Start at Ranni's Rise behind Caria Manor, then follow the quest through Radahn, Nokron and the underground rivers. Keep the Fingerslayer Blade until you are ready to turn it in: doing so advances the story and can close other NPC opportunities. This guide contains full quest and ending spoilers inside the expandable section.
Start at Ranni's Rise behind Caria Manor, then follow the quest through Radahn, Nokron and the underground rivers. Keep the Fingerslayer Blade until you are ready to turn it in: doing so advances the story and can close other NPC opportunities. This guide contains full quest and ending spoilers inside the expandable section.
Before you begin
Reach the Three Sisters area behind Caria Manor in northwest Liurnia and speak to Ranni at the top of Ranni's Rise. Agree to serve her, then speak to the spectral companions in the tower and return to her. If a character is absent, check the quest's current state and nearby dialogue before assuming it is broken; some early conversations are optional or can be skipped by later progress.
Missable choice: Seluvis has a separate potion plot. The community wiki reports that Pidia's quest becomes unavailable after giving Ranni the Fingerslayer Blade. If you want to see those optional stories, investigate their choices before handing over the blade. Don't give an NPC a potion without reading the choice and its consequences.
Show the full quest route and spoilers
Find the hidden treasure
- Progress toward the Radahn Festival at Redmane Castle and defeat Starscourge Radahn. An alternative way to start the festival is activating a Site of Grace on Altus Plateau; Ranni's route is not the only trigger.
- After the battle, find the new crater in eastern Limgrave and descend into Nokron. Pass the Mimic Tear encounter, reach the Ancestral Woods grace, and use the rooftops to reach Night's Sacred Ground. The Fingerslayer Blade is in a chest beneath the large seated figure.
- Before handing it over, resolve any optional Seluvis/Pidia choices you care about. Return to Ranni's Rise and give her the blade; she gives you the Carian Inverted Statue. Check Renna's Rise for the waygate to Ainsel River Main.
If Renna’s Rise is still sealed after handing over the blade, finish Ranni’s dialogue, rest at a Site of Grace and check the tower again. (source)
Follow the doll and ring
- Pick up Miniature Ranni near the start of Ainsel River Main. Rest at a grace there and select the option to talk to her repeatedly; the community wiki says she responds after three attempts. Follow her request and defeat the Baleful Shadow near the route to Lake of Rot to receive the Discarded Palace Key.
- Take the key to Rennala's room in the Raya Lucaria Grand Library and open the chest for the Dark Moon Ring. Return to the underground route, cross Lake of Rot and continue to the coffin that leads toward Astel. Prepare for scarlet rot and rest where possible; don't confuse the key with the ring itself.
- Defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void, and continue beyond its arena with the ring to the Moonlight Altar. At the Cathedral of Manus Celes descend into the opening and use the ring on Ranni. The Dark Moon Greatsword becomes available there after the scene.
Completing this quest makes Ranni's ending option available later; it does not automatically select that ending at the moment you obtain the sword. Endgame choices have additional conditions, so check their prompts carefully.
If the doll stays silent, use the talk option more than once at the appropriate grace. If you cannot open Rennala's chest, check that you defeated the Baleful Shadow and obtained the key. Sources are community and editorial guides, not a claim of an independently tested playthrough.
Sources: Ranni community wiki, Miniature Ranni, Seluvis and missable choices, PC Gamer quest walkthrough.