Bosses Be Gone: How to Defeat Needle Knight Leda and Her Allies in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree
One last obstacle blocks the path to Miquella in Shadow of the Erdtree. It's time to take your stand against Miquella's faithful and carve your path to the Divine Gate.
Elden Ring’s expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, has garnered a lot of attention and is a love letter to FromSoftware fans who have enjoyed its titles over the years. With a lot of what makes the base game great being built upon in new and exciting ways, the expansion has kept its players on the edge of their seats with new bosses and story beats to explore.
As your Tarnished explores the Land of Shadow to trace the footsteps of the demigod Miquella, they meet a host of other characters who pursue the same goal, with varying motivations driving their search. They help FromSoftware adopt a new narrative style that is far more direct than its other titles, Elden Ring included.
Every Beginning Has an End
During your time in the Land of Shadow, you meet several new faces, including Needle Knight Leda, who guides you there in the first place. Her ragtag band of allies includes Dryleaf Dane, the marital artist monk; Freyja, the former Redmane Knight; Sir Ansbach, who once served Mohg; Thiollier, who pursues St. Trina; and the affable Knight Moore, who has a penchant for collecting things.
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Progressing the story leads you to burn the Scadutree, this region’s version of the Erdtree, in a manner similar to the base game. The only difference here is that Messmer the Impaler acts as the kindling you need instead of Melina. Your Tarnished then makes their way through the region of Enir-Ilim, a gauntlet of enemies standing between them and the Divine Gate.
Bosses Be Gone: How to Defeat Needle Knight Leda and Her Allies in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree
As your Tarnished discovers Miquella’s plan for the world, alliances shift, and many are horrified to learn of his intentions. However, one final obstacle stands in their way of stopping him: Leda remains steadfast in her faith and vows to stop your quest with the help of a few more faithful.
Sir Ansbach and Thiollier are allied to your cause, while Moore, Dane, Freyja, and Leda are not. This leads to an all-out battle royale between these legendary warriors, with your Tarnished at the center of it all. After a brief conversation, Leda invites you to invade her world and face off against her team of warriors. Golden signs for Ansbach and Thiollier can be used to make them appear at important junctures in the fight.
While not a traditional FromSoftware boss fight, this is a memorable encounter nonetheless. The fight begins with Moore coming at you with his Greatshield and heavy armor that you may find hard to deal with if your weapon does not have a fair bit of stagger damage.
He is quickly joined by Dane and Freyja before Leda finally makes an appearance. Ansbach and Thiollier appear to help you out, and we recommend a summon like the Mimic Tear to balance things out. Black Knife Tiche or Ancient Dragon Knight Kristoff are great options too.
It can be a good idea to focus on taking both Dane and Freyja out of the fight as quickly as you can, given their agility and fast-hitting attacks. Allow your allies to draw their aggro while you deal damage to them from behind. Each of them comes with a healing flask, so remember to pace yourself. Moore and Leda are slower than their teammates but no less deadly.
This encounter is fairly easy to beat as long as you stay on the move and remain close to your allies to make each warrior pursue them while you rain down damage from a distance with ranged attacks or take them out with a flurry of melee attacks while your allies distract them. With a bit of skill and patience, Leda and her allies fall to your blade, leaving the path to Miquella free for you to take.
Once you return to your world, make sure to pick up all of the armor and weapons from the remains of each character in the fight. We grew particularly fond of Dane’s Footwork, a new Dryleaf Art weapon that focuses on powerful kicks in lieu of punches. We see a lot of fun builds being made around this style that was showcased in Shadow of the Erdtree’s promotional materials!
It’s finally time to meet with Miquella and experience the final chapter of the DLC’s vast and expansive narrative. If you’re having trouble getting past Messmer or Romina, Saint of the Bud, our Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree guides are here to help you find your footing!
