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What’s better than a waifu who can hug you with both arms? Well, how about a waifu who can hug you with four arms? That’s twice the affection. The only catch is that she’s a literal doll, but that shouldn’t matter. Ranni the Witch in Elden Ring is one of the most crucial yet enigmatic characters in the game.
And while you can initiate a dialog with her, thoust truly speaketh in thy riddles, as doth everyone in this damn game. So we’re here to explain what Ranni the Witch is all about in Elden Ring and how understanding and helping her can eventually make you her royal spouse. She has four arms, so prepare two wedding rings on top of the Elden Ring.
Who Is Ranni the Witch?
Ranni the Witch is a character of immense significance in Elden Ring, known for her mastery of lunar sorceries and unmatched magical abilities.
She was born as the daughter of Radagon and Rennala, and she inherited her mother’s formidable sorcery powers. Consequently, she doesn’t seem to share her father’s belief in the Greater Will’s dominion over the Lands Between. In fact, she directly opposes the Greater Will and serves a different Outer God, which is the Moon.
Her unique perspective (much like another female character with a shady agenda) sets her apart from the other Demigods in the Lands Between as she is opposed to the Elden Ring’s power (the Elden Ring being the grand culmination of the Greater Will’s reality-bending powers).
Ranni Might Have Caused the Events in Elden Ring
Ranni’s true ambitions and her disdain for the Golden Order (the Greater Will’s will, basically) remained well-concealed.
She orchestrated a pivotal event known as the Night of Black Knives, which marked the first appearance of Death in the Lands Between (before that, everyone was immortal), leading to profound consequences for the game’s world.
On this fateful night, Godwyn’s soul was killed, but his body was left alive, and Ranni herself killed her own body, splitting the Rune of Death into two pieces, one of which she took away.
The community also speculates that it was Ranni who ordered the assassination of Godwyn as an act of rebellion against the Greater Will and its constituents and to further her lunar god’s agenda.
Ranni’s mysterious nature and her manipulative tactics make her one of the most cunning Demigods in Elden Ring, and her actions have far-reaching consequences. Godwyn’s spiritual death triggered the Shattering of the Elden Ring (under Queen Marika’s grieving hands) and the chaos allowed Ranni to escape from the grasp of the Greater Will.
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She even discarded her own Great Rune (a piece of the Elden Ring) since she didn’t want to be a candidate for the Greater Will.
What Does Ranni Want From You?
Ranni’s ambitions become clearer as players progress through her questline (more on that later).
She wants to install the Outer God of the Moon as the new de facto leader of the Lands Between, seeking to break free from the dominion of the Greater Will. To achieve this, she needs you in her quest as a pawn in a complex web of events that ultimately aim to overthrow the existing order and bring about the Age of Stars (with the Moon as the god).
To ascend to godhood, one needs to collect all the pieces of the Elden Ring, and Ranni wants you to collect them to support her scheme to overthrow the Greater Will.
Ranni’s plan includes tasks such as finding the lost treasure of Nokron and embarking on sidequests related to other NPCs like Alexander the Iron Fist, Blaidd, and Seluvis. These quests lead the player to confront Starscourge Radahn and other Great Rune holders and ultimately contribute to Ranni’s grand scheme.
How Important Is She in Elden Ring?
Ranni the Witch holds a pivotal role in Elden Ring’s cryptic storyline.
Her orchestration of the Night of Black Knives and her escape from the influence of the Greater Will’s agents set the stage for the Shattering and the chaos that envelops the Lands Between. Her actions, while somewhat destructive, ultimately played a crucial part in the game’s lore and worldbuilding.
As the player progresses through her questline, they’ll uncover her true motivations and the extent of her machinations. Ranni’s questline is intertwined with the fate of the Lands Between.
Ranni’s Abridged Questline
Do keep in mind that her questline is not mandatory. It’s only optional despite its significance and its length. However, if you want to know more about Ranni or eventually marry her, you need to complete her quest line, which spans around half of the game.
Follow these summarized instruction sets to complete her quest.
- Meet Ranni in Ranni’s Rise at Caria Manor, Liurnia: Defeat Royal Knight Loretta to access the Three Sisters area in northern Liurnia and find Ranni in Ranni’s Rise.
- Serve Ranni: Accept her offer to serve her; there are no negative consequences.
- Seek Lost Treasure of Nokron: Ranni tasks you with finding the lost treasure of Nokron, involving interactions with other NPCs like Alexander the Iron Fist, Blaidd, and Seluvis.
- Meeting Blaidd in Siofra River: Find Blaidd just northeast of the Hallowhorn Grounds Site of Grace in Siofra River (near the cliff’s edge). Discuss Radahn and Seluvis with him.
- Seluvis’s Questline: Talk to Seluvis again in Caria Manor’s outdoor towers to get a letter of introduction for Sorceress Sellen. Take the letter to Sellen to learn that Starscourge Radahn is the key to unlocking Nokron, but he must be defeated to gain access.
- Head to Redmane Castle, Caelid: Follow Blaidd’s suggestion to meet him at Redmane Castle to join the battle against Radahn. Caelid is to the east of the whole map and Redmane Castle is in the southeast portion of Caelid.
- Defeat Starscourge Radahn: Battle Radahn alongside other NPCs in Redmane Castle.
- Accessing Nokron: After Radahn’s defeat, you’ll gain access to Nokron through a crater south of Mistwood Ruins in Limgrave, near Fort Haight.
- Retrieve the Fingerslayer Blade: In Nokron, acquire the Fingerslayer Blade in the central area.
- Return to Ranni: Go back to Ranni’s Rise in near Caria Manor and give her the Fingerslayer Blade.
- Unlock Renna’s Rise tower: This northernmost tower in Caria Manor has a portal at the top and will take you to Ansel River.
- Miniature Ranni Doll: Collect the Miniature Ranni Doll in the stone coffins near the Site of Grace in Ansel River and repeatedly interact with it at a Site of Grace until it speaks.
- Defeat Blaidd’s Shade: Find and defeat the shade of Blaidd near Lake of Rot (just past Ansel River) to obtain the key.
- Raya Lucaria Grand Library: Head back to the library in Raya Lucaria Academy (the Rennalla boss fight area), use the key to unlock Rennalla’s chest in the vicinity, and grab the Dark Moon Ring.
- Lake of Rot and the Grand Cloister: Go back to the Lake of Rot and cross it. Head to the ledges to reach a coffin, which initiates a transportation cutscene to the Astel boss arena.
- Fight Astel, Naturalborn of the Void: Defeat Astel and proceed to the room behind him, going all the way up to the Moonlight Altar on the surface.
- Moonlight Altar: Open the sealed gate using the Dark Moon Ring to reach the Moonlight Altar, a high-level area with a magic dragon.
- Cathedral of Manus Celes: Enter the ruined cathedral in Moonlight Altar and descend down a hole, where you’ll find Ranni completing her secret mission.
- Pledge Allegiance to Ranni: Interact with Ranni, place the Dark Moon Ring on her finger, and swear allegiance as her consort.
- Receive the Darkmoon Greatsword: Ranni’s final parting gift is the Darkmoon Greatsword weapon.
Completion of this questline will unlock the Age of Stars ending, which is Ranni’s plan.
How Does She Become Your Video Game Waifu?
The culmination of the Ranni the Witch questline in Elden Ring holds a surprising twist.
At the end of her questline, players are directed to meet her at a specific location where they pledge their allegiance by placing the Dark Moon Ring on her finger. You know what else putting a ring on the finger implies? That’s right, marriage.
This moment signifies the player’s commitment to serve Ranni and her cause. In this act, she becomes your video game consort. That’s assuming you actually pick her ending after defeating the game’s final main boss. To do this, just look for Ranni’s blue-hued summon sign on the ground after defeating the game’s final main boss.
As the player pledges their loyalty to Ranni, she imparts a sense of shared destiny and the promise of ruling together as Elden Lord, cementing her significance in the player’s online and offline journey and the game’s unique narrative. Ranni herself will even announce it at her own Age of Stars ending that you are her consort and that both of you will rule together in the Lands Between.
Needless to say, Ranni the Witch is far more than a side character in Elden Ring. Ranni’s questline is a fascinating journey that adds layers of depth and choice to Elden Ring, and her ultimate role as an unexpected romantic option marks a memorable and surprising twist in the game’s narrative.
Some even consider her ending as the best. After all, you get a sorcerer waifu with four arms.
