Dryleaf Dane is one of the new NPCs added with the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC in Elden Ring. Like all the devotees of Miquella, he has a questline that spans the entire DLC. Although his quest is one of the shorter quests in the DLC, it adds a lot to the overall story and is worth doing for his weapon and armor set. Read on to find out where you can find Dryleaf Dane at every step of the DLC, what choices you need to make, and what you’ll get for your troubles.
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Table of Contents¶
If you want to jump straight to a specific meeting, or perhaps see what rewards you get from finishing this Questline, check out the following table:
| Quick Search |
|---|
| First Meeting |
| Second Meeting |
| Boss Fight |
| Final Meeting and Rewards |
| Armor Set Location |
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First Meeting - Castle Ensis, Gravesite Plain¶
Your first meeting with Dane isn’t in the physical form, but as a summon. Make your way through Castle Ensis (Map Marker) which is situated in the northeast of Gravesite Plain, just past the Ellac Greatbridge (Map Marker). At the end of the dungeon, you’ll have a boss encounter with Rellana, Twin Moon Knight (Map Marker). Before heading into the boss arena, activate the summon sign just outside to summon Dryleaf Dane.
Monk’s Missive¶
After defeating the boss, head outside and follow the path north to find Highroad Cross site of Grace (Map Marker). Here, you can find the Monk’s Missive as well as the May the Best Win gesture just behind where Hornsent is standing. You will need these items to progress Dane’s quest, so make sure you get them before you leave.
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(1 of 2) Follow the path north from Castle Ensis to find Highroad Cross site of Grace.
Follow the path north from Castle Ensis to find Highroad Cross site of Grace. (left), The missive and gesture will be next to Hornsent. (right)
Second Meeting - Moorth Ruins, Scadu Altus¶
If you read the Monk’s Missive, it will tell you to meet him in the east, if you didn’t, here’s what it says: “Seek me to the east if you wish to pursue the way of the warrior. When you find me, you will challenge me to a bout. There is no need for words.”
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From the Highroad Cross site of Grace, follow the path north until you reach the intersection, and then take the path southeast. As you head down the path, you’ll find the Moorth Ruins site of Grace to the east of the path (Map Marker). Head over to the Grace and continue east a little to find Dryleaf Dane (Map Marker). If you try to speak to him, you’ll get no reply. However, if you use the May the Best Win gesture to him, you’ll be transported to a different realm where you’ll have a duel.
(1 of 2) Follow the path north from Highroad Cross site of Grace and then take the southern path to Moorth Ruins.
Follow the path north from Highroad Cross site of Grace and then take the southern path to Moorth Ruins. (left), Dane can be found to the east of the Grace. (right)
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Dryleaf Dane Boss Fight¶
Dane is a challenging fighter who forgoes weapons and armor for agility and speed. Unfortunately for him, this is his downfall. Due to the lack of any real armor, he has low poise and is relatively weak to bleed and frostbite. However, he shouldn’t be underestimated as his speed allows him to dodge your attacks at ease if they’re not timed correctly, and he will punish you with quick combos. From time to time, Dane likes to leap into the air to perform a jumping attack. This is your best time to attack him, preferably with a weapon that has a vertical moveset. When you hit him midair, he will drop to the ground and be stunned briefly.
After using the gesture, you’ll be transported to another realm where you must duel Dane.
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This is a great time to hit him with your multi-hit combos or your hardest-hitting attacks. The key to winning this battle is patience until you can spot an opening (when he slows down), and then aggression once you get the first hit in. For his attacks, you’ll primarily see a leaping punch attack where he’ll rush toward you, jump, and unleash a punch. Dodge to the sides when he’s about to connect. Then you have a jumping-kick attack where he’ll unleash two kicks in quick succession. This is primarily used when he’s at mid-range and can be avoided by rolling back twice (one for each kick). Finally, you have his spinning kick attack that he’ll use at close range. This attack is telegraphed, as he’ll get close and then step back a bit before performing the attack. Simply roll/run away from him when you see him back up.
Once you’ve defeated Dane, you will receive Dryleaf Arts, a fist weapon that scales with Strength and Dexterity, and his awesome head wear, Dane’s Hat. After the battle, you’ll be transported back to Moorth Ruins, where you’ll find a note from him saying “Grow not complacent. Continue to temper your strength.”.
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Final Meeting, Enir-Ilim¶
The next encounter with Dane won’t be until the end of the final legacy dungeon, Enir Ilim (Map Marker). Make your way through the dungeon until you reach the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom site of Grace (Map Marker) and head up the stairs to the following room. Before you enter, prepare for a difficult boss fight against Needle Knight Leda and her allies (Map Marker). The allies you will face will change depending on the choices you selected in their quests, but Dane will always accompany Leda. Read our Needle Knight Leda Boss Guide on how to defeat them. Defeating the boss fight will reward you with Dane’s Footwork by searching his corpse at the back of the arena (Map Marker) as well as every other armor set from any NPC that you defeated in the battle.
Dane will appear as one of the adversaries in the Leda battle near the end of the DLC.
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Dryleaf Dane’s Armor Set Location¶
Although you have a few pieces of Dane’s armor set, you’ll need to do a bit of exploring to get the rest. This means traveling to the Ruins of Unte (Map Marker)( and searching under the second waterfall to the south of the ruins. You can access this area by heading to Shadow Keep (Map Marker), progressing through the area until you’re on the battlements with the burning boats, and taking the ladder down to the waterway (Map Marker). Follow the narrow ledge to find a hallway obscured by the water dripping down, and take another ladder down to the room with the painting.
Attack the wall to the right of the painting to unveil a hidden wall (Map Marker) where you’ll find a coffin (Map Marker). Get inside the coffin, and it’ll transport you to the Castle Watering Hole site of Grace (Map Marker). Head south until you reach the first waterfall next to the Recluses’ River Upstream site of Grace (Map Marker). Continue south while jumping over the gaps and then go over to the other side of the canyon where it’s at its narrowest. Proceed south until you drop down a level to find the Recluses’ River Downstream site of Grace (Map Marker).
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(1 of 2) From the Recluses’ River Downstream site of Grace, drop down the tombstones and head north across the water toward the waterfall.
From the Recluses’ River Downstream site of Grace, drop down the tombstones and head north across the water toward the waterfall. (left), The armor set will be at its base. (right)
Just below the edge of the cliff, you should spot some tombstones leading down. Carefully make your way down toward the top of the waterfall. From the waterfall, head north toward another waterfall, and you’ll find the Dryleaf Arm Wraps, Dryleaf Robe, and Dryleaf Cuissardes at the base (Map Marker). That’s it for Dryleaf Dane, why not check out our other NPC Quest Guides below?
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Hornsent Walkthrough
Needle Knight Leda Walkthrough
Count Ymir Walkthough
Redmane Freyja Walkthrough
