Needle Knight Leda | Elden Ring Wiki

Needle Knight Leda
Location	Mohgwyn Palace
Role	Miquella's Followers Leader
Voiced by	Naomi Yang

Needle Knight Leda is an NPC in Elden Ring. Needle Knight Leda is the ringleader of Miquella's band of followers in the Realm of Shadow. She is an NPC exclusive to Shadow of the Erdtree and does not appear in the base game. She was part of an order of knights under the service of Miquella known as the needle knights.

See Needle Knight Leda Lore

 Come now. Touch the withered arm, and travel to the realm of shadow.

I will not be far behind, may we meet again.

Needle Knight Leda Location in Elden Ring

Needle Knight Leda can be found at Mohgwyn Palace, besides the cocoon of Miquella.

• This NPC moves to Highroad Cross Site of Grace after entering Scadu Altus. [Shadow of the Erdtree Map Link]
• This NPC moves near the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom Site of Grace in Enir-Ilim:
  • After assisting her twice, or assisting Hornsent or Sir Ansbach, she will move there.
  • If you attack her at the Highroad Cross Site of Grace, she will vanish and move there prematurely.
  • If the Sealing Tree in the Ancient Ruins of Rauh is burned, she will move there on her own.
• Can be summoned for the fight against Rellana, Twin Moon Knight in Castle Ensis. [See Shadow of the Erdtree Map Link] NOTE: After Miquella's charm is broken, Leda will no longer be an optional summon against this boss.

Needle Knight Leda Quest Objectives in Elden Ring

• Speak with Leda at the Cocoon of the Empyrean in the base game
• Receive Leda's Message at Belurat Tower Settlement
• Receive Leda's Message at Castle Ensis
• Speak with Leda by the Highroad Cross Site of Grace
• Break Miquella's charm by approaching Shadow Keep or crossing the bridge east of Bonny Village
• Speak with Leda at the Highroad Cross Site of Grace
• Enter Shadow Keep
• Speak with Leda at the Highroad Cross and decide who you want to investigate
• Assist Leda or assist Hornsent
• Continue Sir Ansbach's questline (reload near Sir Ansbach after telling him what Redmane Freyja said when you gave her the letter, this will unlock the invasion)
• Assist Leda or assist Sir Ansbach
• Fight the NPC battle in Enir-Ilim

Elden Ring Needle Knight Leda Notes & Trivia

• Lockout conditions for Needle Knight Leda's Quest:
  • Her summon/invasion signs in Shadow Keep for Hornsent (near the burning boats) will disappear once you enter Messmer the Impaler's arena from the Dark Chamber Entrance Site of Grace. Exercise caution as the boss fog will not be present the first time you encounter Messmer. Make sure to respond to the summon signs beforehand to prevent yourself from locking out from the rewards related to Hornsent.
• It is possible to get all the unique items from her questline and Sir Ansbach/Hornsent's in a minimum of two playthroughs. See the "How to Optimize Rewards" section below for more info. It is NOT possible to get all of the items from the three NPCs in a single playthrough, as whatever decision you pick, you will unavoidably lock yourself out of certain items.
• Leda wears a modified version of the Oathseeker Set with a unique Chest Armor signifying her allegiance to Miquella.
• NOTE: Patch 1.13 increased the stats and status of Needle Knight Leda when summoned in some areas.

Elden Ring Needle Knight Leda Questline Guide

Entering the Shadow Realm

The quest begins after defeating Mohg, Lord of Blood in the base game (additionally, Starscourge Radahn will have to be defeated). You will find Needle Knight Leda, a character donning a white robe standing next to Miquella's bloody cocoon in the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum. Talk to her to preface your journey to the Realm of Shadow. She introduces herself as Leda and invites you to join her, and other followers of Miquella the Kind to trace his path. To start your journey, she tells you to touch the withered arm. You will then be transported to the Shadow Realm and begin the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

Needle Knight Leda's Messages

You won't see Leda again for a while; however, you can find two of her messages which mention where she is headed and give insight to Miquella's intentions.

The first of Leda's messages (Tower of Shadow Message) you find is in Belurat Tower Settlement. After defeating the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, take the lift up and follow the path towards the stairs. Take the stairs up and to the right is the letter [See the Shadow of the Erdtree Map Link].

The second of Leda's messages (Castle Cross Message) can be found later on after traversing through Castle Ensis. Miquella's Cross can be found, and Leda's message is right next to it [See Shadow of the Erdtree Map Link].

Needle Knight Leda in Scadu Altus

Needle Knight Leda is found at the Highroad Cross Site of Grace [See Shadow of the Erdtree Map] near Hornsent. Speak to both of them and exhaust all dialogue options. Hornsent will provide the New Cross Map showing the location of four additional Miquella's Crosses.

(Optional) Monk's Missive and the "May the Best Win" gesture can also be found at the Site of Grace. These items are important for progressing Dryleaf Dane's questline. After meeting Dryleaf Dane, you can return to Leda to learn more about him.

To progress Leda's questline, Miquella's great rune must be broken. Triggering the event will display the message, "Somewhere a great rune has been broken. And so too, a powerful charm,". Breaking the great rune will not affect you but will advance several NPC questlines, such as Leda's. To trigger the event:

1. Enter Shadow Keep through the front entrance at Messmer's Army Encampment. [See Shadow of the Erdtree Map]
2. Pass Bonny Village and head east in Scadu Altus, then continue north from the Bridge Leading to the Village Site of Grace. [See Shadow of the Erdtree Map]

After breaking the great rune, return to Leda at the Highroad Cross Site of Grace [See Shadow of the Erdtree Map] to unlock new dialogue. She will ask you who she should pursue, but your choice will not affect the game's outcome.

• Suggesting Thiollier will lead Leda to conclude that he is not a threat.
• Suggesting Hornsent will cause Leda to acknowledge his desire for vengeance. She will initially hesitate but will eventually agree to pursue him.
• Suggesting no one will end the conversation, but Leda will ultimately decide to go after Hornsent regardless.

Needle Knight Leda in Shadow Keep

NOTE: It is NOT possible to get all of the unique items from Ansbach and Hornsent in a single playthrough. Whichever decisions you pick below, you will unavoidably lock yourself out of certain items. You will need a minimum of two playthroughs to acquire all items, see the "How to Optimize Rewards" section below for suggested paths.

Leda Betrays Hornsent

Once Leda has informed you of her decision to pursue Hornsent, head to Shadow Keep. Just before the elevator to the Storehouse, First Floor Site of Grace in Shadow Keep (also reached by continuing up for a while from the Main Gate Plaza Site of Grace), on the battlements with the burning boats you will find two summoning signs. They'll be in the south, near a set of stairs.

• If you help Leda (the red summon): You will kill Hornsent, ending his questline there. You will be rewarded with Falx, Hornsent's Set, and (after speaking to Leda again at the Highroad Cross Site of Grace) Lacerating Crossed-Tree. This will lock you out of getting Ash of War: Swift Slash, it will make a later boss fight easier, and it will prevent Hornsent from assisting you against Messmer the Impaler.
• If you help Hornsent (the gold summon): Hornsent's questline will continue, and your next encounter with Leda will be in Enir-Ilim. You will be rewarded with Ash of War: Swift Slash and Leda's Rune. This will lock you out of getting Lacerating Crossed-Tree, Retaliatory Crossed-Tree, and Ansbach's Longbow.
• If you help neither: Hornsent's and Leda's questlines will both continue after you defeat Messmer the Impaler. This will lock you out of getting Lacerating Crossed-Tree and Ash of War: Swift Slash.

Leda Betrays Ansbach

If you helped Leda kill Hornsent, or enter the Messmer the Impaler boss room without assisting either, Leda will move on to target Sir Ansbach. Talk to Leda again in Scadu Altus and she will inform you that she is targeting him next. Return to Storehouse, First Floor and nearby Ansbach you will find two summon signs. You must give Sir Ansbach the Secret Rite Scroll and complete the portion of his quest in the Shadow Keep in order for the summon signs to appear.

• If you help Leda (the red summon): You will kill Sir Ansbach, ending his questline there. You will be rewarded with Ansbach's Longbow, Ansbach's Set, and (after speaking to Leda again at the Highroad Cross Site of Grace) Retaliatory Crossed-Tree. This will lock you out of getting Furious Blade of Ansbach, Obsidian Lamina, and Leda's Rune, and prevent you from summoning Sir Ansbach in Enir-Ilim.
• If you help Sir Ansbach (the gold summon): Sir Ansbach's questline will continue. You will be rewarded with Ansbach's Longbow and Leda's Rune. This will lock you out of getting Retaliatory Crossed-Tree. He will be summonable in Enir-Ilim.
• If you do nothing: Sir Ansbach's questline will continue, and he will still be summonable later on in Enir-Ilim. This will lock you out of getting Retaliatory Crossed-Tree and Ansbach's Longbow.

Aftermath

If you aided Leda twice, speak to her again and exhaust her dialogue at the Highroad Cross Site of Grace. After resting or leaving the area, she will move to Enir-Ilim. If you aided either Hornsent or Sir Ansbach, she will move to Enir-Ilim on her own.

Needle Knight Leda in Enir-Ilim

In your final encounter with Leda, she will try to stop you once you reach the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom Site of Grace in Enir-Ilim. After the battle with the NPC allies, you'll be able to loot Leda's Armor and Leda's Sword from her corpse.

NOTE: as of ver. 1.12.3, this encounter is bugged. If you are summoned as a furled finger and die during the battle, you will drop your runes as if you were the host. You can reclaim your runes in the place you died in your own world, but if you forget to do so before being summoned as a cooperator and dying again, the runes will be permanently lost.

How to Optimize Rewards for Leda, Hornsent, and Sir Ansbach Quests

It is possible to get all of the items related to Leda, Hornsent, and Sir Ansbach in a minimum of two playthroughs:

Dialogue in Elden Ring: Needle Knight Leda

Introduction

• Ahh, were you guided here by Kindly Miquella? I am Leda, and like you, I was guided by faith along his honorable path. Touch the withered arm, and you too will be transported. To the realm of shadow, where Miquella the Kind now dwells. My compatriots are there already. Like us, they have heard Kindly Miquella's call. If you can find them, they are certain to lend you aid.
• Come now, touch the withered arm, and travel to the realm of shadow. I will not be far behind, may we meet again.

Visit at Highroad Cross

• (If you haven’t met yet) Ah, finally we meet. I am Leda. I missed my chance to speak with you last time, but you too must have been guided here by Kindly Miquella. Have you met my compatriots? They were drawn here by Miquella the Kind, much like you, following the path he himself trod. You must have been surprised to see such a band, each come from places far and wide…
• (If you have met) Hello again. Did you meet my compatriots? They’re quite the congregation. From places as far and wide as you can imagine.
• Doubtless they’d have all come to blows at first glance… Were it not for the charm of Kindly Miquella put upon us. This is what allows us to serve together. The work of a living god.
• We are all utterly captivated by Kindly Miquella. It is what binds us together.
• (Ask about the silent monk) Oh, that man is known as Dane. He’s been in the service of Miquella the Kind longer than I. He might be solemn of cheer, but is a fierce warrior nevertheless. There’s no cause for concern… Dane’s reluctance to speak to you is no fault of your own. We’ve been acquainted for quite some time, but even I am yet to hear his voice. Perhaps one day.
• (Ask about the hornsent) Wondering about the hornsent, are you? True enough, in any other circumstance he’d be at our throats… Long ago, Queen Marika commanded Sir Messmer to purge the tower folk. A cleansing by fire. It’s no wonder the hornsent holds the Erdtree in contempt. That aside, man is by nature a creature of conquest. And in this regard, the tower folk are no different. They were never saints. They just happened to be on the losing side of a war. But it’s still a wretched shame.

^§After the Great Rune is broken

• (If you haven’t met yet) Ah, finally we meet. I am Leda. I missed my chance to speak with you last time, but you too must have been guided here by Miquella the Kind. Then you must have felt it. Tender Miquella’s enchantment has been broken.
• (If you have met) Oh, hello. Did you feel it? Miquella the Kind’s enchantment appears to have broken.
• But while my devotion to Kindly Miquella remains unchanged, by my troth, I am not so sure about the others. No, wait. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. I can wield my sword to cull the undeserving, those unfit to bask in Miquella the Kind’s presence. I should’ve thought of this earlier.
• Right. It’s time to being ferreting out… Those of us who don’t deserve to be at Kindly Miquella’s side…
  • (Suggest Thiollier) Thiollier, hmm. It’s true, his devotion to St. Trina is plain to see. I fear his vows to Miquella the Kind are merely secondary. But for this very reason, Thiollier is incapable of betrayal. St. Trina’s love for Kind Miquella is boundless. She is, after all, his other half. Or perhaps her feelings go beyond even that. Even if she was left behind, I doubt her heart would waver.
  • (Suggest Hornsent) The hornsent, hmm. On one hand, he trusts Miquella the Kind to bring salvation to his people. With the enchantment lifted, his vengeful passions may once again ignite, but surely he’d be mindful of Kindly Miquella’s promise… On the other hand, the hornsent does present his own dangers. Perhaps your concerns are well-founded after all. Allow me some time to mull it over.
• Oh, there you are. It took me long enough, I know, but I’ve made my decision. I believe it wisest to eliminate the hornsent. If he were to point his blade at Sir Messmer or Queen Marika, perhaps it would not matter. But vengeance changes a man. And one day, his blade may turn towards Miquella the Kind. Kindly Miquella is, after all, the true golden child. Even if he discards every last drop of his being, his lineage will always remain.
• I believe the hornsent suspects what I have in mind. He never placed his full trust in me, even under the effect of Kindly Miquella’s spell. He must’ve recognized something. The scent of the killer that slept within me. The stench of crusted blood.
• I will follow the hornsent. To have his revenge on Sir Messsmer, there is only one place he will go. The black keep.

After defeating Messmer

• Oh, there you are. I’ve made up my mind – The hornsent is no longer a mortal danger.
  • (with Hornsent’s Help) With his grudge against Sir Messmer settled, his blade is bent by madness. Wherever he goes he won’t last long. I needn’t bother with him. Unruly emotions only lead to misfortune. All the more reason we need someone like Miquella the Kind.
  • (without Hornsent’s Help) With the object of his vengeance gone, his blade has grown dull. In that state, I don’t imagine he will ever fight again. I needn’t bother with him. Lest, of course, another target for his retribution should appear.

Fighting Hornsent

• Worthy hornsent. I will dispose of you. Before your thirst for revenge beckons our undoing. I can no longer trust your word.
• Assisting Leda
  
  • What a surprise. That you should join me here. I am pleased. Now go and make yourself useful.
  • (On defeat) Y-you have bested me. Only…
  • (On victory) Kindly Miquella never betrays a vow. Go. Your family awaits you.
• Assisting Hornsent
  • Have you been taken in by the plight of the hornsent? Foolish… But hardly unexpected. Man is a compassionate animal, for better or worse.
    
  • (On defeat) Urgh! You have bested me. A single betrayal, enough to turn the tides… Unfortunate, but I will leave you be, for now. 

^§After defeating Hornsent

• Oh, there you are. Well fought. You have my gratitude. He was never going to see eye to eye with us, but his words were ill-founded. It was hard to hear, I know. (Gives Lacerating Crossed-Tree)
• I know I shouldn’t let myself… But I suppose it’s only natural to feel the weight of one’s deeds at times like these. There is plenty left to be done. And I will see to it.
• Who else, I wonder… I don’t enjoy casting suspicion on anyone I’ve called a comrade. But it’s a small sacrifice in the grand scheme of things. We must eradicate all doubt…
• Ah, there you are. I’m afraid Sir Ansbach will have to be next. He insist that he’s nothing but a worn down, over-the-hill soldier. But in his day, he was the feared commander of the Pureblood Knights, who cleaved open Miquella the Kind with his blood blade. He claims he hasn’t the spirit to take up his sword again, but I doubt it’ll be very long… Before he recalls, as I have, the cascading sheets of blood. I’m afraid he cannot be left to fester…
• I’ve come to a realization… There’s ample evidence… Without Kindly Miquella’s influence… I’m quite mistrustful of others…

Fighting Sir Ansbach

• Sir Ansbach. I will dispose of you. I find that I have a new apprehension – Your ambivalence. And exactly where it might lead you.
• Assisting Leda
  
  • You’ve come again, have you. Thank you. Now go and make yourself useful.
  • (On defeat) You are a force of nature… Only…
  • (On victory) Thank you for all that you have done, Sir Ansbach.
• Assisting Sir Ansbach
  •  So you've chosen your side, have you. Despite having no debt to the Lord of Blood. I suppose it was Sir Ansbach who won you over. Fine. One more heart for my blade to skewer.
    
  • (On victory) With this battle I send you on. It was an honour. Now, go.
  • (On defeat) Perhaps I should have known. Not to challenge the two of you alone. I take my leave, for now.

After Sir Ansbach is defeated

• Ah, there you are. I owe you for your help in battle, once again. None can deny Sir Ansbach was truly a great man. We can be proud, that we were the last opponents he ever faced. (Gives Retaliatory Crossed-Tree)
• You are an odd one, aren’t you. The enchantment is broken, and yet you alone appear completely unchanged. As if nothing was ever cast upon you. … No matter. If you found your way here, it was because Kindly Miquella wished it so. But I am afraid this is our farewell. When next we meet, let it be under the eyes of Miquella the Kind. Good bye, comrade.

Entering Cleansing Chamber

• Ah, I thought I’d see you here. It’s been quite some time. … It was never Kindly Miquella, was it? The Erdtree was leading you all along. So that you might ascend to lordship. Why come to these lands to begin with? I suppose it must be what his Eminence, or perhaps the Erdtree, desired all along? The clashing of the favored lords, such that one would prevail? So be it. If you insist upon facing Miquella the Kind, Then I will run you through, whoever you might be. Don’t tarry now.

Be summoned to challenge Needle Knight Leda and her allies

• Don’t you dare approach Miquella the Kind.
  • (With multiple allies) Needle Knight Leda, Dryleaf Dane, and our allies…
  • (With one ally) Needle Knight Leda, Dryleaf Dane, and our ally…
  • (With no allies) Needle Knight Leda, Dryleaf Dane...
• Will never allow this.
• I am sorry. For speaking to you as a compatriot. When we stood before the withered arm.
• By way of apology, I will reveal the marrow of my sword. Its needles, that will stitch you into death.
• (If Sir Ansbach is summoned) I can’t fathom your convictions. After knowing Kindly Miquella, what remains to pledge to your Lord of Blood?
• (If Thiollier is summoned) Thiollier. I seem to have made a poor judgement. About you. Or perhaps, St. Trina.
• (On player kill) With this battle I send you on. It was an honour to face a worthy lord. Now, go.
• (On defeat) Kindly Miquella… Make the world… A gentler place...

^§ Story Trailer

• Miquella the Kind spoke of the beginning. The seduction. And the betrayal. An affair from which Gold arose. And so too was Shadow born. What followed was a war unseen. One that could never be put to song. A purge without Grace or honor. The tyranny of Messmer’s flame. And so Kindly Miquella would abandon everything. His golden flesh, his blinding strength. Even his fate. But we are not deterred. We choose to follow. Will you walk with us?

Needle Knight Leda Lore

Lore Items Related to Needle Knight Leda

Needle Knight Leda Gallery