Elden Ring Kenneth Questline Guide: Should You Pledge Service at Fort Haight?

When riding across the fields of Limgrave in Elden Ring, you can come across a nobleman named Kenneth Haight who asks you for help in retaking his fort. A Stormveil knight commander has taken control of it, and it’s up to you to go clear it out. When you return, Kenneth will be so impressed with your work that he asks if you’d like to enter his service. It’s a serious question, and many players aren’t sure what the right decision is. Here’s what you need to know about Kenneth Haight in Elden Ring.

Where is Fort Haight?

Kenneth says his fort is to the south beyond the Mistwood, which isn’t too far away. The Mistwood is the giant forest area in the eastern half of Limgrave, and it’s just across the road to the south of Kenneth’s position.

Mount Torrent and ride all the way through the forest. Fort Haight is on the southern side of the woods overlooking the ocean on a hill. The main road that runs through Mistwood will lead you straight to it. You can see the fort’s exact location on the map below.

Once you arrive, you’ll find that the place is overrun with knights just like Kenneth said. There are quite a few of them outside and a particularly tough one waiting at the top of the tower, so I recommend unlocking the Site of Grace to the right of the fort before attempting to retake it.  The outside of the fort has a large group of knights and a giant enemy similar to Mad Pumpkin Head, so be careful.

Inside, there are enemies tossing firebombs attempting to kill you with hidden explosive barrels, so watch out for that. There are rats too, so don’t let them surprise you. At the top of the fort is a lone knight who is much stronger than the rest. He’s the Stormveil knight commander that Kenneth mentioned, so you have to put him down. It’s a tough fight if you’re undergeared or underleveled, but it’s manageable if you’re cautious and calculated. When the fort is cleared, it’s time to return to Kenneth Haight for your reward.

Should You Pledge Your Service to Kenneth in Elden Ring?

When you return to Kenneth Haight with the good news, he will give you the Erdsteel Dagger as a reward. This dagger stands out because it actually has a minimum Intelligence requirement alongside the usual attributes. If you keep talking to Kenneth and exhaust all of his dialogue options, he’ll ask you if you would like to enter his service in the hopes of becoming a knight yourself one day. So, should you pledge your service to Kenneth?

If you do not pledge your service, then nothing happens and you can go along on your way. If you do decide to pledge your service to Kenneth, however, then he will ask you to meet him at Fort Haight for a ceremony. You can fast travel back to the Site of Grace nearby to avoid the Mistwood and get there faster.

Once you arrive, you’ll find it inhabited by a group of demi-humans, at least on the ground floor. You can make quick work of them though, and once you do, you can find Kenneth at the top of the fort where you fought the strong knight. Speak to him and you’ll learn the truth. Kenneth can’t actually make you a knight, at least not right now, so he just used you to get his fort back.

If you kill Kenneth Haight, he drops a Golden Seed that you can use to upgrade your Healing Flask at a Site of Grace. You need two of them in order to afford the upgrade, but you can also grab a Golden Seed at the golden tree in front of Fort Haight.

Finishing the Kenneth Quest in Elden Ring

Ever since the Elden Ring 1.03 patch, there is a final section to Kenneth’s questline. You can now find Kenneth next to the Nepheli at the throne room in Stormveil Castle at the Godrick the Grafted Site of Grace. There are three criteria that need to be met in order to complete Kenneth’s Quest. Here are those three criteria:

• Complete Nepheli Loux’s questline and give her the Stormhawk King.
• Defeat Morgott the Omen King.
• Malekith the Black Blade must still be alive.

If all three of these things are done, you will be able to talk to Kenneth and finish the quest. If Kenneth or Nepheli aren’t appearing where they should, rest at the Site of Grace outside. It is not enough to fast travel to it; you must rest there. After talking with Kenneth and Nepheli, you will receive an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone.

And with that, you have completed the Kenneth Haight quest in Elden Ring. If you are having trouble with any other quests in Elden Ring, or just want to upgrade your armor, we’ve got you covered.