Sir Ansbach is the Pureblood Knight of Mohg who waits for you at the very start of Shadow of the Erdtree. His questline runs through the whole DLC: he asks about Miquella, moves into Shadow Keep, sends you after a hidden scroll, and finally stands with you (or against Leda) before the last fight in Enir-Ilim. Do it right and you finish with his bleed scythe, Obsidian Lamina, plus a set of armour and a bloodflame incantation. One choice in Shadow Keep decides how it ends, so read the steps before you get there.
| Starts | Main Gate Cross grace, Gravesite Plain (next to Moore) |
| Main location | Specimen Storehouse, First Floor, Shadow Keep |
| Ends | Enir-Ilim, after the final boss of the DLC |
| Key item | Secret Rite Scroll (Specimen Storehouse, on a desk behind tall bookshelves) |
| Big choice | Red sign (help Leda) or gold sign (help Ansbach) in the Storehouse |
| Missable | Siding with Leda ends his quest; skipping the Enir-Ilim summon removes him from the final fight |
| Key rewards | Obsidian Lamina, Ansbach’s armour, Ansbach’s Longbow, Furious Blade of Ansbach, Leda’s Rune |
Sir Ansbach questline walkthrough, step by step
- Meet him at Main Gate Cross. After you enter the Land of Shadow (see how to start Shadow of the Erdtree), ride north through Gravesite Plain to the Main Gate Cross grace near the Belurat entrance. Ansbach and Moore sit there. Exhaust his dialogue: he asks you to look for Miquella’s Crosses.
- Optional: report Miquella’s Crosses. Visiting crosses such as the one in Belurat, Tower Settlement and telling Ansbach about them unlocks extra lore dialogue. It does not change the rewards, and it is lost once the next step happens.
- Break Miquella’s great rune. This happens automatically when you approach Shadow Keep and see the “Great Rune destroyed” message. Go back to Ansbach at Main Gate Cross: he has turned against Miquella and says he will move on.
- Find him in Shadow Keep. He now waits in the Specimen Storehouse, First Floor. The quickest way is the elevator up from the battlements beside the Main Gate Plaza grace. Talk to him and he asks you to find a secret scroll.
- Talk to Redmane Freyja first. Before you hand anything over, speak to Freyja on the Storehouse Seventh Floor and exhaust her dialogue, then tell Ansbach about her. Doing this in the wrong order can lock out part of Freyja’s own quest.
- Bring him the Secret Rite Scroll. It lies on a desk hidden behind tall bookshelves inside the Specimen Storehouse. Give it to Ansbach and rest at a grace. Refusing to hand it over ends his quest here.
- Choose a side when Leda comes for him. If you sided with Needle Knight Leda against Hornsent in Hornsent’s questline (or skipped that fight), Leda later hunts Ansbach. Return to the Storehouse First Floor and you will find two summon signs: red to help Leda, gold to help Ansbach. See the table below for what each choice gives.
- Summon him against Leda in Enir-Ilim. If Ansbach is alive and has the scroll, his sign appears for the fight against Leda and her allies near the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom grace. Use it. If you skip this summon, he cannot be called for the final boss.
- Talk to him at the top and summon him for the final boss. After that fight he waits by the Divine Gate Front Staircase grace. Exhaust his dialogue, then summon him for Promised Consort Radahn if you like (optional).
- Loot his body. Once the final boss is down, return to the Divine Gate Front Staircase area: Ansbach’s body lies near the arena approach with Obsidian Lamina, Furious Blade of Ansbach and his armour.
Red sign or gold sign: should you help Leda or Ansbach?
| Choice | What happens | Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Gold sign (help Ansbach) | Leda is defeated, Ansbach lives and his quest continues to Enir-Ilim | Leda’s Rune, Ansbach’s Longbow, then Obsidian Lamina, Furious Blade of Ansbach and his armour at the end |
| Red sign (help Leda) | Ansbach is killed and his quest ends | Ansbach’s armour and Ansbach’s Longbow right away; no Obsidian Lamina or Furious Blade |
| No fight (Leda never targets him) | Ansbach stays alive and can still be summoned in Enir-Ilim | Neither Leda’s Rune nor the early armour drop |
Our pick is the gold sign. It is the only route that ends with Obsidian Lamina and the Furious Blade of Ansbach incantation, and you still collect his armour from his body later. The red sign only makes sense if you are following Leda’s own questline to its end on this playthrough.
Ansbach rewards and where they drop
| Reward | Type | How you get it |
|---|---|---|
| Obsidian Lamina | Reaper (skill: Dynastic Sickleplay) | His body in Enir-Ilim after the final boss (gold route only) |
| Furious Blade of Ansbach | Incantation (bloodflame blade) | His body in Enir-Ilim after the final boss |
| Ansbach’s armour (Wise Man’s Mask, Attire, Manchettes, Boots) | Armour set | His body at the end, or right away if you help Leda |
| Ansbach’s Longbow | Bow | Either sign in the Storehouse fight |
| Leda’s Rune | Rune item | Gold sign: help Ansbach defeat Leda |
Obsidian Lamina is a bleed scythe that scales with Arcane, so it slots straight into our bleed Arcane build. It cannot take Ashes of War and is upgraded with Somber Smithing Stones. While you are in the Land of Shadow, keep collecting Scadutree Fragments so the Enir-Ilim fights stay manageable.
Missable notes
- Cross dialogue ends early. Once Miquella’s great rune breaks near Shadow Keep, the extra Miquella’s Cross conversations are gone.
- Freyja before the scroll. Talk to Freyja and then to Ansbach about her before you hand over the Secret Rite Scroll.
- The red sign is final. Helping Leda kills Ansbach, and Obsidian Lamina is lost for that playthrough.
- Summon him against Leda in Enir-Ilim. Skipping that sign means he cannot join you for the final boss, although his items still drop afterwards.
Related: Sorcerer Rogier questline and White Mask Varre questline, the base-game quests that tie into Mohg and his Pureblood Knights.
FAQ
Where is Sir Ansbach after Main Gate Cross?
Once Miquella’s great rune breaks, he moves to the Specimen Storehouse, First Floor, in Shadow Keep. Later in the quest he is in Enir-Ilim near the Divine Gate Front Staircase grace.
Where is the Secret Rite Scroll?
In the Specimen Storehouse of Shadow Keep, on a desk hidden behind tall bookshelves. Talk to Redmane Freyja before you give it to Ansbach.
How do you get Obsidian Lamina?
Keep Ansbach alive: hand him the Secret Rite Scroll, use the gold sign if Leda attacks him, then beat the final boss of the DLC. The scythe is on his body in Enir-Ilim.
Source: walkthrough checked against Fextralife’s Sir Ansbach and Obsidian Lamina pages and Gamer Guides’ Sir Ansbach quest guide.
Further reading: Sir Ansbach on the Fextralife Elden Ring wiki.