Top 5 Best Side Quests in Elden Ring

Elden Ring’s open-world design elevates side quests beyond mere distractions, transforming them into essential narrative components that reveal the Lands Between’s deepest secrets. These optional journeys provide not only substantial lore revelations but also game-changing equipment that can dramatically alter your combat effectiveness. Unlike many RPGs where side content feels disconnected, FromSoftware masterfully integrates these quests into the core experience, ensuring each completion feels meaningful and rewarding.

Strategic quest completion requires understanding progression triggers and location dependencies. Many quests feature branching paths with permanent consequences, making informed decisions crucial for obtaining optimal outcomes. The rewards discussed represent some of the most powerful tools available for both PvE and PvP scenarios.

Fia, the Deathbed Companion, presents one of Elden Ring’s most narratively complex and geographically expansive side quests. Her journey explores themes of death, rebirth, and the nature of Those Who Live in Death, providing crucial context for one of the game’s major ending variants. This questline demands exploration of normally inaccessible areas and confrontation with unique bosses tied to the game’s deepest lore.

Fia’s Questline

The quest begins in Roundtable Hold where Fia offers embrace that temporarily reduces your maximum health while providing a blessing. This initial interaction establishes the thematic foundation for her entire storyline and introduces the mechanics that will become crucial later.

Strategic Progression Tips

Proceed carefully through Deeproot Depths to locate Fia’s champions and obtain the Cursemark of Death. A critical mistake many players make is progressing too quickly through certain areas before obtaining necessary key items from other questlines.

Rewards Analysis

Age of Duskborn Ending: This alternative conclusion to Elden Ring introduces a world where Those Who Live in Death are accepted rather than persecuted. The ending provides unique narrative satisfaction for players interested in the game’s death mechanics.

Fia’s Armor Set: This lightweight black attire offers moderate protection with excellent elemental resistance, particularly against holy damage. The set’s unique appearance makes it popular for fashion souls enthusiasts.

D’s Bell Bearing: Upon completing certain stages, this item becomes available for purchase from the Twin Maiden Husks, expanding your access to crucial consumables.

Remembrance of the Lichdragon: Defeating Lichdragon Fortissax grants this powerful remembrance that can be converted into either Fortissax’s Lightning Spear incantation or Death Lightning spell, both exceptional for faith/intelligence hybrid builds.

The Dung Eater’s questline stands out for its disturbing themes and morally ambiguous choices. Despite being one of the shorter quests chronologically, its initiation requirements create significant progression gates that can confuse unprepared players.

Quest activation requires reaching Altus Plateau and locating your first Seedbed Curse, typically found in the Royal Capital. A common error is attempting to access Dung Eater’s room in Roundtable Hold prematurely, which can lock players out of certain interactions.

Critical Path Decisions

The quest presents two primary pathways: collecting five Seedbed Curses to advance his goal of cursing all life, or alternatively offering him Seluvis’s potion to redirect the questline toward different outcomes. Each choice carries permanent consequences for both rewards and narrative resolution.

Reward Optimization

Omen Set: This heavy armor provides exceptional poise and physical damage reduction while enhancing the power of Omen Bairn and Regal Omen Bairn sorceries. The 20% damage boost when wearing the complete set makes it invaluable for intelligence-based builds utilizing these specific spells.

Sword of Milos: As a greatsword with innate bleed buildup and FP restoration on kill, this weapon excels for strength/arcane hybrids and caster builds needing sustained spellcasting capability.

Blessing of Despair Ending: This conclusion represents the ultimate expression of the Dung Eater’s philosophy, cursing the entire world and creating what many consider the “bad” ending, though it offers unique narrative completion.

Iron Fist Alexander’s quest provides one of Elden Ring’s most emotionally resonant storylines while delivering practical combat advantages. His journey spans the entire game world, with encounters strategically placed to coincide with your progression through major story milestones.

Quest Initiation Strategy

Begin by locating Alexander stuck in the ground near Warmaster’s Shack in Limgrave. Use careful, controlled attacks to free him without causing fatal damage—excessive force will permanently end the questline without possibility of resurrection.

Advanced Combat Applications

Alexander’s Innards: This key item obtained from your final duel in Crumbling Farum Azula can be delivered to Jar-Bairn in Jarburg to obtain the Companion Jar Talisman, which enhances thrown pot items—essential for specific combat approaches.

Shard of Alexander: Arguably the most valuable talisman for weapon skill-focused builds, providing a substantial 15% damage increase to ash of war abilities.

Exalted Flesh: While consumable, this item provides significant physical damage amplification for 30 seconds, making it invaluable for boss encounters and difficult combat scenarios.

Warrior Jar Shard: An alternative talisman providing 10% skill damage boost, available if you choose to end Alexander’s journey prematurely.

Blaidd the half-wolf serves as both introduction to Elden Ring’s complex quest design and gateway to one of its most significant storylines. His quest demonstrates the interconnected nature of NPC narratives in the Lands Between.

Quest Integration Mechanics

Initiation requires visiting Mistwood Ruins in eastern Limgrave, where you’ll hear distinctive wolf howls indicating his presence. This audio cue represents FromSoftware’s signature environmental storytelling approach.

Strategic Timing Considerations

Return to Church of Elleh and speak with Merchant Kale to learn the Finger Snap gesture, essential for summoning Blaidd from his perch in the ruins.

Comprehensive Reward Analysis

Royal Greatsword: This colossal weapon combines physical damage with cold affinity and features the Wolf’s Assault ash of war, making it exceptional for strength/intelligence hybrid builds seeking crowd control capabilities.

Blaidd’s Armor Set: The complete armor ensemble (excluding helmet) provides balanced protection with distinctive wolf-themed aesthetics popular among players.

Carian Filigreed Crest: This talisman reduces FP consumption of weapon skills by 25%, dramatically improving sustainability for ash of war-intensive playstyles.

Ranni the Witch’s questline represents Elden Ring’s most expansive and narratively significant side content. Completing this multi-stage journey unlocks one of the game’s most satisfying conclusions while providing access to legendary equipment.

Quest Complexity and Requirements

This extensive quest demands exploration of hidden areas, confrontation with unique bosses, and navigation of complex multi-NPC interactions.

Key Progression Milestones

Dark Moon Greatsword: As a legendary intelligence-based weapon familiar to FromSoftware veterans, this greatsword features projectile attacks and frost buildup, making it devastating against many late-game enemies.

Advanced Reward Applications

Mimic Tear Ashes: Arguably the most powerful spirit summon available, creating an exact duplicate of your character with all equipped gear and abilities.

Age of Stars Ending: This conclusion provides what many consider Elden Ring’s “true” ending, offering narrative satisfaction that complements the game’s central themes of freedom and destiny.

Beyond the major questlines, Elden Ring features numerous secondary stories that provide valuable rewards and lore insights. These quests often feature unique mechanics and progression systems distinct from the main narrative.

Volcano Manor Questlines: These assassination missions provide unique armor sets and weapons while exploring the complex morality of the Lands Between’s factions.

Patches Questline: The recurring trickster character offers his signature blend of deception and unexpected rewards, including powerful gestures and unique armor pieces.

Seluvis Questline: This morally ambiguous quest involves puppet mastery and potion distribution, yielding sorcery-related rewards for intelligence builds.

Rya’s Questline: Exploring the mysteries of Volcano Manor through the perspective of this unique character.

Hyetta’s Questline: Following the journey of this blind maiden reveals insights into the Frenzied Flame and offers progression toward alternative endings.

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