How to get the Falx in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
There are three ways to get the Hornsent’s Falx in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree has plenty of weapons for you to choose from, and if you’re a fan of Curved Swords such as the Shamshir or Eclipse Shotel, you’ll no doubt enjoy using the Falx. The weapon has minimal requirements, dishes out plenty of bleed, and can be grabbed as early as Shadow Keep.
It also comes with the Revenger’s Blade skill, which sees the Tarnished quickly dash towards a target before slashing at them with the sword. Ultimately, if you like to flail about and bleed enemies to death, you’ll want to try the Falx out. To help with that, here’s how to get the Falx in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.
There are spoilers ahead for Hornsent’s quest and end-game events.
How to get the Falx in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
There are a few ways in which you can get your hands on the Falx in Shadow of the Erdtree, and all of them involve killing off an NPC known as the Hornsent.
You will first meet the Hornsent at Three Path Cross in Gravesite Plain, and later at Highroad Cross in Scadu Altus. The second meeting will likely be after fighting with Rellana, Twin Moon Knight at Castle Ensis, unless you come here earlier via the Fort of Reprimand.
After the shattering of Miquella’s Rune occurs in Scadu Altus, the tones of NPC’s change drastically. It’s at this point that you should revisit every single NPC again, and you’ll quickly find that Leda is now determined to take down those planning to go against Miquella. Her first target? The Hornsent.
Kill the Hornsent at Shadow Keep
If you make your way to the main plaza at Shadow Keep, which means killing the Golden Hippopotamus boss and navigating the castle, you’ll soon come to an area full of burning boats and Militiamen.
Here, you’ll find two summon signs at the top of the stairs (provided you have not run into Messmer yet). One will allow you to help the Hornsent, while the other will allow you to help Leda. If you want the Falx as soon as possible, choose to help Leda and kill the Hornsent here. Following the fight, you’ll receive his gear and the Falx.
The Hornsent’s quest will end early here. If you want to complete more of Hornsent’s quest and still grab his Falx, you have two more opportunities to do so.
Kill the Hornsent at Ancient Ruins of Rauh
If you instead choose to help the Hornsent at Shadow Keep, you’ll receive Leda’s Rune and the Swift Slash Ash of War. Fortunately, Leda will also remain alive.
Now, your next opportunity to get the Falx is in the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, and this is the Hornsent’s ‘ideal’ quest ending. If you choose to conclude his quest here, you will not run into him later on. You also won’t miss out on any gear by ending things here, either.
During the fight with Messmer, the Impaler at Shadow Keep, you have the option to summon Hornsent inside the arena without bolstering Messmer’s health pool. I recommend doing this, and then following the fight, speak with the Hornsent before resting. In my experience, if you do not speak with him, he will not appear at Ancient Ruins of Rauh even if you summoned him for the Messmer fight.
With Messmer felled and Hornsent spoken to, go ahead and grab the top left map fragment if you haven’t already, which reveals the Ancient Ruins of Rauh. This is a gargantuan area with plenty of loot to find, so be sure to use our Ancient Ruins of Rauh walkthrough if you find yourself lost.
Once you begin to approach the area’s boss arena — the Church of the Bud — you’ll be invaded by the Hornsent. Kill him here to receive his gear and his Falx, and his quest will be concluded.
If he does not appear for you here, or you’re hoping to rendezvous with him later on, you’ll want to defeat the area boss and advance through the following area of Enir-Ilim.
Kill the Hornsent at Enir-Ilim
If you did not kill the Hornsent at Shadow Keep, and did not speak to him following the Messmer fight, he will not appear at the Ancient Ruins of Rauh.
Instead, the Hornsent will later appear as an adversary during a large NPC fight in Enir-Ilim, the final area in Shadow of the Erdtree. This area is unlocked following your fight with Romina, Saint of the Bud.
As you press through the area and reach the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom Site of Grace, the fight will be just up ahead. You’ll be whisked away to a fight with Needle Knight Leda and other NPC adversaries, depending on how you handled their quests. One of these will be the Hornsent.
Kill all of the adversaries, and once you return to your world after the fight, you’ll be able to loot all of their corpses for their weapons and gear, including the Hornsent.
For more on Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, be sure to check out Igon’s quest, Thiollier’s quest, and Sir Ansbach’s quest to get your hands on more NPC gear.