Ansbach questline guide - Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree
Here is the full Ansbach quest walkthrough in Shadow Of The Erdtree
Looking for a full rundown of the Ansbach quest in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree? Ansbach is one of many new NPCs to arrive with Shadow Of The Erdtree. As a retired soldier and follower of Mohg, his relationship with Miquella and the Land of Shadow is a complicated one.
If you're looking to complete Ansbach's questline and want to know every possible outcome, we have you covered with a full walkthrough below. This includes where to find Ansbach and where to find the Secret Rite Scroll in Elden Ring.
Ansbach quest steps
Below is an overview of all the steps you need to take to complete the Ansbach questline in Shadow Of the Erdtree. For more information on each step, scroll down to each section.
- Meet Ansbach at the Main Gate Cross Site Of Grace in the Gravesite Plain.
- Advance to the Shadow Keep in Scadu Altus to break Miquella's charm.
- Return to speak to Ansbach at the Main Gate Cross.
- Speak to Freyja at the Three-Path Cross Site Of Grace.
- Continue through the Shadow Keep and meet Ansbach again in the Specimen Storehouse (1st floor).
- Advance through the Specimen Storehouse, collecting the Secret Rite Scroll from the 4th floor and speaking to Redmane Freyja on the 7th floor.
- Return the Scroll to Ansbach.
- Either give Ansbach's letter to Freyja or wait until Ansbach's questline concludes (see below for both outcomes).
- Progress Leda's questline until you have chosen between Thiollier and Hornsent.
- Return to Ansbach's room and choose to assist either him or Leda (see below for all outcomes).
- Either his quest concludes here or you have the option to summon Ansbach for the Enir-Ilim fight.
Where to find Ansbach in Elden Ring
When you first meet Ansbach in Shadow Of The Erdtree, he will be standing near Moore at the Main Gate Cross Site Of Grace, outside Belurat Tower Settlement in the Gravesite Plain.
Here, he will introduce himself as a retired soldier and ex-follower of Mohg. He will also offer more information about the Land of Shadow and his fellow companion, Moore who acquires goods for Leda's people (followers of Miquella).
To advance Ansbach's quest and that of the other NPCs in the Land of Shadow, you must break Miquella's charm.
How to break Miquella's charm
To break Miquella's charm, you need to travel to one of the following three locations for the first time:
- The Shadow Keep.
- The Rauh Base.
- Eastern Scadu Altus (beyond Bonny Village).
Once you have, you'll be met with the sound of shattering glass and the following words:
Somewhere, a great rune has broken... And so too has a powerful charm.
We have a full explainer on what "A great rune has broken" means but essentially, it signifies that you have advanced the main story, the NPCs in the Land of Shadow have retained their memories and independence and the seal that previously prevented you from entering the Stone Coffin Fissure has been removed.
Before continuing through the keep, return to Ansbach. Now that he has regained his independence he will express the desire to figure out Miquella's intentions and will move to The Shadow Keep. At this point in the quest, you will next find him in a room adjacent to the First Floor Site Of Grace within the Specimen Storehouse in the Shadow Keep.
Make sure you catch up with the other NPCs after breaking the charm too. In particular, speak to Freyja at the Three-Path Cross Site Of Grace to progress her part in this quest.
Be warned: Once you defeat the boss within the Shadow Keep and use Messmer's fire, the NPCs on the map will disappear.
"By my lord will I ever make sense of this jumble?" meaning
As you explore the Shadow Keep and make your way up to the top of the Specimen Storehouse, you'll encounter Redmane Freyja at the Seventh Floor Site Of Grace. Here, she will say a mixture of dialogue, both to herself and the Tarnished:
By my lord will I ever make sense of this jumble? Truly, I should have asked Ansbach to impart his knowledge when I had the chance.
Naturally, this may be a tad confusing as reporting back to Ansbach doesn't seem to move the story along. It seems in her quest to find out more about Radahn and her role, she has uncovered a tablet but cannot determine its meaning.
To progress both her and Ansbach's quests from here, you must locate the Secret Rite Scroll. Essentially, this holds the information that both Ansbach and Freyja seek in regard to the fates of their lords, Radahn and Mohg.
Where to find the Secret Rite Scroll
The Secret Rite Scroll can be found on the 4th floor of the Specimen Storehouse by following these steps:
- From the Storehouse Fourth Floor Site Of Grace, move forward and turn left at the balcony.
- Continue up two flights of stairs.
- Turn left and take the stairs downwards. Take a right into a room overlooking more specimens.
- Inside this room, loot the scroll from the desk located at the back-right corner.
Once you find the Secret Rite Scroll, return it to Ansbach to reveal more about Mohg and Miquella's plans.
Warning: Story spoilers from here on out.
Give the letter to Freyja or not?
Essentially, Miquella has stolen Mohg's body and plans to use it to resurrect Radahn. Ansbach is understandably upset about the misuse of his former master's body and tells you to pass on a letter to Freyja to make her aware of the situation. From here you have two options:
- Give the letter to Freyja: Surprisingly, Freyja isn't angry about the ritual and instead sees Radahn's return as a glorious thing, no matter the way in which it happens. Giving Freyja the letter before resolving Anbach's questline will result in her appearing in the Enir-Ilim fight later on. Ultimately, this means you'll face her and take her armor and greatsword afterwards.
- Don't give the letter to Freyja: If you choose to wait and don't give her the letter, you will save her from the Enir-Ilim fight and avoid fighting her. After advancing through the main story she will eventually disappear from the Shadow Keep and you'll be able to pick up her shield from the 7th floor Site of Grace.
Whichever option you choose, Freyja will give you the Golden Lion Shield. Now, rest at a Site Of Grace and speak to Leda at the Highroad Cross Site Of Grace in Scadu Altus. Note: To continue from here, you need to have progressed Leda's questline enough to have made a choice between Thiollier and Hornsent.
Leda or Ansbach? All quest outcomes
It transpires that Leda is set on getting rid of Ansbach, fearing that he will strike against Miquella. Return to Ansbach's room in the Specimen Storehouse and you'll see a red and gold summon sign where he once was. You can choose to help either Ansbach or Leda but both choices will have consequences.
- Assist Ansbach: Leda will die (for now), leaving you with Leda's Rune (worth 40,000 Runes) and Ansbach's Longbow. You will gain the option to summon Ansbach for help in two future fights in Enir-Ilim. One of which is the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom fight, the other is the end boss of the DLC so this summon can greatly aid you.
- Assist Leda: Ansbach will die, leaving you his gear and Leda will reward you with the Retaliatory Crossed-Tree Talisman, which enhances attacks executed after rolling or backstepping. Instead of Ansbach, you may receive the Sanguine Noble Nataan as an optional summon in the Enir-Ilim Cleansing Chamber Anteroom fight.
Note: If you choose to side with Ansbach and summon him in the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom fight, you'll receive additional dialogue and the option to summon him for the end boss.
Before advancing up the great stairs to the end boss, Consort Radahn and Miquella, Ansbach will express that he knows it was the Tarnished that killed Mohg but does not hold it against them as it was a fair fight.
If you wish to gain Ansbach's aid with the final boss, you'll need to side with him against Leda in the above choice.
Ansbach questline rewards
The following quest rewards are what you can expect to gain from Ansbach's questline providing you make the stipulated choices:
- Golden Lion Shield: Give Ansbach's letter to Freyja, or return to Freyja's spot at the the 7th Floor Specimen Storehouse Site Of Grace after the Enir-Ilim fight against Leda.
- Freyja's Greatsword and armor set: Gained if you give Ansbach's letter to Freyja before progressing to Enir-Ilim and she joins the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom fight.
- Leda's Rune: Worth 40,000 Runes. Gained after siding with Ansbach against Leda in The Shadow Keep.
- Ansbach's Longbow: Gained after siding with Ansbach against Leda in The Shadow Keep.
- Retaliatory Crossed-Tree Talisman: Gained after siding with Leda against Ansbach in The Shadow Keep.
- Sanguine Noble Nataan summon: Summonable in the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom fight if you sided with Leda throughout her quest.
- Ansbach summon: (Both in the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom fight and last boss fight of the DLC). Gained after siding with Ansbach against Leda in The Shadow Keep.
- Wise Man's Mask, Ansbach's Attire, Ansbach's Manchettes, Ansbach's Boots, Anbach's Longbow: Gained after siding with Leda against Ansbach in The Shadow Keep or retrieved from Ansbach's body after the final boss fight.
- Obsidian Lamina, Furious Blade of Ansbach: Retrieved from Ansbach's body after the final boss fight (must side with him against Leda).
That rounds up our guide on the Ansbach questline in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree. For more Elden Ring tips and tricks, check out our best weapons, best armor, Talismans, builds or boss locations guides.