Should I Give Seluvis Potion to Gideon?

When It Makes Sense

• Good fit: You want to complete Seluvis’s questline and gain access to his sorceries and the hidden puppet room without dead-ending other NPC stories. Gideon will accept and dispose of the potion, allowing Seluvis’s arc to continue.
• Good fit: You are attached to Nepheli Loux’s questline and want her to remain a coherent character who can later become a ruler at Stormveil. Gideon is the only recipient who prevents her from being turned into a mindless puppet.

When You Should Avoid It

• Warning sign: You are chasing specific build rewards or collectibles. The Dung Eater puppet variant grants different loot than the neutral Gideon route, so if your goal is a particular item set, handing it to Gideon may lock you out for that playthrough.
• Warning sign: You are roleplaying an unscrupulous character and want the darkest outcome. Delivering the potion to its intended target produces a very different narrative result and achievement-state, which may be more fitting for that playthrough.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• You avoid permanently disabling or killing a major NPC, keeping more questlines active and preserving a more heroic narrative path.
• You still progress Seluvis’s storyline far enough to unlock his shop, access the hidden cellar, and continue the broader Ranni quest chain if you choose.

Cons

• You miss out on the unique puppet rewards associated with dosing Nepheli or the Dung Eater, which can only be obtained by choosing one of those alternative recipients.
• Gideon does not reward you with anything unique for disposing of the potion, so this route is mechanically the least profitable in terms of exclusive loot.

Decision Checklist

• Have I decided whether I want to preserve Nepheli’s questline, or am I willing to sacrifice it for a specific reward?
• Am I aware that giving the potion to the Dung Eater or Nepheli yields different items, and do I care about those items for this build?
• Have I spoken to all relevant NPCs and saved my progress, so I can reload if I dislike the outcome?

Alternatives to Consider

If you want different rewards, consider giving the potion to the Dung Eater instead, which unlocks his puppet form and associated loot. Alternatively, if you are pursuing a darker playthrough or want to see Seluvis’s full villainous arc, you can administer it to Nepheli Loux as originally intended. If you wish to ignore the quest entirely, you can simply keep the potion and continue exploring, though this will eventually stall Seluvis’s related events.

Final Recommendation

Giving Seluvis’s potion to Gideon is generally the best choice for players who prioritize story continuity, NPC survival, and access to Seluvis’s services over exclusive items. It is the low-risk option that keeps the most questlines intact. Choose one of the alternative recipients only if you have a specific reward or roleplay goal in mind, and remember that many decisions in Elden Ring are permanent within a single playthrough, so save before committing if possible.