You’re not done yet with Ranni’s questline, even after bumbling through the rooftops of Nokron. You now have to find the Baleful Shadow, an important step in Ranni’s quest to unlock her ending. But with Elden Ring‘s lovely tangle of questlines and passive storytelling, you’re often left searching in the dark. So, I’ll be here to shine that much-needed moonlight on your path to help you find the Baleful Shadow in Elden Ring.
Baleful Shadow Location in Elden Ring
[Updated on June 21, 2024 – Added more detailed instructions and locations for the Baleful Shadow]
You can find the Baleful Shadow south of the Nokstella Waterfall Basin Site of Grace in the Ainsel River Main area. This area is not seamlessly connected to the rest of the Elden Ring game world, and you can only get there through a hidden means of teleportation.
Also, this means of teleporting to the Ainsel River Main area is connected through Ranni’s questline. There is technically another way that doesn’t rely on Ranni’s quest, but the Baleful Shadow likely won’t spawn through that method. In any case, you have to go through some hoops to get to the Baleful Shadow.
Steps to Get to the Baleful Shadow
Alright, here’s the nitty-gritty and the legwork needed to get to find the Baleful Shadow. We’ll be summarizing some of the steps as Ranni’s questline is rather long.
Follow these instructions to find the Baleful Shadow. I’m assuming you’ve already progressed Ranni’s questline well past the part where you’ve slain Starscourge Radahn. Otherwise, you have a lot of work left to do.
- Find the Fingerslayer Blade in Nokron (you will need to jump to the rooftops from the Night’s Sacred Ground Site of Grace to find it.
- Once you have the Fingerslayer Blade, go back to Ranni in Ranni’s Rise. Ranni will then give you the Carian Inverted Statue. Make sure to exhaust the dialogue.
- Go to the Carian Study Hall east of Liurnia of the Lakes. Use the Carian Inverted Statue to progress past the entrance. This will give you access to the Divine Tower of Liurnia.
- Reach the top of the Divine Tower of Liurnia and loot the Cursemark of Death from Ranni’s original burnt body.
- Go back to Ranni’s Rise and speak with Iji. Ranni will have disappeared, and the final Renna’s Rise tower in Caria Manor will be unlocked.
- Go to Renna’s Rise (tower northeast of Ranni’s Rise) and use the teleporter. This will finally take you to the Ainsel River Main area.
- In the first Site of Grace in the Ainsel River Main, look around for a lone stone coffin near the waterfall. Loot it for a Miniature Ranni Doll.
- Go back to the Site of Grace in the Ainsel River Main and rest, then in the rest options, talk to the Miniature Ranni Doll. It won’t speak at first, but keep trying and she will finally budge.
- Ranni, who possessed the miniature doll, will now ask you to slay the Baleful Shadow. You can find it further southwest of the Ainsel River Main area (which is linear anyway, so you’ll find it eventually). It’s Blaidd’s hostile phantom. Be ready for a tough fight.
