Lots of Elden Ring fans got excited about the new NPCs shown in the Shadow of the Erdtree story trailer, though their names and identities weren’t revealed then. During our recent hands-on with the game though, we got to meet most of the new NPCs shown in the story trailer.
Note: This article contains lore spoilers for Shadow of the Erdtree, so proceed with caution.
As many fans have guessed, these NPCs are all followers of Miquella. In my time with the game, I didn’t find out if the group went by a more specific name, but all of them had one goal – to follow in Miquella’s footsteps. As such, they are your allies, at least in the early hours of the DLC.
Even in the DLC’s opening parts, you’ll meet and talk with most of the NPCs shown in the trailer. Plus, many of them can be summoned in boss battles.
Here’s a guide on the names of the Shadow of the Erdtree NPCs:
The most important of them, and the one that seems to be their leader is the knight Leda. She is the one speaking during the first Shadow of the Erdtree trailer, and she’s also the knight in the artwork shared on the Elden Ring social media pages recently.
Leda is the one who beckons you to touch Miquella’s withered arm and journey to the Land of Shadow. She also appears as a summonable NPC (as Needle Knight Leda) against one of the DLC’s main bosses named Rellana, the Twin Moon Knight. Yes, Rellana is of Carian descent. To be exact, she’s a Carian princess (potentially related to Renalla) who chose to serve Messmer. She’s also known as the “Sword of Messmer.”
Leda
Another key figure is Redmane Freyja. As her title implies, Freyja is a member of the Redmanes, and she revealed that she previously served under General Radah, though she chose to follow Miquella following Radahn’s clash with Malenia.
Freyja can also be summoned against a boss, specifically the Divine Beast Dancing Lion. Talking to her after the battle, Freyja reveals that she was badly wounded after Malenia and Radahn’s clash, but she was healed by Miquella.
The former Redmane can be found in the path leading to the legacy dungeon called Belurat, Tower Settlement. She’s joined there by a man simply called Hornsent who seems to have crucible horns on his head.
Hornsent reveals that he loathes the Tarnished as he blames them for bringing destruction to the Land of Shadow due to Messmer’s attack. However, he still helps you out by giving you a map of Miquella’s Cross locations as you are allied in following Miquella. After beating the Dancing Lion, he disappears.
Hornsent
Right before Belurat, you’ll also see Sir Ansbach. He introduces himself as a former follower of Mohg, Lord of Blood. While he’s also following in Miquella’s footsteps, he’s not as enamored as the other NPCs with him based on his dialogue. Instead, it seems he is driven more by curiosity about Miquella’s goals. Still, he’s an ally at this point.
Beside Sir Ansbach is Moore, the fellow with the big armor. He serves as a merchant selling some consumables. Not much is known about Moore in the game’s early stages, though he’s not as talkative as the others.
The last main NPC I met is Thiollier, a masked individual who seems to have an affinity for poison as he sells poison consumables. He doesn’t reveal much in his dialogue, though he seems to be quite meek and nervous.
Thiollier is also found in a fairly out-of-the-way location as he is located a bit south of the mid-sized dungeon Castle Ensis.
Aside from Miquella’s followers, I came across an NPC named Igon, also south of Castle Ensis who is looking for another character called Bayle. Plus, there’s the Hornsent Guardian that’s found midway through Belurat who seems to be related to the Crucible (much like Hornsent). The guardian also loathes Messmer’s forces.
Even though I only played the game for four hours, the fact that there are already lots of NPCs in the Shadow of the Erdtree early game seems to indicate that many characters will play a big role in the story. This should delight players who love Elden Ring’s lore.
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree will be released on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC on June 21, 2024.