Ready to unlock new realms in Nightingale? The elusive Antiquarian Major Card is your key-but getting it means gearing up, braving a deadly tower, and defeating a formidable automaton boss. Here’s how to claim this essential card and open the portal to your next adventure.
Where to find the Antiquarian Major Card schematic
To find the Antiquarian Major Card schematic in Nightingale, you need to visit the Antiquarian Site of Power, which will be marked on your map after you reach Equipment Rating 20 and complete the initial gear upgrade quest. This temple-like structure is typically located near your first realm’s base and can be accessed once you meet the gear requirements. Inside, you must fight your way through several floors filled with enemies until you reach the bottom, where you’ll face the Fable Automaton Knight boss. Defeating this boss unlocks the schematic for the Antiquarian Major Card, allowing you to craft it at a Simple Enchanter’s Focus using Paper, Ink, and Essence Dust.

Once you’ve finished the first major quest to upgrade your gear to power level 20, Puck will give you the “Unlock Schematic: Antiquarian Major Card” prompt for your next mission. To find this schematic, you’ll need to head to a specific temple in your area: the Antiquarian Site of Power.
Grab any supplies you might need (food, healing potions, and weapons are good), and then head over to where you met the Essence Trader in your game. They should be standing next to a temple building called the Antiquarian Site of Power. (It’s worth noting that both the Essence Trader and the Site of Power do appear on your map, as shown above, so mark the location and head on over.)
Once you reach your destination, climb to the top and walk into the electric fence. Unlike other fences at other temples, this one will let you pass through. Now you need to fight your way through a bunch of monsters and a boss in the basement. Just take it slow and heal up when you need to. With your newfound weapons and items, you can take the enemies down if you’re cautious.
Kill the boss in the basement and then interact with the machine to get the schematic for the Antiquarian Major Card. Now you just need to make it.
How to craft the Antiquarian Major Card
After unlocking the Antiquarian Major Card recipe by completing the Antiquarian Site of Power and defeating the Fabled Automaton Knight, you can craft the card at your base using a Simple Enchanter’s Focus. Gather the required materials: one Paper (crafted from wood bundles at a sawing table), one Ink (made from refined pigment and glass at a mortar station), and 25 Essence Dust. Once you have these, combine them at the Enchanter’s Focus to create the Antiquarian Major Card, which is essential for progressing to new realms in Nightingale.

Before you leave the Essence Trader, make sure you purchase the following schematics:
- Simple Saw Table
- Simple Smelter
- Simple Enchanter’s Focus
- Simple Mortar Station
Build all four stations in your home. Bring two Wood Bundles to the Simple Saw Table to make a piece of Paper. Bring two gems of any kind to the Simple Smelter to make Glass. Bring any item that can be refined into pigment (berries, meat, mushrooms, etc.) to the Simple Mortar Station and make Refined Pigment. Then, also at the Simple Mortar Station, combine the Glass and the Refined Pigment into Alchemical Ink. Finally, gather 25 Essence from anywhere in the world.
Want to discover the secret step to unlock the Antiquarian Major Card in Nightingale
To unlock the Antiquarian Major Card in Nightingale, there’s a crucial secret step you can’t skip: after reaching a gear score of 20 and entering the Antiquarian Site of Power, you must descend through the tower, battling waves of enemies on each floor. The real secret is at the very bottom-there, you’ll find a mechanical altar with a glowing blue button. Activate it to summon the Fabled Automaton Knight boss. Only by defeating this boss and interacting with the altar will you unlock the Antiquarian Card blueprint. This hidden arena and boss fight are the key steps many players overlook on their journey.
What is the key challenge at the top of the tower to unlock the Antiquarian Major Card
The key challenge at the top of the tower to unlock the Antiquarian Major Card in Nightingale is entering the Antiquarian Site of Power and defeating all the enemies inside the tower. As you ascend and pass through the orange gateway, you’ll receive a message instructing you to clear out every enemy on each floor-these foes range from melee attackers to grenade throwers and armed combatants. Once you’ve fought your way down through the tower, you’ll reach a special arena at the bottom, where you must activate a glowing blue button to summon the Fabled Automaton Knight boss. Defeating this boss and interacting with the altar is the final step to unlocking the Antiquarian Major Card blueprint.
