Typical of FromSoftware games, Elden Ring also has numerous questlines from different characters. While most of them are rather quirky, creepy, or even evil, there are also some friendly faces. However, some of the quests have a dark twist – you want to help, but it only leads to the downfall of these NPCs. We will give you three examples.
Elden Ring features not only a mysterious game world, but its inhabitants are quite strange, too. Right at the start of the game, for example, you are greeted by Varré, a quirky guy wearing a white mask, who mocks you for your virginity and predicts an imminent death.
So it is all the more pleasant when you meet a friendly character. They are rare, but they exist, and often need your help.
In 3 specific cases, however, helping does not lead to the desired outcome; your support makes everything much worse. We will show you which characters are affected. If you are looking for a general overview and solutions to the quests, you can also find our guide with all quest lines here.
Warning: These are spoilers. If you want to be surprised by what these quests entail, you should not continue reading.
Boc the Seamster – In Search of Rebirth
What kind of NPC is this? Boc is probably the friendliest and most harmless character you can meet in the entire game.
The odd mixture of human and beast is not only friendly and shy, but also apparently plagued by bad luck.
He is easy to overlook, as he has been cursed and is doomed to stand as a bush in the landscape. You can free him from this curse.
The poor fellow tells you that all his belongings have been lost in the nearby coastal cave. He was attacked there by his wilder “relatives”.
Nevertheless, he gives you his last possession, a sad 10 mushrooms. You can retrieve his sewing gear from the cave, and from then on, Boc becomes your personal tailor, who can visually alter certain armor pieces.
It quickly becomes apparent that this unfortunate fellow has been through a lot and wishes for a fresh start. He would like to be reborn as a human.
You can grant him this rebirth in his quest. However, the result is not what Boc expected.
While he becomes human, something has gone wrong with his transformation. You meet his human form, recognizable by his hat, but the sympathetic soul has become an empty vessel.
If you return, you will find the corpse of his new human body. Although you only want to help, it has led to his tragic end. You could have saved his life with a simple compliment.
How can you avert his tragic fate? Instead of granting him rebirth, you need the “You Are Beautiful” head, with which you can give compliments to others. If you use this, Boc has a change of heart, accepts his beast form, and realizes that he does not need to be reborn.
So be careful, because your actions have consequences in Elden Ring. The exact steps for Boc’s Quest are listed in our corresponding guide if you are unsure of what to do.
Warrior Jar Alexander – In Search of Strength
What kind of NPC is this? Alexander belongs to the race of living jars that can be found throughout the Lands Between. Unlike most silent specimens, Alexander is a kind and very talkative warrior.
In your first encounter, you must free the chunk from a hole in the ground, where he somehow got stuck. Alexander then tells you that he wants to become the strongest warrior in the Lands Between.
From then on, you can encounter him in various parts of the game world and even call on him for help in the epic boss fight against Radahn. Alexander struggles with not being strong enough and is constantly searching for his highest power.
You can also find him bathing in a lava flow, trying to toughen up. During your conversations, it becomes clear: He sees you as a rival in his quest. Nevertheless, he treats you with the utmost respect and is very friendly.
If you complete all the steps of his quest, you will finally encounter Alexander in the Endgame area, the Fallen Farum Azula. Here, the friendly giant jar challenges you to a fight to test his strength. However, in the supposedly friendly duel, Alexander seems to exceed his limits, provided you are victorious.
While his conversations reveal that he has no problem with an honorable warrior’s death, it may not be such a tragic end. However, we found it very sad that one of the few good souls in Elden Ring voluntarily departs, just for the sake of honor and pride.
After all, you don’t find many allies in the Lands Between, and it hurts to feel “responsible” for the death of a friend.
At the end of the battle, after his last words, the poor warrior jar shatters, and his remains, a large shard and the innards, take the form of a powerful talisman that you possess. At least you can carry a piece of him with you.
It is still a very sad ending for one of the friendliest NPCs in the game, who strongly resembles the beloved Dark Souls character Siegmeyer of Catarina.
Unfortunately, there is no way to reach a different ending of the quest here. His legacy can be carried on through another quest that leads to the home of the jars.
Thops – In Search of the Key to Return Home
What kind of NPC is this? Thops is a former sorcerer from the Academy of Raya Lucaria. After it was overrun and sealed during the civil war between the Caria family and the librarians, he took refuge in the Church of Irith in Liurnia of the Lakes. You must go there to start his quest line.
When you speak to him, he offers to teach you some spells. For that, he expects no compensation besides the usual runes. Moreover, the friendly sorcerer tells you about the academy and that he would like to return there to continue his studies.
However, since it is sealed and can only be opened with special glintstone keys, returning home is not possible for him.
On your travels, you need to go right there and thus find one of these keys yourself. If you actually discover it, you can also offer it to Thops instead. However, he declines because he doesn’t want to take the only key with which you can enter the academy for your main quest.
Although he could simply accept and return to his beloved place of learning, your quest is more important to him than his homesickness. And this, even though you don’t really know each other.
Of course, there is another key to find, and you can give this to Thops. When you later go to the academy, it quickly becomes clear: It would have likely been better if the sorcerer had never returned.
For there you eventually find him sitting at a desk – dead. Thops’ return to his academy has cost him his life, and he would have probably preferred to stay in the church.
There are other NPCs in Elden Ring whose fates end tragically through your help. Outside Xtra has presented which other characters can be affected in their extensive YouTube video.
If you are interested in more stories about Elden Ring, you might enjoy this video about a community legend:
Such quests show that Elden Ring is complex not only in terms of gameplay and difficulty. Its story and side missions can also delve deeper and bring unforeseen consequences.
Especially the sympathetic NPCs hold a place in the hearts of fans, such as the actually lovable half-wolf Blaidd, who goes mad out of love for his mistress Ranni.
If you want more information about the main story of Elden Ring, we recommend you check out our summary of the backstory, which involves gods, demigods, betrayal, strange family circumstances, death, and rebirth:
