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TheElden RingDLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, throws you into the Land of Shadow, where you will immediately meet a delusional bunch clinging to Miquella for salvation. But let’s face it, your Tarnished isn’t exactly a paragon of virtue. You will likely cozy up to these NPCs - aside from a few rare exceptions - only to snag their powerful weapons. And we totally get that!
The Falx,a pair of curved swordsstacked with a decent bleed build-up and a unique Weapon Art, is one such weapon obtainable from a specific NPC. Depending on how that NPC’s questline unfolds, you will have three different opportunities to acquire the Falx, each detailed below.
How To Get The Falx
To obtain theFalx, all you need to do iskill its wielder, theHornsentNPCin Shadow of the Erdtree. However, this canonly occur during an invasion, which can happen on one of three occasions. When, where, and how he invades depends on how you handle his questline.
Assist Leda Against The Hornsent In The Shadow Keep
Your first and earliest shot at getting your hands on the Falx will bewhen the Hornsent relocates to the Scadu Altus. After defeatingRellana, Twin Moon Knight, you will find the Hornsent hanging around the Highroad Cross Site of Grace alongsideNeedle Knight Leda.
Normally, you will also have clearedBelurat, Tower Settlement, and defeated theDivine Beast Dancing Lionbefore tacklingCastle Ensis.
Once you’veventured as far as the front gates of the Shadow KeepLegacy Dungeon in the Scadu Atlus, the message: “Somewhere, a great rune has broken…” followed by “And so too has a powerful charm” will pop up on your screen after a loud ting.
Without giving out any spoilers, this event basicallysets many NPC questlines in motionthat were previously at a standstill.
Afterward, you will want to revisit all the NPCs that you’ve met so far on your journey, as they will have plenty of new dialogues for you. In particular,Leda will start showing some distrust towards Hornsent. Exhaust all of Leda’s and Hornsent’s dialogue options, and after resting once, you will find thatshe finally plans on eliminating him.
At this point, theHornsent will also move to the Shadow Keep. While navigating theShadow Keep, you will come across two summon signs: either to assist Leda or Hornsent against one another next to a steep slope that unlocks a shortcut to the Main Gate Plaza Site of Grace.
For the purpose of getting the Falx,select the red summon sign to invade Hornsent’s worldand help Needle Knight Leda eradicate him. Once you defeat him, you will come out of the invasion with Hornsent’s gear,including the Falx and his armor set. However,this ends his questline prematurely.
If you brief with Leda after this, she will reward you with theLacerating Crossed-TreeTalisman, which increases damage dealt by running attacks.
Do not, at any cost, cross the fog wall toMessmer, The Impalerbefore you can complete the last step, as doing so locks you from acquiring the curved sword early.
Defeat The Hornsent Invader In The Ancient Ruins Of Rauh
Say you sided with Hornsent or skipped the fight entirely, then the second instance where Hornsent can drop the Falx won’t happen until you’ve delved deep into the Ancient Ruins of Ruah. This is quite a fair bit into the DLC.
Siding with Hornsent gets youLeda’s Rune, whichgrants 40,000 Runes,and theAsh of War: Swift Slash, unique to Backhand Blades.
Just as you’re about to exit the Scarlet Rot-infested ruins andapproach the Church of the Bud, Main EntranceSite of Grace, you will be dismounted from your spectral steed, andHornsent will invade you by the stairs. Defeat him here, and he will drop the same piece of gear.
This also gives his questline a proper conclusion, and outside some lore revelations linked to the base game, he offers nothing else.
A necessary requisite for this invasion to take place issummoning Hornsent against Messmer. You will find his summon sign inside the boss room to the right.
Survive The Enir-Ilim Gank Fight
Should youfail to kill Hornsent at the first opportunityand thencan’t trigger the invasion in the Ancient Ruins of Ruahbecause you somehow managed to beat Messmer without Hornsent, don’t worry. You might think you’ve been permanentlylocked out from obtaining the Falxdouble-curved sword, but there’s still hope.
In the finalLegacy Dungeon, Enir-Ilim, you will face Needle Knight Leda and her allies, and surprisingly,Hornsent shows up to aid her. This backstabbing fella is the first opponent you’re up against.
If you survive the gank fight,Hornsent’s dead body will lie next to a pillar in the arena, and it can be looted for hisweapon and theHornsent Set.
What’s weird, though, is that you willstill have to fight against the Hornsent in Enir-Ilimregardless ofhelping him against Leda in the Shadow Keep, granted youdon’t summon him against Messmer.
How To Use The Falx
The Falx is set to give the Scavenger’s Curved Sword a run for its money and has a manageable stat requirement of12 Strengthand15 Dexterityonly.
While you needSomber Smithing Stones to upgrade it, theFalx receives a respectable B-scaling in Dexterity once fully reinforced. This makes the Falx aviable option for Dex buildsthat rely on quick Hemorrhage procs thanks to its innate bleed build-up and ability to be powerstanced by default.
As a unique NPC weapon, it unfortunately suffers from theinability to be infused with new Ashes of War or weapon buffs. However, the Falx’s Weapon Skill,Revenger’s Blade, is still incredibly fun to play around with. It allows the user todash toward the enemy and slash them with both swords.
The weapon skill can also becharged up to increase the travel distance, making it useful to quickly close gaps between enemies, especially those that rely on ranged attacks like mages. A heavy attack as a follow-up to the Weapon Skill also unleashes an aggressive flurry of slashing attacks that can lay waste to most opponents.
