Danish dry leaf is one of the new NPCs you’ll encounter in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. He’s more of a strong and silent type compared to some of the other NPCs roaming the Shadow Realm, but Dryleaf Dane holds important secrets if you follow his quest and get him to open up.
In this guide we will explain how to complete dryleaf dane questincluding how to talk to it to get it started in the first place.
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First Encounter with Dryleaf Dane – Moorth Ruins
While you can summon Dryleaf Dane to aid you during the boss fight with Rellana, Twin Moon Knight in Ensis Castle, your first real encounter with him takes place in Ruins of Moorth at Scadu Altus.
The Moorth Ruins are located just a little east of the Grace site.Cross of the main road‘, and you will find its precise location on the map below:
Before you go there, however, make sure to collect the Message from the monk note on Grace’s site “Highroad Cross”, as well as the The “May the best man win” gestureThe note contains an important clue about Dryleaf Dane’s location and what you need to do when you get there, as it says:
“Seek me in the east if you wish to follow the warrior’s path. When you find me, you will challenge me to combat. There is no need for words.“
It’s the line “There is no need for words” that is very important here, because if you try to talk to Dryleaf Dane at the Ruins of Moorth, he will just growl and say nothing at all.
What you need to do is use the “May the Best Win” gesture in front of Dryleaf Dane.
This will transport you to another dimension, where you will have to fight and defeat Dryleaf Dane in combat.
How to beat Dryleaf Dane
Dryleaf Dane uses melee martial arts, and his fierce punches and kicks will quickly drain your stamina if you try to block them. So it’s best to deal with his aggression, go on the offensive, and dodge his attacks by rolling.
He is fairly easy to counter though and his defenses aren’t too high, so he shouldn’t be too much of a problem to take down. Heal yourself while he charges his attacks (while making sure to keep a good distance) and most importantly, keep an eye on your stamina and make sure he doesn’t break your nerve, as he will deliver a devastating punch to the gut and a blow to the face that can take a huge chunk of health off of you.
If defeated, you will be transported to the Moorth Ruins Cross and you will find a message and a set of items next to Miquella’s Cross.
Collect the item and you will receive The Danish Hat and the Arts of the Dry Leaf Melee weapon that will allow you to use Dane’s martial arts in combat. The message, meanwhile, reads: “Do not be complacent. Continue to temper your strength.” Dane will also have disappeared from the Ruins of Moorth, ending that particular section of his questline.
Second Encounter with Dryleaf Dane – Final Encounter
You will not encounter Dryleaf Dane again until the very end of the game, and your final encounter with him will be in Enir-Ilim. You will need to fight him againthis time alongside Needle Knight Leda (and possibly other NPCs depending on how various decisions affected their respective quests).
After the fight, you will find Dryleaf Dane’s body in the battle arena, and interacting with him will grant you the following additional rewards:
- Dress with dry leaves
- Dryleaf Arm Wraps
- Dryleaf Over-the-Knee Boots
- Footwork of dry leaves
This concludes Dryleaf Dane’s quest, and your next destination will likely be the game’s final boss, Promised Consort Radahn. Good luck!
Need help? Improve your stats by finding all the locations of the Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes in Shadow of the Erdtree. You can also see which Erdtree bosses you have left to defeat and find awesome new weapons to aid you in your adventure.
