By Joshua Duckworth
Elden Ring's open world is massive and filled to the brim with mysteries, meaning there are several NPCs and quests that are easy to miss.
Elden Ring’s open world is filled with mystery and wonder. No one knows what’s around every rock, and it’s easy to get lost (in the best of ways). This holds true for NPCs located outside of Roundtable Hold. There are plenty to meet and quests to do, but prior to one of its post-launch updates, it was easy to forget where some NPCs were on the map.
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEADEven with this feature in Elden Ring now, it’s easy to miss out on entire questlines and NPCs. The game doesn’t hold players’ hands, and that’s fine, but for someone looking to do everything, missing a whole quest can be heartbreaking. Unfortunately, it’s quite easy to miss NPCs and, should players meet them, how to begin/continue their quest. Anyone wanting to make sure they’ve done everything should double-check the below NPCs and Questlines.
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It’s worth adding that this does not include NPCs players are likely to meet through some of Elden Ring’s biggest quests and/or those tied to the endings. It’s quite easy to miss some NPCs related to Dung Eater’s quest, for example, but should someone seek to finish that quest, they will find them. Generally speaking, these NPCs are those that are easy to miss and come with self-contained questlines. Furthermore, multiple NPCs can be met later if not at their first location. This can lock some players out of a quest, but at the very least, they do get to meet the NPC.
Elden Ring: Boc the Seamster Quest
Boc the Seamster is a Demi-Human Elden Ring NPC players can meet south of the Agheel Lake North Site of Grace in Limgrave. The reason Boc is so easy to miss is that he doesn’t even appear to players as a person; he’s in the form of a tree. Players are able to help Boc out, with him ultimately wishing to undergo rebirth by Rennala. However, because players can travel through Raya Lucaria Academy without meeting Boc and he’s more hidden than many NPCs, he’s easy to skip entirely.
He'll be encountered several times across The Lands Between, with players eventually getting him to accept, more or less, his lot or undergo rebirth with a Larval Tear in Elden Ring. Unfortunately, he does not survive the rebirthing process.
Elden Ring: Thops Quest
Thops is met at the Church of Irith in Liurnia Lakes, meaning he’s not the hardest NPC to find. However, many would be forgiven for simply thinking of him as a merchant and nothing more. In fact, he has his own little quest line where he returns to the Academy, and as most Elden Ring NPCs do in their quest, die at the end.
It’s worth noting those that who miss Thops aren’t missing much. The only Elden Ring sorcery unique to Thops is Starlight, with the rest being purchasable/obtainable elsewhere.
Elden Ring: Latenna Quest
Latenna is missable for the sole purpose that her appearance comes with a stipulation. Latenna can be found in the Slumbering Wolf’s Shack in Liurnia Lakes, but the catch is they must complete the Lakeside Crystal Cave dungeon first. Should players not, she won’t spawn, and players who are unaware of this stipulation are not likely to return to this location. Furthermore, while her quest ties her to Albus (who plays an important in getting the Haligtree Secret Medallion), she does not have any serious role in getting to the Haligtree.
Players will take her there, as part of her quest, and they can even get a Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone for doing so. However, because she’s so easy to miss, it’s no wonder players might just journey on to the Haligtree without her.
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Elden Ring: Bloody Finger Hunter Yura Quest
Yura is loosely tied to Dragon Communion in Elden Ring, but his quest is not required to be able to do so. Nothing about Yura’s quest is required and, while it's among many other complicated ones, it is no easy take itself. It requires players to find him in southern Limgrave, and depending on choices, he will tell players to go to the Church of Dragon Communion, which can be found without him. He’ll appear a couple of times in missable steps, but ultimately players assist him in hunting down Bloody Finger Eleonora. Players get her poleblade from this, but the quest itself doesn’t do much to stand out against others.
Elden Ring: Hyetta Quest
Hyetta is an interesting NPC in Elden Ring. Throughout her quest, players will encounter Hyetta in several locations and must be given Shabriri Grapes. She’s found in an easy enough spot, the Lake-Facing Cliffs Site of Grace, but should players move on, that’s the end of it. What’s so interesting about Hyetta and her quest being missable is how she ties to the Lord of Frenzied Flame Ending.
She is blind and attempting to become a maiden by following a distant light, taking players to the Frenzied Flame Proscription underneath the capital eventually. She is the “main” way to get to the Three Fingers, but by no means is her quest necessary for this. In other words, while she adds a nice twist to the quest and some new context, players can still get this ending without her.
Elden Ring: Sorceress Sellen Quest
Sorceress Sellen’s quest closely connects to Rennala, the academy, and Glintstone magic, and she’ll sell players powerful sorceries. However, before any of that, players have to find her. That’s the tricky part. She’s located within a basem*nt (of sorts) within the Waypoint Ruins, where players must defeat a Mad Pumpkin Head before meeting her. Should players not explore every inch of the Ruins, it’s very possible to miss the way to her room. Even if they do at first, the path down there may very well be a “NOPE” for many Elden Ring players, though anyone using a magic build should be sure to visit her.
Elden Ring: Gowry or Millicent
Gowry and Millicent are too closely connected NPCs that are easily missable. Gowry is found in his titular shack in eastern Caelid and enlists the player to help Millicent with her plague. Millicent can be found northeast of his location at the Church of Plague. Millicent is closely connected to Malenia, with Gowry claiming her to be Malenia’s daughter, or some form of clone (they appear very similar). While this is interesting and adds more context to Malenia’s Goddess of Rot transformation and her questline is required to obtain Miquella’s Needle, those who do not explore this are in-depth may not stumble upon them and/or continue their quest.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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