There are many reasons why a player would choose to attack a friendly NPC in Elden Ring.
Most NPCs drop an item when defeated, so when you spot that the NPC carries a powerful-looking bit of equipment or a fantastic armor set, it’s often worth it to take them down and claim your new prize.
The first time I brought down Blaidd from the tower in Mistwood, it was so tempting to loot his armor. But, alas, the brutal duel amounts to nothing as he phases away when you defeat him.
But sometimes you might attack an NPC by accident. Needless to say, Elden Ring is an intense game. Sometimes, an NPC would catch me off guard, and I’d attack it without thinking.
And other times, you might attack an NPC merely out of frustration. I once found an NPC chained up in the cellar of the ruins, and there was nothing I could do to free her. So, out of curiosity and frustration, I attacked it – thinking it would set it free. It didn’t work, and it caused Sorceress Sellen to cut ties with me.
Regardless of the reasoning, attacking or defeating an NPC means that you can lose access to their services and questlines. Unfortunately, this means that you can lose out on critical storylines and beneficial rewards.
The good news is that you can revive NPCs in Elden Ring, and I’ll show you where and how to fix NPC hostilities in this Elden Ring absolution guide.
Atonement in Elden Ring
The Elden Ring absolution feature absolves you of your sins committed in the game. What this means is that through atonement in Elden Ring, NPCs who were once hostile to you will forgive you, and return to their last known position.
Therefore, if you can’t continue an NPC questline because of their immediate hostility, you can gain absolution to reset them back to a neutral state.
Elden Ring atonement also revives some NPCs. Wandering merchants are guaranteed to respawn when you atone for your sins. I’d understand defeating merchants to attain their bell bearings because some of them are way out of the way.
Unfortunately you can’t resurrect every NPC, so do tread carefully if you don’t want to face the consequences.
Some named characters like White-Faced Varré and Patches cannot be revived through this process. Fortunately, NPCs aren’t instantly hostile if you hit them once. But, they will be if you hit them for a second or third time.
How to Reset & Revive NPCs in Elden Ring
To reset NPC hostility in Elden Ring, you first have to make your way to the Church of Vows in the eastern part of the Liurnia of the Lakes.
You can get there by starting from the Artist’s Shack Site of Grace, then proceeding north. A cliff separates the region, but you could easily jump across at the short gap.
Follow the main road north until you reach a clearing. Keep an eye out for the abandoned church on the west.
If you enter the church at night, a hard boss called the Bell Bearing Hunter invades the location. It’s a similar fight to the field boss at Warmaster’s Shack.
True to its name, it will drop the Meat Peddler’s Bell Bearing when defeating. You can give this item to the Twin Maiden Husk at Roundtable Hold to buy meat which you can use for crafting.
Alternatively, there’s a Waygate that teleports you into the Church of Vows. You can find it just after the boulder trap in Raya Lucaria Academy.
Inside the Church of Vows, there’s a giant turtle with a religious hat. Its name is Miriel, Pastor of Vows, a steward to the sacred chamber.
You can talk to Pope Turtle to learn more about the area. It can also teach you sorceries and incantations and even learn from scrolls and prayerbooks.
It’s a practical idea to hand these tomes to Miriel for a convenient one-stop-shop for casting spells and incantations.
Sorceress Sellen and Brother Corhyn have their own questlines, so tracking down their next location is a slight hassle.
The pastor also offers lore between the marriage of Rennala, the queen of the full moon, and Radagon of the Golden Order. It will also explain Elden Ring absolution to you.
There’s a statue of Rennala at the end of the church. Interacting with it lets you reset NPC hostility and revive NPCs in Elden Ring.
If you haven’t made any NPCs hostile prior to this, you can’t use the statue. But if you have done so, you have to consume one Celestial Dew to clear your slate.
With all the requirements met, you must interact with the statue to absolve your sins in Elden Ring. You know the procedure is successful when a message pops up saying, “Your sins are absolved.”
Where to Find Celestial Dew
Celestial Dew a scarce item with a singular purpose in Elden Ring. There’s one on the Southern Gate of Raya Lucaria Academy, guarded by a Bloodhound Knight. If you found the isolated merchant there, keep going until you reach the body, and this is where you can acquire Celestial Dew.
One more thing, there’s a chest containing Golden Tailoring Tools and a Gold Sewing Needle is to the side of the statue.
The Golden Tailoring Tools allow you to alter demigod armor in Elden Ring. While the Gold Sewing Needle lets Boc, the seamster, change your armor’s appearance for free. You might want to check our guide on how to alter armor and garments in Elden Ring.
You can give Boc the item after purchasing at least one boss armor piece from Enia back at the Roundtable Hold.
