Needle Knight Leda is the very first person you meet when you touch that withered arm in Mohg's palace. She’s the face of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. Honestly, most players think she’s just another helpful NPC guide, but that’s the trap. Leda is basically the "cleaner" for Miquella the Kind. As you progress through the Land of Shadow, her obsession with purity turns a simple journey into a paranoid bloodbath.
If you’re looking to finish the Needle Knight Leda questline, you’ve got to understand one thing. This isn't just one quest. It’s the spine of the entire DLC. It connects almost every other character, from the grumpy Hornsent to the legendary Sir Ansbach.
Breaking the Charm: When Things Get Weird
At the start, everyone is "charmed" by Miquella. They’re all friends because they literally have no choice. But once you approach the Shadow Keep or cross the bridge east of Bonny Village, a loud crack echoes through the world.
"Somewhere, a great rune has been broken."
That message is the turning point. The charm is gone. Suddenly, Leda realizes she doesn't actually like her coworkers. She starts questioning their loyalty. If you head back to the Highroad Cross site of grace, you’ll find her having a bit of a mid-life crisis. She’s convinced there’s a traitor among them.
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She’ll ask you who she should target. You can suggest Thiollier or Hornsent. Kinda funny, but if you suggest Thiollier, she basically says, "Nah, he’s too pathetic to be a threat." She almost always settles on the Hornsent. This is where the branching paths really start to matter for your loot.
Choosing Sides at the Shadow Keep
Once Leda decides to "purge" the Hornsent, you’ll find two summon signs in the Shadow Keep. They’re near the Main Gate Plaza where the burning boats are.
- Helping Leda (Red Sign): You invade and kill Hornsent. This ends his quest immediately. You get his Falx swords and the Caterpillar Mask. Talk to Leda afterward at the Highroad Cross, and she’ll give you the Lacerating Crossed-Tree talisman. This thing is top-tier if you use dash attacks.
- Helping Hornsent (Gold Sign): You defend him against Leda. You get the Ash of War: Swift Slash (which was famously broken in PvP for a while) and Leda’s Rune. Leda doesn't die here; she just retreats, slightly annoyed.
If you ignore this fight entirely and just kill Messmer the Impaler, the opportunity vanishes. Hornsent survives, but you miss the unique talismans.
The Hunt for Sir Ansbach
If Hornsent is dead or if Leda decides he’s no longer the priority, she sets her sights on Sir Ansbach. This is where the Needle Knight Leda questline gets genuinely emotional for a lot of players. Ansbach is a fan favorite—a refined knight of Mohg who actually has a moral compass.
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Leda? Not so much. She thinks his past loyalty to Mohg makes him a liability.
To trigger this next phase, you need to find Ansbach in the Specimen Storehouse (First Floor) and give him the Secret Rite Scroll. Once he starts deciphering Miquella’s true plan, Leda decides he has to go. Again, you’ll find two signs in Ansbach’s little library corner.
Siding with Leda here nets you the Retaliatory Crossed-Tree talisman. It buffs attacks after a roll or backstep. It’s great, but you have to murder the coolest guy in the DLC to get it. If you save Ansbach, he becomes an invaluable ally for the final boss fight.
The Redmane Freyja Complication
Leda’s shadow hangs over Freyja too. If you want the full story, you have to play messenger between Ansbach and Freyja in the Storehouse. Giving Freyja the "Letter for Freyja" from Ansbach ensures she stays committed to the fight. This actually makes the endgame harder because she will stand with Leda against you, but it’s the only way to get her full armor set and Greatsword later.
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The Enir-Ilim Showdown
Everything in the Needle Knight Leda questline leads to the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom. This is the big one. It’s not a traditional boss fight; it’s a massive NPC brawl.
The participants depend entirely on who you killed and who you talked to. If you were a "loyal" follower of Miquella, you might find yourself fighting almost everyone you met. If you did Thiollier’s and Ansbach’s quests correctly, you can summon them to help you.
Leda appears last. She’s fast, she heals, and her Needle Knight armor looks incredible. When you finally take her down, you can loot her corpse for Leda's Sword and her armor. The sword has a unique skill called "Needle Piercer" that clears all status ailments and buffs—basically a "reset" button for a fight.
What Most People Get Wrong
A lot of guides say you have to kill the NPCs to get their gear. That’s actually a myth for most of them. If you let them live until the final battle in Enir-Ilim, their armor and weapons will be sitting on their bodies after the fight anyway.
The only things you truly "miss" by being a nice person are the two Crossed-Tree talismans and the Swift Slash Ash of War. You can’t get all three in one playthrough. It’s mathematically impossible. You have to choose between being a cold-blooded assassin for Leda or a loyal friend to the rest of the cast.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Run
- Check your inventory: If you haven't broken the Great Rune yet, go talk to Moore and Hornsent now. Once it breaks, their dialogue changes forever.
- Pick a Talisman: If you’re a Dexterity build, side with Leda against Hornsent to get the Lacerating Crossed-Tree. If you’re a "bro" and want the best NPCs for the final boss, side with Ansbach.
- Don't rush Messmer: Killing the boss of Shadow Keep early can skip the invasion signs for Leda. Do the NPC stuff before you enter that boss fog.
- The Secret Rite Scroll: Don't give this to Ansbach until you've talked to Freyja on the 7th floor. There's a known bug where the quest can stall if you do it out of order.
Leda is a fascinating look at how "kindness" in the world of Elden Ring can be just as terrifying as Outer Gods or Frenzied Flames. She’s doing what she thinks is right, even if it means putting a needle through the heart of every friend she has.