Nokron, Eternal City is a hidden underground city that does not exist on your map until a star falls on Limgrave. It holds some of the most useful loot in the game: the Mimic Tear spirit ash, the Fingerslayer Blade for Ranni’s quest, two Larval Tears and the road to Siofra Aqueduct. This guide explains what unlocks it, the safe way down the crater, and what to do first once you arrive.
| Requirement | Defeat Starscourge Radahn in Caelid |
| Entrance | Starfall Crater, south of Mistwood and west of Fort Haight (Limgrave) |
| Closest graces | Fort Haight West, or Mistwood Outskirts |
| Graces inside | Nokron, Eternal City; Mimic Tear; Ancestral Woods; Aqueduct-Facing Cliffs; Night’s Sacred Ground; Great Waterfall Basin |
| Bosses | Mimic Tear; Regal Ancestor Spirit; Valiant Gargoyles |
| Top loot | Mimic Tear Ashes, Fingerslayer Blade, Silver Tear Mask, 2 Larval Tears |
| Alternate entry | Four Belfries waygate (Imbued Sword Key), but it only reaches a small sealed-off section |
How do you unlock Nokron in Elden Ring?
Beat Starscourge Radahn at Redmane Castle in Caelid. When he falls, a cutscene shows a star crashing into Limgrave. That impact opens Starfall Crater in the south of Mistwood, and the crater is the way into Nokron. Before Radahn is dead the crater simply is not there, so no amount of searching will find the entrance.
You may already have seen Nokron through the Four Belfries in Liurnia. One of the portals there, opened with an Imbued Sword Key, drops you into a tiny part of the city with an optional Lesser Crucible Knight. It is a dead end: the rest of the city only opens through the crater.
How to get down Starfall Crater safely
- Fast travel to the Fort Haight West grace in eastern Limgrave. If you do not have it, use Mistwood Outskirts.
- Ride to the crater just west of Fort Haight. Floating boulders hang above it, so it is hard to miss.
- Find Blaidd’s message on the rim. It confirms you are on the intended path.
- Work your way down in short drops onto the rocks and ledges. Do not jump straight into the middle: a long fall kills you and leaves your runes on a ledge you may not reach again.
- At the bottom, go through the ruined entrance and keep dropping carefully level by level.
- Pass through the archway and rest at the Nokron, Eternal City grace.
Tip: before you start, spend your runes at a grace. The descent is the most common place to lose a big stack.
What to do first in Nokron
1. Beat the Mimic Tear
The Mimic Tear boss waits behind a golden fog gate in the ruins of the city. It copies your build and equipment, so a lighter, simpler loadout can make the fight easier; our Mimic Tear boss guide has the full strategy. Winning gives you the Silver Tear Mask and two Larval Tears, and opens the Mimic Tear grace inside the arena. The tears let you respec your stats at Rennala; see our Larval Tear locations guide for the rest.
2. Head to Night’s Sacred Ground
Night’s Sacred Ground is the temple district of Nokron. Two prizes are here:
- Fingerslayer Blade: in a chest at the top of the Night’s Sacred Ground stairs, under the skeleton on the throne. Ranni asks for it during her questline, so take it to her at Ranni’s Rise. Our Ranni questline walkthrough covers what comes next.
- Mimic Tear Ashes: in a chest in a room of the temple sealed by an imp statue. Bring Stonesword Keys to break the seal. This spirit ash summons a copy of you and is one of the strongest summons in the game.
3. Optional: Regal Ancestor Spirit
From the Ancestral Woods grace, light the braziers guarded by shamans and ancestral followers. When the last one burns, the message “Power gathers somewhere in horned remains” appears. Ride to Hallowhorn Grounds and touch the remains at its north-east end to fight the Regal Ancestor Spirit.
4. Optional: Valiant Gargoyles at Siofra Aqueduct
The cliff path behind Hallowhorn Grounds leads to Siofra Aqueduct. At its base you fight a Valiant Gargoyle, and a second one with a twinblade joins at about half of the first one’s health. They drop the Gargoyle’s Greatsword and the Gargoyle’s Twinblade. See our Valiant Gargoyles boss guide before you go in.
Nokron checklist
- Beat Starscourge Radahn in Caelid.
- Spend your runes, then go to Fort Haight West.
- Find Blaidd’s message and descend Starfall Crater in short drops.
- Beat the Mimic Tear for 2 Larval Tears and the Silver Tear Mask.
- Take the Fingerslayer Blade at Night’s Sacred Ground.
- Open the imp seal with Stonesword Keys for the Mimic Tear Ashes.
- Optional: Regal Ancestor Spirit and the Valiant Gargoyles.
Related: the Radahn fight also gives you the Starscourge Greatsword, and Blaidd, whose message marks the crater, has more to say in our Blaidd questline walkthrough. Nokron also holds the first Ghost-Glovewort Picker’s Bell Bearing; see our Glovewort locations guide for the rest of the Spirit Ash upgrade route.
FAQ
Why can’t I find the entrance to Nokron?
Starfall Crater only appears after you defeat Starscourge Radahn. If he is still alive, the area south of Mistwood looks normal and there is no way down.
Can you reach Nokron through the Four Belfries?
Only a small, closed-off part of it. The Four Belfries portal sends you to a short section with a Lesser Crucible Knight. The full city opens through the crater after Radahn.
Where is the Mimic Tear spirit ash?
In a chest inside the Night’s Sacred Ground temple in Nokron, behind an imp statue seal that needs Stonesword Keys. The Mimic Tear boss fight is a separate encounter and does not give you the ash.
Is the Fingerslayer Blade needed for Ranni’s quest?
Yes. Ranni sends you to find it, and you hand it to her at Ranni’s Rise to keep her questline going toward the Age of the Stars ending. After that, the waygate at Renna’s Rise takes you to Ainsel River Main; our how to get to Ainsel River and the Lake of Rot guide covers the next leg.
Source: route and item locations checked against Fextralife’s Elden Ring wiki plus eip.gg, Prima Games and PC Gamer. Guides describe the crater descent from different sides, so we only kept the steps they agree on.
Further reading: Nokron, Eternal City on the Fextralife Elden Ring wiki.