Blaidd is an NPC that players can encounter in the open world role-playing game Elden Ring by FromSoftware. The half-wolf is a skilled sword warrior and is on a quest to find the city of Nokron for his mistress, Ranni the Witch.
How to find Blaidd in Elden Ring?
When players reach the so-called Misty Forest in eastern Limgrave, they hear an eerie wolf howl from afar. It always seems to come from the same direction, and depending on which direction the players are moving, it is sometimes a little quieter and sometimes a little louder. Because wolves occasionally howl in other places in the interlands, many players don’t pay much attention to the sound and continue riding instead.
However, if you follow the howling, you will eventually come across some ruins near which large rune bears roam. One of these bears even sleeps in the ruins themselves. If the players stay near the ruins for a while, they hear the wolf howl quite loudly, but without seeing a wolf. Only if they look up, they can spot a figure sitting on one of the ruins. However, they have no direct way to get the figure down there, or to talk to it.
If the players return to the merchant Kale, who can be found in the church of Elleh, they can ask the merchant about the Howling in the Cloud Forest. If they haven’t found the ruins themselves by then, the merchant will also tell the players what to look for if they want to get to the bottom of the howling. The merchant also explains that the howler is someone named Blaidd. The players are given a finger snapping gesture from Kale.
If the players then return to the ruins in the Misty Woods and perform the finger snap gesture just below Blaidd’s position, the half-wolf will jump down and the players can interact with him.
Who is Blaidd? Elden Ring, History, Lore
Blaidd is a being that is half human and half wolf. He was created by the Two Fingers, who act as a manifestation of the Greater Will. Blaidd was created as a shadow of the witch Ranni. Ranni has actually been a princess of the royal Carian family and was chosen by the Greater Will to succeed Queen Marika. However, Blaidd does not know that he is an artificial being, nor does he have any idea what his duties are. He only feels the urge to protect and serve Ranni.
How does Blaidd’s quest go? Elden Ring
As her henchman, Blaidd should protect Ranni and carry out her orders. That’s why players can also help the half-wolf kill an assassin who has been set on Ranni during the first encounter.
If the players track down and defeat the bloodhound Hunter Darriwil in the Forsaken Hound Evergaol together with Blaidd, the half-wolf will initially disappear. Only when the players later visit Ranni in her tower and join her retinue does Blaidd reappear as an astral projection in the tower. Blaidd explains to the players that he has been tasked with tracking down the eternal city of Nokron for his mistress, Ranni.
Players can now travel to the underground region from the Siofra Well and find Blaidd near an ancient ruin. He tells the players that he has found Nokron. The city can be seen in the starry sky of the underground region, but there is no way to get there. Only when the players talk to Ranni’s henchman Selvius, and then to the sorceress Sellen, do they learn that they can only find the way to Nokron if they kill Captain Radahn first. The captain is said to have challenged the stars themselves ages ago, and the battle is said to have been so gigantic that the stars froze in their movements. Only Radahn’s death can set the stars in motion again.
Returning to Blaidd with this information, he gives the players a hint that a festival is currently taking place at Redmane Castle, which would be a perfect opportunity to kill the captain.
If the players manage to defeat Radahn in battle, a shooting star falls straight from the sky. Blaidd congratulates the players and asks them to meet where the star fell to earth. That’s where the path to Nokron is supposed to be.
However, when the players reach the spot in the Misty Woods, they only find a message from Blaidd saying that the players want to continue on their own.
The players can find Blaidd in the same Evergaol where they fought Darriwil together. He has been imprisoned in the eternal prison by Iji, the third henchman of Ranni.
When the players return to their tower after completing Ranni’s quest, Blaidd is waiting outside the tower. He has lost his mind and immediately attacks the players.
What is the background of Blaidd’s transformation?
Blaidd was created by the Two Fingers not only to protect Ranni. He was also to make sure that she never deviated from the path of the Greater Will. In that case, the Two Fingers had created Blaidd to lose his mind and kill Ranni himself. He himself knew nothing of this, but Iji had long since seen through the Two Fingers‘ plans.
Because Ranni would not accept the role assigned to her by fate as the successor to Queen Marika, and instead set out on a darker path, Iji feared that Blaidd might succumb to the Greater Will and kill Ranni. For this reason, he locked the half-wolf in the Evergaol. It was to be equally for Ranni’s protection and to help Blaidd fulfill his vow never to harm Ranni.
When Ranni gets the sword from the players to kill the Two Fingers, her quest ends and she disappears from the tower. At this point, Blaidd no longer has any reason to continue playing the role of her protector. Since there is no longer any danger of him finding and killing her, he finally falls into madness, from which he cannot be saved. The players can then only kill him in battle to put the half-wolf out of its misery. In return, they will receive Blaidd’s armor and also the Royal Greatsword.