Ranni's quest line is probably one of the longest side quests in Elden Ring, but completing it will unlock one of the many endings to the game as well as bestowing some of the best weapons and armor to players. While most of you are accustomed to taking on giant and horrific bosses, you may just find yourself stuck on finding the Moonlight Altar, which is a crucial step to finishing Ranni's quest line.
Moonlight Altar is a mysterious location in Liurnia of the Lakes that can be found atop some tall cliffs, to which there is no way around to climb. Reaching Moonlight Altar is one of the later missions in Ranni's quest line, and before that, you need to defeat a few bosses, including Radahn. Here is how to get to Moonlight Altar and complete Ranni's quest line Eden Ring!
Updated by Nathan Round on 2nd November 2022: We have updated this article to improve readability whilst also introducing images that accompany the steps detailed in this guide. We have also populated this guide with useful and relevant links.
How To Get To Moonlight Altar In Elden Ring
Foremost, you need to get to Ranni's Rise. Head to the northwest of Liurnia of the Lakes to find the Kingsrealm Ruins, which have a fake wall (floor, actually). Once you enter the ruins, you should head north and defeat a boss called Royal Knight Loretta. Once done, you will get to the Three Sisters area, and you should head to a tower called Ranni's Rise, where you will meet Ranni on the top floor. Accept her quest line after talking to her, and then the journey begins.
Now, you should head to Nokron, Eternal City, but that's impossible before defeating Radahn. So, head to Redmane Castle in the southeast of Caelid. However, you will not find him there if you haven't already activated the Grand Lift of Dectus, which requires two sides of a Medallion.
So, we suggest you get the Glintstone Key to unlock the way toward the Grand Lift of Dectus and then find the Medallions. The two images below showcase the locations for both halves of the Medallion: Fort Faroth in Caelid and Fort Haight in Limgrave. Once you got them both, head to Grand Lift of Dectus, stand in the closest circle on the ground to the two Guardian statues and Hoist Medallion.
Now, you can head back to Redmane Castle, and you will find an NPC calling you for the beginning of the Radahn's Festival. He will lead you to a portal through which you start the fight against Radahn. After defeating Radahn, you can head to Nokron, Eternal City. Just beneath the statue of a giant Finger Reader, you can find a room inside which the Finger Slayer Blade is located. Pick it up and return to where you met Ranni last time to get new missions from her. Ranni will give you an item that is the key to unlocking Liurnia's Divine Tower path. It's not necessary to go there, but you can do it if you want.
The next step in Ranni's quest line will happen a bit later. Try to check her location regularly until you see a Site of Grace at her place. Now, you can head to the actual Ranni's Rise tower. At top of the tower, there is a portal that will take you to a hidden part of the Ainsel River.
Once you get there, you will find a Ranni doll on the ground. Pick it up, go to a Site of Grace, and then talk to the doll. You should do it several times until the doll answers you. Even after that, do it several times again until the doll has nothing new to talk about. Explore the area until you find the Nokstella Waterfall Basin, and continue your way to a reddish-foggy place, where you will be invaded by Blaidd, and killing him will reward you with the Discarded Palace Key after meeting Ranni again.
This key opens the chest of Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon's place, which rewards you with the Darkmoon Ring. After killing Blaidd, further explore the area to find a lift that will descend you to Lake of Rot. You should be able to find some switches in this lake that raise some small towers to let you find a way toward the waterfall, where there is a coffin. You should reach the coffin, which will play a cutscene and send you to a fight against Astel.
Upon defeating this creature, you will get the Ring of Oath, and now you have all the requirements for heading to Moonlight Altar.
After defeating Astel, continue the exploration until you find a lift that takes you up to Moonlight Altar. Now, you are where you wanted to be all this time!
Now, in order to finish Ranni's quest, head to the Cathedral of Manus Celes, jump into a hole inside, and give the Darkmoon Ring to Ranni to finish her quest line.