Ranni the Witch Questline Walkthrough: The Path to the Age of Stars

Among the many sprawling and often cryptic questlines in Elden Ring, the journey with Ranni the Witch stands out as one of the most significant. It is a long, multi-stage narrative that weaves through some of the Lands Between’s most mysterious and beautiful locations. Completing her quest is essential not only for a deeper understanding of the game’s lore but also for unlocking the coveted Age of Stars ending and a legendary armament. This guide will walk you through every critical step, ensuring you don’t miss a single beat on your path to becoming the consort to the Lunar Princess.

Before you begin, a few notes: Ranni’s quest is heavily interconnected with other NPC storylines, particularly those of Blaidd and Seluvis. While you don’t need to complete every single side quest, some steps are mandatory. Be aware that progress in Ranni’s quest can lock you out of other quests, so plan your playthrough accordingly. The quest spans a massive portion of the game, so be prepared for a long and rewarding journey.

Part 1: Meeting Ranni and Entering Her Service

• Initial Encounter: If you haven’t already, you can first meet Ranni at the Church of Elleh in Limgrave at night. She will be sitting on a ruined wall and will introduce herself as “Renna.” She will give you the Spirit Calling Bell and the Lone Wolf Ashes. If you miss this encounter, you can purchase the bell from the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold.
• The Three Sisters: Your true journey with Ranni begins at Ranni’s Rise, the middle tower in the Three Sisters region west of Caria Manor. To reach this area, you must first defeat the boss of Caria Manor, Royal Knight Loretta.
• Joining the Quest: Climb to the top of Ranni’s Rise and speak with her. She will ask you to join her service. Upon accepting, she will introduce you to her three spectral projections: War Counselor Iji, Half-Wolf Blaidd, and Preceptor Seluvis. After speaking with all three, return to Ranni to exhaust her dialogue, and she will leave, telling you to seek out her companions.

Part 2: The Search for Nokron

• Finding Blaidd: Your first task is to speak with Blaidd. You can find him in the Siofra River. Take the lift down from the Mistwood Ruins, and you will find him near a cliffside. He will tell you that the stars are being held back, preventing them from reaching the Eternal City of Nokron.
• Consulting the Mages: Speak with Preceptor Seluvis at his tower. He will give you a letter of introduction to Sorceress Sellen in the Waypoint Ruins of Limgrave. After speaking to Sellen, you’ll learn that the only way to free the stars is to defeat Starscourge Radahn. You can then go to Redmane Castle in Caelid to trigger the Radahn Festival.
• Defeating Radahn: Participate in the festival and defeat Starscourge Radahn, one of the most epic boss fights in the game. His defeat will cause a star to fall, creating a massive crater in Limgrave.
• Entering the Eternal City: Head to the crater in East Limgrave, south of the Mistwood Ruins. You can use the floating rubble to descend safely into the depths below, where you will find the entrance to Nokron, the Eternal City.
• Fingerslayer Blade: Navigate through Nokron until you reach the Night’s Sacred Ground. In a chest at the base of a throne-like chair, you will find the Fingerslayer Blade, the treasure Ranni tasked you with finding.
• Return to Ranni: Return the Fingerslayer Blade to Ranni at Ranni’s Rise. She will be grateful and give you the Carian Inverted Statue. This key item can be used at the Carian Study Hall to turn the tower upside down, allowing you to reach the top of the Divine Tower of Liurnia and retrieve the Cursemark of Death from a corpse.

Part 3: The Miniature Ranni

• Renna’s Rise: After giving Ranni the blade, the magical barrier blocking Renna’s Rise will be gone. Head to the top of the tower and use the Waygate to teleport to the Ainsel River Main.
• The Miniature Doll: Upon arriving, you will find a Miniature Ranni doll nearby. Pick it up and rest at the Site of Grace. You must try to talk to the doll multiple times until it finally responds. It will reveal that she has inhabited this body to avoid an assassin sent after her.
• The Baleful Shadow: Ranni will now ask you to defeat the Baleful Shadow. This is a difficult fight against an assassin who resembles Blaidd. You can find the Baleful Shadow in the Nokstella Waterfall Basin. Defeat it to receive the Discarded Palace Key.
• The Dark Moon Ring: The key you received unlocks a chest in the Raya Lucaria Grand Library, where you fought Rennala. Inside, you will find the Dark Moon Ring, a crucial item for the final part of the quest.

Part 4: The Lake of Rot and Astel

• Journey to the Lake: From the Nokstella Waterfall Basin Site of Grace, head southwest to reach the Lake of Rot. This area is notoriously difficult, so be sure to have plenty of healing items and a plan for dealing with the Scarlet Rot.
• The Coffin: Navigate across the lake to the Grand Cloister. Here, you will find a coffin at the edge of a waterfall. Interact with it to be taken to a new area for a boss fight.
• Astel, Naturalborn of the Void: You will face the powerful and visually stunning boss, Astel, Naturalborn of the Void. Astel uses a variety of gravity and cosmic attacks that are difficult to predict. Defeat this boss to gain access to the final area.

Part 5: The Age of Stars Ending

• The Moonlight Altar: After defeating Astel, you will emerge at the Moonlight Altar, a previously inaccessible area of Liurnia. Here, you will be attacked by a dragon, Glintstone Dragon Adula, but you don’t need to defeat him to progress.
• The Cathedral of Manus Celes: Head to the Cathedral of Manus Celes in the northeastern corner of the region. There is a hole in the ground inside the cathedral; drop down to find a cave.
• Reunion with Ranni: At the end of the cave, you will find Ranni’s discarded body. Interact with it and use the Dark Moon Ring to place it on her hand. She will then appear in spirit form and thank you, explaining her desire to bring a new Age of Stars to the Lands Between.
• Rewards: You will receive the legendary Dark Moon Greatsword. Upon defeating the final boss of the game, you will now have the option to choose the Age of Stars ending by interacting with Ranni’s summon sign.

This questline is an epic and rewarding journey that will take you through some of Elden Ring’s most beautiful and terrifying locations. By following these steps, you will not only unlock a significant amount of lore but also receive powerful rewards and a unique ending that many consider to be the “true” conclusion to the game. Good luck, Tarnished!