Needle Knight Leda stands as the enigmatic gatekeeper to Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, guiding players from the moment they touch the withered arm at the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum to the shadowy depths of the new realm. Her questline weaves through the entire DLC, challenging players with pivotal choices that ripple through battles, alliances, and rewards. Whether you ally with her or confront her foes, Leda’s path is essential for unraveling the secrets of Miquella’s followers and mastering the expansion’s darkest corners.
Her story and associated questline runs from the very first moments of the DLC all the way to just before its final battle, spanning more or less the entire story. The choices you make while dealing with her determine a couple of fights you may or may not have, and a couple of allies you may or may not be able to call on for help later in the game.
Our Elden Ring DLC guide will walk you through where to find Leda, and all the steps you’ll need to take to complete her questline, including the Hornsent or Leda choice and the Ansbach or Leda choice.
Needle Knight Leda locations
Needle Knight Leda can initially be found at the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum near the Cocoon of the Empyrean Site of Grace, where she stands beside Miquella’s cocoon. Interacting with her and touching the withered arm hanging from the cocoon will transport you to the Realm of Shadow, marking the start of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. After entering Scadu Altus, Leda moves to the Highroad Cross Site of Grace, and later to the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom Site of Grace in Enir-Ilim. Her location shifts depending on your progress and choices, such as assisting her or other NPCs like Hornsent or Sir Ansbach. Eventually, you will encounter her near the end of the Enir-Ilim Legacy Dungeon for a boss battle that is pivotal to the DLC’s storyline.
You’ll meet Needle Knight Leda for the first time back in the Lands Between after defeating Mohg – she’ll usher you into the Shadow Realm where the DLC takes place. It’ll be a bit before you speak with her again – after completing Belurat and Castle Ensis. Once you reach Shadow Keep, though, things change with Leda and you’ll have some tough choices to make.
Leda first meeting at Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum
Needle Knight Leda is first encountered at the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum after you have defeated Mohg, Lord of Blood, which unlocks the DLC content for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. She stands near the Site of Grace called “Cocoon of the Empyrean,” gazing at Miquella’s bloody cocoon with a withered arm hanging from it. Upon speaking with her, Leda introduces herself as a follower of Miquella, sharing a faith-driven purpose aligned with the honorable path of Miquella. She then instructs you to touch the withered arm, which transports you to the Shadow Realm, marking the beginning of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC journey.
Needle Knight Leda is the first NPC you’ll meet in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Technically, you’ll meet her before you even start the DLC. After you defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood, she will be standing next to the new Cocoon of the Empyrean Site of Grace. Speak with her there, and then start your journey into the Shadow Realm.
Find notes from Leda
To find notes from Needle Knight Leda in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, you need to explore key locations tied to her questline. Two important messages from Leda can be found that provide insight into her journey and Miquella’s intentions. The first message, known as the Tower of Shadow Message, is located in Belurat Tower Settlement after defeating the Divine Beast Dancing Lion; it can be found by taking the lift up and following the path to the stairs, then heading right. The second message, called the Castle Cross Message, is found near Miquella’s Cross after traversing through Castle Ensis. These notes help guide your path through the DLC and deepen the story involving Leda and her devotion to Miquella.
The next two times you hear from Leda are technically just notes she’s left you. You’ll find the Tower Shadow Message after defeating the Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Belurat, Tower Settlement, and then the Message from Leda next to the Castle Ensis Checkpoint Site of Grace inside Castle Ensis.
Leda second meeting at Highroad Cross Site of Grace
At the Highroad Cross Site of Grace in Scadu Altus, players encounter Needle Knight Leda for the second time in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Here, Leda explains that Miquella has placed a charm on her fellow travelers, which has kept them united despite their natural conflicts. Players can collect the Monk’s Missive note and the “May the Best Win” gesture at this site, both important for progressing related questlines. This location also allows interaction with Hornsent, another key NPC, and provides lore about the hornsent group and their animosity toward the Erdtree. While dialogue options with Leda expand after speaking with Hornsent and Dryleaf Dane, much of the quest progression hinges on breaking Miquella’s charm by advancing toward Shadow Keep. This meeting sets the stage for critical choices and alliances that affect the remainder of Leda’s questline.
You can summon Needle Knight Leda to fight with you to defeat Rellana, Twin Moon Knight in Castle Ensis, but this is optional for her questline. After the fight, you’ll head out onto the Scadu Altus where the first site of grace you find there is the Highroad Cross Site of Grace.
At Highroad Cross, you can chat with both Leda and Hornsent. You won’t get much out of them yet, though.
Lift the charm and return to Leda
After breaking Miquella’s charm by approaching the Shadow Keep or crossing the bridge east of Bonny Village, return to Needle Knight Leda at the Highroad Cross Site of Grace. She will acknowledge that the powerful charm binding her and her comrades has shattered, causing tensions and distrust among them. Despite this, Leda remains fiercely devoted to Miquella and is determined to identify and confront those who no longer share this loyalty. This moment marks a crucial turning point in her questline, setting the stage for the choices and alliances that follow in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
Before anything else can happen with Leda, you need to approach Shadow Keep. Just before you reach the front door, you’ll get a pair of messages – “Somewhere, a great rune has broken.” and “And so too has a powerful charm.” These both relate to Miquella and the NPCs you’ve met so far.
You can continue up to the Shadow Keep Main Gate Site of Grace, but don’t start the Golden Hippopotamus boss fight yet – especially if you want to progress Hornsent’s questline. Instead, warp back to Main Gate Cross Site of Grace to talk with Moore, and then to Highroad Cross and check in with Leda.
Assist (or don’t) Leda against Hornsent – optional
In the Needle Knight Leda questline in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, you face an optional choice to assist either Leda or Hornsent in a pivotal confrontation. When Leda decides to pursue Hornsent, you will find two summon signs near the Shadow Keep’s Storehouse, offering the choice to help Leda (red summon) or Hornsent (gold summon). Assisting Leda results in Hornsent’s death, ending his questline and rewarding you with his Falx weapon, armor set, and the Lacerating Crossed-Tree talisman, but locks you out of Hornsent’s Ash of War and summon aid later. Helping Hornsent allows his questline to continue, grants you the Ash of War: Swift Slash and Leda’s Rune, and enables Hornsent to assist you in the fight against Messmer the Impaler, though it locks you out of some of Leda’s rewards. Choosing to assist neither lets both questlines proceed but forfeits certain unique items. This decision significantly impacts the progression and rewards of both characters’ questlines.
When you talk to Leda after the charm is broken, she’ll be a little more bloodthirsty than she had been previously. She’ll turn her attention to the other NPCs she’s decided she can’t trust. She’ll ask you to help decide between killing Thiollier or Hornsent. What you choose here doesn’t really matter – she doesn’t consider Thiollier a threat, and she’ll land on Hornsent even if you never make a suggestion.
Back in Shadow Keep, on the rampart above the Main Gate Plaza Site of Grace, you’ll be able to choose to assist either Leda or Hornsent. Hornsent is the safer ally here – he’ll fight with you during the Messmer the Impaler boss fight, you’ll get a special drop from Leda (the Swift Slash Ash of War).
Assist (or don’t) Leda against Ansbach – optional
In the Needle Knight Leda questline in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, players face a pivotal choice at Ansbach’s room in the Specimen Storehouse. Here, two summon signs appear: a red one to assist Leda and a gold one to assist Sir Ansbach. Choosing to assist Ansbach allows his questline to continue, rewards you with Ansbach’s Longbow and Leda’s Rune, and enables you to summon Ansbach in later battles. Conversely, helping Leda results in Ansbach’s death, ending his questline but granting you Ansbach’s Longbow, armor set, and the Retaliatory Crossed-Tree weapon. Opting not to intervene lets Ansbach’s quest proceed without summoning opportunities but locks out Leda’s special rewards. This choice is optional but significantly impacts the story outcomes and available rewards.
While you’re in the Shadow Keep, make sure you talk to Sir Ansbach and Redmane Freyja. Ansbach is in a back room to the northeast of the Storehouse, First Floor Site of Grace. Freyja is up on next to the Storehouse, Seventh Floor Site of Grace.
To complete their steps:
- Talk to Ansbach.
- Talk to Freyja.
- Talk to Ansbach again.
- Find the Secret Rite Scroll and give it to Ansbach.
- Rest at a site of grace.
- Talk to Ansbach and get the Letter for Freyja.
- Deliver the letter to her (and receive the Golden Lion Shield).
- Deliver her message back to Ansbach.
- Rest at a site of grace so Ansbach leaves the Storehouse.
After all of that is done, finish Shadow Keep and defeat Messmer the Impaler (with or without the help of Hornsent).
After Messmer, return to the Highroad Cross Site of Grace and talk to Leda. She’ll have turned her attention to Ansbach now.
Return to Ansbach’s room on the first floor of the Specimen Storehouse. He’ll be gone, but there will be a pair of summon signs there – a red one for Leda and a gold one for Ansbach. Your choice is the same as it was for Hornsent – assist one of them against the other. And again, the safe choice is to ally yourself with Ansbach against Leda.
Defeat her to pick up the Ansbach’s Longbowweapon.
Burn the Sealing Tree
Burning the Sealing Tree in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is a critical point of no return that unlocks the final dungeon, Enir-Ilim, and advances the main questline. To do this, players must first defeat Messmer the Impaler in the Shadow Keep to obtain Messmer’s Kindling. Afterward, they journey to the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, defeat Romina, Saint of the Bud, and use the kindling to set the Sealing Tree ablaze. This action dispels the shadow over Belurat and opens access to the final area where the concluding events of Needle Knight Leda’s questline and the DLC take place. Players should complete all desired side quests before burning the tree, as this decision locks in NPC relationships and quest outcomes.
Before you can bring Leda’s questline to an end, you’ll need to cross the Rauh Ruins, defeat Romina, Saint of the Bud at the Church of the Bud, and then finally use Messmer’s Kindling to burn the Sealing Tree.
That will open the Tower of Shadow and teleport you to Enir-Ilim.
Defeat Needle Knight Leda and her allies
To defeat Needle Knight Leda and her allies in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, prepare for a challenging battle where Leda fights alongside her loyal followers. It is recommended to use Spirit Ash summons, such as the Mimic Tear, to help manage the fight. Focus on isolating and eliminating her allies one by one rather than taking them all on at once to reduce the difficulty. Successfully defeating Leda and her group will reward you with Leda’s Armor set, a valuable addition to your gear collection. Careful strategy and patience are key to overcoming this tough encounter in the DLC.
After making in through Enir-Ilim, you’ll come to a large arena and have your final showdown with Needle Knight Leda and her allies. Depending on how your game went, you’ll have to face Redmane Freyja, Dryleaf Dane, possibly Sir Moore, and then Leda herself.
After the fight, you’ll get Leda’s Sword. A little past the arena, you’ll find Leda’s body in the hallway where you can pick up Leda’s Armor.
How does Leda’s questline reveal Miquella’s true intentions in Elden Ring
Leda’s questline in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree reveals Miquella’s true intentions by showing the unraveling of his enchantment over his followers and the darker side of his divine ambitions. After Miquella’s great rune is broken, Leda acknowledges that while her devotion to Miquella remains, she becomes suspicious of others’ loyalty and resolves to “weed out” those unfit to stand by Miquella’s side, reflecting a shift from tender kindness to ruthless judgment.
Through Leda’s perspective and her interactions, it becomes clear that Miquella’s plan to transcend into godhood involves abandoning doubt and love, making decisions hastily and without compassion, which casts doubt on his benevolent image. This is underscored by messages and lore that describe Miquella as having forsaken his love and doubt, suggesting a more tyrannical and calculating aspect to his divinity.
Moreover, the questline and related lore reveal Miquella’s complex relationships and promises, such as his vow with Radahn to be his consort, which hints at a manipulative and forceful side to his intentions, contrasting with the kindness he once embodied. Leda’s role in this narrative is to expose the fractures within Miquella’s followers and the consequences of his divine ambitions, ultimately revealing that Miquella’s true intentions are far more complex and morally ambiguous than initially believed.
Does Miquella’s desire for godhood suggest he values power over kindness
Miquella’s desire for godhood in Elden Ring suggests a complex prioritization where power increasingly outweighs kindness. Although he initially spoke of ushering in an era of compassion and peace, his actions reveal contradictions: rather than solely pursuing harmony, he engaged in the Shattering conflict, using force and manipulation to secure his ascension, treating even his siblings as obstacles. His abandonment of love and kindness, symbolized by discarding Saint Trina, further indicates that achieving godhood for Miquella means sacrificing the very compassion he once championed.
Moreover, Miquella’s methods-charming followers to control them and orchestrating ruthless campaigns-reflect a willingness to forsake kindness for the sake of power and order. His vision demands absolute loyalty, punishing dissent with death, which implies a rigid, uncompromising rule rather than the benevolent leadership he professed. Thus, while Miquella may have started with ideals of kindness, his quest for godhood ultimately reveals a prioritization of power and control over genuine compassion.
