Chapter 7: Homecoming

1. Ashes of Treachery

Chapter 7 begins the moment you finish talking to your comrades at Howling Hill. A Greymane leads you to a shrine that has burned down, where a note from an informant is waiting. The quest text says the note reveals that Ludvig betrayed Pailune; the road then leads north to Beighen.

• 1

  Move with your comrades

  Ride after your Greymane comrade until you reach the burning shrine, then dismount and look around.

• 2

  Investigate the burning shrine

  Black Bears ambush you at the ruined shrine. Clear them out before you search the site.

• 3

  Take the letter from the Dragon Head Statue

  The statue stands in front of the red, burning shrine; the letter, a purple one named "Beighen Situation Report", is in its mouth.

• 4

  Read the letter

  Open it from your inventory and read it through.

• 5

  Go to Beighen

  Travel north to the marker. The quest completes when you arrive at the village, where the other Greymanes are gathering. No reward.

2. Trust Lost

A short quest of two conversations in Beighen. The quest text describes the mood: the villagers are openly hostile to the Greymanes and will not cooperate.

• 1

  Speak with the comrades who've arrived first

  Duane and Yann are on the road as you enter the centre of Beighen; Oongka takes part in the conversation too.

• 2

  Meet Naira and Andrew

  Go north to the next intersection. Naira and Andrew are standing by the red barn. Speaking with them ends the quest. No reward.

3. Bared Fang

Beighen hides a secret organisation, the Blue Fangs, and their leader Torstein. The quest text says they have been operating out of the village, preparing to retake Pailune. Getting in is a matter of eavesdropping on villagers and then lying convincingly to the man guarding the hideout: you need a series of clues before he opens the trapdoor.

• 1

  Eavesdrop on the Beighen villagers' conversation

  Game8 sends you to the red sawmill hut, PowerPyx to a barn on the east edge of the village. Lean against the wall (click the left stick against the white tree, then press L1 or LB) and listen to the two men inside.

• 2

  Find a way to make contact with the secret organization

  On the west side of town, at the hideout entrance, a Blue Fang guard is leaning on a wooden pole. Talk to him: he quizzes you and you have to lie. The answers start with the underground storage or "Secret Society Base" and end, after more clues, with the name Torstein; in between, Game8 gives a faction and then Blue Fangs, PowerPyx Beighen Tribe, Blue Fangs and Jian. Every wrong guess is rejected and sends you back for another clue.

• 3

  Find a clue about the mysterious faction

  Follow the marker east of the hideout to a red house (an empty shop) and eavesdrop from the corner while someone stands outside. Back at the guard, the faction's name is Blue Fangs.

• 4

  Find a clue about the leader of the Blue Fangs

  Go to the building next to the hideout (a red hut) and listen to the villagers there. Return to the guard one last time and give the leader's name: Torstein.

• 5

  Enter the hideout

  After the final exchange the trapdoor in the ground beside the guard opens. Climb down for a cutscene. No reward.

4. Rekindled Hope

Torstein sends you with one of his soldiers to the Pailune Beacon, which the Black Bears are holding. A commander guards it, and the beacon has to be lit, and the Pailunese there rescued.

• 1

  Speak with Torstein

  In the hideout. The objective completes on its own during the cutscene.

• 2

  Follow the soldier

  Climb the ladder out, follow the Blue Fangs soldier and ride with him. The route: Drakesfall Gorge in Hernandian territory, crossing into Pailune, then north-west to the Pailune Beacon. Black Bears patrol the way.

• 3

  Defeat the commander guarding the beacon

  The Black Bear Commander holds the heavily guarded beacon. He is a miniboss that teleports and uses area attacks, hits hard and has a lot of health with no visible health bar. Dodge often, wait until he stops teleporting, then land your hits.

• 4

  Light the beacon

  Go up the tower and light the brazier with your light skill (Concentrating Light, holding L1 and R1 or LB and RB, then LB). There is a fast travel point to activate at the beacon tower, the area has animals to hunt, and Beighen has a cooking pot. No reward.

5. Podium of Resolve

Back in Beighen, Torstein addresses his men and Kliff is given Jian's old sword. The quest only moves at night.

• 1

  Wait for the right time and speak with Torstein

  Return to the Blue Fangs guard you spoke to earlier. If the objective reads "Wait for the right time", pass time until night: hold the Options button, choose Wait and move the clock to 10 PM. Then enter the main building behind the guards for a cutscene.

• 2

  Listen to Torstein's speech

  Go outside to the yard where his men are gathered and wait for Torstein to walk up to the podium. Another cutscene.

• 3

  Go to the underground storage

  Back down through the trapdoor in the hut's floor, along the tunnel and through the storage room door at the end, into a crypt.

• 4

  Obtain Jian's Sword

  Approach the altar and take the sword, Wolf's Fang, Jian's previous weapon. The quest itself lists no reward.

6. Shadows Over Pailune

The second half of the chapter moves to Pailune. The quest text sets it up: Shane, who went to scout the city, has not made contact, and rescuing him competes with the plan to blow up the castle walls. This quest gets you to a safe house on the city's outskirts and hands you a disguise.

• 1

  Move with Torstein

  Meet Torstein on the road outside (at the bridge in Beighen) and ride alongside him. You follow him as far as the western exit of Beighen, where a cutscene plays.

• 2

  Secure the Pailune safe house

  Head north through the woods to the marked safe house, a red hut on the outskirts of the city. Entering it triggers a cutscene in which Kliff secures it and the Greymanes arrive. Reward: Jackals' Leather Helm, Jackals' Leather Armor and Jackals' Cloth Cloak.

7. Driving Out the Shadows

Dressed as a Jackal, Kliff walks into Pailune City to find Shane and the explosive he hid, then plants the charge at the docks. The quest text says Shane is found badly hurt but stable and handed to Oongka for care.

• 1

  Equip the Jackals' armor set

  Put on the helm, armor and cloak from the safe house. The disguise lets you move through enemy territory without being attacked.

• 2

  Search for Shane's whereabouts

  Shane's house is at the northern end of Pailune City. Enter the marked house for a cutscene.

• 3

  Find the hidden explosive

  It is under the barrels near the door. Move the body and the two barrels to uncover a red trapdoor, open it and take the explosive.

• 4

  Install the explosive

  Go to the Pailune City docks and find the marked small boat on the last dock. Plant the charge on the end of the boat by holding Square (X on Xbox). No stealth is needed for this.

• 5

  Wait for detonation

  Go into a building in the city centre to pass time, which sets off the attack: Game8 counts this as one more objective here, PowerPyx as the first of the next quest. No reward.

8. Lurking Wolves

A short quest that is mostly cutscene: Kliff gives the signal, the charges go off and the siege of Pailune begins. The quest text describes a flaming arrow loosed into the night and the walls coming down a moment later.

• 1

  Wait for the right moment

  Enter the main building in the centre of town, slightly east of the boat with the explosive. Time advances automatically when you go in. Being spotted on the way does not stop the quest: you can just run past the enemies.

• 2

  Send a signal to the comrades

  Completes in the cutscene. The battle starts straight away and you are controlling Kliff in the next quest before it ends. No reward.

9. Reclamation

The open battle for Pailune. This shares its name with the last part of Turning Tides in Chapter 6, but unlike that one it is a real fight.

• 1

  Seize Pailune

  Defeat Black Bears until the Pailune meter on the left of the screen drops to 0%. Move around the area and take enemies as they appear; there are many, and it takes a few minutes. The Jackals' armor set no longer works as a disguise, since you are fighting. When the meter hits zero a cutscene shows the Black Bears retreating to Pailune Castle. No reward.

10. Lonely Jackals

The chapter's boss: Ludvig, the leader of the Jackals, inside Pailune Castle. He has two phases and fights with lightning. Go in with 100 or more Grilled Meat.

• 1

  Reach the arena in Pailune Castle

  The castle is at the north-east end of the city. If the front gate is shut you can grapple up the wall with Axiom Force. The arena is up the path from the castle grounds entrance: through the fortress and up a flight of stairs into a building.

• 2

  Defeat Ludvig

  First phase: many lightning area attacks, and he teleports around a lot. Equip lightning-resistance gear beforehand and use Lariat Follow-Up to build stagger quickly for big damage windows. Dodge rather than block or parry, let him miss a combo or wait until he stops teleporting, then get quick attacks in.

• 3

  Defeat Awakened Ludvig

  After the first health bar (of two) he transforms, using an Abyss Artifact to charge himself with lightning. He gets faster and throws out ranged and area lightning far more often; Nature's Snare can deflect his projectiles. Keep dodging, land light-attack combos and heal as you go. Reward: Hungering Fang Leather Cloak and Hungering Fang Leather Boots.

11. Resolution

Pailune is retaken. The quest text says the celebration has to wait while the Black Bears still stand, and that the Greymanes need to regroup for the final showdown.

• 1

  Join your comrades

  Enter the marked building (the house where the boss fight took place) and approach your fellow Greymanes for a cutscene. The quest ends right after it and the liberated city of Pailune is open to explore. Ring the bell in Pailune to reveal the map, unlock the fast travel point north of town, and stock 100 or more Grilled Meat for the fights ahead: there are animals to hunt in the surrounding woods and cooking pots at the soldiers' encampment towards the south of town. No reward.

12. The Counterattack

The push against the Black Bears' mountain stronghold starts from a ranch in the mountains north-west of Pailune City. The quest text says the assault begins once the torches flare and the war cries echo across Silverwolf Mountain. This and the next five quests make up "Decisive Battle".

• 1

  Reach Svinholt Ranch

  Head north-west of Pailune City, along the main road into the mountains, to Svinholt Ranch, a red house.

• 2

  Join your comrades and wait for the right moment

  Enter the house where your comrades are waiting. A cutscene plays, the game passes time to night on its own and the next quest begins. No reward.

13. Unleashed Fury

Night falls and the Greymanes charge. The quest text puts a single wooden bridge between you and the Black Bears, outside Ashclaw Fortress.

• 1

  Join your comrades and hold the bridge

  Go outside to the Greymanes on the road and follow the marker to where the army is waiting on the bridge. Push towards the front line and keep cutting down Black Bears until a cutscene ends the quest, around three minutes of fighting. The quest log mentions defeating the Black Bear Commander, but that fight does not happen here. No reward.

14. The Final Bridge

Up the mountain path, helping each of the six Greymanes in turn. The quest text has you fighting across the peak of Silverwolf Mountain to the highest point of the fortress.

• 1

  Regroup with Andrew, Naira and Duane

  Follow the road uphill from marker to marker. Each ally is fighting Black Bears when you arrive, and a short cutscene shows you lending a hand; they are 100 to 200 metres apart.

• 2

  Regroup with Oongka, Yann and Shane

  The same up the rest of the path. The enemies along the way can be run past; hold on to your healing items for the boss fight ahead. Reaching Shane, the last of the six, moves you into the next quest automatically. No reward.

15. Broken Claws

A very short quest: the slave camp outside the fortress. Its quest text says the surviving Black Bears have fled inside.

• 1

  Regroup with Shane

  The first objective; Shane helps with the camp that follows.

• 2

  Liberate the Ashclaw slave camp

  Go up the mountain road to the camp marked in red and defeat Black Bears until the progress meter reaches zero and the camp is empty. A cutscene follows and the next quest starts on its own. No reward.

16. Battle at Silver Wolf Mountain

The boss of the Decisive Battle: Myurdin, at the top of the mountain.

• 1

  Find Myurdin's whereabouts

  At the top of the mountain a locked gate bars the way: lift it with Nature's Grasp. The path into the castle is linear; follow it until a cutscene with your comrades, then climb the ladder, which starts the fight. Myurdin hides behind his men and retreats deeper into the fortress before he faces you.

• 2

  Defeat Myurdin

  Two phases with a full transformation between them. In the first, lean on parrying and hit him with heavy attacks; the Tauria Curved Sword is again a good pick. In the second he fights with fire, charging himself with it through an Abyss Artifact, and uses lava attacks: dodge and keep enough stamina to stay mobile. Reward: Melted Ambition, a sword. After the fight Ludvig turns up, pushes Kliff into a pit and leaves him unconscious.

17. Incomplete Victory

A cutscene, and a change of character. The quest text says Kliff is alive but battered and has no choice but to rest while Oongka deals with what is left of the enemy.

• 1

  Speak with Oongka

  The quest is the cutscene after Myurdin's defeat and completes when it ends. From here you control Oongka: Kliff's condition forces the switch for this stretch. No reward.

18. Ludvig's Whereabouts

The first of the two "Twisted Fate" quests, played as Oongka. The quest text says witnesses report the Jackals and the Black Bears now operating separately, and that with the main force unavailable a small group goes after Ludvig.

• 1

  Meet Duane and Shane

  They are in the town south-east of Pailune City; approach them for a cutscene, which finishes the quest. They bring word of where Jackals have been spotted. No reward.

19. Time to Face Justice

The chapter's last quest and Oongka's fight: Ludvig again, now one-armed. The quest text says that by the end Ludvig is dead and the grief remains, with Kliff standing at Jian's grave.

• 1

  Investigate where the Jackals were last seen and track Ludvig

  Track him with the Lantern: you find him near dead Greymanes who carry Jian's pendant, and he tries to take Oongka by surprise.

• 2

  Punish the wounded Jackal: defeat One-Armed Ludvig

  One health bar, lightning damage. Parry with L1 or LB and follow up with light-attack combos on R1 or RB; give Oongka two swords to dual-wield rather than the starting axe (the Sword of the Lord is good against his wave attacks), and again bring 100 or more Grilled Meat, hunted in the woods and cooked in Beighen. This time he is finished for good.

• 3

  Return to your comrades

  Before this objective completes, take any weapon other than the starting one off Oongka, because Oongka stops being playable after this and what is equipped becomes unreachable. You then meet a recovered Kliff in Pailune and go to the vigil for Jian, after which the questline Words by the Riverside opens up; finishing it makes Oongka playable and summonable at any time. Rewards: Ignir (a spear according to Game8, a sword according to PowerPyx), Solas Plate Armor and Solas Plate Boots.

20. Chapter 7 Completion

Before Leaving Pailune...