Game Structure (4 Acts + Prologue + Endgame)
| Segment | Target Party Level | Approx Hours | Companions Unlocked | Key Quest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prologue | 1 | 30 min | โ | "The Ruins of Cilant Lรฎs" |
| Act 1 | 1โ4 | 15โ20h | Eder, Aloth, Durance, Kana | Raedric's Hold, The Wailing Banshee, The Smith's Shipment |
| Act 2 | 4โ8 | 25โ30h | Sagani, Pallegina, Hiravias, GM | Heritage Hill, Dozens / Doemenels / Knights faction, The Bronze Beneath the Lake |
| End of Act 2 / WM I | 7โ10 | +20h (DLC) | Maneha (WM1) | Stalwart Mines, White Forge, Abbey of the Fallen Moon |
| Act 3 | 8โ12 | 20โ25h | โ | Ondra's Gift, Concelhaut's Tower, First Fires politics |
| WM II (optional) | 10โ13 | +25h | Zahua (WM2) | Oldsong, Searing Falls, Llengrath |
| Act 4 / Endgame | 12โ16 | 8โ12h | โ | Twin Elms, Sun in Shadow, Thaos IX Boss Fight |
Act 1 Full Walkthrough (Levels 1โ4)
This act is 90% side content. Do NOT skip side quests โ they are how you hit Level 4 before Raedric.
Prologue: Cilant Lรฎs
- Follow the linear prologue. Collect every item on the ground โ there is no other source of copper in the first hour.
- Use the hidden blade near the campsite (Perception 14 check reveals loot cache with 3 Stamina pots).
- The Bรฎaลตac Warden fight: target the shaman first (he buffs). Kill wolves with Aloth's Fan of Flames after the first death.
- MISSABLE: The secret treasure room under the stairs (Mechanics 4) has a Fine Long Sword โ use it until Gilded Vale.
Gilded Vale Quests (Suggested Order)
Do NOT do Lord Raedric's Hold first. It's a Level 6+ dungeon and you will get wiped.
- Wailing Banshee (inn basement) โ rewards 2,000 copper, unlocks stronghold quest.
- Medreth and the Gibberlings (crossing outside) โ simple fight, loot.
- The Smith's Shipment (fetch quest to Magran's Fork) โ get Eder on the way back from Fork.
- Bear Cave south of the inn โ loot + quest unlock.
- Once L4 (minimum): Complete Caed Nua (main road east) โ unlocks stronghold taxes (passive income).
- Only then: Lord Raedric's Hold quest.
Lord Raedric Fight Strategy (Lvl 4โ5)
Ranged party (back line 4m away from door before combat starts). 1) Eder uses Charge/Defender first turn. 2) Aloth casts Slicken at the 2 guards flanking door. 3) Durance pre-casts Barring Death's Door on Eder. 4) Kana summons skeleton. 5) Focus all ranged on Kolsc, THEN Raedric. If you go straight for Raedric, Kolsc stuns the party and you wipe.
Act 2 โ Defiance Bay (Levels 4โ8)
The bulk of the game. Arrive at Defiance Bay, access 3 factions, pick one. The faction you join decides Act 3 access and ending slides.
Faction Choice Matrix (Irreversible Choice)
| Faction | Location | Best Build | Ending Consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| House Doemenels (Criminal) | Brackenbury | Rogue, Cipher | +Crime ending slides. Durance approves, Hiravias highly disapproves. |
| The Dozens (Mercenary) | Copperlane | Fighter, Barbarian | +War ending. Eder approves, Sagani neutral. |
| Knight of the Crucible Knights (Holy) | First Fires | Paladin, Priest | +Order ending. Pallegina +20 approval. Canonically the "best" ending for the Vailians. |
Mistake to Avoid: Picking Faction Too Early
Once you do ONE faction quest, you are locked into that faction. You can do ONE (1) quest from each faction without locking in. Do the first quest of all 3 factions for the free XP. Then, at L6+, commit. Picking at L4 = you get stuck with L4 rewards on L8+ quests.
Heritage Hill (Must-Do Quest, L5+)
The Heritage Hill quest gives you 1 of the 3 soul echo fragments needed for Act 3. Fight order:
- Clear ground floor (no traps), get the 2 Leaden Key Orders notes.
- West Wing first โ loot chests (Mechanics 5), get the Amulet of Unnatural Selection (BiS neck for Ciphers).
- East Wing โ Skuldr King fight (summons skuldr waves). Priority: kill King first.
- Final roof battle (the Master Below). Must complete to gain access to Act 3. If you flee, you CANNOT re-enter Heritage Hill.
Act 3 โ Twin Elms & First Fires (L8โ12)
Main objectives: Travel to Twin Elms (Glanfathan lands), get the last soul echo from the Teir Nowneth (old tree), uncover the Leaden Key conspiracy (Thaos is revealed), and learn the truth about the Hollowborn Plague.
Critical Boss: Concelhaut's Tower โ rewards 1 of the 3 strongest weapons in the game (Sword of Daenysis + Dragon's Dread). Must-do before White March Act 2.
Act 4 โ The Sun in Shadow (Endgame, L12+)
No side quests, pure dungeon. Three stages:
- Breith Eaman โ Soul echoes tell you the backstory. Solve the 3 puzzles (each puzzle has multiple valid answers; any answer unlocks). Watch the ending tease โ this is the story payoff.
- Sun in Shadow โ The final fight gauntlet: 5 waves of enemies (Fampyrs, Vithracks, Dragons) before the boss.
- Thaos IX & Woedica โ The final boss. See the combat guide for details.
Thaos Final Boss Strategy
| Phase | Thaos HP | Action | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 100% โ 65% | Thaos summons 4 Leaden Key acolytes behind. | Immediately Confusion + Fan of Flames on acolytes. Eder engages Thaos. Don't burn CC spells yet. |
| Phase 2 | 65% โ 30% | Thaos casts Wrath of Woedica (party-wide 150 Raw damage, wipes without healing). | MUST CAST Barring Death's Door on entire party BEFORE this hits. Stack Regeneration (Chanter phrases, Moonwell). Durance use Withdraw on the lowest HP member. Everyone focus fire Thaos only โ ignore adds. |
| Phase 3 | 30% โ 0% | Thaos becomes a spirit (ghost form, 50% DR to physical). | Switch to raw damage (Dragon Thrashed, Wounds of Eventide, Soulbound fire upgrades). Any weapon with burn/shock lash works. Tank can die at this stage. |
The 6 Endings (Choices Matter)
The final choice is at the end of Sun in Shadow (Temple of Woedica council). Pick one of six. Each choice has Dyrwood-wide, Companion, and Faction epilogue slides:
| Choice (Dialogue Option) | Ending Name | Theme | Companions Best Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Return souls to the Hollowborn | Hope Ending (Canonical) | Restore the Dyrwood at any cost | Eder, Pallegina, Sagani approve |
| 2. Put souls into Dyrwood's Future (rebirth) | Future Ending | Let future generations have souls | Aloth, Durance neutral, Kana approve |
| 3. Destroy the souls (Let the Hollowborn end the cycle) | Clean Slate | Break everything, rebuild from nothing | Hiravias approve, Grieving Mother approval high |
| 4. Give souls to Iovara (Woedica rebel) | Freedom | Free Eora from the gods entirely | GM, Durance secret high approval ending |
| 5. Claim them for yourself (become a god-king) | Selfish (Dark) Ending | Watcher steals the power | Everyone heavily disapproves except Grieving Mother 0 approval |
| 6. Let Thaos have them (join Leaden Key) | Woedica Ending (evil) | Submit to the gods | Only Bleak Walker Paladin, Durance's cult Magran quest complete = pass |
Missable Unique Items Tracker (Act 1โ4)
These cannot be obtained after certain flags. Go back NOW if you missed any.
| Item | Location | Locked out after | Best User |
|---|---|---|---|
| ๐ฅ Little Savior Shield | Gilded Vale, Medreth chest (secret) | After Vale leaves (Act 1 end) | Eder, Pallegina |
| ๐ฎ Amulet of Unnatural Selection | Heritage Hill, West Wing | After Heritage Hill reset | Any Cipher |
| โ๏ธ Sword of Daenysis | Concelhaut, secret room behind bookshelf | After Concelhaut dies (must loot his desk) | Paladin/Rogue |
| ๐ก๏ธ Shield of the Rising Sun | WM1, White Forge | After Abbey act | Any tank |
| ๐ง Staff of Magran | WM2, final chest after Llengrath | End of WM2 | Durance/Wizard |
| ๐ Godhammer (Crusader Flail) | Twin Elms, sacrifice secret | Before Act 4 teleport | Bleak Walker Paladin |
Walkthrough FAQ
Yes, but you're overleveled (L16 for L10 content). Do them at the RECOMMENDED level โ WM1 at Level 7, WM2 at Level 10 โ for the build-validated rewards and soulbound weapon Tier 5 unlocks. Doing them after Act 4 doesn't break anything, but it's a snooze. Also note that some ending companion slides reference WM events โ so do them before the final choice.
You MUST: 1) Complete all 8 personal companion quests (lock in 80+ approval), 2) Finish BOTH White March DLCs (1 & 2), 3) Do not kill Raedric (spare him for an alternate slide), 4) Complete Heritage Hill, Brackenbury Sanitarium and Bronze Beneath Lake side quest. This gets you all 140+ ending slides instead of the base ~30 slides if you rush Thaos.