Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Hornsent Quest Walkthrough Guide

In the shadowed depths of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, a mysterious figure named Hornsent emerges with a quest fueled by vengeance and faith. From your first encounter at the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace to the tangled choices that pit allies against each other in the eerie Shadow Keep, Hornsent’s questline weaves a gripping tale of loyalty, betrayal, and power. Whether you choose to stand with him or against him, the path you take will shape the fate of his tribe and unlock unique rewards-dive into our complete walkthrough to master every twist and turn of Hornsent’s revenge-driven journey.

Our Elden Ring DLC guide will walk you through where to find Hornsent, and all the steps you’ll need to take to complete his questline, including the Hornsent or Leda choice.

Hornsent locations

Hornsent can first be found at the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace in Gravesite Plain, where he is seen alongside Redmane Freyja. This location serves as the starting point for his questline in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. After progressing through the story and defeating key bosses like Rellana at Castle Ensis, Hornsent relocates to the Highroad Cross Site of Grace in Scadu Altus, where he interacts with other characters such as Needle Knight Leda. Later in the questline, Hornsent appears in Shadow Keep, where he can be summoned for boss fights, and eventually invades the player near the Church of the Bud in the Rauh Ruins region, marking the climax of his storyline. These locations trace Hornsent’s journey throughout the DLC and are crucial for completing his quest.

Hornsent moves around a bit as you progress through the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

You’ll meet Hornsent for the first time not too far into the Gravesite Plain. He’ll be hanging out with Redmane Freyja at the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace.
After you defeat Rellana, Twin Moon Knight at Castle Ensis, he’ll move to the Highroad Cross Site of Grace on Scadu Altus. He’s hanging out with Needle Knight Leda there. Their questlines interweave for a bit until Hornsent gets involved in your journey into Shadow Keep.
The final location is an invasion outside of the Church of the Bud in the Rauh Ruins region.

Hornsent first meeting in Gravesite Plain

At the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace in Gravesite Plain, one of the first locations you encounter in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, you will meet Hornsent for the first time. He is found alongside Redmane Freyja near a large withered tree and one of Miquella’s glowing crosses. Hornsent, a survivor of the Realm of Shadow purged by Messmer the Impaler, initially appears somewhat hostile but offers you a Cross Map that reveals the locations of Miquella’s Crosses in the area. This meeting marks the beginning of his intricate questline, which unfolds further as you progress through the DLC.

From the start of Shadow of the Erdtree at the Gravesite Plain Site of Grace, you’ll follow the road north. Past the Scorched Ruins and your first Furnace Golem, you’ll come to the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace.

Talk to both Redmane Freyja and Hornsent there and exhaust both of their dialogues. Hornsent will give you the Cross Map that marks the locations of a few Miquella’s Crosses.

Hornsent second meeting in Scadu Altus

After defeating Rellana, Twin Moon Knight at Castle Ensis, Hornsent relocates to the Highroad Cross Site of Grace in Scadu Altus, where he is found alongside Needle Knight Leda. During this second meeting, Hornsent provides the player with the New Cross Map, which reveals additional locations of Miquella’s Crosses to explore. This encounter marks a significant progression in Hornsent’s questline, deepening the narrative and setting the stage for subsequent events in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

Before you meet Hornsent again, you’ll have to go through Belurat, Tower Settlement and defeat the Divine Beast Dancing Lion. And then you’ll have to explore Castle Ensis and defeat Rellana, Twin Moon Knight.

After all of that, you’ll meet up with Hornsent and Needle Knight Leda at the Highroad Site of Grace in Scadu Altus. This time, Hornsent will give you the New Cross Map that marks a few more Miquella’s Crosses.

If you want to, you can give him some Scorpion Stew from Hornsent Grandam. It gives you a little extra dialogue, but it doesn’t seem to affect their questlines.

Lift the charm and return to Hornsent and Leda

After breaking Miquella’s charm, return to Hornsent at the Highroad Cross Site of Grace to unlock new dialogue and trigger his move to Shadow Keep. Here, you will face a crucial choice involving Leda, who is intent on hunting Hornsent. You can choose to help Hornsent fight against Leda by summoning him to invade her or skip the fight entirely. Supporting Hornsent allows you to continue his questline, leading to further encounters including summoning him against Messmer, The Impaler, and eventually facing him in an invasion at the Ancient Ruins of Rauh. This sequence is essential to fully experience Hornsent’s story and its conclusion in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

Before anything else can happen with Hornsent, 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.

Head inside of Shadow Keep to unlock the Shadow Keep Main Gate Site of Grace, but do not fight the Golden Hippopotamus yet. Instead, warp back to the Highroad Site of Grace.

Speak with both Hornsent and Leda. Make sure you exhaust both of their dialogues.

Summon Hornsent for the Golden Hippopotamus boss fight

To summon Hornsent for the Golden Hippopotamus boss fight in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, first ensure you have exhausted all his dialogue at the Highroad Cross Site of Grace. Then, head to the Shadow Keep Main Gate Site of Grace, where you will find a golden summon sign to the right of the entrance. Summoning Hornsent here will provide valuable assistance in the fight against the Golden Hippopotamus, a boss weak to Fire and Lightning attacks. This summon option is available before you reach the Dark Chamber Entrance Site of Grace and can make the battle significantly easier.

Head back to the Shadow Keep Main Gate Site of Grace. This time, there will be a gold summon sign to the right of the door. Summon Hornsent to help you with the Golden Hippopotamus boss fight.

You can continue through as much of Shadow Keep as you want, but make sure to stop when (or before) you reach the Dark Chamber Entrance Site of Grace.

At any point after the Golden Hippopotamus fight and before the Messmer the Impaler boss fight, head back to the Highroad Cross Site of Grace. Check in with Hornsent and Leda again. Keep talking to them until Leda decides it’s time to start killing people.

She’ll ask for your opinion, but you don’t have to decide anything at the moment. Ultimately, you’re just waiting for Leda to say she’s going kill Hornsent – it might take a couple of rests at the site of grace to trigger.

Before she can kill him, Hornsent will disappear. Check in with Leda again, and then head back to Shadow Keep.

Be summoned to assist Hornsent or Leda

At a critical point in Hornsent’s questline in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, you encounter two summon signs near the Shadow Keep – a red one to assist Needle Knight Leda and a gold one to assist Hornsent. Choosing to be summoned to help Hornsent allows his questline to continue, rewards you with the Ash of War: Swift Slash and Leda’s Rune, and enables Hornsent to aid you in the subsequent fight against Messmer, the Impaler. Conversely, assisting Leda results in killing Hornsent, ending his questline prematurely but granting you his armor set, weapon, and the Lacerating Crossed-Tree talisman. Alternatively, you can skip the fight, which lets both Hornsent and Leda survive and progress their storylines independently. This choice significantly impacts the progression and rewards of the questline.

From the Shadow Keep Main Gate Site of Grace, head out the door on the right (east) side and go up the ramp. At the top of the rampart, turn around to your right and you’ll find a pair of summon signs – one red and one gold.

Here, you have a choice: be summoned to assist Needle Knight Leda or be summoned to assist Hornsent. This is ultimately about Leda’s decision to kill Hornsent.

If you choose Leda, you’ll (try to) kill Hornsent and, unsurprisingly, end his quest then and there. You’ll still get his drops, though, so it’s an option.
If you choose Hornsent, you’ll be summoned to another world and have to fight a spectral version of Leda (she doesn’t actually die here). When you defeat her, you’ll receive the Swift Slash Ash of War and Leda’s Rune (worth 40,000 runes).

Summon Hornsent for the Messmer the Impaler boss fight

Before facing Messmer the Impaler in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, you can summon Hornsent to assist you in the boss fight. To do this, after entering the boss arena from the Dark Chamber Entrance Site of Grace and watching the cutscene, look on the ground a bit forward and to the right for Hornsent’s gold summon sign. Summoning Hornsent is beneficial because he deals damage that Messmer is neutral to, can inflict Blood Loss, and his presence does not count towards your summon limit, meaning it won’t reduce your health bar. Hornsent will immediately join the fight upon summoning, helping to chip away at Messmer’s health and making the battle more manageable. Even if Hornsent falls during the fight, you can still progress his questline by talking to him after defeating Messmer at the grace that appears post-battle.

If you’ve done all of that, you’ll find a summon sign for Hornsent insidethe boss fight arena forMessmer the Impaler.

From the Dark Chamber Entrance Site of Grace, push through the doors and watch the cutscene. Before things get too hectic, check the floor behind you and to the right for Hornsent’s gold summon sign.

After the fight, rest at the new Messmer’s Dark Chamber Site of Grace. When you stand back up, Hornsent will be there with a bit of a monologue. Let him talk it out, and then you can move on.

Hornsent invasion at the Church of the Bud

Near the Church of the Bud in the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, Hornsent makes a pivotal appearance by invading the player just before the Romina, Saint of the Bud boss fight. This invasion occurs as you ascend a stairway infested with Scarlet Rot and Rot Pests, where Hornsent confronts you with his curved Falx swords and incantations. Although not particularly tough, he can quickly stack bleed status, so caution is advised. Defeating Hornsent here concludes his questline and rewards you with his full armor set, including the Caterpillar Mask, and his Falx weapons. If missed, Hornsent may invade later in the game, but this encounter at the Church of the Bud is the definitive end to his storyline in Shadow of the Erdtree.

The final step of Hornsent’s journey happens much later near the Church of the Bud inRauh Ruins. As you travel through the caves on your way toward the church, you’ll get invaded by Hornsent just before you reach the Church of the Bud, Main Entrance.

Defeat him as an invader, and he’ll drop his Falx curved swords, Caterpillar Mask, Braided Cord Robe, Braided Arm Wraps, and Soiled Loincloth.

How can I uncover all the secrets of Hornsent’s questline in Shadow of the Erdtree

To uncover all the secrets of Hornsent’s questline in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, follow these key steps:

Initial Encounter: Find Hornsent at the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace in Gravesite Plain early in the DLC. Speak to him to receive the Cross Map, which marks locations of Miquella’s Crosses. Exploring these crosses unlocks additional dialogue and valuable items, enriching the quest experience.
Progression in Scadu Altus: After defeating the Divine Beast Dancing Lion and breaking Miquella’s great rune, Hornsent moves to the Highroad Cross Site of Grace in Scadu Altus. Exhaust his dialogue here to learn more about his motivations and receive a new Cross Map for further exploration.
Shadow Keep and Critical Choices: Hornsent relocates to Shadow Keep, where you can summon him for the boss fight against the Golden Hippopotamus. At this stage, you face a pivotal choice involving Needle Knight Leda. You can side with Hornsent, with Leda, or neither. Each choice leads to different rewards and quest outcomes, including unique weapons, armor, and Ashes of War. Note that you cannot obtain all unique items in a single playthrough, so multiple runs are necessary for full completion.
Final Confrontation: The quest culminates in an invasion event outside the Church of the Bud in the Rauh Ruins region. Depending on your choices, Hornsent may become an invader or ally, influencing the quest’s resolution and rewards.
Additional Tips: Giving Hornsent the Scorpion Stew (obtained by speaking to his Grandam with the Divine Beast Head equipped) grants extra rewards. Also, exhaust all dialogues with Hornsent and related NPCs like Needle Knight Leda to unlock the full narrative and quest content.

By carefully exploring Miquella’s Crosses, making informed choices during the Shadow Keep encounters, and engaging fully with Hornsent and allied NPCs, you can uncover all secrets and rewards within this layered and revenge-driven questline. For visual guidance, detailed video walkthroughs are available that cover every step and choice.

What are the key dialogue choices that reveal Hornsent’s true motives

Key dialogue choices that reveal Hornsent’s true motives center on his deep-seated vengeance and conflicted loyalty tied to Miquella and his people:

At the start, Hornsent makes it clear he does not forgive the player’s kind and views the Erdtree as his people’s enemy, betrayed by Marika’s flame. Yet, he respects his oath to Miquella and offers help as long as you follow Miquella’s path, showing his grudging faith in Miquella’s intentions despite his hatred for others.
When given Scorpion Stew, Hornsent reminisces about his past and expresses that things once broken can never be the same, hinting at his tragic loss and the irreparable damage done to his clan.
After the breaking of Miquella’s great rune, Hornsent’s dialogue grows darker and more vengeful. He states the enchantment matters little and that his only peace comes from revenge against Messmer, emphasizing that his quest is driven by personal retribution above all else.
During the Shadow Keep confrontation, Hornsent warns the player not to interfere, asserting “this is my revenge,” underscoring his single-minded pursuit of vengeance even if it puts him at odds with others.
When faced with the choice to assist Hornsent or Needle Knight Leda, Hornsent’s dialogue reveals his mistrust and bitterness, accusing others of betrayal and emphasizing his isolation and obsession with settling scores.
After defeating Messmer, Hornsent’s remarks reflect a grim satisfaction but also a continued thirst for vengeance, now extending towards Marika and all under the Erdtree, showing his motives have broadened from personal to a wider vendetta.

These dialogue moments collectively reveal Hornsent as a tragic figure bound by an oath to Miquella but consumed by a relentless, personal vendetta against those who destroyed his people, making his motives a complex mix of loyalty, grief, and wrath.