Conquer the Crater: How to Forge a Legendary Weapon in Elden Ring Nightreign’s Shifting Earth Event
Venturing into the fiery depths of the Shifting Earth: The Crater event in Elden Ring Nightreign presents a formidable challenge, but the spoils are well worth the peril. Deep within this mysterious volcano, which materializes in the north of Limveld, lies the coveted Special Smithing Table. This unique forge allows you to transform any weapon in your arsenal into a legendary one, a crucial advantage depending on the Nightlord you’re preparing to face.
While you can acquire named legendary weapons by defeating bosses in Elden Ring Nightreign, the Special Smithing Table is the only way to craft a new, custom legendary weapon. This makes completing “The Crater” event highly desirable. However, be warned: the Shifting Earth: The Crater event is fleeting. It will only remain active for a few of your expeditions, regardless of success or failure. If you aim to conquer it and unlock its achievement, prioritize this volcanic delve sooner rather than later.
Since the Shifting Earth events rotate through four distinct variations before becoming random, it could be a long wait for “The Crater” to reappear. Fortunately, as it’s the inaugural event for all players, you’re likely to matchmake with others who still have it active on their map, even after it has concluded for you – at least in the early days.
With that in mind, here’s your comprehensive guide to conquering the Shifting Earth: The Crater event, locating the Special Smithing Table, and forging your very own legendary weapon.
Elden Ring Nightreign: Special Smithing Table Location Guide
As the initial pop-up for the Shifting Earth: The Crater event suggests, your objective is to find “An ancient temple built to honour the smithing arts.” This refers to the Special Smithing Table, a location also hinted at in the Nightreign visual codex at the Roundtable Hold, though its connection to The Crater event isn’t explicitly stated there.
Navigating the crater is a treacherous undertaking, so it’s highly recommended to attempt this on day two of your expedition. Conveniently, when “The Crater” is active, the night two boss location often appears just north of it, meaning you’ll be well-positioned after completing the event.
Follow these steps to successfully complete the Shifting Earth: The Crater event:
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(Image credit: FromSoftware) Descend with Caution: Carefully drop down into the crater, avoiding the instant-death lava at the very bottom. Make your way around its circumference, heading downwards.
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The First Fire Prelate (and the Drop): You’ll encounter a Fire Prelate enemy. Ignore this enemy for now and look for a hole in the ground he is standing in front of. Drop through this hole.
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Lower Walkway & Golden Fog: Continue along the lower walkway. You’ll pass a group of patrolling Thorn Sorcerers wielding flaming staves. Proceed past them and turn left to spot a golden fog door. This door is guarded by two Fire Monks and a formidable Fire Prelates boss (plural, indicating a tougher encounter than a standard enemy).
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Defeat the Guardians: You must defeat the Fire Prelates boss guarding the golden fog door to progress.
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Chariots and Creepers: Once through the door, turn right and sprint down the descending corridor, evading the deadly Flame Chariots. At the bottom, turn right again, back out onto another walkway.
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The Broken Path Down: Continue along this walkway, carefully avoiding the Finger Creeper enemies. You will eventually find a broken section of the walkway that descends into a smaller, inner crater.
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(Image credit: FromSoftware) Precarious Descent: Drop off the bottom of this broken section onto a pillar below. Continue to carefully drop down from pillar to pillar until you reach the Special Smithing Table altar at the very bottom. Be extremely cautious here to avoid falling into the surrounding lava.
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The Final Guardian: Upon reaching the altar, a Magma Wyrm will appear. You must defeat this boss.
Once the Magma Wyrm is vanquished, you’re ready to interact with the Special Smithing Table, officially completing the Shifting Earth: The Crater event and earning an achievement for your troubles!
How to Forge Your Legendary Weapon in Elden Ring Nightreign
After defeating the Magma Wyrm and clearing the area, approach the Special Smithing Table and interact with it. You will be prompted to upgrade one of the weapons currently in your inventory to legendary status. This can be a weapon of any rarity.
It’s crucial to note that each character can only use the Special Smithing Table to forge one legendary weapon per expedition. This means every member of your squad can claim their own custom legendary.
This is an excellent opportunity to tailor a weapon specifically to the weaknesses of the Nightlord you’re targeting. If you possess a Relic that grants your starting weapon the necessary damage type, you can even upgrade your starter weapon, guaranteeing a legendary that perfectly matches the upcoming boss encounter.
Once you’ve forged your legendary weapon, look for a spectral hawk tree located near the edge of the lava. Interacting with this will allow you to swiftly fly out of the crater, saving you a long and likely impossible climb back up, and getting you ready for the night two boss fight. Good luck, Nightfarer!
