Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has a brutal story and the alert that “somewhere a great rune has been broken” is a major turning point as players can “suggest” Hornsent and Thiollier to the suddenly bloodthirsty Needle Knight Leda.
Many have focused on the new bosses there are to defeat in the Elden Ring DLC, but there are also new NPCs. Unfortunately, as with other FromSoftware games, new friends don’t last long.
During the course of the Elden Ring DLC, Needle Knight Leda asks the player an important question where has the options to “Suggest Hornsent” and “Suggest Thiollier.” Here’s what you should suggest to Leda at the Highroad Cross Site of Grace.
What does “somewhere a great rune has been broken” mean in the Elden Ring DLC?
When the “somewhere a great rune has been broken” prompt appears in the Elden Ring DLC, it means that a key story moment has happened.
This begins after defeating Rellana at Castle Ensis and moving toward the Shadow Keep. The player is alerted that a rune has been broken somewhere. This is the prompt to return to the Highroad Cross Site of Grace and speak with Leda.
The player and NPCs all discover that they have been put under a spell to follow Miquella. While Needle Knight Leda stays faithful to the demigod, others are having second thoughts. This worries Leda who becomes suspicious of her partners. She asks the player to suggest which of her group might betray Miquella, with the player having the choice to suggest Hornsent, Thiollier, or nobody.
Should I suggest Hornsent or Thiollier to Needle Knight Leda?
Suggesting Thiollier or Hornsent to Leda doesn’t actually matter, as Leda will decide to target Hornsent regardless.
If the player suggests Hornsent to be suspicious, it hastens Needle Knight Leda’s decision. The result is a scripted invasion sequence where the player can choose to fight against Hornsent or Leda. On the flipside, suggesting Thiollier doesn’t do anything as Leda will simply brush off the player’s advice.
Suggesting Hornsent has Leda ask the player to give her time to consider whether he could betray Miquella. The player should take this time to speak with Hornsent, who speaks of his wish to take revenge against Messmer the Impaler for burning his people.
Rest at a Site of Grace and speak with her again and she’ll accept the player’s decision and go after Hornsent. Leda also tells the player that Hornsent has gone to the Shadow Keep to initiate his revenge against Messmer.
Once the player enters the Shadow Keep, they can find a summon sign for Hornsent before the Golden Hippopotamus boss fight. Freyja can be summoned too, but summoning Hornsent is a must to continue with the questline. After, players eventually get the choice to either kill or help Hornsent. Both decisions have separate consequences.
Should I help Leda or Hornsent in the Elden Ring DLC’s Shadow Keep?
Players should choose to help Needle Knight Leda kill Hornsent.
Ultimately, players will end up fighting against Hornsent regardless of whether Leda is involved. Meanwhile, Leda is at the center of the largest side-quest in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, so players have no real reason not to suggest that Hornsent is a traitor and then help her kill him.
After suggesting that Leda should kill Hornsent, the player can find two summon signs by the Shadow Keep Main Gate Site of Grace. The dynamics of this work are similar to helping Castellan Jerren kill Sorceress Sellen. The red one has the player assist Leda in killing Hornsent while the golden one sends them to defend Hornsent.
What are the rewards for suggesting that Leda kill Hornsent in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree?
If the player helps Needle Knight Leda kill Hornsent, they receive his set and continue forward with Leda’s questline.
To be precise, the rewards for suggesting Hornsent to Leda include:
- Falx
- Caterpillar Mask
- Braided Cord Robe
- Braided Arm Wraps
- Soiled Loincloth
- Lacerating Crossed-Tree Talisman
The Lacerating Crossed-Tree Talisman is given to the player by Leda at the Highroad Cross site of grace. From there, the Needle Knight sets her eyes on Sir Ansbach. However, this preemptively ends Hornsent’s questline and the player can’t summon the NPC against any future boss, including Messmer the Impaler.
Assisting Hornsent against Needle Knight Leda gets the player the following rewards:
- Ash of War: Swift Slash
- Leda’s Rune (worth 40,000 runes)
Additionally, Leda leaves the Highroad Cross Site of Grace and returns later in the quest. The player can continue climbing the Shadow Keep until they reach the Messmer boss fight, where they can summon Hornsent using a summon sign inside the boss area.
Alternatively, the player can also ignore both summon signs. Doing this results in Leda not targeting Hornsent anymore if the player summons the NPC during the Messmer fight.
Will Hornsent always invade in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree?
Hornsent is guaranteed to invade the player’s world as an enemy unless he is killed.
The final chapter of Hornsent’s questline arrives when the player is traveling toward the Church of the Bud in Rauh Ruins. On the way, Hornsent suddenly invades the player, resulting in an ensuing fight.
Defeating Hornsent as an invader yields his set. Ultimately, this means there’s no reason not to suggest Leda kill Hornsent.