Elden Ring Rotten Winged Sword Insignia [Location & Builds]

Uncover the location and procedure for the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia in Elden Ring.

The Elden Ring Rotten Winged Sword Insignia is easily one of the strongest late-game talismans that encourages an aggressive playstyle for your build. As a stronger version of the regular Winged Sword Insignia, this talisman greatly raises your attack power with successive hits. So, if you want to take an offensive stance and melt through enemy HP, this item is for you.

Rotten Winged Insignia Summary
  • The Rotten Winged Sword Insignia boosts attack power with consecutive hits.
  • To obtain it, follow Millicent’s Questline in Elphael:
    1. Find Millicent near the Swamp of Aeonia in Caelid.
    2. Progress through the quest by:
    3. Defeat Commander O’Neil and then give the Unalloyed Gold Needle to Gowry outside Sellia.
    4. Solve the Sellia puzzle.
    5. Meeting Millicent at the Church of Plague.
    6. Talk to her near the Erdtree Gazing Hills Site of Grace and head to Windmill Village.
    7. Interact with her after defeating the Godskin Apostle.
    8. Meet Millicent near the Ancient Snow Valley Ruins Site of Grace at the Mountaintops of the Giants.
    9. Find her inside the Prayer Room in Elphael.
    10. Proceed to the Drainage Channel Site of Grace.
    11. Go to Rot Swamp eastside above the channel, defeat the Ulcerated Tree Spirit, and help Millicent in an invasion.
    12. After aiding her and defeating her two sisters, you’ll receive the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia.
  • Use this talisman to enhance your build by equipping specific talismans, armor sets, and Ashes of War.

Location of The Rotten Winged Sword Insignia

As mentioned, the insignia is a late-game talisman in Elden Ring. You’ll first need to complete the entirety of Millicent Questline to get it. And towards the end of this quest, you’ll have to kill off a few NPC invaders to get the talisman.

Rotten Insignia Elden Ring
The Rotten Winged Sword Insignia talisman (Screenshot taken by eXputer)

Millicent is a friendly NPC whom you’ll first encounter in Caelid, one of Elden Ring’s mid-game regions. She has one of the game’s longest but most impactful quest lines, so you might want to buckle up for the long ride. With that said, here’s a rundown to completing her quest:

Meet Millicent For The First Time

The first half of this quest involves meeting Millicent in Caelid and curing the Scarlet Rot afflicting her. To do this, we’ll first need to meet Gowry at his Shack near Sellia, the Town of Sorcery:

  • Starting from the Sellia Under-Stair Site of Grace towards the northeast of the Swamp of Aeonia, head southwest alongside the Town’s outer walls.
sellia entrance
Sellia Under-Stair Site of Grace (Image Credits: eXputer)
    • As you go up the hill, take a left at the end of the route next to the tree roots and follow the stone path ahead to reach the Sellia Gateway.
    • You’ll notice a small wooden shack guarded by a Monstrous Dog outside to your left.
    • Kill the dog and walk inside the shack to meet Gowry, a mysterious NPC.
Gowry's Shack Caelid
Meeting Gowry at his Shack (Screenshot by eXputer)
    • Exhaust his dialogue, and head back to the Swamp of Aeonia to fight Commander O’Neil and get the Unalloyed Gold Needle.
commander bossfight caelid
Commander O’Neil’s boss arena near Inner Aeonia (Image by us)
    • After killing the boss and obtaining the needle, go back to Gowry in his shack, hand it over to him, and receive Sellia’s Secret.
Sellia's Secret elden ring
Info Item: Sellia’s Secret (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)
    • Now, teleport to the Sellia Under-Stair Site of Grace again and return to Gowry’s Shack to retrieve the repaired Gold Needle.
needle gowry's shack
Getting the Unalloyed Gold Needle from Gowry (Screenshot taken by eXputer)
    • Next, proceed to Sellia via the entrance near the shack and solve the Town’s puzzle using the aforementioned info item to unlock the sealed door atop the stairs at the far northern edge.
    • Once you’ve completed the puzzle, go to the Church of Plague following the straight route and uphill, and you’ll meet Millicent in a sick state.
Millicent Elden Ring
Millicent at the Church of Plague (Image Source: eXputer)
    • Give her the needle you previously repaired, rest at the Church’s Site of Grace, and talk to her again to receive the Prosthesis-Wearer Heirloom.
    • Finally, talk to Gowry and tell him you temporarily cured Millicent to finish the first part of this quest.
Millicent Caelid
Millicent in Gowry’s Shack (Image taken by eXputer)
Important: In the last step, you might find Millicent instead of Gowry in his shack, as seen in the screenshot.

Continue At The Altus Plateau And The Mountaintops

After curing Millicent, you’ll bump into her again at the Erdtree Gazing Hill, located west of the Grand Lift of Dectus in the Altus Plateau. This is a mini-quest where you must get her Prosthesis from the Shaded Castle.

  • From the Erdtree-Gazing Hill Site of Grace, head northeast uphill, and you’ll find Millicent standing near the cliff edge.
Millicent Altus Plateau
Millicent near the Erdtree-Gazing Hill Site of Grace (Screenshot by eXputer)
    • Exhaust her dialogue, and take a trip west to the Shaded Castle surrounded by a green swamp north of your current location.
castle altus plateau
The Shaded Castle (Image Source: eXputer)
    • Make your way inside the castle, go to the rooftops, and follow them to the main rear gate, where you’ll find the Prosthesis inside the chest in a room guarded by a Cleanrot Knight at the north-western edge of the castle.
valkyrie
The Valkyrie’s Prothesis (Screenshot taken by eXputer)
    • Return the Prothesis to Millicent at the Gazing Hill, and now your next objective is to kill the Godskin Apostle atop Windmill Village.
The Windmill Village (Image taken by eXputer)
    • Based on my gameplay experience, the quickest and easiest way to reach Windmill Village is by going around the Plateau to the backside of the biome.
    • Once you’re at the foot of the village, follow the stairs uphill, and you’ll find the Godskin Apostle at the very top beside the large windmill.
Godskin Apostle boss
Godskin Apostle atop Windmill Village (Screenshot Captured by eXputer)
    • After killing the boss, rest at the Site of Grace, and Millicent will spawn beside you.
Millicent Altus Plateau
Millicent in Windmill Village (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)
    • Now, simply exhaust her dialogue and continue the quest at the Mountaintops of the Giants.
    • After going through the Altus Plateau and the first half of the Mountaintops, you’ll find Millicent yet again near the Ancient Snow Valley Ruins Site of Grace.
Millicent in Mountaintops
Millicent near the Ancient Valley Ruins Site of Grace (Image by eXputer)

Aid Millicent At The Haligtree

The next and final part of this long quest will continue in Elden Ring’s late-game phase at Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree. This is where you’ll need to aid Millicent by vanquishing her sisters in an invasion.

From here, follow the steps I have listed below:

Millicent Haligtree
Meeting Millicent near the Prayer Room Site of Grace (Image by us)
    • Talk to her, and then continue your journey through Elphael until you reach the Drainage Channel Site of Grace.
Drainage Channel Elphael
The Drainage Channel Site of Grace (Image taken by eXputer)
    • From here, go back to the Haligree roots above the sewers and follow the tree’s branches to your left, leading to the massive open rot swamp.
    • Once you reach the swamp, you’ll have to fight and kill the Ulcerated Tree Spirit resting there.
tree spirit boss in Elphael
Ulcerated Tree Spirit in Elphael (Image Source: eXputer)
    • After killing the mini-boss, which I found somewhat irritating, jump onto the ledge on the right side of the swamp, where you’ll come across a red and a gold summon sign.
Millicent summon signs Elden Ring
Gold and Red Summon Signs next to the Swamp (Screenshot by eXputer)
    • Both of these signs have a completely different objective and ending to the quest, as the red sign will summon you to challenge Millicent, while the gold sign will summon you to assist her in fighting off Millicent’s Sisters.
    • By deciding to help Millicent and kill her sisters in that location, you’ll receive the Elden Ring Rotten Winged Sword Insignia talisman.
    • Since you want the insignia, I would recommend touching the gold summon sign and killing all 4 sisters to receive the talisman.
millicent aid quest
Fighting off Millicent’s Sisters (Screenshot taken by eXputer)
Important: It’s worth noting that Millicent can die during the gold summon invasion. If she does get killed, you’ll be immediately teleported back to your world without the Insignia, but you’ll have the option to go back and aid Millicent again until you eventually kill the sisters.

Best Rotten Winged Sword Insignia Build

elden ring attributes
Stats to Level Up: Vigor, Mind, Endurance (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)

As mentioned, Elden Ring’s Rotten Winged Sword Insignia favors aggression to make quick work of enemies. Therefore, I first needed to focus on the attributes supporting the play style for the build.

With that said, the stats I would say to preferably level up to effectively utilize this talisman include:

  1. Endurance
  2. Vigor
  3. Mind

Talismans For Insignia

Besides spending runes on leveling up attributes, II believe you should pair the Winged Sword Insignia with offense-based talismans that’ll encourage you to attack more. These talismans will provide incentives to melt through enemy HP by boosting the player’s stamina, damage output, and overall effectiveness during combat.

Godskin Swaddling Cloth

  • The Swaddling Cloth is another talisman focused on successive attacks that restores HP.
  • This ability becomes especially useful against hordes of enemies where you’ll have more targets and, thus, more chances to rejuvenate your health.
  • To get the Godskin Swaddling Cloth, you’ll have to kill the main Spirit-Caller snail in the Spiritcaller Cave near the lake at the Mountaintops of the Giants.
godskin talisman elden ring
The Godskin Swaddling Cloth talisman (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)

Assassin’s Cerulean Dagger

  • The Assassin’s Cerulean Dagger restores 15 Focus Points after a successful critical hit.
  • With the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia raising your attack power, you’ll have a higher chance of staggering enemies, locking them at their concurrent location.
  • So, as seen, I think this is a perfect match for the insignia, and you can get this talisman after killing the Black Knife Assassin found at the end of the Black Knife Catacombs in Liurnia.
assassin talisman elden ring
The Assassin’s Cerulean Dagger talisman (Screenshot by eXputer)
Important: Alternatively, you could also go for the Assassin’s Crimson Dagger, which restores HP instead of FP after landing a critical hit.

Shard Of Alexander

alexander talisman elden ring
The Shard of Alexander talisman (Image Source: eXputer)

Bull-Goat’s Talisman

  • The Bull-Goat’s Talisman drastically strengthens your poise meter by reducing poise damage by 25%.
  • As a necessity for the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia build, you can find this talisman atop the corpse at the deep end of the Dragonbarrow Cave in Caelid’s Dragonbarrow.
bull goat elden ring
The Bull-Goat’s talisman (Image taken by eXputer)

Great-Jar’s Arsenal

  • This is another talisman focused on improving your overall poise as it raises your maximum equipment load by 19%.
  • The Great-Jar’s Arsenal makes it so you can wear much heavier armor to garner as much poise as possible.
  • However, getting this talisman can be challenging, at least in my experience, as it can only be obtained as a reward after killing all three NPCs near the Great Jar in Dragonbarrow.
Great-Jar talisman elden ring
The Great-Jar’s Arsenal talisman (Screenshot by eXputer)

Armor Set For The Insignia

Now that you’ve made an offensive-oriented talisman combo, let’s move on to the ideal armor sets for this build. As mentioned, your build must balance stamina, mobility, and poise to utilize the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia’s potential fully. 

If you’re looking to squeeze out any more defensive or offensive enhancements from your wears, here’s a list of ideal head armor I have compiled that you should consider:

HeadItem Effect
Ash-of-War ScarabReduces FP cost of skills, but increases damage taken
Crimson HoodRaises HP
Haligtree Knight HelmIncreases Faith
Imp Head (Wolf)Raises Endurance
Omenshirk MaskIncreases Strength
Royal Remains HelmSlowly replenishes HP when HP is reduced
Helms: Royal Remains Helm, Omenshirk Helm, Haligtree Helm, Crimson Hood, Imp Head (Wolf), Ash-of-War Scarab (Image by us)

So, for each armor weight class in Elden Ring, here’s a list of sets that fulfill the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia’s poise and stamina balancing requirement:

Weight ClassArmor Set 1Armor Set 2Armor Set 3
LIGHTTraveler's Clothes
Traveler's Manchettes
Traveler's Boots
Godskin Apostle Robe
Godskin Apostle Bracelets
Godskin Apostle Trousers
Omenkiller Robe
Omenkiller Long Gloves
Omenkiller Boots
MEDIUMCarian Knight Armor (Altered)
Carian Knight Gauntlets
Carian Knight Greaves
Hoslow's Armor
Hoslow's Gauntlets
Hoslow's Greaves
Royal Remains Armor
Royal Remains Gauntlets
Royal Remains Greaves
HEAVYMaliketh's Armor
Maliketh's Gauntlets
Maliketh's Greaves
Bull-Goat Armor
Bull-Goat Gauntlets
Bull-Goat Greaves
Veteran's Armor (Altered)
Veteran's Gauntlets
Veteran's Greaves

My Experience Using The Rotten Winged Sword Insignia

hours waterjuice
My Elden Ring hours on Steam

Out of the late-game talismans, the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia stands alone as my personal favorite, and I’ve used it a ton against several bosses, especially Mohg and Malenia. I’ve done several playthroughs of the title on my WaterJuice Steam account, and in every NG+ and subsequent experience, I always include the Insignia in my talisman set.

elden rinng profiles waterjuice
My Elden Ring save slots on Steam

I primarily dual-wield spears, so to maximize damage, I use the Shard of Alexander alongside the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia. I also usually equip the Ash-of-War Scarab helm since it’s got a good weight-to-defense ratio and noticeable enhancements to my Ash-of-War attacks. However, when I’m a Faith user, the Haligtree Helm is always my go-to headpiece.

That wraps up my guide on the location and builds for the Elden Ring Rotten Winged Sword Insignia talisman. As always, the items mentioned here are unique with their individual pros and cons, so it’s better to try all of them or craft an exclusive personal build to find the one most suitable for you. If you’re still unsure about the talisman’s mechanics, check out this Subreddit Post to learn more about it.

Consider reading our Elden Ring Frenzied Burst guide and pair your Rotten Winged Sword Insignia talisman with a powerful incantation. If you’re instead looking for more interesting talismans in Elden Ring, check out our Radagon Icon location walkthrough. And while you’re at it, boost your build even more by equipping the best Remembrance Weapons in Elden Ring.

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Rabiya is a versatile writer at eXputer who can cover everything from guides to tier lists and the hottest news in the gaming industry. Rabiya earned her Bachelor's in English Literature, further enhancing her writing skills. With hundreds of hours on Persona 5 and Genshin Impact, Rabiya has proudly played video games for eight years. Follow Rabiya's gaming activities on her Steam and Xbox Profiles!

Experience: 2+ Years || Mainly Covers Tier Lists & Guides || Education: Bs English Literature, Ms. Applied Linguistics, Writing & Editing Course, English for Journalism.

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