Should you suggest Thiollier or Hornsent in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree?
Here are all outcomes for suggesting either Thiollier or Hornsent as a target for Leda
Should you suggest Thiollier or Hornsent in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree? As you progress through Shadow Of The Erdtree and break Miquella's charm, you'll find that the various NPCs in the Land of Shadow will offer a range of quests.
During the Needle Knight Leda questline, she will ask you to suggest Thiollier or Hornsent for a 'culling'. Leda will doubt their devotion to Kindly Miquella and ask you which of the two should be executed.
If you're worried about making the wrong choice and want to see the outcomes for all options, we have a handy walkthrough below.
Should you suggest Thiollier or Hornsent?
After you break Miquella's charm (done so by visiting the Shadow Keep, Rauh Base, or eastern Scadu Altus beyond Bonny Village for the first time) and return to Leda at the Highroad Cross in Scadu Altus, she will present you with a decision.
Convinced that with their free will intact the NPCs may turn on Miquella, Leda asks you who should be targeted first:
- Suggest Thiollier
- Suggest the Hornsent
- Make no suggestion
Regardless of who you choose, Leda will ultimately target Hornsent.
Although Leda will choose Hornsent regardless of your answer, there is some careful nuance between all options that are worth familiarising yourself with first. We'll go through all suggestion outcomes below as well as a way to save Hornsent if you would like to keep the unfortunate NPC alive.
Suggest Thiollier
You may have already encountered Thiollier. He is a poison expert usually located at the Pillar Path Cross Site Of Grace in the Gravesite Plain. He offers poisons for sale, as well as the unique option to tell him that you're weary of life. As a dedicated follower of St. Trina, Leda will dismiss him as a threat if you suggest Thiollier as a target for her.
Leda will ask you to choose again, which leaves the Hornsent as the only other choice. If you're wondering what happens to Thiollier after this, we have a walkthrough of Thiollier's questline.
Suggest Hornsent
The Hornsent is a curious fellow, first encountered at the Three-Path Cross Site Of Grace where he will give the Tarnished a map of Miquella's Crosses. As one of the few remaining Hornsent people, he holds a grudge against Marika and her brood for the way the Hornsent people were victimised under Messmer's rule. As such, he is a divisive character that warrants Leda's paranoia.
If you suggest Hornsent to Leda, she will think about it. Rest at a Site Of Grace and speak to her again, after which, she will agree to target the Hornsent. Both NPCs will disappear from the Highroad Cross Site Of Grace and will next appear at the Shadow Keep.
Make no suggestion
If you decide to pick the 'make no suggestion' option, you will essentially pause this sidequest for the time being and will be able to return and pick again. Be careful though, if you delay too long the quest will progress without you and Leda will pursue the Hornsent at the Shadow Keep.
How to save Hornsent
When you advance through the Shadow Keep, you should come across a summon sign for both the Hornsent and Leda northeast of the Main Plaza (the signs are located opposite the stairway within the grand foyer. This area is just before the large lift that takes you to the Specimen Storehouse).
If you ignore the summon signs, both Leda and Hornsent will survive to the next quest point and Leda will turn her attention to Ansbach next. If you assist Leda, the Hornsent will die and Leda will once again target Ansbach next. If you assist the Hornsent, Leda's quest will pause here and will resume at Enir-Ilim. As such, if you want to keep Hornsent alive either ignore the summon signs or choose to assist Hornent. See our guide to assisting either Leda or the Hornsent for more information on the reward outcomes of this choice.
If you choose either of these two options, you can summon Hornsent for the Messmer boss fight. There should be a summon sign in the arena (rather than outside the door). Afterwards, the NPCs still alive will return to the Highroad Cross.
Unfortunately, this isn't the last threat against Hornsent. Once you explore the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, Hornsent will invade and you'll be forced to kill him. It seems he has been driven to madness. If you discover the Ancient Ruins of Rauh before defeating Messmer, you can forgo this quest step and the last you'll see of Hornsent will be at the Highroad Cross.
That's everything you need to know about choosing between Thiollier and Hornsent in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree. For more Elden Ring tips and tricks, check out our guide to the best early weapons in Shadow Of The Erdtree to get you started. Or, if you're further along in the DLC, see our best weapons guide that goes through the best of the bunch. Be sure to also check out our Map Fragment locations guide to help you access and uncover every region in the DLC and see our boss locations guide so you won't miss a single one.