War Counselor Iji's Quest

Key takeawaysSpoilers

Use Iji's dialogue as a progress check for the connected Carian questline.

• Find Iji before entering Caria Manor War Counselor Iji stands near the Road to the Manor Site of Grace. Speak with him there to open his blacksmith services and learn about the danger ahead.
• The quest follows Ranni's progression Iji's story advances through milestones involving Royal Knight Loretta, Ranni the Witch, and Starscourge Radahn rather than through a separate quest marker.
• Check the talisman shop The Carian Filigreed Crest becomes available from Iji after the relevant Blaidd-related dialogue. It lowers FP costs for skills and is a meaningful reward for skill-focused builds.
• Return after the connected quest ends The final Iji event occurs at his original location after the appropriate Ranni-related progression. Visit the site again before leaving the region permanently behind.
• The ending is a major spoiler Iji's final state and Iji's Bell Bearing are part of the quest's aftermath, so players avoiding story spoilers should stop after the shop and dialogue sections.

War Counselor Iji's Quest overviewSpoilers

War Counselor Iji's Quest is a supporting quest thread in Elden Ring that begins with War Counselor Iji at the Road to the Manor and becomes intertwined with Ranni the Witch's campaign against the forces threatening the Carian royal line.

War Counselor Iji is first encountered beside the Road to the Manor Site of Grace in northern Liurnia of the Lakes. He is a giant blacksmith and a former royal adviser, and he provides both equipment services and information about Caria Manor. Speaking with him establishes his role before the player enters the manor and introduces the connection between Iji, Blaidd, and the Carian royal family.

The quest does not appear as a conventional quest with a dedicated objective list. Instead, Iji's dialogue changes as the player defeats Royal Knight Loretta, reaches Ranni's Rise, begins serving Ranni the Witch, and advances through the events surrounding Starscourge Radahn. The most important progress therefore comes from checking Iji's dialogue after major milestones in Ranni's questline rather than waiting for a separate map marker.

Iji matters because he links several otherwise separate story threads. His conversations explain his loyalty to Ranni and his concern for Blaidd, while his shop provides the Carian Filigreed Crest after the appropriate dialogue progression. The talisman reduces the FP cost of skills, making it especially useful for characters who rely on weapon skills or other skill-based attacks.

The quest's final state is tied to the aftermath of Ranni's story. After the relevant events, returning to Iji's usual location reveals a major change and can provide Iji's Bell Bearing. This conclusion is easy to overlook because it requires revisiting an earlier location, and the quest offers no formal prompt telling the player to return there.

Where this sitsSpoilers

Requirements

The quest has no explicit level requirement or mandatory item requirement, but its later stages depend on progression through the Carian and Ranni storylines.

• RequiredReach the Road to the ManorTravel to the northern Liurnia area and locate War Counselor Iji beside the Road to the Manor Site of Grace.
• RequiredProgress through Caria ManorDefeat Royal Knight Loretta so that the route to the Three Sisters and Ranni's Rise becomes available.
• RequiredBegin Ranni's questlineMeet Ranni the Witch at Ranni's Rise and accept the role she offers; this makes Iji's later dialogue relevant to the wider story.
• RecommendedRevisit Iji after major milestonesSpeak with Iji after the major Ranni- and Blaidd-related developments instead of assuming the quest advances automatically.

ObjectivesSpoilers

1. Meet War Counselor Iji at the Road to the Manor.Start the dialogue thread and gain access to his services.
2. Complete the Caria Manor milestone.Defeat Royal Knight Loretta and reach the Three Sisters.
3. Speak with Iji during Ranni's questline.Use his dialogue to follow the connection between Iji, Ranni the Witch, and Blaidd.
4. Obtain the Carian Filigreed Crest if desired.Advance the relevant dialogue and purchase the talisman from Iji.
5. Return to Iji after the late quest events.Resolve the aftermath and collect Iji's Bell Bearing if it is available.

WalkthroughSpoilers

1. 01

   Speak with War Counselor Iji.

   Find War Counselor Iji on the Road to the Manor

   From the Road to the Manor Site of Grace, look for the enormous blacksmith seated near the road in northern Liurnia of the Lakes. Speak through his dialogue before moving on; Iji provides context for Caria Manor and offers blacksmith services, so this is the safest point to establish the quest thread.

   Location: Road to the Manor, Liurnia of the Lakes

   TipRest at the nearby Site of Grace after exhausting his dialogue if his shop or conversation does not update immediately.

   Watch outDo not treat Iji as a one-time encounter. His later dialogue is tied to milestones elsewhere, so return to this location whenever the connected quest advances.

2. 02

   Defeat Royal Knight Loretta and reach the Three Sisters.

   Complete Caria Manor

   Travel north from Iji and enter Caria Manor. Advance through the manor until you defeat Royal Knight Loretta; this victory opens the path into the Three Sisters, where Ranni's Rise and the next stage of Iji's story can be reached.

   Location: Caria Manor

   TipThe manor is filled with threats that punish careless movement, so use the Sites of Grace and shortcuts you unlock rather than trying to rush directly to the boss.

   Watch outIji's later role cannot be fully accessed from the Road to the Manor alone. The manor milestone must be completed before the Ranni-related part of the thread can proceed.

3. 03

   Begin Ranni the Witch's questline.

   Meet Ranni the Witch at Ranni's Rise

   After Royal Knight Loretta is defeated, enter the Three Sisters and climb to Ranni's Rise. Accept Ranni's service, then speak with the characters gathered in the tower and return to Iji when the game gives you a reason to check on the group.

   Location: Ranni's Rise, Three Sisters

   TipExhaust each available conversation in Ranni's Rise before leaving. Iji's story is advanced through these linked conversations, not through a separate quest item placed in the inventory.

   Watch outStarting Ranni's quest changes the dialogue available from Iji, Blaidd, and the other associated characters. Do not skip their conversations if you want the full context of Iji's loyalty.

4. 04

   Complete Iji's available dialogue about Blaidd.

   Use Iji's Blaidd-related dialogue

   Return to War Counselor Iji at the Road to the Manor after the relevant conversations with Blaidd and Ranni. Ask about Blaidd when that dialogue option is available, then exhaust Iji's responses; this progression is also associated with unlocking the Carian Filigreed Crest in his shop.

   Location: Road to the Manor, Liurnia of the Lakes

   TipCheck Iji's shop after speaking with him. The Carian Filigreed Crest is a talisman, and its FP-saving effect is most valuable to a build that frequently uses weapon skills.

   Watch outThe shop availability is dialogue-dependent. If the talisman is not listed, revisit the linked NPCs and exhaust their current conversations before assuming it is unavailable.

5. 05

   Defeat Starscourge Radahn and check Iji's updated dialogue.

   Advance the Radahn milestone

   Continue Ranni's questline until the conflict involving Starscourge Radahn reaches its major battle. After Starscourge Radahn is defeated, return to Iji and speak with him again so his dialogue reflects the change in the stars and the consequences for Blaidd.

   Location: Redmane Castle and the wider Ranni questline

   TipTreat the defeat of Starscourge Radahn as a prompt to revisit every major NPC connected to Ranni, including Iji, rather than pushing forward without checking dialogue.

   Watch outThe Radahn event changes several connected quest states. Missing a conversation may not immediately fail the overall story, but it can make the sequence difficult to reconstruct.

6. 06

   Reach the late state of the connected questline.

   Finish the connected Ranni storyline

   Continue through the later stages of Ranni's questline and its Blaidd-related developments. Iji's own story remains embedded in that sequence, so follow the connected objectives rather than searching for a standalone dungeon or boss called War Counselor Iji's Quest.

   Location: The locations used by Ranni's questline

   TipKeep returning to Iji's location after major developments, especially when a character's fate or allegiance changes.

   Watch outThe quest's final state is a major story reveal. Stop after obtaining the shop reward if you want to avoid the ending of Iji's personal arc.

7. 07

   Investigate Iji's location and collect the available aftermath reward.

   Return to Iji for the aftermath

   Once the connected storyline has reached its late state, revisit the Road to the Manor. Iji's former position can contain the quest's final aftermath and may allow you to collect Iji's Bell Bearing, which can be given to the Twin Maiden Husks to preserve access to his bell-bearing shop services.

   Location: Road to the Manor, Liurnia of the Lakes

   TipInspect the ground and interact with any available item at Iji's usual location before leaving the area.

   Watch outThis aftermath is missable if the player never returns after the relevant events. It also reveals Iji's fate, so this step carries a major spoiler.

Mission mechanics

Iji's quest is driven by state-based NPC dialogue rather than a quest log. The practical method is to exhaust Iji's conversation, progress the Ranni storyline, and then return to him after each major milestone. This prevents the common mistake of assuming that simply meeting Ranni completes Iji's part of the story.

The Carian Filigreed Crest is the main equipment decision associated with Iji. It occupies a talisman slot and reduces the FP cost of skills, so it favors characters built around Ashes of War and other skill use. It is less valuable for a character who rarely activates skills and would rather reserve the slot for direct damage, defense, or utility.

Iji's final reward is not a conventional boss drop. The late interaction produces Iji's Bell Bearing, an item that can be handed to the Twin Maiden Husks so the player's access to relevant shop inventory is retained through the hub. Because this occurs after a story event, players who want the full dialogue should speak with Iji at each earlier checkpoint before claiming the aftermath item.

What works and what does not

Choices and consequencesSpoilers

• Accept Ranni the Witch's service and follow her connected storyline.

  Iji's dialogue advances and the later stages of his personal story become available.

• Purchase the Carian Filigreed Crest when it appears in Iji's shop.

  The player receives a talisman that reduces FP costs for skills; declining to buy it leaves the item available only while the relevant shop state remains accessible.

• Continue through the late Ranni and Blaidd-related events.

  Iji's final aftermath becomes available at the Road to the Manor, including the opportunity to obtain Iji's Bell Bearing.

  Spoiler
• Leave the Road to the Manor without checking Iji after the late events.

  The player can miss the visible aftermath and fail to collect Iji's Bell Bearing at the intended point.

  Spoiler

ChecklistSpoilers

• Speak with War Counselor Iji at the Road to the Manor.Exhaust his opening dialogue and inspect his shop.
• Defeat Royal Knight Loretta.This opens the route to the Three Sisters and Ranni's Rise.
• Meet Ranni the Witch at Ranni's Rise.Accept her service if you intend to complete the connected storyline.
• Speak with Iji after the Blaidd-related dialogue becomes available.Check whether the Carian Filigreed Crest has appeared in his shop.
• Defeat Starscourge Radahn.Return to Iji afterward for updated dialogue.
• Revisit Iji after the late Ranni storyline events.This is the major-spoiler step.
• Collect Iji's Bell Bearing if it is present.The item can be given to the Twin Maiden Husks.

Failure conditionsSpoilers

• Skipping Iji's dialogueThe quest has no separate objective tracker, so leaving conversations unfinished can make the next state appear unavailable. Return and exhaust his dialogue after each major connected milestone.
• Not progressing through Caria ManorThe Three Sisters and Ranni's Rise are not available until the Caria Manor progression is completed, including the fight with Royal Knight Loretta.
• Not revisiting the Road to the ManorThe late aftermath does not appear in the player's path automatically. Return to Iji's original location after the relevant Ranni and Blaidd events.
• Proceeding without collecting the aftermath itemIf Iji's Bell Bearing is available and the player leaves without taking it, the quest's intended local reward may be missed.

Characters in this missionSpoilers

• Ranni the WitchThe Carian figure whose questline determines Iji's later dialogue and fate.
• Royal Knight LorettaCaria Manor boss whose defeat opens the route to Ranni's Rise.
• Starscourge RadahnA major Ranni-related milestone that changes the state of Iji's story.

AftermathSpoilers

Trivia

• War Counselor Iji combines two roles at one location: he is both a lore-bearing Carian adviser and a blacksmith who sells equipment-related services.
• The quest demonstrates Elden Ring's use of NPC state changes instead of a conventional quest journal; the player's progress is often verified by revisiting characters after major world events.
• The Carian Filigreed Crest's effect makes Iji's shop relevant to skill-focused builds even when the player is not pursuing every optional dialogue branch.
• Iji's Bell Bearing connects the personal aftermath of the quest to the Twin Maiden Husks, allowing the hub to preserve access to a character's shop inventory.

Relationships