ainsel River Main area. As soon as you arrive, you’ll find a small Ranni doll lying next to a corpse directly in front of you.

Resting at a Site of Grace, I saw I could interact with the doll. It took a few attempts, but it finally responded! I discovered that Ranni is concealed within the doll, hiding from those who want to harm her. She then asks for my help with a new task: tracking down and defeating the Baleful Shadow.

Defeating the Baleful Shadow and the Discarded Palace Key

I journeyed along the river through Nokstella, Eternal City, and eventually found an elevator leading down to the Waterfall Basin. Deeper in the tunnel, I encountered the Baleful Shadow – a tough enemy that resembles Blaidd and packs a powerful punch. With the 1.10 update, they actually made him more resistant to being staggered, making the fight even more challenging.

After defeating him, Ranni gave me a special key – the Discarded Palace Key. I rushed back to Raya Lucaria Grand Library to find Rennala, and used the key to open a locked chest behind her, which contained the Dark Moon Ring.

Surviving the Lake of Rot Puzzle

Let’s talk about the Lake of Rot – it’s notoriously difficult! Be sure to stock up on Preserving Boluses. The area is built on a hidden mechanical structure with four large pillars. To get across, I had to quickly run through the poisonous liquid and activate floor switches, which raised platforms and created a safe route.

The Lake of Rot has a peculiar glow, and some believe it’s connected to the Nox, who supposedly used the still water to reflect the moon. When they built a dam, the water stopped flowing and became stagnant – and in this world, stagnation leads to decay. For PC players, update 1.16 fixed visual issues in the lake that were causing performance problems and even incorrect cheat detections.

Battling Astel and Reaching the Moonlight Altar

I discovered a coffin near a waterfall at the lake’s end. Climbing inside transported me to the arena of Astel, Naturalborn of the Void. While challenging, defeating Astel rewards players with a substantial 80,000 runes in a typical playthrough.

Once I won the battle, I took an elevator behind the arena to reach the Moonlight Altar, a high-up area in Liurnia that’s otherwise inaccessible. From there, I went northeast to the Cathedral of Manus Celes. Inside, I found a hole in the floor and dropped down, which led me to Ranni’s true body. After placing the Dark Moon Ring on her finger, she declared me her consort and rewarded me with the Dark Moon Greatsword.

Optimizing the Dark Moon Greatsword Damage

I’ve analyzed the sword’s stats, and it’s surprisingly powerful – much more so than many players think. Here’s a breakdown of the numbers you need to maximize its potential and make it incredibly effective.

Scaling: At +10 reinforcement, the Intelligence scaling jumps to a B grade, which gives you a 126 percent bonus to your base magic damage.
Motion Values: In Patch 1.12, the second one handed light attack was nerfed to a motion value of 68, meaning it only does 68 percent of your attack power. Because of this, I always suggest using the weapon skill instead of basic swings.
The Damage Formula: You can calculate your projectile damage using D_proj = (AR_magic × M_upgrade) × (1 + Σ B_active). If you stack things like the Magic Scorpion Charm and the Godfrey Icon, you can hit for over 3000 damage per shot.

The Age of Stars and Nightreign Lore

Once you defeat the last boss, a blue sign will appear on the ground. Interacting with this sign unlocks the Age of Stars ending. Many players have been discussing how this ending might relate to the events of the game Nightreign and its alternate timeline.

In this world, the Night is a destructive force that erases the past. By following Ranni’s path, you’re allowing her to control it. Unlike the complete annihilation caused by Heolstor, Ranni shapes the Night into a new Age of Stars, freeing the world from the Greater Will’s control while preserving it. This is a far more optimistic ending than what would otherwise happen.

2026-04-16 01:42