Elden Ring Nightreign Smithing Stones locations and weapon upgrade guide

Sharpen your blade and steel your nerves-Elden Ring: Nightreign’s fiercest bosses won’t fall to mere beginner’s luck. If you want to survive the relentless Nightlords, you’ll need to hunt down elusive smithing stones and master the weapon upgrade system that’s changed the rules from the original game. Whether you’re delving into treacherous mines, bartering with unpredictable merchants, or risking it all in enemy camps, every stone you find could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Here’s how to get the upgrade materials you need-and where to power up your arsenal before the darkness closes in.

In our Elden Ring Nightreign guide, you can learn exactly where you can find smithing stones and how to upgrade weapons using with them.

How to get smithing stones in Elden Ring Nightreign

Smithing stones are essential upgrade materials in Elden Ring Nightreign, allowing you to boost your weapon’s power and rarity for tougher battles. You can find smithing stones primarily by exploring mines, where they appear as loot in chests or as drops from enemies and mini-bosses. Mines and tunnels are marked on your map, and defeating mini-bosses inside often rewards you with higher-tier stones needed for advanced upgrades. Alternatively, you can purchase smithing stones from merchants scattered across the world, especially in townships, camps, and near castles. The selection of smithing stones at each merchant is random, but they typically offer at least the basic type for a set amount of runes. For the fastest upgrades, prioritize checking mines for loot and visiting merchants whenever you pass through settlements.

Smithing stones are considered consumables, which means they occupy one slot in your pouch. There are two tiers of smithing stones in Elden Ring Nightreign.

• Smithing Stone [1] upgrades common weapons and turns them into uncommon weapons.
• Smithing Stone [2] upgrades a uncommon weapons and turns them rare weapons.

Below, we’ll show you where you can find ample supply of both Smithing Stone [1] and Smithing Stone [2] in Elden Ring Nightreign.

Where to find Smithing Stone [1]

You can obtain Smithing Stones [1] in Elden Ring Nightreign via two methods: shopping or looting.

First, you can buy up to two stones from merchants throughout Limveld. Although these sellers appear in preset locations, which merchants spawn during a match is completely randomized. Like almost everything in Elden Ring Nightreign, the items available in a merchant’s shop vary at random too, but most of the time, they sell Smithing Stone [1] for 6,500 runes each. (That said, we don’t recommend spending runes on smithing stones unless you don’t have another option.)

Your second option when it comes to obtaining Smithing Stone [1] is loot them from chests or defeated enemies. In our experience, this has been rare but not impossible.

Where to find Smithing Stone [2]

There is only one way to find Smithing Stones [2] in Elden Ring Nightreign: You need to visit themines.

The location of the mines is indicated on the map by a symbol of an opening formed by rocks hold by beams. Once inside, you want to get to the lowest level of mine.

In our experience hunting Smithing Stones [2], you want to look for a room with a wood footbridge and a patrolling soldier. Jump from it and follow a corridor with a couple of miners. You’ll find a sleeping troll, a minor boss who according to our testing always drops a Smithing Stone [2].

How to upgrade weapons in Elden Ring Nightreign

Upgrading weapons in Elden Ring Nightreign centers around finding smithing tables or anvils, usually located beside merchants throughout Limveld, and using smithing stones to enhance your armaments. To upgrade, simply interact with a smithing table, select the weapon you want to improve, and apply the appropriate smithing stone-each stone increases your weapon’s rarity by one tier. Smithing Stone 1 upgrades common weapons to uncommon, while Smithing Stone 2 advances them further to rare and, with the right table, even legendary status. For the highest upgrade, legendary, you must unlock and use the Special Smithing Table found after defeating the Magma Wyrm in the Crater area, but note that this special table can only be used once per expedition. Upgrades are crucial for survival and success, as they significantly boost your weapon’s damage output for the duration of your run.

To upgrade a weapon from common to uncommon, or from uncommon to rare, you need to have their respective smithing stones and access to a Smithing Table. (Note that upgrading a weapon to legendary is only possible by using the special Smithing Table available only during the Crater Shifting Earth event. See our guide on how to get legendary weapons for more details.)

Any rarity upgrade in Elden Ring Nightreign remains for the extension of the match. But if you upgrade a character’s default weapon, it does translate between matches – they weapon will be back at common rarity when you start a new match.

Regular Smithing Tables are always found beside a merchant. So you want to keep your eyes open for the smoke that indicates the presence of a merchant close by. When you interact with the Smithing Table, the upgrading menu opens and you can select the weapon you want to level up.

Want to discover the secret locations for rare smithing stones in Nightreign

Secret Locations for Rare Smithing Stones in Nightreign

Mines and Underground Bosses

• The most reliable way to find rare Smithing Stones (especially Smithing Stone 2) is by exploring the mines scattered across the map. These mines are marked by an icon resembling an opening between rocks supported by beams.

• Descend to the lowest levels of these mines, where you’ll often find a chamber with a wooden footbridge and patrolling soldiers. Jump down, navigate past miners, and look for a sleeping troll or other minor boss. Defeating this boss almost always rewards you with a rare Smithing Stone.

• In addition to trolls, other elite enemies and bosses in mines and tunnels-like Redmane Knights and Pumpkin-heads-can also drop Smithing Stone 2.

Chests and Crates

• While less common, rare Smithing Stones can sometimes be found in chests or crates, especially those located deep within mines or at points of interest around the world.

• Breaking glowing boxes and opening world chests can yield Smithing Stone 1, but Smithing Stone 2 is almost always tied to defeating bosses in underground areas.

Merchants and Special Events

• Merchants scattered throughout Limveld sometimes sell Smithing Stones, but their stock is random and limited (typically two stones per merchant). Smithing Stone 2 is especially rare in shops, so check every merchant you encounter.

• Some merchants, like Kale, may appear in villages during map events and offer higher-tier stones.

• During special events, such as the Crater Shifting Earth event, unique Smithing Tables may allow for further upgrades, but these are time-limited and not always available.

Tips for Efficient Farming

• Focus your search on mines and underground areas for the best chance at rare stones.

• Always defeat the boss at the bottom of each mine and interact with the purple reward totem to claim your Smithing Stone.

• Merchants are marked by a hooded person icon on your map and are often found near castles, camps, churches, and towns.

“If you want to farm them out in the wild, check the mines. They’re more likely to spawn on bosses and in crates down underground than topside.”

By targeting these secret locations and strategies, you’ll maximize your chances of securing the rare Smithing Stones needed to power up your weapons in Elden Ring: Nightreign.

What hidden mine locations in Nightreign hold rare smithing stones

Hidden Mine Locations with Rare Smithing Stones in Nightreign

How to Identify Mines:

• Mines are marked on the map by an icon resembling an opening between rocks supported by beams.

Key Details:

• Rare Smithing Stones (Smithing Stone 2) are exclusively found in mines, specifically as drops from the minor bosses at the lowest levels of these locations.

• Each mine features a different boss (such as a troll, Redmane Knight, or Pumpkin Head), and defeating them will give you the option to claim a Smithing Stone 2.

• Mines are the only reliable source for these rare stones; merchants and chests rarely offer them, and only in limited quantities.

Notable Hidden Mine Locations:

• While the precise names and coordinates of every mine are not detailed in the available sources, you should look for:

  • Mines in remote, less-traveled areas of the map, often near mountainous or rocky regions.

  • A particularly notable mine is beneath the giant crater in the northern map section, which opens during the Crater Shifting Earth event. This area not only contains a mine with a powerful boss (Magma Wyrm) but also unlocks the Special Smithing Table for legendary upgrades.

  • Mines are often found by exploring off the main roads, especially near the edges of cliffs, valleys, or behind waterfalls.

Tips for Finding and Clearing Mines:

• Descend to the lowest chamber, typically marked by a wooden footbridge and patrolling soldiers, to locate the boss.

• Be prepared for maze-like layouts and enemy ambushes; bring plenty of healing and be ready for a tough fight.

• After defeating the boss, interact with the dropped item to claim your Smithing Stone 2.

Summary Table

Explore these hidden mines for your best shot at collecting rare smithing stones and powering up your arsenal for the toughest battles in Nightreign.