Defeating the Followers of Miquella in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

As you near the end of the Elden Ring DLC, you will encounter some familiar foes in the final boss battle. Here is a guide on defeating the Followers of Miquella in Shadow of the Erdtree. Be aware that there may be spoilers for different quests ahead.

As those accompanying Needle Knight Leda and her ally on their quests in Shadow of the Erdtree may have observed, tensions within the group have begun to surface. Leda’s paranoia has led her to attempt to eliminate Hornsent and, later on, Ansbach, who were once aligned with Mohg, the Lord of Blood.

As you approach Miquella, Leda will suddenly appear in your way, preventing you from reaching her. A red summon sign will then appear, giving you the opportunity to confront Leda and her followers. The battle against the Followers of Miquella may vary for each player, depending on their actions during previous questlines.

Essentially, your actions throughout the DLC will determine the difficulty of the battle and the participants involved. In the following section, we will outline potential opponents, strategies for minimizing enemy numbers, and potential allies who can join you in the battle.

Needle Knight Leda wants you dead.

Preparing for the Battle Against the Followers of Miquella

The battle with the Followers of Miquella in Shadow of the Erdtree is unique among all other optional bosses. It can change based on which characters are still alive and who you have befriended during your journey.

The battle may involve you and five of Miquella’s Followers, namely:

Dryleaf Dane
Redman Freyja
Needle Knight Leda
Hornsent
Moore

Leda and Dane will always participate in this battle, but you can exclude Hornsent, Freyja, and Moore from the fight by making certain decisions earlier in the story.

Eliminating Moore Early

When Moore asks for your opinion, advise him to “remain sad forever,” as he has always done. Although this terrible guidance ultimately results in his early demise, it also spares him from joining the fight later on.

Alternatively, it has been suggested that disregarding his dialogue can also prevent him from participating in the battle, although there have been instances where he has still chosen to join in. However, the most effective method to remove him from the situation is to give him misleading advice.

Moore will leave his equipment for you to take and you can bring his Bell Bearing to the Roundtable Hold in order to maintain your access to his shop.

If you provide Moore with helpful guidance during this encounter, he will express his fondness for you and remain alive. However, he will eventually succumb to Leda’s manipulation and attempt to harm you, resulting in your need to defend yourself and ultimately causing his demise.

If you choose to ignore Moore’s pursuit and refrain from conversing with him, Leda will automatically recruit him. Alternatively, you can choose to directly attack Moore and his companions, thus terminating their questlines and initiating an early war against them.

Eliminating Hornsent early

Hornsent may be taken out of the battle prematurely through either assassination at the behest of the ever-more suspicious Leda or by joining forces with him, turning against Leda and essentially betraying the faction, before eventually calling on him for aid in the fight against Messmer.

Despite aiding him in defeating his unstable former ally and vanquishing a demi-god alongside him, Hornsent remains unable to forgive you for your allegiance to the Erdtree.

As you explore the Rauh Ruins, he will invade you at a later time. This will result in you having to kill him, thus ending your alliance. However, this will also ensure that he is unable to assist Leda in the future.

If you choose to visit the Rauh Ruins before defeating Messmer, or if you remain neutral in Leda and Hornsent’s conflict, she will redirect her attention to Ansbach. As a result, Hornsent will continue to stand with the Followers of Miquella and will join in their attack against you.

Miquella’s Followers will enter the arena one by one.

Available NPC Summons

There are two potential allies that you can enlist to join the fight against the Followers of Miquella:

Recruiting Pureblood Knight Ansbach

Upon determining that Ansbach is a foe of Miquella, Leda will request your assistance in taking him down. By utilizing the Storehouse, First Floor Site of Grace in the Shadow Keep, and paying a visit to Ansbach in the library, you will be presented with the choice of either assaulting him or protecting him.

To rescue him from Leda, use the gold summon sign and assist him in defeating her. This battle is fairly straightforward as it is a 2v1 against Leda. It only required a few strikes of Corpse Piler to emerge victorious.

Once his dialogue is exhausted following the battle, you will have the opportunity to call upon Ansbach when Leda presents her challenge. To enlist his assistance, simply use his golden summon sign and Ansbach will swiftly join the fray. The seasoned Blood Knight will prove to be a valuable ally in the face of the final boss.

If Ansbach had already passed away by this point, you could still call upon the assistance of Sanguine Noble Nataan to help you in your battle against Leda and her crew. It is likely that Nataan, like Mohg, was once a follower of Miquella and is seeking retribution for the mistreatment of his leader’s remains. You will soon learn the truth.

Recruiting Thiollier

Although Thiollier is not a member of Leda’s group, he can still assist you in the fight against the Followers of Miquella. To enlist his help, all you need to do is fulfill his quest which begins when you encounter him at the Pillar Path Cross Site of Grace.

To progress, you must first journey to the Stone Coffin Fissue and defeat the Putrescent Knight. Following that, you must then meet with St. Trina. Upon successful completion of this quest, you will have the ability to summon Thiollie to assist you and Ansbach in defending against the crazed Followers of Miquella.

Similar to Ansbach, Thiollier will assist you in defeating the final boss. However, it is important to recruit Thiollier before reaching Enir-Ilim, otherwise, his quest will become unavailable and the NPC will vanish. So remember to recruit Thiollier before reaching Enir-Ilim to avoid any complications.

Followers of Miquella boss — FromSoftware

Things can soon become chaotic as the arena fills up.

Followers of Miquella’s Location

From the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom at the Site of Grace, make your way towards the expansive circular room where you’ll soon spot a figure in the distance. It’s Leda, who will promptly start taunting you and making her usual paranoid accusations. Just as quickly as she appeared, she will disappear, but not before leaving a red summon sign behind for you to follow.

Although you have the option to ignore Leda’s challenge, the reason you purchased the DLC was to participate in boss fights. Additionally, there are valuable rewards to be obtained from this battle and it will contribute to the progression of Ansbach and Thiollier’s quests, allowing you to summon them for the final boss.

If you want to have allies to support you in the upcoming outnumbered battle, we suggest bringing them along. Start by using the gold summon signs for Thiollier and Ansbach, and then use the red summon sign to invade Leda. The Followers of Miquella will join the battle one by one until all have been summoned.

If you need additional assistance, it is advisable to summon your Spirit Summons now. They will aid you in battle until your NPC allies arrive and protect you from being overwhelmed. During the fight, our Mimic Tear was able to keep one of Leda’s allies occupied and emerged victorious.

NPC allies make a real difference in this fight.

Guide to Defeating the Followers of Miquella

For the purpose of this guide, let’s presume that all the Followers of Miquella are still living and that you have successfully enlisted both NPC allies. This will allow us to anticipate the order in which they will join the battle.

If Hornsent is still alive, he will be the first to invade, followed shortly by Redmayne Freyja. However, if Hornsent has already passed before the battle, Freyja will take his place as the initial invader. Regardless of who enters the battle first, it is crucial to gain an early advantage by swiftly defeating them before their reinforcements arrive.

Using our Mimic Tear, we managed to team up on the initial NPC and cause them to bleed, ultimately defeating them before they could call for reinforcements. However, this strategy can only be employed once because the situation will quickly become chaotic. Nevertheless, taking down the first invader swiftly will give us an advantage over the incoming opponents.

If Moore is still alive, he will be the next to arrive, strengthening the enemy forces. Following him, Ansbach will come to your aid, either balancing the situation or putting the opposing team at a disadvantage, especially if the first invader has been killed. Dryleaf Dane will arrive right after Ansbach, so your advantage will not be long-lived.

The arrival of Needle Knight Leda is imminent. Our recommendation is to disregard her and concentrate on those who are already vulnerable. It is prudent to defeat them and eliminate them from the battlefield while they are already weakened. Aim to singularly target one NPC at a time, taking them down systematically.

In conclusion, with your recruitment of Thiollier, he will join the battle to aid you. If you are only up against Freyja, Dane, and Leda, the fight will be relatively straightforward, especially with the help of your two allies and Spirit Summons. However, if you are forced to confront all five NPCs, the battle will become significantly more challenging.

Strategically attacking one enemy at a time can be beneficial when facing multiple foes. This tactic allows for overwhelming each opponent, leaving only Leda as the last one standing. In our game, our entire team was able to defeat Leda since we were all still alive at the end.

Although it may be tempting to enter this boss fight alone with a fully-powered Leda’s team, be warned that it will prove to be a difficult battle. Those who underestimate the power of Spirit Summons and NPC allies may need to reconsider their approach.

Weaknesses of Followers of Miquella

Although the Followers of Miquella is not a typical Elden Ring boss fight, it is more of a confrontation among NPCs. Therefore, there is not a confirmed list of weaknesses for each combatant, particularly in terms of elemental vulnerabilities.

Nevertheless, our discovery showed that all NPCs were highly vulnerable to Hemorrhage (Bleed), Scarlet Rot, and Poison. In fact, the infliction of Bleed damage proved to be especially effective against certain NPCs, resulting in their swift defeat.

Followers of Miquella boss fight — FromSoftware

Spirit Summons help you not get overwhelmed by enemies.

Rewards

Since this is a voluntary fight, the primary attraction is the abundant rewards that are obtained after all five NPCs have been defeated. After defeating Needle Knight Leda, you will receive Leda’s Sword and then be returned to your own world.

Upon your return to your world, you will be met with the gruesome sight of your enemy’s lifeless bodies scattered across the battlefield. Take a brief moment to reflect on their tragic demise before gleefully plundering their corpses for the following rewards:

Redmane Freyja is the name of the character.

Freyja’s Greatsword
Freyja’s Helm
Freyja’s Armor
Freyja’s Gauntlets
Freyja’s Greaves

Hornsent:

Scythe
Caterpillar Mask
Braided Cord Robe
Braided Arm Wraps
Soiled Loincloth

The person named Dryleaf Dane:

Dryleaf Robe
Dryleaf Arm Wraps
Dryleaf Over-the-Knee Boots
Dane’s Footwork

Moore:

Moore’s Bell Bearing
Verdigris Greatshield
Verdigris Helm
Verdigris Armor
Verdigris Gauntlets
Verdigris Greaves

Leda, the Needle Knight:

Oathseeker Knight Helm
Oathseeker Knight Gauntlets
Oathseeker Knight Greaves
Leda’s Armor

After the battle, proceed to the next area and have a conversation with Ansbach. He will bring up the topic of Mohg’s death, but do not worry, he will not turn hostile. In fact, you will come across his and Thiollier’s summon signs outside the final boss arena.

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