After meeting the Sage and solving her riddles, you’ll learn that the Fallen Dragon has a life source that needs to be destroyed to end its immortality. This task is essential as it leads to the crux of the game’s main storyline.
The clues from the Sage point toward an ancient castle, but its location isn’t easy to pinpoint. Polyeidus suggests looking into the secret archives for information that could reveal the castle’s whereabouts.
- When The Culling Gets Tough Side Quest
- Accompany Dwayne And Cull A Monster
- Accompany Dwayne And Cull A Monster For The Second Time
- Save Ilsa
- Village Defense Side Quest
- Join The Commission Soldiers
- Rescue Amos
- Find A Way Through The Stronghold
- Accompany Wash To Find A Place To Rest
- Seek The Sealed Study
- Wait For Polyeidus To Finish His Research
- Flight In The Night Side Quest
- Find The Fishing Spot Ilda Described
- Find The Clump Of Winterweed Ilda Described
- Find The Place With Coldstools Ilda Described
- Escort Ilda To Polyeidus
- Visit Ilda
When The Culling Gets Tough side quest begins right after you finish the Seeking the Sage main quest and report back to Polyeidus. Expect Dwayne to approach you about the monsters lurking around the village.
He’ll ask for your help to cull the beasts without specifying which types, so be ready for anything, even a Beorcan. It’s a bit nerve-wracking since you won’t know what you’re facing until you accept the quest.
If nothing else is on your agenda, just respond with “I am” to take on the quest, and Dwayne will join you on your hunt.
Once you’re outside the village, look for enemies to fight. Any kind will do, so just keep your eyes peeled for an enemy encounter.
Enemies will have orange icons above their heads, plus a notification will pop up in the top-left corner once you spot them. Your goal is to defeat all the foes in that area .
Interestingly, during the fight, you’ll notice Dwayne has frozen up. Once you take out the enemies, he’ll share his fears with you — it turns out he’s got a serious case of battle anxiety despite having the skills.
This quest is about helping Dwayne face his fears rather than just hunting monsters. He vows to train harder, asking you to wait for him so you can go on another culling mission together.
To prepare for the next culling, it usually takes a day or two in game time. So feel free to rest at the Inn or take a nap on a bench until you’re ready for the next step.
Dwayne will assure you he’s more prepared and once again ask you to accompany him to cull monsters. Just like the last time, all you have to do is find another enemy encounter and take them down.
Unfortunately, he’ll freeze once again when confronted with the fight. This is disappointing for him, as he’s worried about not living up to expectations.
Afterward, Dwayne again heads back to the Inn. Be sure to visit him there , talk to him, and rest until the next day.
It usually takes around a day or two for Dwayne to get ready, so simply rest at the Inn or doze off on a bench until enough time has passed.
Once you head out of the Inn, prepare for another twist: Dorin will ask about Ilsa because she’s gone missing and he needs your help finding her.
Right after your conversation with Dorin, Dwayne will rush to you, claiming he knows where Ilsa might be. This also serves as a chance for him to tackle his fears.
Follow Dwayne east from the village until you find Ilsa passed out, surrounded by monsters. Your goal is to take out all the enemies, after which a Griffin will appear. Work together with Dwayne to defeat it.
This shouldn’t be too much of a challenge if you’re already familiar with Griffins from earlier in the game. What might trip you up, though, is how Dwayne surprisingly joins the fight this time.
Once the Griffin is down, he’ll rush to check on Ilsa — she’s okay but just cold and out of it. Dwayne finally realizes that his issue wasn’t just fear; he needed a personal reason to fight.
Completing this quest rewards you with some XP, 500 RC, and the Ring of Brawling for your efforts.
You’ll need to confirm with Dorin to begin this task, as it can only be done at night. Once you’re set, prepare to take on waves of monsters trying to breach the village.
After dispatching the smaller threats, take note that a Snowfoot will come out to play. Lightning is its elemental weakness — use that to your advantage while keeping your distance since it has powerful melee attacks.
Try climbing onto its back and attacking until you stun it. Then target its head for substantial damage, which is the best strategy against this creature.
He’ll commend your efforts and reward you with 5,000 RC and the Ring of Toppling for your hard work. Plus, this opens up new crafting options, so don’t forget to check Hal’s forge.
After that, return to the main story. Polyeidus will request your assistance with the commission soldiers at Rivercave Campground.
It wasn’t about skill, as he only needed a real motive to fight, and for him, it was his family. As a reward, you will gain XP, of course, 500 RC and the Ring of Brawling.
Village Defense Side Quest
Find Dorin near the bonfire and speak to him, as he has another favor to ask. His father got injured, and he wants to tend to his wounds, which means that the village will be unguarded.
He kindly asks the Arisen to keep the village safe until his father’s treatment is complete. Of course, this can only be done during the night, so whenever you’re ready, confirm with Dorin to start defending the village.
This is a simple quest, as all you need to do is defeat all the monsters attempting to enter the village. You will start defending the north side, and eventually, enemies will come from the south side.
Just after you deal with all the smaller enemies, a Snowfoot will appear, and you need to defeat it. It seems that lightning is this enemy’s elemental weakness, and keeping your distance helps, as it uses a lot of melee attacks.
You can attempt to climb the beast from the back and hit it until it gets stunned. After this, target its head, which is its weak point, to deal significant damage.
After dealing with all the enemies and successfully defending the village, Dorin will come back, and his father’s wounds will have been tended to.
He’s impressed by the work you’ve done so far, and he’ll reward you with 5,000 RC and the Ring of Toppling.
This also unlocks a whole new set of equipment for Hal to manufacture for you, so check his forge to see what’s new.
Join The Commission Soldiers
Now back to the main quest, Polyeidus asks you to go and assist the commission soldiers, who are located at Rivercave Campground cave. Head inside, and Wash, one of the soldiers, will speak to you.
To assist further, you need to proceed to the Mountain Stronghold, located just north. Get ready for a fight as enemies will ambush you as soon as you’re near the entrance.
Defeat those foes, then Wash will inform you that Amos, a new recruit, has gone missing, thus adding to your quest.
Once you save Amos, you need to escort him back to the stronghold entrance where he’ll meet up with the other soldiers to complete that part of the quest.
Inside the stronghold, numerous lower-tier enemies will keep spawning, and your goal is to find a way to open the main gate.
Start by circling around, finding your way up to a tower. Destroy the ice blocking the entry, then climb the ladder up.
Once you reach the top, enter through the stone archway. This will lead directly to the gate mechanism where you can pull the lever to unlock it.
With the gate now open, reunite with the commission soldiers and follow the stream ahead. Along the way, more enemies, including a Snowfoot, could appear — an optional fight, but you can also choose to bypass them if you wish.
Inside the stronghold, you will encounter a lot of small enemies that constantly spawn, and your objective is to find a way to open the gate.
The gate you need to open is slightly to the left, not the one on the right. You will notice a small, window-like entrance to the left of it, and the gate itself has a stream of water flowing out of it.
The switch for this gate is inside that entrance, but you need to find a way to reach it. Start by circling around and heading up, and you will find a tower ahead. Destroy the ice and go inside.
Take the ladder up and enter the stone archway, which will lead you directly to the gate mechanism. Pull the lever to unlock the gate.
Accompany Wash To Find A Place To Rest
With the gate open, reunite with the commission and follow the stream ahead. Along the way, you will encounter enemies and a Snowfoot. You can choose to fight them or simply ignore them.
