In Elden Ring, after defeating Astel, you need a ring of oath to continue Ranni's quest. We'll explain where to find the ring of oath in Elden Ring and what you have to do if the required boss "Baleful Shadow" doesn't spawn.
In Elden Ring, not only the battles are challenging, but some puzzles are also quite intricate. If you have just defeated Astel in Nokstella, you may find a magical barrier blocking your path. The tooltip tells you "You cannot proceed without a ring of oath."
But what is this ring of oath, and where can you find it? That's exactly what we'll explain here.
Elden Ring: Finding the Ring of Oath – Requirements
You may not have realized it, but the puzzle involving the ring of oath is part of Ranni's Quest, one of the biggest and most interesting questlines in the entire game. Ranni's Quest sends you to various places in the Lands Between, including the underground area Ainsel, where you confront Astel.
To obtain the ring of oath, you must open the chest in the boss room of Raya Lucaria Library (where you defeated Rennala). The problem is, still need a key to open it. You can get this key by defeating the "Baleful Shadow" miniboss in the Ainsel area. This boss is located in Ainsel right before the elevator that takes you to the Rot Lake.
Baleful Shadow: Special Spawning Requirements
The Baleful Shadow only spawns if you have looted Miniature Ranni at the Ainsel starting area and have spoken with her at least three times at the Site of Grace!
Once you defeat the miniboss, it drops the coveted Discarded Palace Key, which you can use to finally open the chest in the Raya Lucaria Library. As a reward, you receive the Dark Moon Ring. If you're thinking, "Hey, but I need the ring of oath": the Dark Moon Ring is the ring of oath. Why FromSoftware chose to give the sought-after object a different name remains a mystery.
The rest is just a formality: Teleport back to Astel's room, and the barrier should be gone. The elevator will take you to a plateau in Liurnia, which you may have noticed during your journey (as it's unreachable by normal means). In this area, you can now (fully) defeat the dragon boss Adula, complete Ranni's Quest, and confront another boss in an Evergaol.
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