You'll meet several supporting characters in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, and some are in search of Miquella the Empyrean. Due to their own motivations and the beings that they follow, there will be conflicts along the way. Here's our guide on how to complete the Leda, Ansbach, and Freyja quest in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Likewise, please be reminded that this article contains spoilers.

How to complete the Leda, Ansbach, and Freyja quests in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

The Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Ansbach, Freyja, and Leda quests are all intertwined. In a particular instance, there's even a decision that you need to make regarding the Hornsent. Our guide discusses all the steps in detail, as well as some nasty issues that can occur which might cause the quest to fail abruptly.

Map: The locations of Freyja, Ansbach, and Leda

Above, you can see the locations of Leda, Freyja, and Ansbach in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Here's a quick summary:

• Freyja is at the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace. You can't miss her as the cross is a shining beacon in the middle of the road. Another NPC, the Hornsent, is also in this area.
• Ansbach, meanwhile, is at the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace, which is in front of Belurat Tower Settlement.
• As for Leda, she's the NPC you encounter upon starting the DLC. The next time you meet her will be at the Highroad Cross Site of Grace, after you've defeated Rellana, the boss at Castle Ensis.

Breaking Miquella's Seal and progressing the quests

Progress normally through the DLC campaign until you arrive at the Highroad Cross Site of Grace (which is where you'll meet Leda and Hornsent once more). If you follow the road to the north, you'll reach the main gate of Shadow Keep. A notification also appears, saying that Miquella's Seal has been broken. This is totally fine and it simply denotes that you're ready to progress the quests of various NPCs. Here's what you need to do:

• Return to the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace and talk to Freyja. Choose the "What do you intend to look into?" and "What if you become our enemy?" responses and exhaust her dialogue.
• Next, return to the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace and talk to Ansbach. Exhaust his dialogue as well.
• If you go to Highroad Cross, you can talk to Hornsent and Leda, whereupon Leda presents you with a choice on which follower might turn traitor. This part is more related to the Hornsent's quest. However, it might have a ramification as to what transpires during the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Ansbach and Freyja quest. We'll get to that in a while.

Ansbach's new location

Next, proceed to Shadow Keep until you arrive at the Specimen Storehouse facility. While on the first floor, go to the back and enter the small library. There, you'll find Ansbach once more. Chat with him and exhaust all his dialogue.

Important: The Secret Rite Scroll

Continue ascending the Specimen Storehouse facility until you reach the Storehouse - Fourth Floor Site of Grace. Check the balcony at the back and you should see stone steps that lead back down. If you go to the edge of the platform overlooking the interior of the building, you'll find the Secret Rite Scroll.

Important: Do not give the Secret Rite Scroll immediately to Ansbach. Doing this might break the quest. Instead, follow the steps in the next sections.

Freyja's new location

Leave the small library where you found the Secret Rite Scroll and keep going left along the ramparts. Eventually, you'll be able to reenter the building. Keep ascending the steps and you'll hear someone talking. You'll then encounter Freyja in a room which has the Storehouse - Seventh Floor Site of Grace. Talk to Freyja until she says: "Truly, I should have asked Ansbach to impart his knowledge when I had the chance."

The Letter for Freyja and the Golden Lion Shield

Here's what you have to do next to proceed with the Freyja and Ansbach quest in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree:

• Go back to the Storehouse - First Floor waypoint and talk to Ansbach. Choose: "Tell him of Freyja's decision."
• Then, give Ansbach the Secret Rite Scroll.
• Ansbach will then hand over the Letter for Freyja.
• Return to Freyja in the Storehouse - Fourth Floor room, and give her the letter. She rewards you with the Golden Lion Shield. Freyja will disappear after this, but you'll meet her again later in the campaign.

Important: A bug might occur if you give the Secret Rite Scroll to Ansbach too early (i.e. before chatting with Freyja on the seventh floor). If this happens, he won't give you the letter and Freyja won't give you the shield. The quest might also break due to these mishaps.

Leda's decision concerning the Hornsent and Ansbach

There's also another notable portion that can occur while you're undertaking the Ansbach and Freyja quest, and it concerns Leda and the Hornsent. Basically, Leda will ask you about a potential traitor that she should eliminate. She'll rule out Thiollier, and she'll always target Hornsent.

During Hornsent's quest, you have the option to assist either him or Leda as part of a duel:

• If you help Hornsent defeat Leda, she will no longer attempt to assassinate Ansbach.
• Conversely, you can kill Hornsent during the duel. If you return to Highroad Cross and speak with Leda, she'll attempt to assassinate Ansbach.

He won't be there the next time you return to Ansbach's room in the Specimen Storehouse building. Instead, you'll see two summoning signs. Picking the gold sign will make you side with Ansbach, but picking the red sign will make you side with Leda. Helping Ansbach here nets you the Ansbach's Longbow weapon.

Note: If you helped Hornsent as part of his quest, Ansbach won't be in his room later and you won't see summoning signs either. The Ansbach vs. Leda duel will not happen, and you could miss out on the longbow. However, you can still proceed with his quest until the very end.

Point of no return: Burning the Sealing Tree

Much later in the campaign, you'll have to head to the Ancient Ruins of Rauh. There, you'll get the option to burn the Sealing Tree. This is a point of no return, which causes some NPCs to disappear. It's imperative that you finish other quest chains, such as Thiollier's quest, if you want to see the conclusion of these arcs.

A battle against Leda and other followers of Miquella

Burning the Sealing Tree spawns you in Enir-Ilim, the Belurat Tower of Shadow. Proceed normally all the way to the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom. The next encounter here pits you against Leda and her companions. Here's what you need to know:

• If you completed Thiollier's and/or Ansbach's quests, you'll be able to summon them. They will appear halfway through the battle.
• The encounter is akin to a gauntlet and you'll be up against multiple warriors:
  • Freyja will be the first opponent who appears if you completed her quest (i.e. you gave her the letter and you obtained the Golden Lion Shield).
  • Moore (the vendor at Main Gate Cross) and Dryleaf Dane (the monk who teaches unarmed combat) will also fight you.
  • Finally, Leda shows up at the end.

Rewards from Freyja

You can think of this battle as the conclusion to the Leda, Freyja, and Ansbach quest in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. After the encounter, you'll see Freyja's corpse kneeling on the ground. You can pick up various items, including Freyja's Greatsword and her full armor set.

Note: For those who were unable to complete Freyja's arc in the DLC, you can still return to the Storehouse - Seventh Floor room after beating the final boss. Inside, you'll see a glowing orb that nets you the same gear pieces. In short, only the Golden Lion Shield is missable among Freyja's items.

Rewards from Ansbach

All that's left is to ascend to the top of the tower. There, you'll meet Ansbach, who can be summoned for the final boss encounter. His help will be invaluable due to the boss' quick and devastating abilities.

Once you've defeated the DLC's final boss, check the corner of the arena to see Ansbach's corpse. You can then obtain the following:

• Obsidian Lamina (reaper-type weapon)
• Furious Blade of Ansbach (incantation)
• Wise Man's Mask (helmet)
• Ansbach's Attire, Ansbach's Manchettes, and Ansbach's Boots.

That does it for our guide on how to complete the Leda, Freyja, and Ansbach quest in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. If you'd like to see the other arcs of supporting characters, you can take a look at our guides regarding Thiollier, Hornsent, Ymir/Finger Ruins, the Hornsent Grandam, and Fire Knight Queelign.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree takes you to the Realm of Shadow where you have to search for Miquella the Empyrean. If you're looking for more tips and tactics, you can head over to our guides hub.