Dark Souls fans will be quite familiar with the Moonlight Greatsword, as the weapon has made appearances in the past. It now goes by the name of the Dark Moon Greatsword in Elden Ring where the weapon is part of a fairly long questline of the lunar princess Ranni. Obsessed with revenge for her mother and family, Ranni won’t stop at anything until she brings a catastrophic end to the golden lineage.
The following walkthrough will explain just how to complete Ranni’s Questline in Elden Ring and get the Dark Moon Greatsword as a reward.
Talk to Ranni at the Church of Elleh
While this step is completely optional, you can have your first encounter with the Lunar Princess Ranni at the Church of Elleh. This church is directly north of the first Site of Grace in Limgrave.
Continue your journey until you meet Melina, and she gives you Torrent, the spectral steed. Now, return to the Church of Elleh and rest at the Site of Grace. Forward the time to the night, and Ranni will appear.
Talk to her, and she will give you the Spirit Summoning Bell. This is completely optional but extremely useful. Even if you miss her at this point, it won’t affect Ranni’s Questline in the slightest.
Travel to Ranni’s Rise
The next step involves a very long journey. Go through Stormveil Castle by defeating the shardbearer Godrick, the grafted. Once you leave the castle, you will arrive at Liurnia of the Lakes.
Continue your journey northwest until you reach a castle at the very end of the map. It is Caria Manor, home to Rennala. Progress through Caria Manor to finally reach its boss, Royal Knight Loretta.
Defeat Loretta, and this will allow you to enter the Three Sisters area. Travel west to find Ranni’s Rise at the very end of the map. Go to the top of the tower and talk to Ranni. She will allow you to enter her service.
You can’t leave the area until you talk to three other astral projections there.
Defeat Starscourge Radahn
The next step of Ranni’s questline is to defeat the Starscouge Radahn boss, as this will open the path to Nokron, the Eternal City Ranni talked about. He can be found in the Redmane Castle in Caelid.
To fight Radahn, you must start Radahn festival that can only be started once you activate a site of grace on Altus Plateau or activate the Grand Lift of Dectus.
Go to the southeast corner of Caelid and defeat one of the most difficult bosses of Elden Ring, Starscourge Radahn. Once you beat him, a large meteorite will fall in the Mistwood area, the eastern part of Limgrave.
Find the Fingerslayer Blade
Go to this and use Torrent to traverse down. Use the large boulders to jump on until you reach the eternal city of Nokron.
Once inside, continue your journey until you reach the Mimic Tear boss fight. Continue and cross the next bridge. Turn left and hug the left until you find a new site of grace called Ancestral Woods.
From this site of grace, jump on the rooftops and keep going forward until you reach a secret room with a large ball. Exit the room and turn right to find the Night’s Sacred Ground.
Fingerslayer Blade is in a treasure chest inside a small room at the end of this rea. You can make a run for it by avoiding all the enemies in your path. Once you obtain the Fingerslayer blade, return to Ranni at her rise and hand it over to her.
Collect the Cursemark of Death
Ranni will then hand over the Inverted Carian Statue, which you can use at the pedestal of the Carian Study Hall to invert the whole structure.
Interact with the moon model on the temple once you’ve entered. The Inverted Carian Statue will be used to flip everything in the Carian Study Hall upside down and rearrange the model’s configuration.
Enter the new doorway in front of you and slowly drop down the tower by jumping down the rafters. You’ll be taken up to a bridge by the elevator.
Cross that bridge and enter the Divine Tower of Liurnia through the entrance at the end.
Now, enter the building and take the elevator to the top. You’ll see Ranni’s body after you reach the top. From the body, take the Cursemark of Death.
Travel to Ainsel River Main
Return to Ranni’s Rise’s location. However, this time, enter the Renna’s Rise tower to the northeast. Use the purple teleporter on the top to travel to the Ainsel River main.
This will lead you to the Ainsel River’s northern section, which is under the ground. When you arrive, pick up the Miniature Ranni doll from a neighboring casket, and then you can relax for a bit at the Site of Grace.
Select the “Talk to Miniature Ranni” option multiple times during the time when you’re resting.
After you select the option, Ranni will reveal that the doll stores her soul and that she requires you to reach the Nokstella, Eternal City, and fight the Baleful Shadow boss. This area is closely connected to Ainsel River North, so you can start your trip immediately.
The Baleful Shadow can be located in Nokstella, Eternal City, near the southwest corner.
Travel to Lake of Rot
Ranni will praise you and give you the Discarded Palace Key after the Baleful Shadow is dead. You’ll need it later; in the meantime, take the new path.
The Lake of Rot is located at the end of the path going out of Baleful Shadow’s arena. To exit the underground and complete Ranni’s questline, sprint south through the lake, treating any scarlet rot damage you sustain along the way.
You’ll eventually come to a Site of Grace and rest there before continuing south to interact with the coffin on the edge of a waterfall.
You’ll be moved to a new location with a door leading to a boss battle. When you walk through the entry door, you will have to fight Astel, the Naturalborn of the Void.
Take the elevator on the north side of the boss area to the surface once you’ve defeated him. You’ll find yourself at Moonlight Altar. Take a break at the Grace Site.
Use the Discarded Palace Key
There’s one more thing you need to do before you can return to Ranni to get the Dark Moon Greatsword is to use the Discarded Palace Key.
Travel to the Raya Lucaria Grand Library Site of Grace. You’ll find a box in the chamber where you have defeated Rennala.
Open the chest using the Discarded Palace Key to get the Dark Moon Ring, then return to the Moonlight Altar Site of Grace quickly.
After getting there, travel northeast Cathedral of Manus Celes while resting at the site of Grace inside. To the right of the Site of Grace is a hole in which you need to fall very carefully.
Perform the Consort Ceremony
After getting into the hole, you’ll be in a room with Ranni’s body and Two Fingers. Now, interact with her and deliver her the Dark Moon Ring. The hustle now comes to an end, and you’ll get the Dark Moon Greatsword after a short while.
Ranni will thank you for your services and with a pledge of seeing you soon, she leaves with the Dark Moon Greatsword at the place of her sitting.
This will conclude Ranni’s questline and allow you to unlock a secret ending in the process.
Dark Moon Greatsword Stats and Requirements
The Dark Moon Greatsword is an incredibly powerful weapon that allows you to coat your swords with frost to increase frost buildup. In addition, the Greatsword throws moonlight blasts at enemies that deal a lot of damage.
The increase in overall damage makes the weapon an important part of your build. Hence, the weapon is worth the trouble that players go through in Ranni’s questline, specifically for the sword.
Below are the stat requirements to wield the Dark Moon Greatsword
- Strength: 16
- Dexterity: 11
- Intelligence: 38
