Millicent Elden Ring quest walkthrough

Cure the Scarlet Rot, and make a few friends along the way

By Mike Rougeau Mar 21, 2022, 2:29pm EDT

Millicent’s Elden Ring questline is about a character you might never even meet if you don’t venture to a certain tucked-away spot in the rot-ridden region of Caelid.

Thankfully, we know exactly where Gowry’s Unalloyed Gold Needle is, how to unearth Sellia’s secrets, the cure for Scarlet Rot, where to meet Millicent next, and everything else about this quest — and we put it all together in this Elden Ring Millicent quest guide.

Chapter 1: Sellia, Town of Sorcery

Chapter 2: Meeting Millicent

Chapter 3: To the Haligtree

Final chapter: Melenia

Chapter 1: Sellia, Town of Sorcery

The first leg of our journey to help Millicent takes us deep into Caelid, directly adjacent to the red swamp that you may have previously visited when you fell victim to a certain trapped chest in Limgrave’s Dragon-Burnt Ruins. You’re looking for a location called Sellia, Town of Sorcery, and, just to its south, a small shack that belongs to a certain sage named Gowry.

An Elden Ring Millicent questline map of Caelid showing the location of Sellia, the Unalloyed Gold Needle location, and Gown’s Shack

Step 1: Meeting Gowry

Gowry, who lives in a shack that looks like it’s from a Fallout game, requests that you recover a certain needle for him in exchange for telling you the secrets of Sellia. “What does this have to do with Millicent?” you might ask. Patience.

Step 2: Getting the Unalloyed Gold Needle

The needle can be found in the aforementioned rot swamp, known as Aeonia. Head to a large tangle of roots near its center, where you’ll find a boss named Commander O’Neil. The fight itself isn’t too tough — use a Spirit Ash to distract the Commander’s minions, and you’ll have him down in no time. In addition to his weapon, the Commander’s Standard, he’ll drop the Unalloyed Gold Needle that you need. Return it to the sage to begin the next leg of the journey.

Step 3: Sellia’s Secrets

Gowry gives you a slip of paper that, when inspected, reveals that you have to light three beacons around the Town of Sorcery to dispel the magical barriers blocking your progress.

Getting to these beacons involves heading to the opposite side of town and using Torrent’s double jump to climb around on roots and rooftops. It’s not a big place, so you shouldn’t have much trouble. You can see all three beacon steeples in the image below.

The three beacons you have to light, circled. — Light the three circled beacons.

While you’re here, make sure to fully explore, as there’s decent loot to be found once the barriers are dispelled. Don’t miss the Golden Seed, Imbued Sword Key, “Redmane” painting puzzle, Spelldrake Talisman +1, and Lusat’s Glintstone Staff, which you get for defeating the boss through the fog gate on the northwest side of town.

Once you’re done, return to Gowry, who will send you on your way to give Millicent the magic needle.

Chapter 2: Meeting Millicent

Head to the north side of Sellia and out the back door, stopping at the Sellia Under-Stair site of grace. A quick trip uphill — dodging falling ball bearings — will have you on your way to the Church of the Plague, wherein resides the subject of our guide, Millicent.

Millicent sitting in Elden Ring’s Church of the Plague

Step 4: Cure Millicent

The Church of the Plague itself is guarded by a pair of plague pests, nasty characters with whom you’re no doubt familiar, and the surrounding cemetery is filled with annoying, resurrecting skeletons. Run past the latter and bum rush the former, or take them out from a distance, to gain access to the church, which houses a site of grace and a valuable Sacred Tear for upgrading your flask.

Millicent lies moaning against the church’s western wall. Exhaust her dialogue, give her the Unalloyed Gold Needle, rest at the site of grace, and speak to her again. She’ll give you the Prosthesis-Wearer Heirloom, a talisman that raises Dexterity. Speak to her again until she starts repeating herself, and then rest at a site of grace and return to Gowry’s Shack.

Step 5: The journey begins

At the shack, you’ll find Millicent, whose memory is beginning to return. Exhaust her dialogue, travel away, return one more time, and speak to Gowry. He’ll sell you some sorceries if you like.

Step 6: To Altus Plateau

An Elden Ring Millicent questline map showing the location of the Shaded Castle on the Altus Plateau

You’ll next find Millicent standing by a cliff just north of the Erdtree-Gazing Hill site of grace. To progress her quest, you’ll need to visit Shaded Castle, a medium-sized dungeon located in the northern Altus Plateau. You’re looking for an item called the Valkyrie’s Prosthesis, found in a room guarded by a Cleanrot Knight on the castle’s northwest side.

Once you give Millicent the prosthesis, she’ll move on to her next location.

Step 7: Windmill Village

An Elden Ring Millicent questline map showing the location of Dominula, the Windmill Village.

In the northeast region of Altus Plateau you’ll find Dominula, the Windmill Village. It’s extremely creepy. Murder the crazed inhabitants with wild abandon until you meet their leader, the Godskin Apostle, and defeat him to unlock the Windmill Heights site of grace. Rest here and Millicent will appear; exhaust her dialogue to proceed.

Chapter 3: To the Haligtree

Millicent’s next locations are past the Capital, so if you haven’t completed the boss there yet, do so now. Furthermore, to continue Millicent’s quest, you’ll have to eventually reach Miquella’s Haligtree. If you have no idea what that is yet, then you’re probably not far enough into the game to worry about it yet anyway.

Step 8: The short version

An Elden Ring Millicent questline map showing the location of Albinaurte Village and Lakeside Crystal Cave

Here’s the short version: Get one half of the Haligtree Secret Medallion from Albus in the Albinauric Village, then meet Latenna in the Lakeside Crystal Cave. Then, once you’ve defeated Morgott and reached the Mountaintop of the Giants, meet Milllicent at the Ancient Snow Valley Ruins site of grace. Exhaust her dialogue, then continue north to Castle Sol and defeat the boss there. That will give you the other half of the medallion, which you can use at the Grand Lift of Rold to reach the path to the Haligtree.

An Elden Ring Millicent questline map showing the location of Ancient Sol and Valley Ruins

Step 9: A brief respite

Millicent’s next location is the Prayer Room grace in Elphael at the Haligtree. Be warned: This whole area is technically optional, and the enemies here are absolutely brutal. Even at high levels, you’ll have to tread carefully to make it through.

Once again, exhaust Millicent’s dialogue, then continue exploring Elphael.

Step 10: The Tree Spirit

Elden Ring Ulcerated Tree Spirit, near the Drainage Channel site of grace, on the way to Millicent

On your way toward the Haligtree’s big boss, Melenia, you’ll encounter a large room full of plague pests and scarlet rot-inducing swamp water, just before the Drainage Channel site of grace. Cross a root over a gap in this room, and defeat the Ulcerated Tree Spirit that spawns there. Rest or fast travel to a site of grace, and then return to begin the next step.

Step 11: A choice

When you return to the area where you fought the Tree Spirit, you’ll find two summon signs on the ground. Using the red sign will send you into Millicent’s world to fight her, and defeating her ends the questline and rewards you with the Millicent’s Prosthesis talisman, which raises dexterity and raises attack power with successive strikes.

On the other hand, if you use the gold summon sign, you’ll enter Millicent’s world as a friend to help her fend off four red phantom invaders known as Millicent’s Sisters. This rewards you with the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, a talisman that “greatly” boosts attack power with successive strikes, and will allow you to continue Millicent’s quest.

Step 12: A tragedy

We’re nearing the end here. Reload the area once more, and you’ll find Melenia nearby, once again suffering from scarlet rot. At this point, you have another chance to get the Millicent’s Prosthesis talisman by killing her outright. If instead you’d like to see the storyline through to the end, simply reload the area one last time, and you’ll find her corpse, along with Unalloyed Gold Needle from earlier.

Final chapter: Melenia

To fully complete Millicent’s quest, you’ll need to proceed past the Drainage Channel to the Haligtree’s final area, and defeat Melenia. However, she’s easily the most difficult boss FromSoftware has ever designed. You’ll need every bit of skill and cunning to get past her insane flurries of attacks, which heal her with every strike. You may even need to respec your character if your build simply isn’t doing it.

Although it’s technically possible to beat Melenia using a number of different strategies, the vast majority of players simply lack the technical perfection needed to execute on anything but the most surefire methods. In short: summon the Mimic Tear Spirit Ash, and then spam Frost and Bleed effects at her, and hope for the best. Good luck.

Once you’ve defeated Melenia, you can use the Gold Needle on the scarlet blossom in her boss room to receive Miquella’s Needle, marking the official end of Millicent’s quest.

Now, what are you going to do with that? Well, it has something to do with another Elden Ring side quest — one we’ll have to get to another day.

Millicent Elden Ring quest walkthrough

Table of contents

Chapter 1: Sellia, Town of Sorcery

Chapter 2: Meeting Millicent

Chapter 3: To the Haligtree

Final chapter: Melenia