Elden Ring Thops Quest Guide

I’ve long been of the opinion that schools are horrible places where horrible things happen, and anyone who would set foot within one not just willingly, but happily, must be a bit touched in the head. That goes double for schools within the Lands Between of Elden Ring, which are full of literal monsters and psychopaths rather than metaphorical monsters and sociopaths. Even so, schools have their fans, and if a fan wants to return to school, well, who are you to stand in the way? Here’s a guide for Thops’ quest in Elden Ring.

Soon after you defeat Godrick the Grafted and enter Liurnia of the Lakes, you’ll likely pass by the Church of Irith. Inside the church’s crumbled walls is a scholarly man by the name of Thops, who will offer to sell you a few paltry Sorceries for a small donation. See, Thops used to be a student of the illustrious Academy of Raya Lucaria, but when the big war over the Elden Ring, the Shattering, happened, the Academy put up protective wards in order to remain neutral. Unfortunately for Thops, he was out on an errand when the wards went up, and is locked out.

Elden Ring Thops Quest Guide

Here’s how to complete the Elden Ring Thops Quest:

1. Talk to Thops in the Church of Irith
2. Find a Glintstone Key and enter the Academy of Raya Lucaria
3. Find the spare Glintstone Key on the chandelier of the Church of the Cuckoo’s inside the Academy and bring it to Thops
4. Return to the Academy to find Thops and claim your “reward”

The only way to breach the Academy’s wards is with a Glintstone Key. You’ll need to find a Glintstone Key to enter the Academy yourself since it’s where one of the Demigods is holed up, but Thops won’t take the primary key, since he knows you need it. Instead, you’ll need to get him a spare key so he can enter the Academy on his own time.

The spare Glintstone Key can be found inside of the Academy itself, with the closest Site of Grace being the one left behind in the Debate Room after you defeat the Red Wolf of Radagon. When you proceed into the outdoor courtyard past the Debate Room, you’ll see some rubble letting you climb up to a higher level. Hop the railing to the northwest to land on a staircase, then follow it to a ledge that overlooks some rooftops. Jump down on to the rooftops and follow the path they create. It’s a pretty linear path, though there are Sorcerers, Marionettes, and Gargoyles to be wary of. Use a ranged weapon to dispose of them safely from a distance if you can.

Eventually, you’ll come to a ledge with some open windows. Hop through the windows, and you’ll find yourself in the rafters of the Church of the Cuckoo’s, an earlier area of the Academy you already passed through. Look down, and you’ll see a corpse hanging on one of the chandeliers, so just drop down onto it and you can claim the spare Glintstone Key.

Return to Thops at the Church of Irith and offer him the spare Glintstone Key. He’ll be overjoyed at the prospect of returning to his beloved place of learning (not aware its denizens have gone well and truly batty) and will encourage you to come to visit him.

Fast travel to the Schoolhouse Classroom Site of Grace in the Academy. Exit out the back door and look around the corner of the building to find Thops hunched over at a desk, dead. Tragic, but hey, his loss is your gain! Search his remains, and you’ll receive an Academy Glintstone Staff, the Thops’s Barrier sorcery, and a Bell Bearing you can bring to the Twin Maiden Husks at Roundtable Hold. If you didn’t buy up all of Thops’ sorceries before he died, that Bell Bearing will allow you to access his shop.