Elden Ring Nightreign map icons explained

In Elden Ring: Nightreign’s map is filled with various symbols, each telling a unique tale about the point of interest they mark. They not only signify the type of location but also reveal the boss’s allegiance or condition, as well as the types of weapons you might acquire there. Furthermore, there are enigmatic icons on the map that you’ll find intriguing and worth deciphering.

Elden Ring Nightreign map icons

The table below lists the various icons on the Nightreign map you may come across during your Expedition. While some are straightforward, there are helpful hints for each location as well. For example, did you know that you can find Stonesword Keys in multiple chests at a Great Church?

Elden Ring Nightreign map icons
Icon	Name	Notes
	Fort	Forts come in a couple of varieties, one where the front gate is open, allowing you immediate access to the yard and then the rooftops and the other where access is only through the sewers beneath the bridge. These contain a few chests, which have a high chance of rewarding Stonesword Keys. Check the tower at the top for a map that reveals Scarabs and Buried Treasure. You will also find staves and merchants at forts.
	Great Church	Great Churches have the boss either on the ground floor or in the crypt, accessed via a hole in the ground. These buildings contain chests that also have a high chance of dropping Stonesword Keys. Also a great place to get Sacred Seals.
	Main Encampment	Main Encampments tend to have a few types of soldier enemies, either Banished, Redmane, or Godrick. If the encampment is destroyed, you’ll find either Flame Chariots or a Frenzied Flame Troll. This is a good source of bows.
	Ruins	Ruins have several underground chambers with chests and one chamber that is typically hidden near the top. Reveal it by hitting the ground. Try and focus the highest point first, as this is where the bosses spawn (unless it’s a trio boss).
	Tunnel Entrance	There are a maximum of three tunnel systems in the map, one down by the lake and two at the north. Each tunnel has a specific boss that is guaranteed to drop a Smithing Stone [2], a requirement for upgrading weapons. You will fight either a troll, a knight, or a pumpkin head.
	Castle	The Castle is your greatest opportunity and the riskiest point of interest. Always check the sewer first, as this boss could be an easy one to clear on Day 1, which will then let you get the Talisman chest from the main hall. Wherever possible, clear out the entire Castle, but use your best judgement for the roof. There are a couple of merchants in the Castle and some chests hidden up high on the towers.
	Field Boss	Field Bosses are present in Day 1 but aren’t marked until Day 2. These are tougher than the roaming ones that aren’t marked, and as such, yield more runes. Try to clear them quickly as you rotate to your next location.
	Evergaol	Evergoals provide guaranteed runes from the reward, either 10,000, 20,000, or in rare instances 30,000. However, do not be too hasty to ignore the passive it offers. These passives are often far superior to the runes.
	Township	Townships are rare locations with no enemies and a single, powerful merchant. This merchant sells Talismans, rare consumables, and even a Smithing Stone [2].
	Church	Churches are where you get more Flasks. You must prioritize these at all costs. Remember to smash the boxes, as they contain valuable consumables.
	Sorcerer’s Rise	Even if you aren’t a sorcerer, you should still visit these and open them (if you can do it quickly). While the main reward are staves, sometimes the passive can be quite powerful. Check out our guide on how to open Sorcerer’s Rises. If you can do this within 10 seconds, it’s often worth the detour.
	Site of Grace	Sites of Grace dot the map and will automatically refill your health and focus by simply being near it. They will also revive you from a near-death state if you can crawl within its area-of-effect. When you defeat a boss at a location, it will be marked with the Site of Grace icon.
	Spectral Hawk Tree	Spectral Hawk Trees are your shortcut across the map. The faster you learn to use them, the better you will be at clearing the entire map and hitting Level 15.
	Spiritstream	Spiritstreams allow you to leap to higher elevations and even onto Forts. This is a great way to quickly reach the boss.
	Scarab	Scarab beetles drop Talismans when killed. Listen out for their distinctive chiming noise and always kill them if you spot one.
	Buried Treasure	Buried Treasure is revealed when interacting with the secret maps at the top of Forts. These chests contain strong weapons and consumables.
	Mission Objective	A mission objective will be placed on your map to indicate a task that either must be done for a player’s Remembrance or the target of the Shifting Earth event.
	Scale-Bearing Merchant	This is a merchant who offers you a gift at the cost of something else. Take a look at our Scale-Bearing Merchant guide for a full list.
	Invasion	A location with a blue circle around it is being invaded by other NPC Nightfarers The enemies within are more powerful, but each Night Raider you defeat drops boss-level rewards.
	Sacred Flask Refill	This icon indicates a flask can be earned at the location. Primarily found on the Church icon.
	Hidden Info Nearby	This icon represents the secret map at the top of the Fort.
	Merchants and smithing tables	A map icon with this image indicates a merchant and smithing stone is at the location.
	Weapon rack with bows	Expect to find weapon racks with bows.
	Weapon rack with staves	You will find staves in weapon racks at a location with this symbol.
	Weapon rack with Sacred Seals	Sacred Seals are guaranteed at this location.
	Fire affinity	The Fire affinity sign indicates that you will face enemies that wield fire and are more likely to get a Fire affinity weapon.
	Magic affinity	Expect to face Magic-users at a place marked with this icon. You are more likely to find Magic-infused weapons here.
	Lightning affinity	Lightning affinity enemies and foes are at a point of interest with this mark. Not to be confused with Holy affinity. Lightning has a messier, yellow effect.
	Holy affinity	You will find Holy affinity enemies at a location with this icon as well as weapons that might deal Holy damage. Not to be confused with the Lightning icon. Holy has a perfect circle around the blade.
	Poison ailment	A location marked with Poison means you will face Poison enemies and may get a weapon with Poison affinity.
	Scarlet Rot ailment	While no locations can have Scarlet Rot (except for the Rotted Woods), some weapons can drop that deal Scarlet Rot (like the Rotted Greataxe)
	Blood Loss ailment	Only the Ruins can have a Blood Loss icon, which means you will fight a Sanguine Noble. There’s a good chance you will also get a Blood Loss weapon.
	Frostbite ailment	Expect to deal with Frostbite enemies here, like the Ancient Heroes of Zamor. You have a higher chance of getting Frostbite weapons, too.
	Sleep ailment	Sleep is mainly found in Ruins, which means expect to fight Runebears. You might even get a weapon that deals the Sleep ailment.
	Madness ailment	Madness is only found in ruined Main Encampments with a Frenzied Flame Troll or at the random event where a tower is overrun with Frenzied people.
	Death ailment	The Death ailment is mainly found at Ruins and does not appear on weapons.

In the game, those are all the current Nightreign map symbols you’ll encounter. Familiarizing yourself with their meanings will help you navigate the map swiftly, defeat bosses efficiently, and hopefully collect the necessary runes for leveling up. For more details, visit our Elden Ring Nightreign guide.

2025-07-08 22:58

Elden Ring Nightreign map icons

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