FoA Secret Quest Investigation (FoA Quest Guide linked inside)

[Jaaro]

The officially sanctioned playtesters guide for the FoA secret quest can be found here: Got Wood? - FoA Secret Quest Guide

In light of this, no sense writing a second one when the original did it better.

Original post

This thread is for tracking information related to the FoA secret questline.

A majority of the secret quest has now been discovered but some still remains. I am updating this thread as a guide and it will be moved under the appropriate category when it is complete.

As this is still under investigation, the thread will remain under General Discussions until everything has been found, I move it to Guides, or the Mods do it for me.

All credit for discovery to whoever posted it below first, in these Reddit threads here, or anywhere else where discoveries are happening:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Grimdawn/comments/1v5fq5b/i_found_the_6_swords_major_foa_spoiler/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Grimdawn/comments/1v50kfl/comment/ozhxfc5/?context=1&screen_view_count=2&ext-referrer=DIRECT

When the guide is complete, I will make specific callouts to everyone involved so that they get proper credit.

Part 1: Forging Shadowheart

There are six replica daggers related to the FoA secret questline:

1. Shedowhert (Hargates Other Isle, new location. Take the boat in the Cultist Lair at the end of the area)
   

   
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. Shadoheart (Smugglers Pass, in the aether)
   

   

3. Shadowhurt (Gyvers Mill, small secret area)
   

   
   
   
   

4. Shadowhertz (Sanctum of Flesh, hidden in the leftmost spawning area with constant AOE)
   

   
   
   
   

5. Shadowfart (Port Valbury, Agarrads Intern sells it)
   Agarrads Intern can spawn in multiple locations. Known locations are below:
   

   
   
   
   

The dagger is under the weapons tab:

Additionally, there are many versions of “Agarrrad - Mispelled Soul” in Port Valbury. These vendors only carry junk items:

6. Shadownheart (New Harbor, SE of Old Arkovia riftgate)
   
   
   
   
   

If you have all six replica daggers in your inventory at the Purifying Altar, you can sacrifice them after stoking the flames with 50 tainted meat:

Keep this dagger in your inventory.

Part 2: Finding Perfect Form

There are eighteen Mushroom/Flower Circles that have been found around the world since installing FoA. You must use the Occullorum potion modifier to see what is inside them:

These chests drop legendary loot. The last chest drops an item used in the secret quest.

The Occullorum modifier must be purchased from Elder Noktukari in the Elderveil (secret area south of Ulo’s Springs rift), and requires Revered status to get.

You must open all of the Mushroom/Flower Circle chests in order to proceed to Part Three.

Base Game

Act 1:

1. Foggy Bank (NW of rift)
   

   
   
   
   

2. East Marsh (next to Chaos Church)
   

   
   
   
   

3. East Marsh 2 (Right in the middle of East Marsh)
   

   

Act 2:

4. Arkovian Foothills (E of rift, N of Kymons Retreat)
   
   
   
   
   

Act 3:

5. Shaded Basin (W of Tyrants Hold)
   

   

6. Mountain Deeps (S of Devotion Shrine):
   

   

7. Rotting Croplands (near Hidden Wealth)
   

   

8. Gryvers Mill (W of Blood Grove rift)
   

   

9. Port Valbury Outskirts (just S of dungeon door):
   

   

Act 4:

10. Asterkarn Valley (NE of rift)
    
    

Ashes of Malmouth

Act 5:

11. Gloomwald (NE of Decrepit Cellar)
    

    

12. Ugdenbog (S of Den of the Ancient)
    

    

13. Ugdenbog (just outside Barrowholm)
    

    

Act 6:

14. Mourndale (SE-most edge of map)
    
    

There were no Mushroom/Flower Circles found in Forgotten Gods.

Fangs of Asterkarn

15. Frostveil Highlands (N of Fort Ikon)
    

    
    
    
    

16. Ulo’s Springs (NW of rift):
    

    
    
    
    

17. Mammoth Burial Grounds (unmarked hidden area near Black Lodge):
    

    
    
    
    

Once you have revealed the last chest in the list, return to Pilgrims Rest and reveal the chest near the Beaver Maze:

Pilgrims Rest (hidden area):

You will get the following relic from the chest in this area:

Keep this relic in your inventory, it is needed throughout the quest.

Part 2.5: Robbing the Black Lodge

Caveat on this zone, its not clear if you need the Patched Notes to actually complete the secret quest. It is also under construction, I am still in the process of running it enough times to get all the riddles found.

The Black Lodge is a short fun quest so it gets a mention anyways.

1. Enter the Black Lodge at the request of the definitely-not-possessed children and complete their riddles. You may also choose to kill everything instead of attempt the riddles, but I cannot verify if the Patched Notes drop if you deliberately fail the quest.

2. Loot the chest at the end of it, escape, and then log out the character select.

3. Log back in, complete the riddles as before. This time when you loot the chest you should receive the Patched Notes.
   

4. You may need to complete more than two runs to receive the notes.

Potential bug note: If you successfully complete the riddles on a runthrough, you are able to go back and ask Belladonna for another riddle. Dont do this, if you ask for another riddle and fail it, the logic of the quest appears to break. I did this, and on subsequent runthroughs she acted hostile before I ever spoke to her. Completely exiting the game back to desktop and then signing back in appears to have reset that loop.

Part 3: Muk'Muk and Rik'Rik the Beaver Bois

With the Fangs of the Buckfather equipped, assume your true form as one of the Bois. You can now talk to Muk’Muk and Rik’Rik.

Find Rik’Rik in Freyoll Valley and strike up a conversation with him. Rik’Rik will trade you one log for fifty wood chips. You need five logs for this section, so get to slaughtering Kastorrans.

Once you have the five logs, go find Muk’Muk in the Frostveil Highlands and have him chew them down into a statue befitting profane and dark magics:

Keep this Wooden Carving next to Shadowheart and the Patched Notes, then return to the Pilgrims Rest secret area.

Part 4: (Working Maze Title)

Under construction

Part 5: (Something something Beavers Crossing)

Under construction

Part 6: Buck Father and the Temple of N'erf

Under construction

Part 7: ???

Zantai says there is more after defeating the Questing Beast. This section will cover that once it has been found.

Also, the obligatory Under construction.

Original Post

I know that the expansion came out twelve hours ago or so, but I’ve been curious about finding the secret quest that we all know is out there. Some of the hint text makes it sound like we can find it before we finish the main quest in FoA, that might be wishful thinking on my part but it got me searching. Here is what I have noticed so far, also note that the timestamps in the images are not linear as I retraced my steps for this writeup:

1. (Update: she did this pre-FoA, not related) Daila is missing from Korvan City if you have completed all her quest lines. Im assuming she will show up again later in FoA and may not be directly linked to the secret quest, but the first secret quest was associated with her so it stands to reason she could be involved.

2. The fulminated tree is listed on the GrimTools map as an NPC, but Muk’Muk and Rik’Rik the friendly beavers are not (there may be others I have not encountered yet). Since they are not explicitly called out on the map that makes me think they are involved.

3. In Kurnhold, the Skald has the following to say if you ask “Be honest, there is something big out there to be found”:
   

   

So that says to me that the answer to this secret quest lies in the OG game and potentially the DLC areas. During my search today, I tried the following:

• Brought Stormheart to the Fulminated Tree, nothing happened. Neither does equipping it and threatening the tree (but maybe it should).
• There is nothing at the Thornsbury farm that I have found.
• I also did not find any obvious clues in the other three secret quest areas, I believe there is nothing in those zones but I only did a cursory run through.

4. I started running through Act 1, and came across this Fairy Ring:
   
   

There is a similar one at the beginning of FoA:

Additionally, there is a bit of the map here in the Fort Ikon/ FoA transition region that stands out. Purely anecdotal, but I recall the AoM secret quest area looking similar prior to it being explored on the map:

For now, the best I can surmise is the secret quest activation requires the Fairy Rings and possibly the beavers. I think that the last ring to activate and open the portal to the secret quest area will be the one at the entrance to Frostveil Highlands.

One thought I had was that the fairy rings would require kiting a mob into them, similar to the AoM method. The Skald may also provide more clues when rep increases, although that has not happened yet in my playthrough.

Input is appreciated, if someone has found other potential quest triggers please feel free to share them.

[medea_fleecestealer]

I will only say that Daila isn’t involved in any more secret quests.

[Affliction]

Alright, so you’ve been quite serious about it I see ! I don’t know if it’s worth mentioning or if it’s even related to FoA ‘massive secret’ quest, but I found this dagger (well-known model, secret-wise…) in Old Arkovia (in the New Harbor port area) so I thought I’d post it here. Looks like a thing that could be worth : no stats, weird description, etc.

[Norzan]

@Jaaro

• Daila is missing from Korvan City if you have completed all her quest lines. Im assuming she will show up again later in FoA and may not be directly linked to the secret quest, but the first secret quest was associated with her so it stands to reason she could be involved.

She always did this, basically disappears from the game after you hand her the amulet from Uroboruuk.

[Jaaro]

That has to be related, thanks for sharing.

I found a reference to another of the six replica swords being found in Sanctum of Flesh last night and went hunting for it this morning. Sure enough its there in an Urn Cluster like where Shadownheart is found:

To retierate:

Known knowns include:
There are replica swords, six of them if we trust the flavor text.
They live in urn clusters.
One has been found near a hub town (Rover camp), the other near a boss fight.

I also think my original mushroom/fairy circle discovery is actually related and not a tangential finding. I disabled FoA but kept everything else on, then ran over to the original Foggy Bank fairy circle with a level 10 character Warlord (Soldier/Oathkeeper) I have. The circle is not present, which means it was added as part of FoA:

I am betting that there are six of those circles around the original map and expansion locations, and each one cooresponds to one of the replica swords. That is purely speculative though and cannot be a “known known” until proven.

[Jaaro]

Thank you, I will update the original post. Shows you how often I went to the Korvan City rift.

[Zantai]

So that’s where I left my replica sword collection.

[Ceno]

[Micael]

I found this but I don’t know if have something to do with the secret or something that already existed but I didn’t know it did

[Joneleth]

Inert Sphere & 10 Tainted Meat use on Purifying Altar to get “Magma Sphere” when you go near the ice blocks which blocks the passages will be melted.

Shadowfart (Port Valbury Dungeon - One of the Skeleton Trader sells it)

[Jaaro]

Edit: Sphere question answered by Joneleth

I’ve been doing an admittedly haphazard search of areas this morning, nothing new has come up. I might just be doing a bad job though. Here is where I have looked so far for swords or other clues:

• Conflagration
• Log dungeon (full area + boss fight)
• The Cthonic place where you find Ulgrim in AoM that is a mirror image of the Log fight
• Craigs Crags, specifically where Kalis Ka is
• Started the dungeon under Burrwitch, got distracted

[Joneleth]

Sorry new here couldnt find edit my post.
50 Tainted Meat & Shadowfart also can be used on Purifying Altar, still not figured what happened.

[Jaaro]

Found another Mushroom Circle, north of Kymons Retreat:

Edit:
Most have likely seen this one, but it is in Ulo’s Springs

[Micael]

Oh nice! I haven’t finished all quests yet and was trying to find how to melt the ice, thanks!

[Cato]

It took the items from your inventory but didnt say anything unique?

[Joneleth]

I really dont remember i think it only some kind animation happened. But if someone else can farm and do it to confirm for sure would be great.

[Micael]

So for now we got:

3/6 Replica Blades:
1 - ??
2 - ??
3 - ??
4 - Shadowhertz - Sanctum of Flesh (in the left path behind the Aether fire)
5 - Shadowfart - Port Valbury Dungeon (One of the Skeleton Trader sells it)
6 - Shadwonheart - Old Arkovia (in the New Harbor port area)
(at least 1 sword can be used with 50 tainted meat on the purifying altar in Dread Wastes)

4/?? Mushroom Circles:
Foggy Bank
Frostveil Highlands
Kymon’s Retreat
Ulo’s Springs

Suspicious area near Fort Ikon

Friendly beavers

Fulminated Tree

[Joneleth]

There are also NPC’s;
Frostveil Highlands (Muk’Muk)
Freyoll Valley (Rik’Rik)
I have at least +170 Wood Chip still nothing happens. We need to find a way to communicate with them so those will be usefull later i guess or some other meaning?

[Micael]

I forgot to mention this

don’t know if its for some other quest like the orb

[Cato]

Where did you find that? I was also wondering if the Ruination of The Night quest note might be somehow related to the secret quest?

Edit: A thought I just had, that notes you posted mentions 10 times, and now with Chillheart, Blazeheart, mythical/non mythical storm heart, and the 6 fakes there will be 10 heart blades

Edit Edit: Ive only done that area once ill go run it again to confirm

Edit Edit Edit: Can confirm the patched note is dropped from the chest at the end of the black lodge the second time through

Edit 4: I am just going to keep reinstancing the world and seeing if you get anything more, about to attempt the 4th time

Edit 5: The fourth run through started reusing riddles, I have a feeling there might not be more to find here