Last updated: 4 July 2026

Elden Ring Nightreign How to Upgrade Weapons Smithing Stones, Anvils & the Crater

Weapon upgrades in Elden Ring Nightreign — FromSoftware and Bandai Namco's co-op roguelike released May 30, 2025 — work nothing like base Elden Ring. There is no persistent blacksmith, no +1-to-+25 scale, and no Rune cost. Instead, every armament in Limveld carries one of four colour-coded rarity tiers, and you raise that rarity by spending Smithing Stones at Strengthening Anvils scattered across the field. The key difference from the base game: every weapon upgrade you make resets when the expedition ends. The upgrade economy lives entirely inside a single three-day run, which means knowing where to find stones and anvils — and when it is worth prioritising an upgrade over other spending — is the skill that separates clean Nightlord clears from failed Day 3 attempts. Cross-check the official Bandai Namco patch notes for any changes after March 2026.

01The Four Weapon Rarity Tiers

All armaments in Nightreign sit in one of four rarity tiers. Rarity affects the weapon's base damage, its secondary effects (status buildup, elemental damage), and the character level required to wield it at full effectiveness. The tiers are:

• Common (White): Every weapon starts here. Common weapons deal acceptable early-run damage but fall behind as the day count increases and enemy HP scales upward. You will almost always want to upgrade whatever you are using before facing Day 2 field bosses.
• Uncommon (Blue): The first upgrade step. Uncommon weapons see a meaningful jump in damage output and are the minimum recommended tier before the Day 2 Night Boss. Requires one Smithing Stone (1).
• Rare (Purple): The second upgrade step and the highest tier achievable through standard smithing during a run. Rare weapons carry significantly stronger scaling and enhanced secondary properties. Requires one Smithing Stone (2). Aim to reach Rare on your primary weapon before Day 3.
• Legendary (Gold): The top tier. Legendary weapons have the highest damage multipliers and the most powerful secondary effects. Standard upgrading cannot take a weapon to Legendary — this tier is only reachable through the Shifting Earth: The Crater world event (see the dedicated section below).

Weapons looted from enemies, chests, or field bosses can drop at any rarity tier — you may find a Rare weapon directly without upgrading it. However, loot quality is not guaranteed, so the smithing system ensures every player can reach Rare regardless of luck.

02How Upgrading Works

The upgrade system strips away the complexity of base Elden Ring's smithing. Two points stand out for players coming from the main game:

• No Rune cost: Upgrading a weapon at a Strengthening Anvil or Smithing Table costs nothing but the required Smithing Stone. You do not lose any Runes. This means every Smithing Stone you find should be used without hesitation once you have the right anvil and a weapon worth keeping.
• One stone, one tier: Each Smithing Stone upgrades the weapon by exactly one rarity tier. Smithing Stone (1) takes a Common weapon to Uncommon. Smithing Stone (2) takes an Uncommon weapon to Rare. You cannot skip tiers through standard smithing — a Common weapon requires Stone (1) first, then Stone (2) to reach Rare.
• Strengthen Armament menu: Interact with any Smithing Table or Strengthening Anvil in the field to open this menu. The interface shows all weapons in your current loadout and highlights which ones can be upgraded with the stones you are carrying.
• Any weapon can be upgraded: There is no restriction on upgrading special or boss-drop weapons — if you find a strong weapon mid-run, upgrading it is always worthwhile provided you have the stone.

Because the run resets on expedition end, there is no reason to hoard Smithing Stones. Use them on the best weapon you have at the point you find an anvil, even if you suspect a better weapon might appear later.

03Where to Find Smithing Stone (1)

Smithing Stone (1) upgrades Common weapons to Uncommon and is the most widely available material in Limveld. Sources:

• Chests: The most reliable passive source. Wooden chests throughout Limveld regularly contain Smithing Stone (1). Open every chest you find on Day 1 rather than prioritising combat — stones compound over the run.
• Merchants: Ghostly Merchants and Nomadic Specter Merchants sell Smithing Stone (1) for 6,500 Runes each. Merchants are typically found near campfires, forts, churches, and townships across Limveld. Stock is limited per merchant, but since multiple merchants appear each run, you can buy several across the expedition.
• Enemy drops: Regular field enemies occasionally drop Smithing Stone (1). This is not a method to target deliberately, but clearing enemy patrols near your route yields stones as a side benefit.
• Glowing Cracked Statues: Certain luminous statues scattered across Limveld drop smithing stones when destroyed. You cannot break them through standard attacks — you need to lure a nearby enemy or boss to strike the statue, or use an Ultimate Art that deals heavy impact (Raider, Wylder, Executor, and Ironeye Ultimates all work). Note that Duchess cannot break these statues through her Ultimate; if playing Duchess, rely on luring a nearby enemy instead. Revenant can break them but requires setup — position her Sebastian summon to attack an enemy standing next to the statue.

Target: collect at least one Smithing Stone (1) during Day 1 and upgrade your primary weapon to Uncommon before the first Night Boss. This is the single most impactful weapon action of the run.

04Where to Find Smithing Stone (2)

Smithing Stone (2) upgrades Uncommon weapons to Rare and is meaningfully rarer than Stone (1). There is one guaranteed method and a few supplementary sources:

• Tunnels (primary source): Underground Tunnel locations appear on the Limveld map marked with a mine/cave icon. Navigate to the lower levels of any Tunnel to find a miniboss guarding the depths — this may be a Cave Troll, a Pumpkin Head, or Redmane Knights depending on the run. Defeating the miniboss drops a guaranteed Smithing Stone (2). This is the most reliable method and should be a deliberate routing stop on Day 2 whenever a Tunnel appears within reach.
• Township Merchants: When a Township spawns on the map, the merchant there sells Smithing Stone (2) for 18,000 Runes. This is a purchasable fallback when no Tunnel is within reach, though the high Rune cost makes it worth only in well-funded runs. Not all runs seed a Township, so treat this as a backup rather than a primary plan.
• Red Phantoms: Red Phantom enemies — which represent fallen players from other sessions — occasionally drop Smithing Stone (2) when defeated. Their spawn locations are not consistent, but they provide the stone if you encounter them.
• Tunnel chests and chambers: Side rooms within Tunnels sometimes contain chests that hold Smithing Stone (1) as well, which can supplement your supply of the lower-tier stone while you route for the miniboss.

Because Stone (2) is rarer, you generally only upgrade one weapon to Rare per run unless you find multiple Tunnels. Decide early which weapon will be your Rare target — usually your primary damage source — and save Stone (2) for it rather than splitting between two weapons.

05Where to Find Strengthening Anvils and Smithing Tables

Having Smithing Stones is only half the equation — you also need a forge location to use them. Nightreign places these at predictable map landmarks:

• Beside merchants at campfires: The most common location. Ghostly Merchants throughout Limveld are often positioned next to a Strengthening Anvil, marked by a column of rising smoke. When you see a campfire with a merchant, look for the anvil immediately adjacent. Merchants at forts, ruins, and townships commonly have one.
• Spirit Shelter (before the Nightlord gate): Every expedition has a Spirit Shelter on Day 3 — a sheltered area immediately before the path leading to the Nightlord arena. The Spirit Shelter contains a Merchant and a Smithing Table, giving you one final upgrade window before the boss. This is the last opportunity to reach Rare before the Day 3 fight, so time your Stone (2) use for here if you have not already upgraded.
• Shifting Earth: The Crater (Special Smithing Table): The Crater world event, when active, contains a Special Smithing Table that operates differently from standard tables — covered in the next section.

Practical note: when routing Day 1 and Day 2, prioritise finding a merchant early. The anvil next to the merchant lets you upgrade to Uncommon as soon as you have Stone (1), which means the weapon upgrade boost applies for the entire remainder of that day rather than just the final hour.

06Upgrading to Legendary: The Shifting Earth: The Crater Event

Legendary is the highest weapon rarity tier and is not reachable through standard Smithing Stones. The only way to obtain it during a run is through a specific world event called Shifting Earth: The Crater.

The Crater is a rare world event — it does not appear in every expedition. It becomes accessible after you have defeated Gladius, Beast of Night at least once in a prior run (unlocking the expedition it belongs to). When the Crater event spawns in Limveld, it is marked on the map. Inside the Crater lies the Magma Wyrm, a field boss.

• Step 1 — Reach the Crater: Navigate to the Crater event location when it appears on the map. The Crater requires clearing through enemy groups before reaching the Magma Wyrm.
• Step 2 — Defeat the Magma Wyrm: The Magma Wyrm is a challenging field boss. Bring your best weapon at its current rarity and coordinate with teammates in trio play to break its poise. Defeating it unlocks the Special Smithing Table at the Crater's base.
• Step 3 — Use the Special Smithing Table: Interact with the table to open a Special Armament Strengthening menu. This table can upgrade any weapon — regardless of its current rarity (Common, Uncommon, or Rare) — directly to Legendary in a single step, with no Smithing Stone and no Rune cost.
• One use per player per run: The Special Smithing Table can be used once per character, per expedition. In a trio, all three players can each interact with the table separately and each claim a Legendary upgrade independently — every squad member can enter the Nightlord fight with a Legendary weapon if they each choose one. Coordinate beforehand which weapon each player will upgrade to cover different weaknesses or damage types.

The Legendary upgrade also removes minimum character level requirements for wielding the weapon, allowing you to equip a Legendary armament before you would ordinarily qualify at standard level thresholds. This is particularly valuable in runs where your level gains are behind schedule.

07Do Weapon Upgrades Carry Over Between Expeditions?

No. All weapon upgrades are temporary. When an expedition ends — whether through completing the Nightlord fight, reaching Day 3's time limit, or all players being eliminated — every weapon in your loadout reverts to Common rarity at the start of the next expedition.

This is a core design principle of Nightreign's roguelike structure: each run is a contained economy. A weapon you upgraded to Rare or Legendary on Day 3 of one expedition provides no advantage at the start of the next. The persistent rewards between expeditions are Relics, unlocked Nightfarers, and Roundtable Hold improvements — not weapon levels.

Practical consequence: never hold off spending a Smithing Stone because you want to 'save it for a better weapon.' A Stone (2) unspent at the end of a run provides zero value. Use resources as soon as you find a weapon worth keeping, not at the end when the run is already decided.

08Upgrade Priority and Run Strategy

Understanding the timing of upgrades is as important as knowing where to find stones. A condensed priority framework:

• Day 1 goal — reach Uncommon: Secure one Smithing Stone (1) from chests or an early merchant, find a primary weapon that suits your Nightfarer's scaling, and upgrade it to Uncommon before the Day 1 Night Boss. Common weapons at the Day 1 night fight are manageable but leave damage on the table.
• Day 2 goal — reach Rare: Route toward a Tunnel when one appears on the map. Defeating the miniboss in the Tunnel depths is the primary objective of Day 2 exploration beyond levelling at Sites of Grace. With Smithing Stone (2) secured, upgrade your primary weapon to Rare before the Day 2 Night Boss or the Spirit Shelter on Day 3 at the latest.
• Crater — when to detour: The Crater event requires time and a demanding boss fight. Only divert your route toward it if you can complete it without missing enough Sites of Grace to fall behind in levels. In trio, a coordinated team can clear the Magma Wyrm quickly; in solo, weigh the detour cost against the Legendary weapon gain.
• Secondary weapons: If you find a strong secondary weapon mid-run and hold two Smithing Stones, upgrading both primary and secondary is worthwhile — the no-rune-cost system means there is no economic penalty. In practice, Stone (2) is scarce enough that you will usually only Rare your primary.
• Merchant purchases vs. stone costs: Stone (1) at 6,500 Runes per stone is a meaningful purchase only if you are nowhere near a chest source and the upgrade window on a good primary weapon is open. Most runs, a free Stone (1) from a chest arrives before you need to buy one. Stone (2) is purchasable only from Township Merchants (18,000 Runes) when a Township spawns — regular campfire merchants do not stock it. The high price means you should treat Stone (2) as a purchased last resort, not a planned spend.