A hulking, melancholy merchant sits quietly outside Belurat’s gates, but Sir Moore’s story in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is anything but simple. His tragic questline weaves through the Lands of Shadow, forcing you to make a choice that will shape his fate-and yours-in one of the DLC’s most haunting narratives.
Moore location
Moore is first found at the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace, just outside the entrance to Belurat, Tower Settlement in the northeastern part of the Gravesite Plain. He sits on the ground near his wares, accompanied by Sir Ansbach, and serves as a merchant offering various consumables, crafting materials, and unique items from the DLC. To access more dialogue and progress his questline, purchase any item from his shop. Moore remains at this location for most of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, only moving under specific quest circumstances later in the story.
You’ll find Moore, along with another NPC named Ansbach, outside of Belurat, Tower Settlement. He won’t leave that first spot – kind of (more on this below) – until the very end of the DLC.
Moore first meeting at Belurat, Tower Settlement
You first encounter Moore at the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace, just outside Belurat, Tower Settlement, early in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Moore sits quietly near Ansbach by Miquella’s Cross, acting as a merchant who sells useful items such as Rune Arcs, arrows, crafting materials, and the Sealed Spiritsprings note. At this stage, Moore is reserved but approachable; after purchasing an item, you can unlock additional dialogue and learn that he enjoys finding things for others, especially for Lady Leda and the Forager Brood. This first meeting also introduces you to his role as a gentle forager and sets the stage for his questline, which remains closely tied to this location until later in the DLC.
When you first arrive at the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace on your way into Belurat, Tower Settlement, you’ll find Moore and Ansbach waiting for you by the Miquella’s Cross.
On your first visit, Moore will just act as a (lovable) vendor, selling you various things from around the DLC’s Shadow Realm.
Meet Thiollier and give him the Black Syrup (optional)
After meeting Sir Moore at the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace, your next optional step is to seek out Thiollier, who can be found at the Pillar Path Cross Site of Grace, southeast of Castle Ensis. Speak to Thiollier to initiate his questline, then return to Moore and talk to him again. Moore will give you an item called Black Syrup, which he asks you to deliver to Thiollier. Giving the Black Syrup to Thiollier is not required for Moore’s quest, but it is an important step for progressing Thiollier’s questline and can affect the outcomes of both characters’ stories later in the DLC.
Before you take on Castle Ensis, follow the road east and then south so you can go find Thiollier. After you talk to him once, head back to Moore and check in. Moore will give you some Black Syrup to give to Thiollier (who will turn it into Thiollier’s Concoction for the Dragon Communion Priestess on Igon’s questline).
Find the seven Forager Brood Cookbooks (optional)
Throughout the Realm of Shadow, you can discover seven Forager Brood Cookbooks by interacting with the friendly Forager Brood, non-hostile Lesser Kindreds of Rot scattered across the land. The first six cookbooks are obtained directly from these creatures, with some requiring you to use a Warming Stone to heal an ailing Forager near the Church of the Crusade before receiving Cookbook 4. Once you have collected all six, return to Moore outside Belurat, Tower Settlement-before breaking Miquella’s charm at Shadow Keep-to receive the seventh and final Forager Brood Cookbook as a reward. These cookbooks expand your crafting repertoire and are tied to Moore’s questline, so be sure to gather them before progressing too far in the main story.
Scattered around the Land of Shadow of the DLC, you’ll run into six of Moore’s Forager Brood friends – non-hostile Lesser Kindreds of Rot. If you speak with them, they’ll each give you a Forager Brood Cookbook. You can pick up the Forager Brood Cookbooks 1 through 4 and also 7 before you take on Shadow Keep.
One of these Pests – the one on the north side of the Church of the Crusade – will be in bad shape when you find them. Use a Warming Stone to heal them, travel back to the Highroad Cross Site of Grace, and then return again to get the cookbook.
Once you heal that Forager and pick up the Forager Brood Cookbook (4) from them, head back to Moore and he’ll give you Forager Brood Cookbook (7). You have to do this before breaking Miquella’s charm at Shadow Keep.
Moore invasion (optional ending)
If you kill two Forager Broods before reaching the final decision point in Moore’s questline, you trigger an alternate, optional ending: Moore will invade you as a hostile NPC. This invasion occurs instead of the usual outcomes tied to your dialogue choices. After defeating Moore during this invasion, you can loot his body for his full equipment set, including the Verdigris Armor and Greatshield, just as you would through the standard questline endings. This route allows players to end Moore’s story early and miss his involvement in later events, but ensures you still receive all his gear.
Moore, as you may have noticed, is quite fond of the Forager Brood. If you kill any of them that you’ve met – after getting the cookbook from them, of course – Moore will invade and attack you. (The trigger for this seems a little fickle, so it may actually take killing two of them to trigger the invasion.)
Defeating him will get you his Verdigris Greatshield and Verdigris armor set.
When you do this, it will kill off Moore and he will disappear from your game. Back at Main Gate Cross, all you’ll find is Moore’s Bell Bearing.
Break the charm
After collecting the six Forager’s Cookbooks and returning to Moore for the seventh, your next major step is to break Miquella’s charm. This happens automatically as you progress the main story and enter the Shadow Keep, where you’ll receive a message that “Somewhere a Great Rune has broken.” With the charm broken, Moore’s demeanor changes, and you must return to him at the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace. Here, you’re faced with a crucial choice: advise Moore to “put it behind you,” encourage him to “remain sad forever,” or select “I don’t know.” Each option leads to different outcomes for Moore’s fate and his involvement in later battles, but regardless of your choice, this marks a turning point in his questline, setting the stage for its emotional conclusion.
Before anything else can happen with Moore, 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, check in with all the NPCs you’ve met so far. When you’re ready, warp back to Main Gate Cross Site of Grace to talk with Moore again.
Give Moore advice
After breaking Miquella’s charm and witnessing the shift in the world, return to Moore at the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace. Here, Moore is troubled and asks for your advice about what the abandoned children should do, posing the question, “must we be sad forever?” You are given three dialogue options: “Put it behind you,” “Remain sad forever,” or “I don’t know.” Each choice affects how Moore responds and where he will go next. Choosing “Put it behind you” encourages Moore to move on, and you’ll encounter him again later in the game. If you select “Remain sad forever,” Moore will resign himself to sorrow, which influences his fate as the quest progresses.
Moore won’t take the charm breaking very well. Listen to him when you first arrive, and then choose to talk to him. You’ll have two options here:
- Put it behind you
- Remain sad forever
You can also pick the non-answer of “I don’t know,” but this ultimately defaults to the “Put it behind you” ending.
Let’s talk about each of them in turn.
Put it behind you ending
If you tell Moore to “put it behind you” during your final conversation at the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace, he will leave and disappear for a time. You won’t encounter him again until much later, during the penultimate battle in Enir-Ilim, where he joins Needle Knight Leda and her allies as an opponent. Defeating Moore in this fight allows you to loot his body for Moore’s Bell Bearing, the Verdigris Greatshield, and the Verdigris armor set, granting you the same rewards as the alternative quest ending. This choice gives Moore a sense of closure, but ultimately sets him against you in one of the DLC’s climactic encounters.
If you tell Moore, “put it behind you,” he’ll leave the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace and you won’t see him again for quite a while.
After you burn the Sealing Tree at the Church of the Bud, you’ll travel through Enir-Ilim. At the end of that journey, you’ll face off against Needle Knight Leda and her allies in the DLC’s penultimate fight.
If you chose this dialogue option, Moore will be one of Leda’s allies, and you’ll have to fight him. You can pick up his items – Moore’s Bell Bearing, his Verdigris Greatshield, and the Verdigris armor set – after Leda is defeated.
Remain sad forever ending
If you choose the “remain sad forever” option when speaking to Moore after breaking Miquella’s charm, his story takes a tragic turn. Moore, overwhelmed by grief and unable to move on, disappears from his usual spot at the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace. Later, you can find his body on a cliffside north of the Church of the Crusade in Scadu Altus, where you can loot his Verdigris Armor set, Verdigris Greatshield, and Moore’s Bell Bearing. This ending means Moore does not appear as an adversary during the Enir-Ilim battle, sparing you a difficult fight but leaving his tale unresolved and somber.
If you choose to tell Moore to “remain sad forever” (you monster), he’ll say goodbye and leave the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace.
You’ll find his body with the Forager Brood on the cliffs to the north of the Church of the Crusade. Loot his corpse for Moore’s Bell Bearing, his Verdigris Greatshield, and the Verdigris armor set.
How does Sir Moore’s questline reveal his tragic past in Elden Ring
Sir Moore’s questline in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree gradually reveals his tragic past through his dialogue and the choices you make as the player. Initially, Moore is a quiet, melancholy merchant who scavenges supplies for Leda and her followers, but after Miquella’s charm is broken, he confides in you about his sense of abandonment and loss. He laments that “our mother abandoned her brood. She did not love us. We are her children, what should we do? Must we be sad forever?”-a line that underscores his deep wounds from being forsaken, likely by Marika, and the pain shared by his Forager Brood kin.
The player is then given a pivotal choice: tell Moore to “put it behind you,” encouraging him to move on, or “remain sad forever,” allowing him to succumb to despair. Each option leads to a tragic outcome. If you urge him to move on, Moore later appears as an enemy, forced to fight against you in the DLC’s climactic battle, revealing how his attempt to find new purpose only leads to further sorrow and conflict. If you tell him to remain sad, he falls deeper into despair and dies alone, his body discovered near the Church of the Crusade, a silent testament to his unresolved grief.
Through these branching paths, Moore’s questline exposes his tragic history of abandonment, his struggle for meaning, and the heavy toll of loneliness in the Lands of Shadow. The choices you make do not save him from his fate-they only determine the manner of his end, making his story one of the most poignant in the expansion.
What specific events in Moore’s questline hint at his deep sorrow and loss
Several specific events in Moore’s questline highlight his deep sorrow and loss:
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After Miquella’s charm is broken, Moore confesses he no longer feels Miquella’s presence and expresses confusion and despair, saying, “Our mother abandoned her brood. She did not love us. We are her children, what should we do? Must we be sad forever?” This moment directly reveals his feelings of abandonment and longing for love.
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If you choose the “Remain sad forever” dialogue option, Moore falls into a spiral of despair, repeating the phrase “sad, forever. Sad, forever and ever,” and eventually dies alone near the Church of the Crusade. His fate here underscores the depth of his hopelessness and inability to move past his grief.
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Even if you encourage him to “put it behind you,” Moore’s initial reaction is only slightly more hopeful, but his actions later in the questline-either disappearing or confronting you as an enemy-demonstrate that his sorrow and sense of purposelessness never truly leave him.
These events, especially his dialogue and the consequences of your choices, collectively paint a portrait of a character deeply marked by loss and unable to escape his sadness, no matter which path is chosen.
