Elden Ring Nightreign: Is It Worth Going to Noklateo on Day 1

Everything you need to know about the Noklateo exploit in Elden Ring Nightreign, and whether it’s worth going there on Day 1 or not.

With Elden Ring Nightreign reaching its two-month anniversary, the community surrounding the game has come up with some really wacky meta progression routes. One such route that many players seem to be taking quite an interest in lately is related to Noklateo. Essentially, Noklateo is an endgame (i.e., Day 2) area, which serves as one of the Shifting Earth events. Ideally, you’re meant to tackle this area at the tail end of your run or at the start of Day 2—that is, if you’ve hit Level 10 or higher.

However, the Nightreign community has devised a progression path that allows players to skip past most of Noklateo’s content on Day 1 and head directly to the Shifting Earth event’s main boss, Astel.

Completing this area this early not only grants you a ton of Runes but also guarantees a Legendary weapon. However, is going to Noklateo really worth it on Day 1? Or are there better ways to get the same results in Elden Ring Nightreign? Let’s find out in this article.

Should You Go to Noklateo on Day 1 in Elden Ring Nightreign?

Ideally, Noklateo, or any Shifting Earth, for that matter, should not be visited on Day 1. These locations should be tackled on Day 2 for a very specific reason. The Shifting Earth locations almost always feature bosses and enemies that are scaled for the end of a run. This means that unless you’re Level 10 or higher, you won’t be able to do much damage to the enemies in these locations.

Coupling that with the fact that Day 1 is already on an incredibly short timer, tackling the Shifting Earth locations will only end up wasting your time without any meaningful reward. However, it is still possible to go to these locations quite early. Noklateo, in particular, can be accessed on Day 1 quite easily.

The biggest threats in the area are a Half-grown Falling Star Larvae and the final boss, Astel. However, if you’re able to reach Astel and defeat it on Day 1, you not only get 100,000 Runes but also a guaranteed Legendary drop. And with the right set of Relics and Nightfarers, you can easily defeat Astel, especially when playing solo. That said, it’s still not worth going to Noklateo on Day 1 for a few reasons.

Firstly, going to Noklateo and exiting it in time is extremely risky. At the end of Day 1, the Rain always goes past Noklateo, which can easily kill you and your allies. The second main reason why it’s not worth going to Noklateo on Day 1 is that there are better ways of getting guaranteed Legendary weapons and a ton of Runes.

Alternatives To Noklateo on Day 1

The best way to get a ton of Runes is to have a Relic with a Rune Acquisition bonus. If everyone in the party has a Rune Acquisition Boosting Relic equipped, you will easily get twice the usual amount of Runes for defeating enemies and bosses on Day 1. Additionally, with proper pathing, you can easily reach Level 10 or higher on Day 1. You can even have some time to spare for additional Evergaols or overworld bosses.

The best way to level up fast on Day 1 is to complete a few camps and dungeons until you hit Level 5 or 6. After that, you should head straight to the central castle. Defeating the bosses underneath the castle has a very high chance of dropping Legendary weapons.

Furthermore, if you have a Shifting Earth active, it’s quite likely that the castle will be inhabited by either the Banished Knights or the Crucible Knights. Both of these enemy types are excellent sources of Runes on Day 1. Additionally, some of the Day 2 bosses, like the Erdtree Avatar, Ulcerated Tree Spirit, and Tree Sentinel, are quite easy. These bosses can be defeated on Day 1 for a ton of Runes. Also, you can complete Evergaols to get the bonus Runes.