Elden Ring Kenneth Haight Quest Guide: What Happens If You Pledge Service
Kenneth Haight, the heir to the throne of Limgrave, is an odd sort of fellow. He's the regent of a fortress long since evacuated, destroyed, and now taken over. He stands alone just a stone's throw from some of the most dangerous enemies in the game, and he maintains an air of royalty at all times without losing his cool. Kenneth Haight is a true man of nobility, and he plays a more important role in the wider world of "Elden Ring" than many players might first expect.
There are few NPCs in "Elden Ring" who maintain any kind of connection to the Tarnished, let alone friendship. But Kenneth Haight is one of the few who can send players on a wide-ranging quest, one with quite a unique reward. It's not a simple matter, though — in fact, while Kenneth Haight's personal questline is relatively short, pledging service to him ties the Tarnished to the stories of Nepheli Loux and Gostoc, the guardsman just outside Stormveil Castle's gate.
Haight makes no secret of his disdain for the current lord of Limgrave, Godrick the Grafted, even calling him "nothing more than a jumped up country bumpkin" rather than Lord. Indeed his questline ties into the Tarnished finding a new ruler of Limgrave once they've removed the Shardbearer from the Stormveil throne. But before all of that, players have to find the man first. Conveniently enough, his yells can be heard for a good distance, guiding the Tarnished to his hiding spot.
Pledge service to Kenneth outside the Third Church of Marika
Limgrave is a big place, one of the most dense maps in "Elden Ring" in terms of things to do. Being the game's first major area, it makes sense for Limgrave to contain early threads of some of the most important "Elden Ring" stories. While Varre, Boc, Roderika, Bernahl, and of course Melina can be encountered on the way to Margit, Kenneth Haight is a little bit more out of the way of Stormveil Castle — he's not a big fan of the current ruler, after all.
Haight is found in the northeast part of Limgrave, just below the cliffs of Summonwater Village and just to the west of the Third Church of Marika. From the bridge on the north side of Lake Agheel, continue east until a fork leads north and south. Take the north road down to the lower area, and as it turns northeast there should be a troll off to the side and a huge piece of rubble covering the path ahead. As the player gets close to this collapsed archway, they will hear a voice yelling out over the winds — but it's not immediately obvious where this voice originates from.
Kenneth Haight is a nobleman, but he's not the bravest man. Look for him calling for help on top of this giant piece of rubble, and initiate a conversation to learn of his plight. After hearing his request, players are sent south through the Mistwood to take back Fort Haight.
Haight's quest continues with other NPCs
The Mistwood is a place even high-level players avoid because of the enormous — and overwhelmingly powerful — Runebears that inhabit it. Either sneak through or skirt around the edges on Torrent southeast to find Fort Haight overlooking the cliffs. Just to the west of Fort Haight, under an overhang, is the closest Site of Grace. Make sure to pick this up because the Tarnished is tasked to come back here a number of times.
Fort Haight is currently inhabited by a knight from Stormveil (who's apparently become obsessed with blood), but he's not alone. There are plenty of Godrick soldiers, demihumans, and even a Pumpkin Head in the way, too. Fight through the Fort's occupants, slay the blood knight at the top, then go back to Kenneth and tell him the good news.
You can also clear Fort Haight before talking to Kenneth, saving some travel time. Either way, head back to Fort Haight and talk to him where the blood knight once stood at the top.
Here, he reveals that he isn't able to knight the player as he promised, but the Tarnished is able to "enter his service." Though he says it's possible to learn the inner workings of the Erdtree and return the hue of gold to their eyes, the Tarnished actually doesn't get anything out of this deal except the continuation of his questline and a pretty bad dagger. But it's not just his questline — it's also Nepheli Loux and Gostoc's.
You do get an Ancient Smithing Stone out of it
After players pledge service and depart Fort Haight un-knighted, they must nearly finish Nepheli Loux's and Gostoc's questlines to completion, when all three will meet up in the Stormveil throneroom. Though Gostoc is involved in the confluence of these narratives, his questline progresses naturally as players finish Stormveil Castle and nothing special really needs to be done. If Gostoc is killed, the quest fails.
Nepheli Loux, on the other hand, has a much more branching, wide-ranging quest. To start it, players must meet her in either a room near the end of Stormveil or Roundtable Hold, then in Liurnia's Albinauric Village. Players are given a potion by Seluvis to give to Nepheli, but to continue her quest they must give it to Gideon Ofnir instead. Talk to both of them to exhaust their dialogue, then head to the Four Belfries — a portal here will take players to the Chapel of Anticipation. Fight through the now much easier Grafted Scion fight, and enter a new side area to find the Stormhawk King in a chest. Head back to Nepheli at the Roundtable and give her this, then head to the Stormveil Throneroom.
Here, players are finally given the reward for pledging service to Kenneth — an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone. Gostoc has another one for sale, too. In the lore, pledging service to Kenneth Haight means serving the Golden Order, but really, it's all about weapon upgrades.