When players go off the beaten path and explore the world of Elden Ring, they'll sometimes find friendly NPCs who will offer quests for the player to complete in exchange for enticing rewards. There's no shortage of random quests that end up being surprisingly expansive. One of the more mysterious and daunting tasks players can take up is assisting a large, hooded creature known as Gurranq, the Beast Clergyman, who wishes to atone for his sins involving the undead that are rising across the Lands Between.

Aiding Gurranq is a great way for players to get access to Bestial Incantations, Ashes of War, and weapons. It's not very easy for players to miss Gurranq due to his location, but it might be difficult to figure out where to start with his quest. While doing Gurranq's quest, players will encounter many different bosses and areas, so it's best to be prepared. A quest like this, however, is a great way to explore the map with a mission in mind.

Updated by Lauren Younkin on March 17, 2025: With the upcoming release of Elden Ring Nightreign, now is the perfect time to complete any exploration that players might have missed in the world of Elden Ring, such as questlines like Gurranq's. For that reason, this article has been updated to include further information on the Beast Clergyman's quest, as well as to comply with CBR's current standards of formatting.

How to Get Started With Gurranq's Quest

It All Starts With Some Repetitive Field Bosses

To start this quest, players must make their way to the ruins of Summonwater Village on the northeastern side of Limgrave. There, they will find an optional boss called Tibia Mariner, a spirit that rides in a boat across the shallow waters of the flooded town. While not one of the hardest bosses in Elden Ring, the Tibia Mariner can teleport around the area and summon skeleton warriors to assist in fighting players. The best strategy for fighting this boss is via horseback, by summoning Torrent and engaging in hit-and-run attacks when possible. Defeating the Tibia Mariner will reward players with a Deathroot, a key item for completing Gurranq's quest and reaping its highly useful rewards.

After fighting the Mariner, players should return to Summonwater a while later, where an NPC known as D, Hunter of the Dead, will appear and direct players to speak with Gurranq at the Bestial Sanctum in the far east of Caelid. This location can be easily reached by traveling through a Sending Gate near the Third Church of Marika. Once players are at the church, they need to exit behind it and head left towards the cliff wall. The teleporter is hidden among the foliage, but as long as players hug the wall, they will find it. Coincidentally, this teleport exit location will also enable players to reach a lucrative, early-game rune-farming location.

Bestial Sanctum Rune Farm and Bosses

There's More to Do Than Just Turn in Deathroots to Gurranq

The enemies covering the fields in front of the Bestial Sanctum are Vulgar Militiamen. Each one will drop about 1,000 Elden Ring Runes, making it a perfect spot for farming early levels before players make it to Mohgwyn Palace. There's a Site of Grace inside the Bestial Sanctum and then another past the Militiamen right before a bridge. Players can start at either Site of Grace, complete the farm run, and then reset at whichever one they finish closest to. However, players should be mindful of the Black Blade Kindred boss that sits on the steps leading to the Bestial Sanctum. As long as they keep their distance, the boss won't engage.

If players do wish to engage, they should come prepared. It's an odd area to fight such a big boss due to the stairs and the cramped space in front of the giant doors leading to Gurranq. If players want to take the boss fight into a more open area at the bottom of the stairs, they should be sure to clean out the Militiamen. The Militiamen are tiny, but they can dish out a lot of damage to lower-level players. There are also quite a few of them, so it's recommended to avoid getting tag-teamed by them and the Black Blade Kindred. Back towards the bridge south of Bestial Sanctum is another boss: Flying Dragon Greyll. This boss doesn't get aggressive until players try to cross the bridge that it guards.

The Quest to Collect Deathroot Begins

Gurranq Is a Good Boy - For the Most Part

Once players talk to Gurranq, they can give him the Deathroot in exchange for the Clawmark Seal, a weapon that enhances Beastial Incantaions. He'll then direct players to gather more Deathroots for him, providing them with Elden Ring items known as the Beast Eye that will notify them if they enter a location where Deathroot is present. There are a total of nine Deathroots that can be found throughout the Lands Between. Players should be aware that after trading in the fourth Deathroot, Gurranq will become aggressive and attack the next time he is visited. Fight him until he comes to his senses, and he will stop, saying it won't happen again. Rest at the Site of Grace to continue talking to him.

The easiest Deathroots to gather are from the four Tibia Mariner bosses, including the one already beaten in Summonwater. The second Tibia Mariner can be found south of the Artist's Shack in Liurnia of the Lakes, the third at the Wyndham Ruins in the Altus Plateau, and the fourth on a cliff overlooking Castle Sol on the Mountaintop of the Giants. Players should be advised that the latter two bosses will summon large skeletons of giants to attack, making their fights more difficult.

The Next Deathroots Are Trickier to Get

Tarnished Must Descend Into Dungeons

The remaining five Deathroots are located underground in optional dungeons. One can be found in the Deathtouched Catacombs in Limgrave, guarded by a Black Knife Assassin. However, this enemy has a reduced health bar, making the fight easier than it would normally be. Another Deathroot is located in the Black Knife Catacombs in northeastern Liurnia. Fighting the Black Knife here isn't necessary to attain the Deathroot. Instead, players must fight the Cemetery Shade.

The next Deathroot can be found by exploring the Gelmir Hero's Grave on Mt. Gelmir, near the Primeval Sorcerer Azur Site of Grace. This dungeon can be difficult to navigate due to environmental hazards such as the Chariot traps and pits of lava that players must avoid. The boss at the end is known as the Red Wolf of the Champion, who looks and fights almost exactly like the Red Wolf of Radagon at the Academy of Raya Lucaria.

On the Mountaintop of the Giants, just before traveling across the long land bridge guarded by Fire Monks, the Giants' Mountaintop Catacombs are home to the next Deathroot. This dungeon can be disorienting since some rooms look almost identical, and many hallways lead to traps and dead ends. Once players finally reach the boss area, they must fight the Ulcerated Tree Spirit.

The Final Deathroot Takes Tarnished Farther

It Ends With an Epic Battle Against a Mimic

The final Deathroot can be found within the Hidden Path to the Haligtree, a secret area that players must first collect the hidden medallions to access. Once this is done, head down from where a broken piece of railing is in the center of the dungeon onto an invisible platform. Players can drop rainbow stones to ensure they don't walk off of the edge.

In this dungeon's boss area, players must face the Stray Mimic Tear, which forces them to fight an exact copy of themselves that includes everything they're equipped with. If players enter the area with all weapons and armor removed, the Mimic will also appear unarmed and will be unable to hurt them while they reequip their weapons to fight a defenseless foe. There's also a new Tibia Mariner boss in the DLC area located in Charo's Hidden Grave. However, this Mariner does not have any Deathroot, instead dropping the Tibia's Cookbook.

Rewards for Completing Gurranq's Quest

Players Are Generously Compensated for Their Efforts

Once players turn in all nine Deathroots, Gurranq will depart, albeit unsatisfied that his sins haven't been absolved. For each Deathroot given, the player will receive useful rewards in a fixed order, the Clawmark Seal being the first. The following two rewards, Beastial Sling and Beastial Vitality, are both Beasital Incantations. The Beastial Sling even benefits from the effects of the Clawmark Seal, making it ideal to equip them together.

The fourth reward, Beast's Roar, is an Ash of War that casts projectiles for ranged damage, which can again be paired well with Claw weapons. Beast Claw, Stone of Gurranq, and Gurranq's Beast Claw, which are the fifth, sixth, and eighth rewards, are more Beastial Incantations that are all offensive. Like Beastial Sting, Beast Claw and Gurranq's Beast Claw are great to use with the Clawmark Seal as it will boost their damage.

The seventh reward is the Beastclaw Greathammer, which keeps with the theme of Gurranq's other rewards by prioritizing strength scaling. It should be noted, however, that it can't utilize Ashes of War. The ninth and final reward is an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone, which players will likely already be familiar with as an upgrade material that significantly increases the strength of a weapon. This reward can also be acquired by killing Gurranq outright, which will end the questline regardless of when he is slain. With so many worthwhile rewards to claim, completing the Beast Clergyman's quest will undoubtedly benefit any Elden Ring player.