Nokstella is an Eternal City in Elden Ring that plays an important role in your quest to unlock the secrets of stars. This city is hidden within a hidden city that can only be accessed by defeating a major boss in the game.
We have a detailed step-by-step guide below to help you access Nokstella and reveal its secrets.
Start Ranni’s Questline
Nokstella can be found in the Ainsel River area. This city is on the far west side of the Ainsel River map. You can explore this area in Ranni’s side quest.
To start Ranni’s Quest, you must reach Caria Manor in the northwest corner of the Liurnia of the Lakes. This castle is filled with finger enemies and ghosts. Proceed through the castle and defeat the Royal Knight Loretta to access the Three Sisters area.
Go to Ranni’s Rise towards the West and talk to her to join her service. She will ask you to bring her the Fingerslayer Blade from Nokron, the Eternal City.
Defet Radahn to reach Nokron
Nokron, the eternal city, is hidden and can only be accessed after you defeat Starscourge Radahn. He is a shardbearer and can be found inside Redmane Castle.
Redmane Castle is in southeast Caelid, and you can only fight Radahn during the festival. To start the festival, visit the Altus Plateau and activate any Site of Grace. Starting and progressing Ranni’s Questline also triggers the Radahn Festival.
Once you defeat Radahn, a meteor will fall in Limgrave, opening the path to Nokron. Use Torrent to drop down in the crater to reach Nokron.
Retrieve the Fingerslayer Blade
Progress through Nokron until you reach the Mimic Tear boss. From the boss’ site of grace, turn left and hug the wall until you reach the Ancestral Woods site of grace.
Use the rooftops to traverse the area until you reach shall with a massive rolling ball as an enemy. Exit the room and continue to reach the Night’s Sacred Ground. We have a detailed guide with specific steps to obtain the Fingerslayer Blade.
Go to the room at the end of the area to find the Fingerslayer Blade inside a treasure chest.
Travel to Nokstella, the Eternal City
Return to Ranni and give her the Fingerslayer Blade. She will be happy with your progress and will hand over the Carian Inverted Statue.
Don’t go to the Carian Study Hall yet. Instead, leave Ranni’s Rise and go to Renna’s Rise towards the north. It will now be unlocked.
Go to the top of the tower to find a portal. Use this portal to travel to Ansel River Main. Collect Ranni’s Miniature Doll and talk to her a the site of grace.
Travel down the area until you reach Uhl Palace Ruins. This area is littered with enemies and a mini-boss that eerily resembles Astel.
Continue west through tunnels to reach Nokstella, the Eternal City. However, these tunnels are homes to massive ants and have amazing loot available. We recommend that you keep going to the west instead of following the path south.
Reaching Nokstella from Siofra Aqueduct
You can also reach Nokstella, the eternal city, by following Fia’s Questline. Instead of jumping down on the roofs from the Ancestral Woods site of grace, go east and follow the path leading to the forest.
Progress until you reach a ledge from where you can see a lot of jellyfish. Jump down and continue on the path to reach Siofra Aqueduct.
Keep going through Siofra Aqueduct until you reach the Twin Gargoyles boss fight. Defeat the duo and interact with the coffin at the end to be transported to the Deeproot Depths.
You can find Fia here and hand over the Cursemark of Death to unlock an alternate ending. Keep going through the Deeproot Depths until you come across another coffin in its northernmost part. Interact with the coffin; it will take you to the Ainsel River’s main area.
You can continue as usual to find Nokstella, the eternal City.
What to Do in Nokstella, the Eternal City
Nokstella is a good place to collect items. Countless valuable items are lying around, so explore them all and collect them.
Besides the supplies, Nokstella serves as a vital checkpoint in Ranni’s Questline, although there is not much to do around the area except for the boss fight over at a remote location. However, you can find out a lot by talking to the Miniature Ranni Doll which can be picked up upon arrival in Nokstella.
You can sit down at Sites of Grace and interact with the doll to get it to speak. After you’re done with it, go to the city’s west side, where an elevator can be found, which will take you down to the Nokstella Waterfall Basin. Here, you can face an elite enemy that resembles Blaidd NPC. Defeating him, give you the Discarded Palace Key and a Dark Moon Ring.
Nosktella Map Fragment Location
Your trials and tribulations aren’t over yet, as you will need to find the Map Fragment if you want to reveal the Nosktella region. Luckily for you, finding the fragment isn’t that tricky. From Uhl Palace Ruins, keep going straight, avoiding the enemies, and you will come across a ruined structure with stairs on the right. Enter this structure, and you will find a Nomadic Merchant sitting inside. The map fragment you are looking for is just beside that merchant.
