Chapter 6: Cracks in the Shield

1. Blazing Beacon

The chapter opens back at the Greymane camp on Howling Hill, where a visiting soldier says Marquis Serkis wants Kliff at Hernand Castle. The news there is that Calphade is under attack by the Black Bears and a Greymane is caught in the middle of it, so the quest sends you to the front. It ends with the first of many banner pikes you will be raising this chapter.

• 1

  Speak with the soldier who visited the camp

  Return to camp and go to the main tents, where your comrades and the visiting soldier are waiting. The conversation is a cutscene: the Marquis has asked for you at Hernand Castle.

• 2

  Meet Marquis Serkis at Hernand Castle

  The meeting is on the castle's second floor: right from the main entrance, up the stairs, right again and through the door at the end of the hallway into the middle room. Duke Celeste is at the meeting too, and it is he who delivers the news about Calphade.

• 3

  Meet and follow the guide at the beacon

  Head north of Hernand town, up a mountain path to a hill with a tower, where a group of three soldiers is gathered. Speak with them, get on your horse and follow the guide.

• 4

  Investigate the scene of the attack

  When the guide dismounts, follow him on foot to look at a body. Black Bears attack. Game8 says you can fight them or run; PowerPyx, that the objective only clears once every enemy is down. Then keep following the soldier.

• 5

  Move to the Calphade Gate and speak with Barden Middler

  Ride on with the soldier until you enter the Calphade camp, which triggers a cutscene. Barden Middler meets you at the entrance and walks you through the camp while he explains the situation.

• 6

  Go to the battlefield

  Go north to an allied outpost, where a scout on horseback is waiting. Follow him to the spot where the Calphadean banner has fallen.

• 7

  Raise the Calphadean banner pike

  Pick the banner up with Nature's Grasp (Y and B on Xbox, Triangle and Circle on PlayStation), carry it up the wooden steps to the platform and slot it in with LB and X (L1 and Square). If Nature's Grasp runs out on the way you drop the banner and have to grab it again. No reward for this quest.

2. Below the Banners

Three more banner pikes across the southern reaches of Calphade, a wounded soldier to carry back, and a supply wagon to burn: the quest restores the banner of House Lanford. Its three parts are Cradle of Defense, Hand of Deliverance and Fire on the Frontlines.

• 1

  Raise the banner pike at the Siege Armory

  Head to the Calphade Siege Armory. The banner lies south-east of the orange marker; lift it with Nature's Grasp and carry it to the stand. You can drop it to deal with enemies first and pick it up again. Slotting a banner clears the enemies out of that area.

• 2

  Raise the banner pike at the Gunpowder Mill

  The banner is south of the Gunpowder Mill marker, among ruined buildings. Expect enemies including elites here, so clear them before you start carrying.

• 3

  Raise the banner pike at Thalwynd

  Go north to Thalwynd; the banner is in an alleyway beside a building. Artillery towers fire at you in this area, but since Nature's Grasp slows time you can carry the banner through the shelling. Resting at the allied guard posts on the western side of the battlefield is also an objective: rest there to recover HP, once every five in-game hours.

• 4

  Hand of Deliverance: rescue the injured soldier

  Speak with the soldier at the Southern Guard Post (he is in front of a red tent tending the wounded, and the soldiers there hand you a health booster and ten Whistling Arrows). The soldier who needs help is north-east of the post, in the orange area: clear the enemy camp, pick him up with Square (X on Xbox) and carry him back. You can do the carrying on horseback.

• 5

  Fire on the Frontlines: destroy the enemy's supply wagons

  The wagon is inside the Church of Calphade, in front of the altar. Deal with the enemies outside, go in and set the wooden parts alight with your light skill (Concentrating Light: hold L1 and R1, or LB and RB, then press L1 or LB). It burns for around thirty seconds and then needs melee hits to break what is left. No reward for this quest.

3. Turning Tides

The quest that turns the siege around, in four parts: Fire Support, In Ashes, Hidden Fangs and Reclamation, the last of which plays itself in a cutscene. You get the cannons working, break into the Black Bears' base, hunt down their siege engines, and the enemy pulls back to Calphade Castle. The reward is ten Whistling Arrows.

• 1

  Fire Support: destroy the Black Bears' watchtowers

  Speak with the soldier at the gunsite by the broken cannon (at an artillery tower to the north) and help fit its wheels back on. Talk to the commanding soldier in the centre, then use the cannons along the wall to knock down the four watchtowers giving off black smoke. One hit is usually enough per tower.

• 2

  In Ashes: infiltrate the Black Bears' base and defeat the Black Bear Captain

  Speak with the soldiers at the camp on the outskirts (north, down the hill), then go to the central camp ringed with palisades and walk in through its open front entrance. It is full of enemies; your Whistling Arrows call in bombardments that will kill many of them for you. The captain inside carries a hammer: it hits very hard, and the moment to dodge is when he jumps into the air to strike. Once the base is clear the captives are rescued in a cutscene.

• 3

  Hidden Fangs: destroy five Black Bear siege engines

  Five round wooden war machines drive around the open fields in the southern part of the search area, with one near the centre. Shoot each with a Whistling Arrow (hold left, press R2 or RT to select it, then hold and release L2 or LT) to call down cannon fire on it. Whistling Arrows can be restocked at the friendly encampments inside the search area. The fifth one triggers a cutscene.

• 4

  Reclamation: defeat the enemies surrounding the outer bailey

  There is nothing to play here: this part completes on its own in the cutscene that follows the last siege engine. The Black Bears retreat to Calphade Castle.

4. The Unyielding Shields

The assault on Calphade Castle, a reunion with Oongka, and the chapter's boss, Cassius Morten, the traitor. Afterwards you light the Calphade Beacon and ride home. The quest has eight objectives.

• 1

  Advance to Calphade Castle

  The castle is south of where you stand. You run into Black Bears retreating along the way; you can fight them or ignore them. Enter the castle and keep moving until a cutscene starts.

• 2

  Meet with Oongka

  Oongka is waiting inside, axe in hand. You keep playing as Kliff: you cannot control Oongka yet.

• 3

  Support Stefan Lanford

  Push ahead to Stefan Lanford. A cutscene with him follows straight away, and the boss fight starts right after it, so heal up before you go.

• 4

  Defeat Cassius Morten

  He is the first boss with a shield that blocks your attacks, with one health bar, and his attack chains are long, so dodge and answer patiently. There are two ways in: use Nature's Grasp on the pillars in the arena and slam them onto his head, or use heavy attacks (R2 or RT), which damage him through the block; three of them interrupt him, opening him up to light strikes. Bring the Tauria Curved Sword from the earlier boss Crowcaller with the Nature's Echo skill, and have fifty or more portions of grilled meat ready (the meat vendor and a cooking pot are in Hernand, a fast travel away). The reward is the Shield of Betrayal. Since update 1.13 he also gives the Unyielding Hero Plate Armor, and a save that had already beaten him gets it in Private Storage. VULKK, alone among the guides, also lists 500 Arms, 5,000 Camp Copper, 50 Silver and a Hernand Refinement Token.

• 5

  Tell the news to Marquis Lanford

  A cutscene right after the fight. Calphade Castle is liberated.

• 6

  Follow the soldier

  Walk out with the soldier, then ride with him up the hill to the Calphade Beacon.

• 7

  Light the beacon

  Climb the tower stairs to the brazier. Shoot a fire arrow, lighting the tip at one of the torches on the walls, or, more easily, focus Concentrating Light on the brazier; Guiding Light also sets things on fire.

• 8

  Return home and speak with your comrades

  Back at Howling Hill, talk to Yann, Duane and Oongka at the tents. The warning again: this conversation starts Chapter 7 immediately, and Chapter 7 takes you to a new region for a long time, so buy or cook your Grilled Meat before you speak to them.

5. Chapter 6 Completion

✅ Before Leaving Calphade...