- Elden Ring Greatsword Guide: Swords, but Greater - February 24, 2023
- Larval Tear Elden Ring Guide: How to Respec Your Character - February 23, 2023
- Rya Elden Ring Guide: The Snake Lady - February 19, 2023
Nepheli Loux is one of Elden Ring‘s many NPCs and a fellow tarnished. When first introduced, it may seem that she has no goal further than killing Godrick the Grafted. However, it soon becomes clear that there is much more to this warrior than meets the eye.
This guide will focus on guiding you through Nepheli’s questline so you can get the outcome and rewards you want with as few spoilers as possible as well as offering an overview of Nepheli as a combat companion and some details about her background.
Nepheli Loux
Lore
Nepheli is a member of one of several wandering warrior tribes hailing from the badlands beyond the Lands Between. Abandoned by her parents as a child, Nepheli took up the mantle of a warrior, rising to become one of the strongest, and became Tarnished after falling in battle. As a new Tarnished with no grace to guide her, Nepheli was adopted by Gideon Ofnir of the Roundtable Hold.
Though he offered her direction and purpose, Gideon appears to treat Nepheli much as he does everyone else, as a pawn to be moved and sacrificed. Gideon even goes so far as to offer the player the opportunity to turn Nepheli into a puppet after she ceases to be useful to him.
While it is never directly stated, it is implied that Hoarax Loux is Nepheli’s real father, as they share the same surname. This could mean that Nepheli was abandoned by her father so he could pursue the path to becoming the first Elden Lord.
In Combat
In battle, Nepheli focuses on aggressive melee engagement. She wields a pair of Stormhawk Axes that she uses to great effect at close range. Nepheli excels at combatting groups of smaller enemies, as her Storm Stomp skill creates a damaging AoE that knocks enemies back and gives her space to move.
Though she has relatively high health, Nepheli does suffer from low resistances and poise, making it easy to break her stance and stun her with heavy attacks. Because of this, if you plan to use Nepheli as a regular summon, I suggest you employ her in a damage over time position rather than a tank.
Nepheli’s Quest
- Starting Location: Secluded Cell, Stormveil Castle
- Quest Givers:
- Nepheli Loux
- Gideon Ofnir
- Preceptor Seluvis
- Kenneth Haight
- Bosses:
- Godrick the Grafted
- Omenkiller
- Grafted Scion
- Possible Rewards:
- Arsenal Charm
- Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone (x2)
- Nepheli Loux Puppet
Starting the Quest
Stormveil Castle
To begin Nepheli’s questline, you must first advance through the Stormveil Castle dungeon to the hallway just outside of Godrick the Grafted’s boss arena. Facing the fog gate, turn right and head into a small room with the Secluded Cell site of grace inside.
Here you will find Nepheli by the back wall. Speak to her and she will inform you of her intention to kill Godrick.
Once her dialog is finished, a summon sign for Nepheli will appear outside Godrick’s arena which will allow her to aid you in the fight against the demigod. You are not required to use Nepheli’s summon sign to continue the quest, though you will have to defeat Godrick the Grafted.
Make sure you are prepared, as Godrick will not be an easy opponent, even with Nepheli’s assistance. After you have slain Godrick the Grafted, ensure that you rest at the site of grace left behind in his arena before continuing. Â
Return to the Roundtable Hold and speak with Gideon about your victory. Afterward, you can find Nepheli just outside the hold’s library. Speak to her and she will reward you with the Arsenal Charm. This talisman will increase your weight limit, allowing you to equip heavier gear without being encumbered.
Village of the Albinaurics
After completing the first leg of Nepheli’s mission and receiving the arsenal charm, Nepheli will leave the Roundtable Hold. This time she can be found in a dangerous location called the Village of the Albinaurics.
Don’t be fooled by the location on the overworld map, the Village of the Albinaurics is actually found beneath the mountain overlooking Liurnia’s lake. The entrance to the cavern can be seen from a fair distance, just look for a cave-like opening at the base of the mountain. Be cautious as you enter, as the entire floor of the cave is composed of a poisonous mire.
Fortunately, Torrent is immune, and the cave is large enough to allow you to remain on horseback while inside. Just watch out for the giant crabs. They like to hide in the murk and knock you on your behind when you get close.
Follow the leftmost wall of the tunnel and look for hanging bodies and the shadows of structures in the distance. Specifically, you are looking for a large stone bridge spanning the width of the cave.
Once you see the bridge, you will notice a ramp along the wall leading up to it. This area is not poisonous but is defended by first-generation Albinaurics and rotten strays. Most of the albinaurics will not attack unless you get too close and as long as you keep moving they aren’t much of a threat.
Upon reaching the base of the bridge, you can find Nepheli near the left side of the arch. Speak with her and she will explain her mission to kill a foe called Omenkiller in the area. Once you have spoken to her, continue up the hill and follow the path through the village. Keep ascending until you can reach the stone bridge Nepheli crossing the cavern.
Be aware that you will encounter a depraved perfumer on your ascent. Additionally, some of the first-generation albinaurics (specifically those guarding the bridge) can use simple glintstone missile spells.
At the other end of the bridge, you will face the Omenkiller boss. If you’ve spoken to Nepheli, a summon sign will appear near the boss area, allowing her to assist you. Omenkiller is an easier boss with a lot of health.
Steer clear of his cleaving attacks as they can cause a rapid buildup of bleed. Omenkiller can be parried and is most vulnerable to physical attacks and sleep effects. You do not need to summon Nepheli before the fight to continue the quest, but you must defeat Omenkiller.
With Omenkiller routed, Nepheli will once again return to the Roundtable Hold. Here she can now be found, in a bit of a sorry state, at the bottom of the stairs next to the first door blocked by an imp statue. Speak with her again until her dialog is exhausted. At this point, the quest can continue along two different routes with different endings and rewards.
Route 1: Puppet
- Quest Giver: Preceptor Seluvis
- Reward: Nepheli Loux Puppet
Perhaps you enjoyed having Nepheli fight alongside you and want to keep her as a battle companion. Fortunately for you, this route will allow you to turn Nepheli into a puppet you can use like spirit ashes to summon her whenever you please.
To begin this portion of the quest, speak with Preceptor Seluvis. Seluvis’s Rise is located on the mountain above Caria Manor, southeast of Ranni’s Rise. Head to Ranni’s tower first and speak to Seluvis in his ghostly form to open the door to his tower.
Once you have done this, talk to Seluvis until he offers you a potion and asks you to have Nepheli drink it. Once you have the potion, you can head back to the Roundtable Hold.
Speak to Gideon about Nepheli’s emotional state and then Seluvis’s plan. Here, Gideon will give you the option to hand the potion over to him or to give it to Nepheli. If you choose to give the potion to Gideon, he will dispose of it and you will be locked out of the puppet ending.
However, if you decide to hold onto the potion and give it to Nepheli, she will become unresponsive and later disappear from the hold. This will conclude Nepheli’s questline and allow you to acquire her puppet.
You can receive Nepheli’s puppet in one of two ways, depending on how you proceed with Seluvis’s and Ranni’s quests. If you assist Ranni, you can purchase the puppet from Seluvis’s corpse in the base of his tower. Otherwise, you can buy it (if he is alive) from Pidia in Caria Manor or (if he is dead) retrieve it from his corpse.
Route 2: Lord of Limgrave
- Quest Giver: Kenneth Haight
- Reward: Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone
If you don’t want to help Seluvis with his devious plot or want to max out your weapon upgrades, then you can assist Kenneth Haight instead. To begin this route, speak to Kenneth atop a crumbling ruin serving as a bridge between central Limgrave and the Mistwoods.
You will need to progress Kenneth’s quest to the point that he is back inside his fort. To do this, clear out Fort Haight and return to Kenneth. Fort Haight can be found on the edge of Limgrave, southeast of Kenneth’s original position.
Return to the fort a little later and you will find Kenneth on the upper rampart, looking out over Limgrave and musing about how he must now find a worthy ruler for the region. After speaking to him, return to the Roundtable Hold and talk to Gideon about Nepheli’s emotional state. Once you have done this, it is time to seek out the Stormhawk King.
The Stormhawk King is a set of spirit ashes located in the Chapel of Anticipation, the very first location you awoke in when you started the game. To reach this location, travel back to Liurnia and along the mountain lining the western shore.
At the top of a hill overlooking the lake are the Four Belfries. Climb to the top of the hill and open the chest at the base of the highest belfry to collect the Imbued Sword Key.
You likely noticed several inactive portals on your way up, but be careful not to use the key to activate the wrong one, as there is only one key here. The second highest belfry, marked with the message “Precipice of Anticipation” is the one you are looking for.
After activating the portal, you will be transported to a small island with only a small bridge ahead. Do you remember the Grafted Scion? The boss who kicked your butt right after you started the game?
Well, he is still here, and you’re going to have to face him. Fortunately, you’re much stronger and more experienced now. After giving the scion the thrashing he deserves, continue along the bridges back to the chapel where the game began.
Head towards the main gate but do not go through it. Instead, look to your right to find the small door that was closed to you before is now open. Head through this door to find the Stormhawk King’s ashes at the top of the stairs.
Note that to proceed from this point, you will need to have Roderika’s quest advanced to the point that she can tune spirit ashes. With the king in hand, return to the Roundtable Hold and hand it over to Nepheli.
Now progress the main story until you have defeated Morgott, the Omen King. Once you have done this, return to the Stormveil Castle throne room where Nepheli, Kenneth, and Gostoc (assuming none of them are dead) are standing around the throne.
Speak to Nepheli to hear one of the few happy endings for Elden Ring’s NPCs and receive an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone. If Gatekeeper Gostoc is still alive, you can now purchase a second Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone from him as well.
This will complete Nepheli’s questline and cement her place as the new ruler of Limgrave.
How to Fail
As with most quests in FromSoftware games, there are several ways to fail (accidentally or intentionally) Nepheli’s questline. Here I will be briefing you on what to avoid so you do not accidentally lock yourself out of any quest rewards you may have your eye on.
Killing Nepheli
Killing Nepheli at any point will automatically fail her quest and lock you out of either completion route. However, if you attack Nepheli but do not kill her you can return her to a friendly state by receiving absolution at the Church of Vows.
Note that Nepheli does not die if she is defeated after being summoned using her summon sign.
Killing Gideon
If you kill Gideon Ofnir before completing Nepheli’s questline she will die wherever she is and leave behind her equipment.
Killing Kenneth
Killing Kenneth Haight will not automatically fail Nepheli’s quest, but it will lock you out of the Lord of Limgrave ending.
Killing Seluvis
If Preceptor Seluvis is killed before he gives you his potion, you will be locked out of the Puppet ending.
Forge of Giants
Resting at the Forge of Giants site of grace in the Mountaintops of Giants before completing Nepheli’s quest will cause her to permanently disappear, leaving behind her equipment.
FAQs
Question: Is there a Way to Get both Rewards for Nepheli’s Quest?
Answer: No. Completing one route will permanently lock you out of the other. However, you can do the quest again to get a different outcome in New Game+.
Question: Is it Possible to Get Nepheli’s Weapons and Armor?
Answer: Yes. It is actually possible to get all of Nepheli’s equipment without killing her. Her armor, the Champion Set, is sold by a nomadic merchant in southern Caelid. Her weapons, the stormhawk axes, can be found in Castle Sol and the fortified manor in Lyndell.
Question: I Accidentally Killed Nepheli, is there a Way to Bring her Back?
Answer: No. NPCs cannot be revived at the church of vows, only restored to a friendly state if they are still alive.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully, this will offer some insight into the often confusing tangle of Elden Ring’s side quests and help you reach the ending you want, with regards to Nepheli at least. If you found this enlightening, check out our other guides on Elden Ring and similar RPGs. Best of luck on your path to the Elden throne, tarnished.
Looking for more interesting readings? Check out: