Elden Ring: 10 Best NPCs, Ranked

Elden Ring

By Jordan Blaize Winter-Roach

Published Jun 17, 2024

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Elden Ring

Highlights

NPCs in Elden Ring add depth and meaning to the journey, offering help, quests, and unique stories along the way.
Characters like Yura, Patches, and Miriel play interesting roles, shaping player decisions.
From tragic hunters to kindhearted pastors, each NPC brings something valuable to the player's experience in the Lands Between.

Across the Lands Between, there are many characters to meet, all with interesting stories to tell. Some are friendly, offering and asking for help, teaching the player about the world, and generally bringing good spirits to a shattered land. Others are bitter, with nothing kind to say to the Tarnished.

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Whether good or bad, this diverse array of NPCs is what makes the journey to the Elden throne worth traveling. They share their opinions and perspectives, and their goals have an impact on player decisions throughout the story. Without them, there would be no reason to go on fighting in Elden Ring.

Warning: This list will contain spoilers for several NPC storylines

10 Bloody Finger Hunter Yura

Warrior From The Land Of Reeds

First Encountered: Limgrave, near the Seaside Ruins

The player can meet Yura pretty early in the game, standing by a sheltered campfire near the lake in Limgrave. He will warn the player of the dragon Agheel and the dangers of Dragon Communion. He also helps the Tarnished fight off an invader, Bloody Finger Nerijus. Throughout the early game, he helps and asks for help several times.

Yura is a hunter of the Bloody Fingers, Tarnished who prey on other Tarnished. It is revealed later that he is hunting Eleonora, a Bloody Finger, and a woman he was once close to. Yura's story is tragic. The Tarnished is too late to save him from Eleonora, and in death, Shabriri possesses his body.

9 Patches

The Trickster Returns

dragon's dogma 2 patches fromsoftware main pawn character creator

First Encountered: Limgrave, Murkwater Cave

Patches has appeared in FromSoftware titles since 2008's Armored Core: For Answers, with a possible earlier inspiration in 2003's Shadow Tower Abyss. The trickster doesn't disappoint in Elden Ring, attacking the player in Murkwater Cave before begging for mercy, and then pushing the player off a cliff later near Volcano Manor.

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FromSoftware's Soulsborne series is all about catching players off-guard, and nothing epitomizes this better than the devious recurring NPC Patches.

Despite his deceitful nature, Patches can be quite useful as a trader and quest-giver in Volcano Manor. That doesn't mean he should be trusted. At the end of the day, Patches is going to look out for himself and nobody else, using his charisma and harmless guise to scam and trick his way across the Lands Between, and wherever else he ends up.

8 Miriel, Pastor Of Vows

Tortoise Pastor

First Encountered: Church of Vows

There are many tortoises (often jokingly called dogs) in the Lands Between, but the only one that players can speak to is Miriel, a huge tortoise wearing a religious hat. He is found at the Church of Vows, where players go if they need absolution. Miriel's striking appearance and calming voice make him memorable and likable.

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He is a kindhearted and informative character, explaining the history of the region and offering to teach both sorceries and incantations. He also accepts prayerbooks and sorcery scrolls, which is especially useful if Sellen and Corhyn become unavailable in their respective questlines.

7 Smithing Master Hewg

The Misbegotten Blacksmith

First Encountered: Roundtable Hold

At first glance, the Misbegotten in Elden Ring may appear feral, but perhaps their aggression is tied to their oppression, as seen with the bloody revolt at Castle Morne. Hewg is a prisoner at Roundtable Hold, forced to smith weapons. He seems to care about little more than improving the player's weapons, but he is more than meets the eye.

Hewg doesn't reveal very much, but it is clear that he cares about Roderika, the young woman who he teaches the art of Spirit Tuning. He has ties to Queen Marika herself, though little is known about this relationship, and how Hewg came to be a prisoner. All fans know for sure is his skill as a blacksmith, and his caring nature hidden beneath the surface.

6 Nepheli Loux

Tarnished Warrior

First Encountered: Stormveil Castle

Nepheli Loux is a warrior and fellow Tarnished who helps the player defeat Godrick the Grafted and claim their first Great Rune at the request of Gideon Ofnir. She proves her righteous nature in the Village of the Albinaurics, promising to avenge the dead and helping the player take down the deadly Omenkiller responsible.

Nepheli Loux's Questline in Elden Ring is Uniquely Optimistic for a Soulsborne Game

With FromSoftware being infamous for punishing its NPCs through side quests, Nepheli Loux's relatively happy ending is a breath of fresh air.

Completing her questline reveals her true origins. It is heavily implied that Nepheli Loux is the daughter of Godfrey, the first Elden Lord. She was likely born when Godfrey went by Hoarah Loux, Warrior. This lineage leads her to Godrick's former throne at Stormveil Castle, where she takes over as the ruler of Limgrave.

5 Ranni The Witch

The Lunar Princess

First Encountered: Church of Elleh

No character has had more of an impact on the Lands Between than Ranni, the Demigod who stole a fragment of the Rune of Death and orchestrated the night of the Black Knives. As an Empyrean, she did this to free herself and the world from the influence of the Greater Will and Golden Order.

Elden Ring’s Rennala Boss Fight Says More About Ranni Than Her Mother

The fight against Rennala in Elden Ring is one of many ways the Lands Between shows its decay, while also elevating Ranni the Witch.

The player can join Ranni on her mission to destroy her Two Fingers and break away from their influence. Completing her questline will allow the player to marry her, becoming her Lord in the Age of Stars. Ranni is a divisive character among fans, but her ending is one of the most popular in the game.

4 Blaidd The Half-Wolf

Shadow Of The Princess

First Encountered: Mistwood Ruins

The player can meet Blaidd in Mistwood, howling atop a stone ruin. He asks for help hunting down a Bloodhound Knight named Darriwil. From this moment, he becomes a friend and ally, lending his blade in the battle against Starscourge Radahn. Unfortunately, his story ends in tragedy due to powers beyond his control.

Blaidd is a knight and guardian of Princess Ranni, as she fights to free herself from her Two Fingers. Ranni is an Empyrean of the Greater Will, with Blaidd as her appointed shadow. This conflict of interest may have caused him to lose his mind and attack the player, though there are possibly other reasons, including War Counselor Iji's betrayal.

3 Millicent

Swordfighter And Malenia's Kin

First Encountered: Church of the Plague

Millicent is first encountered in the Caelid Wilds, dying of Scarlet Rot. The player can cure her at the request of her adoptive father, Gowry, with an Unalloyed Gold Needle. If the player finds her a new prosthetic arm, she will become a friend and ally, lending her impressive sword-fighting skills throughout the game.

Millicent never had much choice in life. Gowry knew of her ties to the Queen of Rot and planned to use her. He hoped to make Millicent bloom like Malenia, recreating the Caelid disaster on a larger scale. Refusing to be a puppet, Millicent removes the Gold Needle and succumbs to her illness.

2 Iron Fist Alexander

Warrior Jar

First Encountered: Stormhill

Iron Fist Alexander is a Living Jar who shows his friendly nature and adventurous spirit from the moment he meets the player. As his name suggests, Alexander is a formidable fighter, joining the Tarnished in several boss battles throughout the game, such as the Starscourge Radahn and the Fire Giant.

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His friendly nature and large stature remind fans of the beloved Knights of Catarina characters in the Dark Souls series. A warrior to the end, Alexander will kindly ask the Tarnished for a duel, and upon defeat, he offers his shard, a powerful Talisman. Fighting Alexander is sad, and his absence at the end of the journey makes the Lands Between feel lonelier than ever.

1 Melina

The Guide & Maiden

First Encountered: Sites of Grace

Simply put, the journey across the Lands Between wouldn't be possible without Melina. It is she who allows the Tarnished to turn their Runes to strength, to summon the spectral steed, and to hear the voice of Marika. She is the one to make the ultimate sacrifice and open the path to the Erdtree, depending on the player's choice.

Little is known about her past. There are many theories about her connections and similarities to other important characters in the game. What fans do know is that she cares deeply about the Lands Between and its people. She openly protests the Three Fingers, abandoning the player completely if they give in to Chaos.