Elden Ring has all kinds of little quests, some of them seeming totally minor at first. Then, hours and hours later, you find out there was more to it. Thops, a seemingly random NPC you run into at a church, has such a story around him. But it’s easy to miss, so here’s how it works.
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Once you get through Stormveil castle and enter Liurna of the Lakes for the first time, there’s a church (of Irith) just to the left-ish of that first Lake-Facing Cliffs Site of Grace. Go in there to mostly grab a Sacred Tear, but also talk to Thops. He’s moping on a bench in his own feelings, and when you talk to him the first thing he does is ask for money. Go ahead and give it to him, and he’ll sell you some spells. He’ll also give you some information about the Glintstone Key later on.
If you explore the Raya Lucaria Academy enough, you’ll actually find a second Glintstone Key. It’s in the Church of Cuckoo, which is a Site of Grace location. Give that spare key to Thops back at Irith and he’ll say thanks and stuff a new emote in your pocket. It’s Erudition, which is actually part of some puzzle-solving later.
At this point you want to get to the Schoolhouse Classroom (another Site of Grace) and step right outside the building. You’ll find Thops, and you’ll also get Thops’ Bell Bearing, Academy Glintstone Staff and Thops’ Barrier. If you’re a weirdo and kill Thops before you get the emote, the emote’s gone, yo! But you can get the other stuff, mostly on his body then via a Teardrop Scarab that takes his place after you rest. Weirdo.
