Ranni the Witch can hand you a bell, invite you into a conspiracy and eventually ask you to help change the order of the world. All while sounding as though she might dismiss you for arriving five minutes late. She is one of Elden Ring’s most compelling characters because the game gives you plenty of reasons to admire her and several reasons to keep your guard up.
Spoiler warning: This guide covers Ranni’s identity, her questline and the Age of Stars ending.
Who is Ranni the Witch?
Ranni is a demigod and an Empyrean, someone chosen as a potential successor to Queen Marika. She is the daughter of Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, and Radagon, and the sister of Radahn and Rykard. Her family ties place her at the meeting point of Carian moon sorcery and the Golden Order.
She refuses the future planned for her by the Two Fingers. Rather than serve as their chosen vessel, she plots to take control of her own fate and establish an order associated with the dark moon and stars. That decision drives her role in the Night of Black Knives, her long quest and one of the game’s possible endings.
| At a glance | Details |
|---|---|
| Family | Daughter of Rennala and Radagon; sister of Radahn and Rykard |
| Status | Demigod and Empyrean |
| First appearance | Church of Elleh, under the name Renna, if the encounter is triggered |
| Main quest location | Ranni’s Rise, beyond Caria Manor in Liurnia |
| Associated characters | Blaidd, Iji and Seluvis |
| Ending | Age of Stars |
Why does Ranni look like a doll?
The blue, four-armed figure we meet is not Ranni’s original body. Her spirit inhabits a doll modelled on her mentor, the Snow Witch. Her physical remains can be found at the Divine Tower of Liurnia, marked by the cursemark linked to the Night of Black Knives.
The doll gives Ranni one of the most memorable designs in Elden Ring, but it is also evidence of what her escape cost. To free herself from the destiny imposed on an Empyrean, she gave up her own flesh. That feels like an extreme career change, even by FromSoftware standards.
What did Ranni do on the Night of Black Knives?
Ranni admits that she stole a fragment of the Rune of Death from Maliketh and fashioned the blades used by the Black Knife assassins. On that night, Godwyn the Golden died in soul while Ranni’s own body died. Her spirit survived, untethered from the flesh the Two Fingers could claim.
The precise extent of her involvement in every part of the assassination remains open to interpretation. The game establishes her role in stealing Destined Death and making the knives, and it links the two deaths. It does not give us a tidy account of everyone’s motives or every deal made behind the scenes.
This matters when judging her. Ranni’s rebellion is aimed at divine control, but Godwyn’s fate and the spreading consequences of his death prevent the story from becoming a straightforward tale of heroic liberation.
Where do you meet Ranni, and how does her quest work?
You can first encounter her at the Church of Elleh, where she introduces herself as Renna and gives you the Spirit Calling Bell. That meeting is missable and is separate from formally joining her cause. The quest properly begins at Ranni’s Rise, reached after Caria Manor.
Her quest is sprawling, so the route is easier to follow in stages:
- Ranni’s Rise: Agree to serve Ranni and speak to her followers.
- Starscourge Radahn: Defeat Radahn to set the stars in motion and open a route to Nokron.
- Nokron, Eternal City: Find the Fingerslayer Blade and bring it to Ranni.
- Ainsel River and Nokstella: Follow Ranni’s trail, speak to the Miniature Ranni doll and defeat the Baleful Shadow.
- Lake of Rot and Astel: Push through the underground route to the Moonlight Altar.
- Cathedral of Manus Celes: Find Ranni beneath the cathedral and complete the final encounter of her quest.
The route also takes you through some of the game’s best environmental storytelling. Nokron feels like a forbidden discovery. The Lake of Rot feels like the game asking whether you are really committed to this relationship.
Completing the quest makes Dark Moon Greatsword available and unlocks Ranni’s summon sign after the final boss. It does not automatically select her ending; you choose whether to summon her at that point.
Why does defeating Radahn matter?
Radahn has halted the movement of the stars. In Elden Ring, the stars are tied to the fates of the Carian royal family, including Ranni. Defeating him releases their movement, and a falling star opens the way to Nokron, where the Fingerslayer Blade lies.
This is a useful distinction. Radahn’s defeat opens the path that lets Ranni pursue her plan. It does not, by itself, place her in charge of the stars or complete her rebellion.
What does Ranni want?
Ranni seeks an order of the stars and moon that is distant from ordinary life in the Lands Between. She intends to take that order away with her rather than rule visibly from a throne beneath the Erdtree. In the Age of Stars ending, the Tarnished joins her as consort on that journey.
What this means for the people left behind is less certain. One reading sees distance as freedom from constant divine interference. Another wonders what happens when a new order becomes remote and difficult to understand. The game leaves room for both responses, which is why this ending keeps prompting arguments years after players first reached it.
I find Ranni fascinating for that exact reason. She speaks about choice while asking for extraordinary trust. You can believe she is trying to free the world and still ask whether the world agreed to her methods.
Is Ranni good or evil?
Neither label explains much on its own. She resists the Two Fingers and offers an alternative to the Golden Order, which makes her appealing in a world shaped by coercion and decay. Yet her admitted actions around Destined Death connect her pursuit of freedom to irreversible harm.
Blaidd and Iji add another complication. Their loyalty makes her cause feel personal, while their stories show how brutal the forces opposing her can be. Ranni is capable of affection and resolve, but the game never asks us to treat her plan as painless.
That moral uncertainty gives her more staying power than a clean hero or villain reveal ever could.
What is the Age of Stars ending?
After completing Ranni’s quest and defeating the final boss, you can summon her to begin the Age of Stars. She establishes a new order associated with the moon and stars, then departs with the Tarnished. The scene suggests a long journey into uncertainty rather than an immediate promise that everything in the Lands Between will be fine.
Some details of her speech have sparked debate over translation and interpretation. The safest reading is that she wants the new order removed from direct, everyday experience. The ending does not show the long-term effects on the people who remain, so claims that it guarantees either paradise or disaster go beyond what the game confirms.
Why Ranni remains one of Elden Ring’s best characters
Ranni’s quest gives you a remarkably personal route through a huge, broken world. You meet her allies, uncover the cost of her choices, cross an underground civilisation and finally decide whether to share her uncertain future. Her story connects cosmic lore to characters you can actually care about.
She is also allowed to be difficult. Ranni may be offering the Lands Between a way out of divine control, but she is neither transparent nor innocent. That makes the final decision feel like a decision, which is more interesting than being told which ending deserves a gold star.
Ranni the Witch FAQ
Is Renna the same person as Ranni?
Ranni uses the name Renna when she first meets the player at the Church of Elleh. The name is also associated with the Snow Witch who mentored her.
Is Ranni’s quest required to finish Elden Ring?
No. It is optional, though completing it unlocks the Age of Stars ending and the Dark Moon Greatsword.
Did Ranni kill Godwyn herself?
The Black Knife assassins killed Godwyn. Ranni says she stole the fragment of the Rune of Death and made the knives. Her exact relationship with every other participant is not fully explained.
Does finishing Ranni’s quest lock you into the Age of Stars?
No. Her ending remains a choice made after the final boss.
What is Ranni’s connection to the Dark Moon?
Ranni follows a lunar path inherited through Carian tradition and her Snow Witch mentor. The Dark Moon is central to the order she hopes to bring about.
