Thops is easy to miss. He sits quietly in the Church of Irith in southern Liurnia, selling a handful of spells and lamenting that he can't get back into the Academy of Raya Lucaria. His questline is short by ELDEN RING standards, but it rewards you with a unique spell, a useful staff, and a gesture that unlocks two hidden towers. The catch: you need to find a second Glintstone Key he can actually use.
Where do you find Thops first?
Thops is sitting inside the Church of Irith, which sits in the southern part of Liurnia. You can reach this area directly after defeating Godrick the Grafted in Stormveil Castle, making him one of the earliest NPCs you'll encounter in Liurnia.
When you first speak to him, he asks for 10 Runes in exchange for access to his magic teaching. Pay him. It's a trivial cost and it opens up his spell shop.
Thops at Church of Irith
What spells does Thops sell?
Thops stocks three spells you can purchase with Runes:
After you browse his wares, talk to him again. He'll explain the situation: the Academy of Raya Lucaria uses blue runes as a security barrier at the entrance, and you need a Glintstone Key to pass through. He had one once, but lost access. He wants another.
How do you find the second Glintstone Key for Thops?
The second key is inside the Academy itself, which means you need to have already entered using your own key first.
Make your way through the Academy to the Debate Hall section. From there, look for a way onto the rooftops. Jump up onto the roof beams and follow the path behind the building. You'll find the second Glintstone Key on a corpse tucked away in that area.
Rooftop path to the key
This is one of those spots where the soulslike games design philosophy really shows: the reward is hidden just off the obvious path, requiring you to look up and think vertically rather than follow the main corridor.
What happens when you give Thops the Glintstone Key?
Hand the key over and Thops will thank you and head off to the Academy. In return, you receive the Erudition gesture. Don't dismiss this as a throwaway reward. The Erudition gesture is the key to unlocking two hidden structures in Liurnia: the Converted Tower and the Converted Fringe Tower, both of which contain useful items.
But Thops' story doesn't end there.
Thops' final resting place
Where do you find Thops in the Academy?
After giving him the key, head back into the Academy and look near the Schoolhouse Classroom Site of Grace. Just a few meters from the giant wheel, you'll find Thops slumped at a desk. He made it to his beloved Academy, but didn't survive long once he got there.
Loot his remains to collect three items:
- Thops' Bell Bearing: Take this to the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold to unlock his spell inventory for purchase.
- Academy Glintstone Staff: A solid sorcery staff with reasonable scaling.
- Thops' Barrier: A unique spell that functions as a magical parry, deflecting enemy sorceries.
For more side quests and NPC storylines, the full ELDEN RING guides collection covers every major questline in the game.