While still in Early Access, the major late-game quest in Nightingale comes courtesy of Nellie Bly. She asks you to bring her quite a few items to fix the Broken Gateway, and some can be quite challenging to find. Among these is the Elder Eoten Heart, but how do you get it?
How To Get Elder Eoten Heart
Eotens are tree-like creatures found mainly in the Forest Hunt Realm. They appear beside Offering Altars and, if you offer them something they like, they will grand you an Eoten Heart. If you give them something they dislike, or you simply attack them, they will attack you.
The Elder Eoten, however, is a different beast entirely. As an Apex Creature, it essentially serves as a boss, although you do not have to fight it. Similar to the Sun Giant, another Apex Creature, there is a peaceful way to get what you want. But first, let’s talk about how to find the Elder Eoten.
Finding the Elder Eoten
Unlike Fabled Creatures, the Elder Eoten will not show up on any maps. This makes for a lot of time spent wandering around trying to find what you’re looking for. While you can use that method, there is a somewhat simpler alternative.
Either way, make sure you’re in the Forest Hunt Realm and then get to searching!
Track Legend Enchantment
The Track Legend enchantment, which can be added to your weapon, is used to track both Fabled and Apex Creatures. When using it to look for the Elder Eoten, make sure there are no Fabled Creatures around! You don’t want it leading you to the wrong creature, after all.
To get this enchantment, purchase it from the Desert Provisioner Essence Trader. It will cost you 15 T1 Essence Dust.
Once activated, it produces a stream of light which will guide you from your current position to the Elder Eoten. Easy!
Exploring the Forest Hunt Realm
Alternatively, if you’re saving your T1 Essence Dust for a rainy day, you might choose to wander around the Realm in search of the Elder Eoten.
Since each Realm is randomised, there is no one place to find this boss. However, if you stick to the paths, you will eventually encounter the Elder Eoten. Or, more accurately, its Health Bar will appear at the top of your screen. To find the tree itself, check the edges of the path until you find a tree that’s bigger than the others. That’s the Elder Eoten!
Acquiring the Elder Eoten Heart
Now that you’ve located your mark, it’s time to get your hands on that Elder Eoten Heart. As with finding it, there are two methods to doing this: the quick but violent route, or the slow and peaceful route. The first may be easier, but will likely weigh more heavily on your conscience if you’re a fan of trees. If you’re not, then chop away!
The Quick Method: Attack
If you’re in a hurry, or you’re just frustrated at spending so long looking for a big tree, you can simply fight the Elder Eoten. To anger it into popping out of the ground and attacking you, you have two options:
- Attack first
- Place an item on the Offering Altar that it doesn’t like
If you don’t want to waste any items just for the purpose of irritating a sentient tree, the first option is probably best. Or, if you want to use the Altar, stick to placing something common and easy to find so you’re not wasting anything important. Since it seems the only thing the Elder Eoten likes is Ritual Fabled Meat (more on that later), anything should be fine.
While fighting the Elder Eoten, stick to ranged attacks. Another good idea is to use weapons or ammo that gives fire damage. As you may know, trees and fire don’t get along too well.
Although the Elder Eotens can traverse the terrain without issue, they’re quite slow. Your best bet, therefore, is to keep your distance. They will release wisp-like orbs in your direction that deal damage, but these are easily avoidable. If they do hit you, they won’t deal much damage, so don’t worry.
Once you’ve depleted its health, head over with an axe and get to chopping. It should drop 5-6 Elder Eoten Hearts, making this method best if you want more than one.
The Slower Method: Offering
While a much lengthier option, if you don’t want to battle a boss, the peaceful route is the way to go. In addition, since it requires completely another series of quests, it’s a good choice if you’re fond of storylines.
Your first stop is the Antiquarian Swamp Realm. Here, you will find an NPC called Ludivine Saint-Clair. One of her guides has been cursed, and to help them, she will first send you off to create 3 Slight Curative Potions.
To make Slight Curative Potions, you will need a Simple Alchemical Boiler. Purchase the schematics for this from any of the Herbarium Essence Traders. It costs 15 T1 Essence Dust and building it requires:
Once you have your Boiler, it’s time to make some Slight Curative Potions. The requirements for each one are:
- 5 Essence Dust
- 1 T1 Swamp Fibre
- 1 Hide
- 1 Glass
Once you’ve got all three, return to Ludivine. She’ll now need you to acquire some components for a ritual she’s putting together. These components are:
- 4 Cloth
- 4 Amber Cut Gem
- 8 Fen Bass Oil
Of the three, the one you may find most challenging is the Fen Bass Oil. Luckily, we have a guide on Where To Find Fen Bass. To convert your fish into oil, go to your Refined Mortar Station and use the Fen Bass to make Oil. Since 2 fish create 1 oil, you will require a total of 16 Fen Bass to complete this quest.
Return to Ludivine with the items and she’ll give you the recipe to create Ritual Fabled Meat. She’ll also ask you if you can do the offering twice, once for her and once for you. You can choose whether or not to agree to this, but honestly, why would you say no?
To craft the Ritual Fabled Meat, you first need a Bonfire. Purchase the schematics for this from any Gloom Essence Trader. It will cost 15 T2 Essence Dust.
With your Bonfire placed, it’s time to craft our offering! The requirements for the Ritual Fabled Meat are:
- 1 Fabled Meat
- 3 Raw Gems
These can be three completely different gems, but it’s wise to avoid using any rare gems. For the one you’ll be giving to Ludivine especially, your good gems will only go to waste. If you are giving one to Ludivine, remember to craft at least two!
With that done, return to Ludivine one final time and give her the extra Ritual Fabled Meat. Now, finally, it’s time to get that Heart!
Head to the Forest Hunt Realm and find the Elder Eoten. Somewhere nearby, there will be an Offering Altar sticking up out of the ground. Place your Ritual Fabled Meat on top, and the altar will disappear into the ground and an Elder Eoten Heart will appear. If you made extra Ritual Meat, simply wait for the Altar to regrow, and rinse and repeat until you have enough Hearts.
With the Elder Eoten Heart in hand, head back to Nellie Bly and you’ll be one step closer to getting to The Watch. Also, if you’re interested in reading more of our Nightingale guides, here’s our Complete Guns Guide!
