In Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Sir Ansbach and Igon stand as the absolute best characters in the Realm of Shadow based on quest rewards, combat utility, and emotional narrative payoff. Ansbach unlocks top-tier Hemorrhage gear like the Obsidian Lamina alongside the formidable Ansbach's Furious Blade Incantation, while serving as a crucial summon against Promised Consort Radahn. Igon delivers the DLC’s most memorable voice performance alongside massive stance damage during the Bayle the Dread fight using Igon's Greatbow. Lower-tier characters like Fire Knight Queelign and Sir Moore offer niche gear or defensive armor but lack the combat impact or narrative brilliance of the top allies.
S-Tier: The Legendary Allies of the Shadow Realm
The S-Tier characters in Shadow of the Erdtree define the DLC's highest peaks. They alter major boss fights, provide best-in-slot items for meta builds, and deliver emotional quest climaxes. Before tackling these multi-step quests, make sure you know how to level up fast in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree to comfortably clear their required boss encounters.
Sir Ansbach
Sir Ansbach is arguably the finest NPC FromSoftware has ever designed. A former Pureblood Knight of Lord Mohg, Ansbach approaches Miquella's charm with calm, intellectual skepticism. Completing his questline provides essential lore regarding Mohg’s corpse and delivers top-tier rewards: the Obsidian Lamina Reaper weapon (scaling with Dexterity and Arcane with a high-speed Ashes of War skill, Dynasty's Sickle) and the Ansbach's Furious Blade Incantation. Furthermore, summoning Ansbach inside the final boss arena does not scale the boss’s health pool as much as normal player summons, giving you a blood-loss-inflicting tank that draws aggro away from Radahn's lethal light-pillar combos.
Igon
Found broken and screaming along the road to Jagged Peak, Igon embodies pure dragon-slaying wrath. His dialogue during the battle against Bayle the Dread ("CURSE YOU, BAYLE!") is an instant classic. Summoning Igon inside Bayle’s arena unlocks incredible dialogue and high-tier support: Igon uses Igon's Greatbow loaded with Harpoons to chunk Bayle’s massive HP bar and break his stance. Finishing his quest grants you his armor set, his Greatbow, and his Bell Bearing, which lets you buy infinite Dragoncommunion Harpoons.
Needle Knight Leda
Needle Knight Leda serves as the defacto leader of Miquella's followers and the primary catalyst for the DLC's central narrative. While her ruthless devotion turns her into an antagonist by the endgame, her quest branches provide incredible incentives. Aligning with her during invasions in the Shadow Keep rewards you with the Leda's Sword Light Greatsword, the Retaliatory Cross-Tree Talisman (which boosts attacks after rolling/backstepping by 15%), and the Lacerating Cross-Tree Talisman (boosting dash attacks by 15%). Her multi-NPC battle in Enir-Ilim is one of the grandest climax encounters in soulslike history.
A-Tier: Essential Builds and Exceptional Combat Summons
A-Tier characters feature exceptional questlines and yield specialized weapons or Incantations that enable entirely new playstyles. If you need to reallocate your stats to wield their specialized gear, consult our guide on how to respec in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
Thiollier
Thiollier starts as a somber, self-deprecating alchemist fascinated by St. Trina's eternal sleep. By following his path down to the Stone Coffin Fissure, players unlock the Thiollier's Hidden Needle Fist weapon, which inflicts deadly Eternal Sleep and deals bonus damage against sleeping foes. Equipping his armor set raises Arcane while lowering total negation slightly. Like Ansbach, Thiollier can be summoned for the final battle against Radahn, using sleep-infused concoctions and ranged attacks to disrupt aggressive tracking.
Dryleaf Dane
The silent monk Dryleaf Dane introduces an entirely new combat category to Elden Ring: Martial Arts. Defeating him in a honorable duel at Moorth Ruins grants the Dryleaf Arts hand-to-hand weapon, featuring high-frequency kick and punch combos that break stances rapidly when paired with the Shattered Stone Talisman. His quest leads to the Dane's Footwork weapon in Enir-Ilim. Dane is an invaluable combat companion whose fast posture damage opens up massive critical strike windows against tanky field bosses.
Redmane Freyja
A loyal warrior of General Radahn, Freyja bridges the narrative between the Caelid festival and the Realm of Shadow. Helping her at the Storehouse inside Shadow Keep awards the Freyja's Greatsword Curved Greatsword, which boosts Redmane Skill damage by 15%. Summoning her for the Divine Beast Dancing Lion and Golden Hippopotamus fights provides a durable, high-poise tank equipped with the Redmane Lion Greatshield that absorbs massive physical combos.
B-Tier: Niche Performers and High-Tier Loot Vendors
B-Tier NPCs offer great lore and high-end defensive items or spells, though their combat support or overall quest outcomes are somewhat restricted.
Hornsent
Driven by vengeance against Messmer the Impaler, Hornsent offers vital assistance during the mid-game. You can summon him directly inside Messmer’s boss room in the Shadow Keep, where his high-speed Dual Falchion Bleed buildup draws attention away from Messmer’s phase-two snake attacks. Completing his path yields the Falx Curved Swords and the Hornsent Set, though his narrow focus on revenge limits his overall narrative resolution compared to Ansbach.
Count Ymir & Swordmistress Jolan
Located at the Cathedral of Manus Metyr, Count Ymir sends you on a globe-trotting hunt across Ruins of Unte and the Finger Ruins. Completing his eerie quest rewards the Staff of the Great Beyond (which allows casting both Sorceries and Incantations with a single catalyst), the Cherishing Finger spell, and the spirit ash summon Jolan and Anna. Navigating to these distant finger ruins goes much smoother once you learn how to unlock mount traversal fast in Shadow of the Erdtree.
Moore
Moore acts as the gentle merchant of the Forager Brood, offering critical crafting cookbooks for Hefty Pots. Defeating or soothing Moore grants access to the Verdigris Armor Set—the highest physical poise and defense armor in the entire game, surpassing the Bull-Goat set—along with the massive Verdigris Greatshield featuring the unique Moore's Charge skill.
C-Tier: Minor Invaders and Situational Antagonists
C-Tier characters consist primarily of invasive phantoms or NPCs with limited interactions, offering isolated rewards rather than expansive narrative arcs.
Fire Knight Queelign
Queelign invades your world twice: once in Belurat, Tower Settlement, and once in the Church of the Crusade. By giving him either the Iris of Grace or Iris of Occultation at the Prayer Room in Shadow Keep, you unlock either the Fire Knight Queelign Spirit Ash or the Queelign's Greatsword Heavy Thrusting Sword. While his weapon scales exceptionally well with Flame-Art affinities, his narrative is short and his invasions are largely routine encounters.
Ancient Dragon Florissax
Found at the Dragoncommunion Altar, Florissax offers players a choice based on whether they feed her Thiollier's Sleep Concoction. Unlocking her as the Ancient Dragon Florissax Spirit Ash provides massive damage negation buffs (15% all damage reduction) to the player via her dragon priestess chants. However, setting up her quest requires tight timing with Thiollier's quest progression, making her easy to lock yourself out of.
Summary Tier List Overview
To quickly gauge where each character sits based on their combat utility, quest rewards, and narrative impact, refer to this breakdown:
- S-Tier: Sir Ansbach, Igon, Needle Knight Leda
- A-Tier: Thiollier, Dryleaf Dane, Redmane Freyja
- B-Tier: Hornsent, Count Ymir & Jolan, Moore
- C-Tier: Fire Knight Queelign, Ancient Dragon Florissax
Every character in the Land of Shadow adds deep context to Miquella’s divine quest. To optimize your character before tackling these multi-step NPC questlines, check out our guide on how to get legendary weapons in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree to ensure you have the top armament firepower ready for every invasion and boss trial.