Dark things lurk in the deep recesses of the earth. The honored dead are not the only thing buried in the graveyards and catacombs of Embervale, Flameborn. Step lightly.
The Carpenter, one of Enshrouded’s many helpful NPCs, has a side quest for you: go to the tomb of one of Embervale’s former Queens and recover the treasure hidden within. Grave robbing might not sound terribly heroic, but exigent circumstances occasionally demand distasteful solutions. So, you’re off to the Mistbury Catacombs for some light plundering!
The Mistbury Catacombs: A Quiet Place
The Mistbury Catacombs are fairly close to the Hill of Scavengers, almost directly north of it in fact. However, the entrance to the Catacombs is over on the east side of the cliff it’s been built into. Start with the pre-expedition ritual of eating and drinking, make sure you’ve got your full Rested bonus, and bring along a Shroud Survival Potion. You’ll also want to bring along several Lockpicks, for reasons which will become obvious. It’s highly advisable you start this quest early in the morning, if only to cut down on potential enemies who may appear.
You’ll come to an imposing looking structure with a Return Beacon at one end and a set of double doors at the other. Use a Lockpick and make your way inside to an antechamber. On either side of the antechamber are glowing stone tablets. Read one of them for the XP and for hints about the puzzle you’re about to undertake (they both contain the same lore entry). A long causeway stretches over an Enshrouded area, terminating in a set of double doors with four lock indicators over them.
Take a few moments to clear out the Shroud mutants on the ground floor (they should be about level 7, which is also a good minimum level for your character to be), then look around. You’ll notice a set of double gates close by to the antechamber which cannot be opened yet. At the far end of the causeway, off to the south, is a set of gates which can be opened with a Lockpick. Open these up, then turn left and head over to the climbing wall.
At the top of the wall, you’ve got a bit of a runway with a Grappling Hook Swing point above and in front of you, along with the first lock switch. Swing across, kill any Shroud mutants on the other side, then press the switch. You’ll notice another door off to the left of the switch which is locked; a Lockpick will undo it. Alternately, a Felling Axe can break it down.
Inside the next room is a common chest and a doorway out with some small Shroud blooms around it. Clear those out and make your way through, then drop down to the ground floor, then drop once again to the lower level. You’ll be in the Enshrouded area at this point. Head all the way west, then turn right. You’ll find a corridor with a short stretch of alternating spike traps and a silver chest beyond. Loot the chest, open up the gates off to the right, then go around the corner to your left. Stairs will lead back up to the causeway.
Right where the stairs down from the antechamber meet the causeway, turn to face roughly northeast. This bit’s a little daredevil, but hey, that’s part of the fun! Jump down and pop your wingsuit close to the ground. Avoid the burning lava patches, then make your way north along the back wall of the Enshrouded area. In the northeast corner, a shooting lock switch awaits you. Shoot the switch, then head west.
You’ll notice a large gap in the wall, leading to an elevated area with a Grappling Hook Pull point (two of them, opposite each other and somewhat offset). As you come up, you’ll notice an explosive barrel off to your right. Shooting it creates a pathway to a staircase, leading upstairs to a few Shroud mutants and the third switch. Hitting this switch will open up the gates you couldn’t open earlier and loop you back to the causeway.
To the left of the causeway is a set of stairs leading down (which you don’t want to take), and a long wooden platform. You can double jump up on to the platform, then head southwest and take the stairs up to an open platform overlooking the causeway. You’ll see the fourth lock switch, a shooting lock, on the opposite side and somewhat higher up. Hit the switch and the gates at the west end of the causeway will be opened.
Make your way down to the causeway and head west, descending some stairs to a shorter causeway high over some lava. A glowing sarcophagus awaits you. Open it up and you’ll claim Pikemead’s Bulwark, a shield which grants the wearer an extra 25 Health points. The side quest will now be complete.
Pikemead’s Bulwark: Wait, That’s It?!
This particular side quest might not seem especially impactful. For warrior-type players going the sword-and-board route who want to boost their survivability, Pikemead’s Bulwark is a good shield for characters in the single digits and low double digits. If nothing else, you can stash it away for when you plan to roll up a warrior and need to give them a gear boost.
Beyond that, Mistbury Catacombs makes for a modest little spot to farm XP for lower level characters and grab loot from chests. It also serves as a good training area for players to work on their Grappling Hook swing skills and Glider recovery moves. More importantly, it works as a decent way to gauge how well your Stamina meter stacks up. If you can get through Mistbury Catacombs without falling off climbing walls or losing your grip on Grappling Hooks, you should be in good shape for the challenges to come!
