Nesta gave most of the power she stole from the Cauldron back at the end of A Court of Silver Flames — but she did not become powerless.
She can still wield silver fire, summon and use the Mask, fight with Ataraxia and tap into her connection to Made objects. So what exactly did Nesta lose at the end of ACOSF — and which powers did she keep?
Spoiler warning: This guide contains major spoilers for A Court of Silver Flames and House of Flame and Shadow.
Contents
Quick Answer: What Powers Does Nesta Have?
Nesta’s powers begin with the Cauldron. It Made her High Fae, but Nesta did something Elain did not: she fought back and took some of its power with her when she emerged.
- Silver fire: Nesta’s signature magic, repeatedly associated with death and confirmed to still be active after ACOSF.
- Made magic: Her Made nature gives her an unusual connection to other Made objects.
- Dread Trove: Nesta can use the Dread Trove and House of Flame and Shadow confirms that she can still summon and wield the Mask after ACOSF.
- Making magical weapons: Before giving most of her power back, Nesta accidentally Made three magical weapons, including Ataraxia. It is not yet clear whether she can still Make new objects.
- High Fae abilities: Enhanced strength, speed, senses, healing and immortality.
At the end of ACOSF, Nesta gives most of the power she stole back to the Cauldron. The Mother, however, allows her to keep some of it.
House of Flame and Shadow then shows us at least part of what remained: her silver fire, her connection to Made objects and her ability to summon and use the Mask.
How Did Nesta Get Her Powers?
Nesta was born human. In A Court of Mist and Fury, the King of Hybern forces both Nesta and Elain into the Cauldron and turns them into High Fae.
But Nesta fights back. When she emerges from the Cauldron, she has taken something with her: power the Cauldron did not intend to give her.
That is one of the major differences between Nesta and Elain. Both sisters are Made, but Nesta also takes a portion of the Cauldron’s power by force.
What Did Nesta Take From the Cauldron?
The books never clearly define the exact nature or limits of the power Nesta took from the Cauldron. It is described as a portion of the Cauldron’s own power, and it most visibly appears as cold silver flame. Her magic is also repeatedly associated with death.
Other characters react to Nesta’s power very differently from ordinary High Fae magic. It frightens them, and several ancient beings recognize that there is something unusual about it.
So the safest canon answer is that Nesta stole part of the Cauldron’s power. The books strongly connect that power to death, but they never define it as simple “fire magic.”
Is Nesta Literally Death?
Not as far as canon currently tells us. The books never confirm that Nesta is a death goddess or the literal embodiment of Death. But the association is deliberate. Her silver flames are repeatedly described in death-like terms, and characters such as Lanthys immediately recognize something unusual in her power. The Mask strengthens that imagery even further.
When Nesta wears the Mask in A Court of Silver Flames, Cassian understands the force moving through her as “Death herself.” The passage does not confirm that Nesta herself is literally Death; the wording is tied to Nesta wielding the Mask in that moment.
Nesta’s Silver Fire Explained
Nesta’s most recognizable magic is her silver fire. It is not ordinary flame. The books describe it as cold and lethal, and it can appear in her eyes, surround her body or move through the weapon she is holding.
Most importantly, the silver fire does not disappear after A Court of Silver Flames. In House of Flame and Shadow, Nesta uses silver magic against Vesperus, silver flame surrounds Ataraxia during the final attack, and Nesta later burns the Asteri’s remains with the same fire.
So although Nesta returned most of her stolen power, she still has her silver fire.
Why Can Nesta Use the Dread Trove?
Nesta has a unique connection to the Dread Trove because both she and the objects are Made.
The three objects introduced in A Court of Silver Flames are the Mask, Harp and Crown. Nesta is able to use the Trove because of her Made nature and can also call Made objects to herself.
House of Flame and Shadow later reveals that the Horn is the missing fourth object of the Trove.
Can Nesta Still Use the Mask?
Yes. House of Flame and Shadow confirms that Nesta can still summon the Mask, wear it and command the dead through it.
Returning most of her stolen Cauldron power did not remove that connection. The Mask is still dangerous, however. Nesta may be unusually compatible with it, but she is not immune to its power.
What Objects Did Nesta Make?
In A Court of Silver Flames, Nesta accidentally Makes three ordinary weapons into magical objects while working at the forge.
- Ataraxia — Nesta’s great sword and the best-known of the three.
- A second sword — also Made by Nesta.
- A dagger — the third Made weapon.
Nesta creates these weapons before giving most of her stolen Cauldron power back. The books have not yet shown whether she can still Make new magical objects with the power she retained.
Ataraxia remains her weapon after ACOSF. In House of Flame and Shadow, she uses it against both the Middengard Wyrm and Vesperus.
What Powers Did Nesta Lose at the End of Silver Flames?
At the end of A Court of Silver Flames, Feyre is dying while giving birth to Nyx. Because of the bargain between Feyre and Rhysand, Rhys is dying as well.
Nesta turns to the Cauldron and offers back what she took from it in exchange for saving them. She gives up most of the enormous power she stole, but not all of it. The Mother intervenes and allows Nesta to keep a portion.
So Nesta loses much of her raw Cauldron power, but her magic is reduced, not erased.
Did Nesta Lose All Her Powers?
No. ACOSF already tells us that Nesta keeps some of her power, and House of Flame and Shadow shows us at least part of what remains.
She still has silver fire, remains Made and can still summon and wield the Mask. She also continues to fight with Ataraxia.
What we do not know is exactly how much of her original Cauldron power remains or whether every ability she had before the end of ACOSF survived. Sarah J. Maas never gives us a clear before-and-after measurement.
Nesta’s Powers in House of Flame and Shadow
Major Crescent City spoilers below.
ACOSF tells us that Nesta kept some of her power. House of Flame and Shadow gives us the clearest evidence of what that actually means.
Nesta Uses the Mask to Kill the Middengard Wyrm
During the Middengard Wyrm fight, Nesta uses several of her remaining abilities together. She puts on the Mask, raises a massive skeleton from the dead and commands it to attack and pin the Wyrm.
With the creature held down, Nesta climbs across the reanimated skeleton and drives Ataraxia into the Wyrm’s head. A rush of silver fire moves through the Wyrm as it dies.
Nesta lands the killing blow with Ataraxia, but the Mask is what allows her to restrain the Wyrm long enough to do it. The scene confirms that she can still use the Mask, Ataraxia and her silver fire after ACOSF.
Nesta Kills Vesperus With Ataraxia and Silver Fire
The fight against the Asteri Vesperus gives us another clear look at Nesta’s remaining offensive power.
Ataraxia initially fails to kill Vesperus because the Asteri heals around the wound. Bryce attacks with the Starsword and Truth-Teller while Nesta and Azriel use their own magic against her.
Nesta lands the final blow. She beheads Vesperus with Ataraxia, then drives the sword into the severed head while silver fire surrounds the blade. After Vesperus is dead, Nesta burns her remains with the same silver flame.
Vesperus had already been weakened during the combined fight, so this does not prove that Ataraxia can automatically kill any Asteri. What it does confirm is that Nesta’s silver fire remains an active offensive power after ACOSF.
How Powerful Is Nesta Now?
Nesta almost certainly has less raw Cauldron power than she did before the end of A Court of Silver Flames. But House of Flame and Shadow makes it clear that she is still extremely powerful.
She can combine silver fire, Ataraxia, her connection to the Dread Trove and extensive Valkyrie training. House of Flame and Shadow shows her using those abilities together in combat.
So while Nesta lost a large amount of raw power, she still has an unusual combination of magic, Made objects and combat training.
Is Nesta More Powerful Than Feyre?
There is no clear canon answer, especially after Nesta returns most of her stolen power.
At her peak, Nesta’s raw magic frightened some of the most powerful characters in Prythian, and its limits were never fully established.
Feyre, meanwhile, carries powers from all seven High Lords and has a much wider range of magical abilities.
After ACOSF, we simply do not have enough information to rank Nesta clearly above or below Feyre. House of Flame and Shadow confirms that Nesta remains extremely powerful, but it does not settle that comparison.
What Could Nesta’s Powers Mean for ACOTAR 6?
Nesta’s connection to Made magic remains one of the biggest open questions going into the next ACOTAR books.
House of Flame and Shadow confirms that her connection to the Mask survived the loss of most of her Cauldron power, while the crossover also expands the history of the Dread Trove by identifying the Horn as its missing fourth object.
Nesta is now also connected to the wider history surrounding Made weapons and objects, including the Starsword and Truth-Teller. At the same time, we still do not know whether she can Make new magical objects with her reduced power or exactly how far her connection to the rest of the Dread Trove extends after ACOSF.
There is currently no canon confirmation that Nesta will ever regain the full power she returned to the Cauldron. Going into the next ACOTAR books, the bigger question is what she can do with the power and Made objects she already has.
Nesta Archeron Powers FAQ
What power did Nesta steal from the Cauldron?
The books never fully define the exact nature or limits of Nesta’s stolen power. She takes a portion of the Cauldron’s power, which is repeatedly associated with death and most visibly appears as cold silver fire.
Did Nesta lose all her powers at the end of Silver Flames?
No. Nesta gives most of her stolen power back to save Feyre, Rhysand and Nyx, but the Mother allows her to retain some of it. House of Flame and Shadow confirms that she still has silver fire and can summon and use the Mask.
Can Nesta still use the Dread Trove?
Nesta remains connected to Made objects after ACOSF. House of Flame and Shadow specifically confirms that she can still summon and wield the Mask.
Why can Nesta use the Mask?
Nesta can use the Mask because she is Made, just like the objects of the Dread Trove. That shared Made nature gives her a unique connection to the Trove, although the Mask can still exert enormous power over her.
Can Nesta still Make magical weapons?
We do not know. Nesta Made Ataraxia and two other weapons before giving most of her stolen Cauldron power back. The books have not yet shown whether she can still Make new magical objects with the power she retained.
What is Ataraxia?
Ataraxia is the magical sword Nesta Made in A Court of Silver Flames. In House of Flame and Shadow, she uses it to deliver the final blow against the Middengard Wyrm while wielding the Mask, and later to kill Vesperus.
Does Nesta still have silver fire in Crescent City?
Yes. Nesta still wields silver fire in House of Flame and Shadow. She uses it during combat, it surrounds Ataraxia during her final attack on Vesperus, and she later uses it to burn Vesperus’s remains.
Who kills Vesperus in House of Flame and Shadow?
Nesta lands the final killing blow. After Vesperus is weakened during the fight with Bryce, Azriel and Nesta, Nesta beheads her with Ataraxia and attacks the severed head while silver fire surrounds the blade. She then burns Vesperus’s remains with her silver flames.
Is Nesta still one of the most powerful ACOTAR characters?
Nesta remains extremely powerful, although the books do not give her a clear ranking after ACOSF. She retains silver fire, her Made connection to the Mask, Ataraxia and extensive Valkyrie combat training.
No comments