Cursed to live as a tree and yearning for acceptance, Boc the Seamster’s tale in Elden Ring is one of the game’s most touching side stories. Unravel the steps to free this humble demi-human, guide him through heartbreak and hope, and decide his fate in a questline that’s as rewarding as it is bittersweet-no matter if you’re playing on PC, PlayStation, or Xbox.
It’s also the only way to alter your clothes for free, which is handy if you plan on making changes to your gear, though you can easily mess things up and sentence Boc to a sad, lonely death.
Our Elden Ring Boc quest walkthrough helps you – and him – avoid that less-than-ideal fate. Read on for all steps of Boc’s quest in Elden Ring.
Elden Ring Boc quest steps
Boc’s questline in Elden Ring begins when you find him disguised as a tree near the Agheel Lake North Site of Grace in Limgrave-attack the tree to reveal him and exhaust his dialogue. Next, meet Boc at the Coastal Cave, where he’s injured; defeat the Demi-Human Chiefs inside to recover his Sewing Needle and Tailoring Tools, then return them to him. Boc later appears at several Sites of Grace as you progress: Lake-Facing Cliffs in Liurnia, East Raya Lucaria Gate, Altus Highway Junction, and finally East Capital Rampart in Leyndell. Along the way, you can find the Gold Sewing Needle at the Church of Vows and give it to Boc so he can alter legendary boss armor. At his final location, Boc expresses a desire to be reborn; you can either reassure him with the “You’re Beautiful” Prattling Pate, allowing him to stay as your seamster, or give him a Larval Tear, which tragically ends his story.
Here’s a general breakdown of what you do in Boc’s quest in Elden Ring.
- Find Boc north of Agheel Lake in Limgrave
- Help Boc at the Coastal Cave
- Employ Boc as your seamster
- Speak with Boc in Altus Plateau
- Find the Prattling Pate in Hermit Village
- Speak with Boc in Leyndell and decide his fate
- Give Boc the Golden Needle
Find and speak with Boc disguised as a tree in Limgrave
To begin Boc’s questline in Elden Ring, head to Limgrave and listen for a faint voice calling for help near the Birdseye Telescope, which is east of the Agheel Lake North Site of Grace. As you approach the area just northeast of the telescope, look for a small, reddish tree that stands out from the others. Boc is disguised as this tree, and interacting with him requires you to either attack or roll into it, dispelling the magic and revealing Boc in his true demi-human form. Speak with him several times to learn about his plight-he was cast out by his kin and transformed into a tree. He’ll thank you for your help by giving you mushrooms and hint at a greater reward if you help him further.
Boc has taken root north of Agheel Lake in Limgrave, near the telescope situated on the western side of the bridge. And we mean that literally, as he’s a tree when you first meet him.
Approach the telescope, and you’ll hear Boc call out to you. Walk a little ways north and east of the telescope, moving toward the small copse of trees, and you’ll notice a little red tree standing slightly apart from the rest of the trees and shrubbery.
Dodge-roll into the tree to remove the glamor spell and restore Boc to his normal form. Speak with him a few more times to learn his kin chucked him out of their cave home – a pretty vague hint of where to go next, but the location isn’t too far away.
Help Boc at the Coastal Cave
Help Boc at the Coastal Cave
After freeing Boc from his tree disguise near Agheel Lake North, your next step is to help him at the Coastal Cave in southwestern Limgrave. When you arrive, you’ll find Boc injured and lying near the Site of Grace just inside the cave entrance. Speak with him to learn that he was attacked by his kin while trying to retrieve his belongings. To help Boc, venture deeper into the cave, defeat the groups of demi-humans, and face the two Demi-Human Chief bosses at the end. Upon victory, you’ll receive the Sewing Needle and Tailoring Tools. Return these items to Boc at the cave entrance-he’ll be grateful, inspired to become a seamster, and will leave the cave to continue his journey.
Travel to the Coastal Cave in southwestern Limgrave, either on foot or via the Site of Grace, if you’ve been there already.
Boc is right next to the Coastal Cave Site of Grace, and he’s not in a good way. Speak to him, and he’ll tell you his family put him in the condition he’s in. If you’ve already cleared the cave and defeated the Demi-Human Chieftan, you can just speak to Boc and give him the Sewing Needle you recovered in that battle. He doesn’t need the Tailor’s Tools, so those are yours to keep.
If you haven’t ventured into the cave yet, head over to our Coastal Cave walkthrough for some helpful tips.
With needle in hand, Boc tells you his dream: to be a seamster like his mother, the only person who ever loved him. That’s all you can do with Boc for now.
Visit the Lake-Facing Cliffs Site of Grace
After helping Boc at the Coastal Cave, your next step is to visit the Lake-Facing Cliffs Site of Grace in Liurnia of the Lakes. Once you rest at this Site of Grace, Boc will appear nearby and offer his services as a seamster, allowing you to alter your garments for free. This marks a key milestone in his questline, as from this point forward, Boc will continue to tailor your armor at subsequent Sites of Grace you visit throughout your journey. Be sure to speak with him here to progress his story and unlock his unique tailoring service.
Rest at the Lake-Facing Cliffs Site of Grace after arriving, and Boc will appear. Get up, speak with him, and let him become your seamster. For now, that just means he’ll alter your garments for free, which is a nice way to reduce weight – and stats, unfortunately – without having to fork over any Runes. He should appear at any Site of Grace when you rest there from now on.
Some players say the next steps until arriving at Leyndell are optional, though given how vague quest prerequisites are in Elden Ring, it’s best to complete them just in case.
Visit the East Raya Lucaria Site of Grace
After helping Boc at the Lake-Facing Cliffs, your next step is to visit the East Raya Lucaria Site of Grace, located along the Bellum Highway in northern Liurnia of the Lakes. Here, you’ll find Boc waiting near the gate, ready to offer his free garment alteration services and progress his questline. This location also provides an opportunity to speak with Melina about Boc, which is an optional but recommended step for advancing his story. Make sure you have the Gold Sewing Needle from the Church of Vows and at least one piece of boss armor from Enia, as these are required for the next stages of Boc’s quest.
Travel to the East Raya Lucaria Site of Grace next. Rest again, and choose the option to speak with Melina. She’ll recommend you keep Boc around and show him kindness. Speak with Boc again, though he won’t have anything new to say.
Visit the Altus Highway Junction Site of Grace
After progressing Boc’s quest through Limgrave, the Coastal Cave, and Liurnia, your next key encounter with him is at the Altus Highway Junction Site of Grace on the Altus Plateau. Here, Boc will greet you and ask if he can call you “My Lord.” If you agree, he rewards you with the “My Lord” gesture, a unique emote in the game. At this location, you can also give Boc the Gold Sewing Needle-provided you have acquired it from the Church of Vows and possess an alterable boss armor piece. This step is important for advancing his quest and unlocking his ability to alter legendary armor for you. If you miss him at the Altus Highway Junction, you can still find him later at the East Capital Rampart Site of Grace in Leyndell.
Next, head to the Altus Highway Junction Site of Grace. It’s northeast of the Grand Lift of Dectus and right before the causeway that leads you to Leyndell. Speak with Boc once again – though he will, once again, not have much new to say.
Obtain the Prattling Pate from Hermit Village
To obtain the Prattling Pate “You’re Beautiful” required for Boc’s questline, head to Hermit Village in Mt. Gelmir. The village is accessible via the Seethewater River and Terminus, which you can reach from the southwest Altus Plateau near the Wyndham Ruins. Progress through the area, passing landmarks like the Craftsman’s Shack and the Magma Wyrm boss, until you reach Hermit Village. Once inside, look for a glowing item on a corpse near a house on the eastern side of the main street-this is the Prattling Pate you need. Collecting this item before speaking to Boc in Leyndell allows you to use it in front of him, unlocking the happiest outcome for his questline.
You can get the Prattling Pate that says “You’re Beautiful” at any point in Boc’s quest, or even before you start, but if you want the best ending, you must obtain it before speaking with Boc at Leyndell.
The Pate is in Hermit Village, south of Mt Gelmir, the path to which we’ve outlined in our Sellen walkthrough. Once you enter the town via its southern entrance, you’ll see a corpse with the telltale item glow to your right. Pillage it to obtain the Pate.
Do you give Boc a Larval Tear in Leyndell?
When you meet Boc in Leyndell at the East Capital Rampart Site of Grace, he confides his desire to become beautiful and asks if he should be reborn by Rennala. You have the option to give him a Larval Tear, which allows him to undergo rebirth. If you choose to do so, Boc will thank you and travel to the Raya Lucaria Grand Library to be reborn as a human. However, this decision leads to a tragic outcome: after his transformation, Boc becomes unresponsive, and if you rest or reload the area, you will find that he has died. Giving Boc a Larval Tear in Leyndell is an irreversible choice that ends his questline with his death, so consider the consequences before proceeding.
Enter Leyndell, and rest at the East Capital Rampart Site of Grace. Speak with Boc until he says all he has to say about the Erdtree, and then he’ll start discussing his looks. He wishes to become beautiful and regrets his current appearance, and you have three things you can do to solve his problem.
Option 1: Ignore Boc
If you just move on without giving Boc anything, he’ll disappear forever. That’s why you need to get the Prattling Pate before speaking with him at Leyndell, or it’ll be too late.
Option 2: Help Boc Be Reborn with a Larval Tear
Boc wants Rennala to give him new life, and you can make that happen by giving him a Larval Tear, the item you use to respec. That sounds all well and good, except if you visit Rennala’s library to see how Boc’s getting on, you’ll find him as a human and, after resting, as a dead human. Not the ideal outcome.
Option 3: Remind Boc He Is Beautiful
After Boc finishes talking about his desire for rebirth, use the Prattling Pate to tell him he’s beautiful. Say you think he’s beautiful when he asks, and he’ll remain content in himself and won’t die. Note that you can use the Pate in front of Boc any time after speaking with Melina, and it automatically locks you in to this option.
This is technically the end of Boc’s quest, though he has one more service he can provide.
Give Boc the Golden Needle
After progressing through Boc’s questline, you’ll eventually need to give him the Golden Needle, a key step that unlocks new tailoring options. The Golden Needle is found in a chest at the Church of Vows in Liurnia, where Miriel, the “turtle pope,” resides. Once you’ve obtained the Golden Needle and purchased at least one piece of legendary boss armor from Enia at the Roundtable Hold, speak to Boc at one of his later locations-such as the East Raya Lucaria Gate, Altus Highway Junction, or East Capital Rampart in Leyndell. Presenting Boc with the Golden Needle allows him to alter legendary demigod armor for you, expanding his tailoring services beyond standard gear. If the option to give him the Golden Needle doesn’t appear, make sure you have a piece of alterable legendary armor in your inventory before trying again.
After sorting Boc’s identity crisis out, you can give him the Golden Needle, found at the Church of Vows in Liurnia – where the turtle pope Miriel lives. With that, Boc can alter champion’s gear, the armor from Great Rune holders you can purchase from Enia in Roundtable Hold.
Some players say you have to own at least one piece of legendary equipment for Boc to accept the Golden Needle, so if you don’t have the option to fork it over, come back once you have a legendary item.
What hidden secrets can I unlock by completing Boc’s questline in Elden Ring
Completing Boc’s questline in Elden Ring unlocks several hidden secrets and unique rewards:
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Free Armor Alterations: Boc becomes your personal seamster, offering free alterations for most armor sets, including boss and legendary gear, once you retrieve his Sewing Needle and later the Gold Sewing Needle.
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Exclusive Dialogue and Endings: The quest branches at the end. If you use the “You’re Beautiful” Prattling Pate in front of Boc (found in Hermit Village), you unlock a secret, wholesome ending where Boc accepts himself and continues to serve you loyally until the capital burns.
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Unique Items and Gesture: Along the way, you receive the Sewing Needle, Gold Sewing Needle, 10 Mushrooms, and the “My Lord” gesture.
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Secret Emotional Storyline: If you give Boc a Larval Tear so he can be reborn, he transforms into a human but tragically dies, revealing a hidden narrative about self-acceptance and the consequences of his wish.
These secrets make Boc’s questline one of the most touching and rewarding side stories in the game, providing both gameplay benefits and a memorable emotional payoff.
What special rewards or secrets are unlocked by telling Boc he’s beautiful
Telling Boc he’s beautiful using the “You’re Beautiful” Prattling Pate unlocks a secret, positive resolution to his questline. When you use this item in front of him, Boc is deeply moved-he recognizes the voice as his mother’s and, reassured by your kindness, decides not to seek rebirth or change his form. As a result:
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Boc remains alive and loyal at his final location (East Capital Rampart Site of Grace), continuing to provide free armor alterations for the rest of your playthrough.
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You prevent his tragic fate (death from rebirth), securing a rare “happy ending” among Elden Ring NPCs.
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No unique items or equipment are granted, but you gain Boc’s ongoing tailoring services and a touching moment of closure to his story.
This secret outcome is only available if you use the “You’re Beautiful” Prattling Pate before giving him a Larval Tear or exhausting his dialogue about rebirth.
