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Elden Ring Guide

All NPC Questlines In Elden Ring

Elden Ring contains nearly 30 major NPC questlines, many of which unlock alternate endings, hidden regions, legendary rewards, Spirit Ashes...

4 min readUpdated Jun 2026Verified by GamiDev

Quick Answer

Elden Ring contains nearly 30 major NPC questlines, many of which unlock alternate endings, hidden regions, legendary rewards, Spirit Ashes, and important lore revelations.

Because the game has no quest tracker, several NPC storylines can permanently fail if you progress too far. The biggest point of no return happens after defeating the Fire Giant and activating the Forge of the Giants.

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How NPC Questlines Work In Elden Ring

Unlike traditional RPGs, Elden Ring does not use quest logs, map markers, or progression tracking for NPCs.

Characters naturally move throughout The Lands Between as the world state changes. Missing dialogue, skipping regions, or advancing the main story too quickly can permanently alter or fail certain questlines.

NPC quests reward far more than lore.

Many unlock:

  • Alternate endings
  • Secret regions
  • Legendary weapons
  • Spirit Ashes
  • Armor sets
  • Rune farming areas
  • Powerful talismans
  • Major bosses

Others mostly reward emotional devastation.

So basically, classic FromSoftware design.


⚠️ The Biggest Point Of No Return

While entering the Altus Plateau changes several NPC locations, the true major cutoff point happens after defeating the Fire Giant and using the Forge of the Giants.

Progressing beyond this stage can permanently break or end multiple questlines, including:

  • Brother Corhyn and Goldmask
  • Fia
  • Dung Eater
  • Several Roundtable Hold NPCs
  • Certain optional interactions tied to endings

Before progressing into late-game story content, it is highly recommended to finish any active NPC quests you care about.


Major Ending Questlines

These questlines directly unlock alternate endings for Elden Ring.

Ranni the Witch

One of the largest questlines in the entire game.

Unlocks:

  • Age of Stars ending

Key rewards:

  • Dark Moon Greatsword
  • Access to Nokron, Eternal City
  • Access to Lake of Rot

Fia, Deathbed Companion

Focuses on Godwyn, death, and Those Who Live In Death.

Unlocks:

  • Age of the Duskborn ending

Key rewards:

  • Mending Rune of the Death-Prince
  • Lichdragon Fortissax boss fight

Brother Corhyn And Goldmask

Explores the secrets of the Golden Order, Radagon, and Marika.

Unlocks:

  • Age of Order ending

Key rewards:

  • Mending Rune of Perfect Order
  • Radiant Gold Mask

Dung Eater

One of the darkest storylines in the game involving Seedbed Curses.

Unlocks:

  • Blessing of Despair ending

Key rewards:

  • Mending Rune of the Fell Curse
  • Omen Armor Set

Hyetta And Shabriri

Connected to the Frenzied Flame and the Three Fingers.

Unlocks:

  • Lord of Frenzied Flame ending

This path also permanently alters your ending unless reversed later through Millicent’s questline.


Essential Utility And Progression Questlines

These NPCs do not necessarily change the ending, but their rewards are incredibly valuable.

White Mask Varre

Primary utility:

  • Early access to Mohgwyn Palace
  • Fast rune farming area
  • DLC access preparation

Missable level:

  • Easy To Miss

Iron Fist Alexander

Primary utility:

  • Shard of Alexander talisman

One of the strongest talismans for weapon skill builds.

Missable level:

  • Moderately Missable

Millicent And Gowry

Primary utility:

  • Rotten Winged Sword Insignia
  • Frenzied Flame reversal option

Missable level:

  • Highly Missable

Latenna The Albinauric

Primary utility:

  • Latenna Spirit Ash
  • Guidance toward the Haligtree Secret Medallion

Missable level:

  • Highly Missable

Roderika

Primary utility:

  • Unlocks Spirit Tuning

One of the most important upgrade systems in the game.

Missable level:

  • Very Safe

Major Story Character Questlines

These characters are heavily tied to the world’s lore and progression.

Blaidd

Closely tied to Ranni’s storyline and the fate of the Shadowbound Beasts.

Nepheli Loux

Connected to:

  • Stormveil Castle
  • Kenneth Haight
  • Limgrave’s future leadership

Sorceress Sellen

Explores forbidden glintstone sorcery and ancient magic.

Eventually forces a choice involving Witch-Hunter Jerren.

Rogier

One of the earliest NPCs tied to the mystery of Godwyn and Deathroot.

D, Hunter of the Dead

Closely connected to Fia, death, and Those Who Live In Death.


Volcano Manor Questlines

Several NPC stories overlap inside Volcano Manor.

Tanith

Leads players through assassination contracts and eventually toward:

  • Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy

Rya

One of the game’s stranger and more emotional questlines involving the secrets of Volcano Manor.

Diallos

Eventually intersects with:

  • Jar Bairn
  • Jarburg

Patches

Unfortunately still alive and still causing problems.

As tradition demands.


Roundtable Hold Questlines

The Roundtable Hold acts as the central hub for many NPC stories.

Major characters here include:

  • Fia
  • Brother Corhyn
  • Roderika
  • Nepheli Loux
  • D
  • Rogier
  • Dung Eater

Several of these quests intertwine directly with the game’s endings and world lore.


Easy-To-Miss NPCs

Some NPCs are surprisingly hidden or easy to fail accidentally.

The most commonly missed include:

  • Jar Bairn
  • Latenna
  • Blackguard Big Boggart
  • Thops
  • Boc the Seamster
  • Warmaster Bernahl

Many NPCs relocate after:

  • Entering Altus Plateau
  • Defeating major bosses
  • Reaching late-game regions
  • Advancing ending questlines

Regularly revisiting earlier regions helps prevent missed progression.


Why NPC Questlines Matter

NPC quests are some of the most important content in Elden Ring because they explain huge portions of the game’s hidden lore while rewarding some of the strongest items in the entire game.

Without them, players miss:

  • Multiple endings
  • Secret regions
  • Legendary rewards
  • Major lore revelations
  • Several of the best bosses

And emotionally speaking, they also miss approximately 87 separate tragedies.

Step-by-Step

  1. Speak to every NPC multiple times
  2. Revisit old regions regularly
  3. Return to the Roundtable Hold often
  4. Explore optional areas before late-game progression
  5. Finish ending-related quests before the Forge of the Giants
  6. Avoid killing NPCs unless required
  7. Complete major quest hubs like Ranni, Fia, and Volcano Manor

Warnings

  • Defeating the Fire Giant and progressing the Forge of the Giants can permanently fail multiple questlines.
  • Several NPCs relocate after reaching the Altus Plateau.
  • Some quests overlap and can alter outcomes for other NPCs.
  • Missing dialogue is one of the easiest ways to accidentally break progression.

Rewards

  • Alternate endings
  • Legendary weapons
  • Spirit Ashes
  • Secret regions
  • Rune farming access
  • Unique armor sets
  • Lore discoveries
  • Major boss encounters

Tips

  • Exhaust all dialogue every time you meet an NPC.
  • If a character disappears, they usually moved instead of vanishing entirely.
  • Altus Plateau and the Forge of the Giants are the two biggest progression triggers for NPC movement.
  • If a FromSoftware NPC seems emotionally stable and happy, prepare yourself for that situation to change rapidly.

Related Guides

Story, Characters & Side Quests

Dung Eater Quest Walkthrough In Elden Ring

To complete the Dung Eater quest in Elden Ring, you must reach the Altus Plateau, collect at least one Seedbed Curse, free him from the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds, defeat his invasion in the outer moat of Leyndell, then feed him five total Seedbed Curses.

Finishing the quest rewards the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse, which unlocks one of the game’s alternate endings.

Story, Characters & Side Quests

Brother Corhyn And Goldmask Quest Walkthrough In Elden Ring

To complete the Brother Corhyn and Goldmask quest in Elden Ring, you must reach the Altus Plateau, introduce Corhyn to Goldmask, solve the Law of Regression puzzle in Leyndell, then continue their storyline through the Mountaintops of the Giants and the Capital of Ash.

Finishing the quest rewards the Mending Rune of Perfect Order, which unlocks one of the game’s alternate endings.

Story, Characters & Side Quests

How To Complete Irina’s Questline In Elden Ring

To complete Irina’s questline in Elden Ring, you must deliver her letter to Edgar inside Castle Morne, defeat the Leonine Misbegotten, then return to both NPCs before later encountering Edgar the Revenger in Liurnia.

The quest rewards several items including the Grafted Blade Greatsword, a Banished Knight’s Halberd +8, and a Shabriri Grape tied to another NPC storyline.

Story, Characters & Side Quests

All Required Bosses In Elden Ring

You only need to defeat around 10 mandatory bosses to finish the main story of Elden Ring. To access Leyndell, you must defeat any two major Shardbearers, though most players choose Godrick and Rennala.

For the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, only 5 bosses are technically required, including Messmer the Impaler and Promised Consort Radahn.

Bosses & Combat

How To Defeat Margit The Fell Omen In Elden Ring

To defeat Margit The Fell Omen in Elden Ring, you should ideally be around level 25 with a weapon upgraded to at least +3. Prioritize leveling Vigor, use Spirit Ashes like the Lone Wolves or Spirit Jellyfish, and summon Sorcerer Rogier outside the boss gate for extra pressure.

Margit is designed to punish panic rolling with delayed attacks, so wait until his weapon actually starts swinging before dodging. Bleed weapons like the Uchigatana or Reduva work extremely well and can remove huge chunks of his health quickly.

Bosses & Combat

How To Defeat Godrick The Grafted In Elden Ring

To defeat Godrick The Grafted in Elden Ring, you should be around level 35-40 with at least 20 Vigor and a weapon upgraded to +4 or higher. Use Nepheli Loux and Spirit Ashes to split his aggro while punishing his long recovery animations with jumping heavy attacks.

During Phase 1, roll into his axe swings instead of backward and jump over his earthquake shockwaves. In Phase 2, stay close during his fire breath attacks to avoid damage and punish him with free hits while he is locked into long animations.