Elden Ring mod finally lets you wear Ranni as a demigod backpack like the true consort you are

Elden Ring character with snow witch Ranni on their back with her arms around their neck
(Image credit: ApolloHoo / FromSoftware)

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree raises the bar for "fashion souls" players who chase the RPG's ultimate endgame: finding the cleanest fit possible. And by "raises the bar" I mean it establishes the concept—at least lore-wise—that you can just strap a demigod to you like you're giving them a piggyback ride. The ultimate drip. Sadly, it isn't possible to equip a demigod backpack in the game normally, so ApolloHoo has released a mod to fix that.

"Ranni's Promised Consort Tarnished" isn't the most descriptive title for a mod, but the images on the Nexus Mods page get the point across: You can wear everyone's favorite moon witch on your back like Godfrey's lion or a certain boss in the DLC. She doesn't do anything special back there but if you're a newlywed in new game+, you can think of it like a honeymoon in the Lands Between.

Comments on the Nexus Mod page say it can be tricky to install. You need to unzip the folder, which can throw up errors (it did for me), and drag the files into a Mod Engine 2 folder. A few people in the comments have uploaded "fixed" contents of the folder, but I'll let you decide how much you trust downloading files from random Nexus Mod strangers. Some commenters say they got it working without any extra help. It's worth scrolling through the comments though, there are instructions for how to prevent Ranni from showing up misaligned on your character and how to switch which weapon makes her appear (by default it's the Finger Seal).

Modder ApolloHoo has a similar mod available that will spoil a fight in the DLC for you, but it could help you understand how to get backpack Ranni working properly if you're having trouble. ApolloHoo actually has several mods that recycle NPC and enemy models for alternative uses, like a mod that turns your horse into the Divine Dragon from Sekiro or one that makes Fia's bed into a weapon for some reason.

Hopefully ApolloHoo can clean up the mod files or write out an installation tutorial because I need backpack Ranni to cast some frost spells and maybe even let you exchange some runes for buffs or level ups. The Seamless Co-op modder had better watch out; backpack Ranni could be the only co-op partner you'll ever need.

Associate Editor

Tyler has covered games, games culture, and hardware for over a decade before joining PC Gamer as Associate Editor. He's done in-depth reporting on communities and games as well as criticism for sites like Polygon, Wired, and Waypoint. He's interested in the weird and the fascinating when it comes to games, spending time probing for stories and talking to the people involved. Tyler loves sinking into games like Final Fantasy 14, Overwatch, and Dark Souls to see what makes them tick and pluck out the parts worth talking about. His goal is to talk about games the way they are: broken, beautiful, and bizarre.