The Episode 1 Main Quest - The Path of Truth Complete Guide

This guide will detail the exact steps needed to finish the Episode 1 Main Quest - The Path of Truth.

There are already several other guide out there that also have this information already. However I wanted a more story centric and a more fully documented and very clear step by step guide. Of which this guide will be.

Before even attempting these series of quests, you will need to know that one of the areas you will be sent to, will be very difficult to go through, depending on your characters skills.

You can however, leave and return to an area that you are having difficulty with, and continue to level up your skills till they are adequate enough to handle the challenges within that area.

Lastly, none of the journal entries refer to the "Path Of Truth" in any way in the journal entries. The term "The Path of Truth" is just a term used by players and developers to describe all the related quests that you need to follow for this one portion of the Episode 1 Main Quest (The Episode 1 Main Quest has 4 parts that need to be completed: The Path of Love, The Path of Truth, The path of Courage and the Oracle Quests).

This entire guide is ONLY for a player to play solo.

You can complete this series of quests in several ways. I will try to do a more story centered and logic based walkthrough and a more virtious way in this guide. You are however free to do this how you wish.

The first step of the Episode 1 Main Quest - The Path of Truth starts with a horrible massacre...

Part 1 - The Massacre and The Dagger

Head to Blood River, which is located in the Longfall region here:

Spoiler: Blood River Massacre Location

The first time you enter this scene it will be named the Blood River Massacre scene. After you exit it, it will then always be the regular Blood River named scene. Enter the scene and be taken to the Blood River Massacre if you have never been here before.

This scene has no map. After you arrive, move near the bodies by the bottom of the stairs and receive Search Corpses for Clues task and journal entry. Search and loot the various corpses near you till this task clears. Feel free to read these notes to get an idea of what happened here...

To the South East is a building with a door. Enter it and receive Read the Letter task and Journal Entry. On a table inside will be a letter An Even Fisherman's Diary. Click and drag that letter onto your avatar. Open your inventory and read An Even Fisherman's Diary if you wish. Exit the building through the door.

To the east are some stairs and you will see a person walking around at the top, go up the stairs and speak to the Official.

He will give his name as Robert Villines and will immediately ask you your name. Click on your name at the bottom left of the dialogue window. Click the Yes, come with me. Robert will now join you. Continue on heading east. You will then receive a message about a weapon rack near a stable. Head towards that (see blue magnifying glass icon on your compass at the top of your screen). Near the sword on the weapon rack you will now receive a task Explore Elder's House. Double click the sword to make the weapon task and marker clear.

(Optional) Enter the barn and go upstairs and speak to the Elf child, to learn more of what happened here. Exit the barn.

Turn North and head towards the blue marker in your compass named Explore Elder's House.

Along the way you will see a Scavenger. Feel free to speak and talk to them if you wish. Then proceed towards the house north and enter the house.

When you enter the house you will receive Take the Mysterious Dagger task and journal entry. Read the letter on the table and click on the dagger to take it. Receive Exit the Village task and journal entry.

Speak to Robert and a marker to Edvard will appear in your compass. Receive Talk to Edvard Task and Journal entry. Click Goodbye and exit the house.

There are many unique letters that can be found around the area if you wish to learn more about what seems to have happened here. Do feel free to explore and look around and collect them all if you wish.

When you are ready to leave, head to the Edvard the Wanderer marker on your compass and speak to them.

Edvard the Wanderer will immediately ask your name. Give click your name at the bottom left of the dialogue window. Click the dagger and unlock keywords. Receive Ask Kyle About Dagger, Seek Eilliana and Unock the Gate task and journal entries. Receive Blood River Gate Key. Click Goodbye.

At the gate to the west, click on the blue glowing Key Hole. Wait for the key turn animation to finish. Prepare yourself for combat. Double click on the Palisade Gate and open it.

Continue west across the bridge while killing various Elves. When you reach the very west end of the bridge you will get a message to sheath your sword to recover quickly and approach Robert to speak to him. He will tell you to meet him by the boat by the dock and the conversation will end. Wait a few seconds and then speak to him again, he will now run to the boat by the dock. Follow him to the boat. Click and speak to him one more time. Then click on the boat. You will now enter Blood River Outskirts.

When you arrive you will see an elf named Eilliana. Feel free to speak to her and complete the Blood River Outskirts area quests that are detailed here if you wish: Blood River Outskirts - The Complete Quest Guide

Find an exit and leave the Blood River Outskirts scene and to go to Aerie which is the next step we need to take.

Part 2 - Finding more information about the Dagger

Once you arrive on the Overland Map, turn South and look for a blue compass marker with the label Aerie Task: Bring Dagger to Aerie Blacksmith. Head to the town of Aerie and enter it.

When you arrive in Aerie, turn West and see a signpost. These are the fast-travel signpost's that can be found in most all the cities in the game. Click on the signpost and select Northeast Gate. Then follow the road West then turn Northwest and go to the Blacksmith building. You will see a blue person quest marker in your compass labeled Blacksmith Task: Bring Dagger to Aerie Blacksmith and Task: Find another blacksmith (?). Enter the blacksmith building and speak to the Blacksmith inside.

He will give his name as Kyle Behrand. Give them your name if you wish. Click the bonesteel, Boreas and Vertas keywords. Ask Kyle About Dagger task and journal entry completes. Receive Ask About Dagger in Vertas and Find Kiakis in Vertas task and journal entry. Click Goodbye.

Exit the city of Aerie and go back to the World Map. Once on the World Map, look at your map and scroll around and look for the blue marked city of Vertas. Head towards there and enter the city of Vertas.

At the top of your compass, look for a blue person quest marker labeled Vertas Traveler Task: Find Kiakis in Vertas and go speak to them.

They will immediately ask for your name. Click on your name at the bottom left of the dialogue window. Click the book, bonesteel, source of bonesteel and notus keywords. Ask About Dagger in Vertas and Find Kiakis in Vertas task and journal entry clears. Receive Travel to Jaanaford task and journal entry. Receive Homily of Perri the Unchained quest item book. Feel free to speak to him about other topics. Click Goodbye when you are done. Leave Vertas and go back to the Overland Map.

When you are on the Overland Map look at your map for the blue marked city of Jaanaford and go there and enter. After you enter Jaanaford, look at the top of your compass and see a blue person marker with the label Innkeeper Task: Travel to Jaanaford. Go to this person and speak to them.

They will give their name as Jenna Karttuned. Give them your name if you wish. Click the bonesteel keyword. Travel to Jaanaford task and journal entry entry clears. Receive Ask About Bonesteel in Kiln task and journal entry. Click Goodbye. Exit Jaanaford and go to the Overland Map.

There's no blue compass marker for Kiln on the map or compass. Use the https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/map/ website to locate the city of Kiln if you are not sure where it is located. Go to the city of Kiln and enter it.

When you enter, you will see several blue Hourglass icons in your compass labeled Ask Residents About Bonesteel Task: Ask About Bonesteel in Kiln. Head close to the hourglass marker located here and enter the near by house upstairs:

Spoiler: Location for the Wounded Faun

You will see a Wounded Faun and speak to them. Click the name keyword. They will give their name as Dion. Give them your name if you wish. Click the bonesteel, Artifice, Blackblade Pass and Perri keywords. Ask About Bonesteel in Kiln task and journal entry clears. Receive Book Passage from Etceter to Xenos task and Journal entry. Receive Blackblade Pass Key quest item. Feel free to speak to them more about the other various topics. Click Goodbye when you are ready. Exit Kiln and go back to the Overland Map.

Part 3 - Book passage to Xenos

There's no blue compass marker for Etceter on the map or compass. Use the https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/map/ webite to locate the city of Etceter if you are not sure where it is located.

At this point, you might be thinking all you need to do now is just visit Xenos to proceed. But that is not the case. What you must do next is actually book passage to Xenos from a Ship Captain in Etceter. Just continue reading to proceed.

You will want to wait until is it Dawn before entering Etceter, as there's one NPC that will go to sleep (Lady Ransom) at night. If you enter here at around Dawn this will give you plenty of time to be able to speak to everyone at the default locations where you can find them.

Go to the city of Etceter around Dawn and enter it.

No quest markers are in this scene. At the top of your compass you will see a compass marker Town Crier. Go to that person. This is the docks area of Etceter. Turn West and go to the first pier North, you will see a NPC named Ship Captain. Speak to them.

They will give their name as Captain Steel. Give them your name if you wish. Click Xenos and Avitas keywords and click Goodbye. Go back to where the Town Crier is and look for an NPC named Habormaster and speak to them.

They will give their name as Avitas. Give them your name if you wish. Click the passage and something for you keywords. Receive Get information from Lady Ransom task and journal entry. Click Goodbye. Turn South and see a blue person quest marker labeled Traveler Task: Get information from Lady Ransom in your compass. Go to that person and speak to them.

They will give their name as Lady Ransom. Give them your name if you wish. Click the proposition and then Yes, I do pledge keywords. Get information from Lady Ransom task and journal entry clears. Receive Deliver Letter and Package task and journal entry. Receive Lady Ransom's Package and Lady Ransom's Introduction quest items. Click Goodbye.

You will now need to enter Craig Foothills and then find the entrance to the Etceter Craig Mines. This is a tier 5 scene and may prove to be a very dangerous scene unless you have the adequate skills to handle the dangers within. Craig Foothills is located Southwest of the city of Etceter on the Overland Map. There will also be a blue marker for this scene in your compass labeled Craig Foothills Task: Deliver Letter and Package.

Feel free to explore the scene and see if you feel you are ready to handle the dangers within this scene. If you do not feel you are quite ready yet, just return back to here when you are!

Of note, I actually use this specific area to gage when a character IS actually ready to do the whole Chapter 1 main quest. If a character can comfortably survive and fight their way through this scene to the entrance of the Etceter Craig Mines, they are ready to now do the entire Chapter 1 Main Quest (Courage, Truth, Love and Oracle Quests). This is however, just a suggestion.

Part 4 - Craig Foothills and the Etceter Craig Mines

When you are ready, enter Craig Foothills.

Once you arrive, you can scroll your map and see a blue task marker on the map labeled Etceter Craig Mines Task: Deliver Letter and Package. That is the area we need to go to and enter the Etceter Craig Mines. Head to that area and enter the Etceter Craig Mines. Good luck!

After you arrive at Etceter Craig Maines, make sure to go out of combat mode and make sure that you do not have any AOE spells on your character like Immolation. The various Bandits on the First Floor will not be hostile to you and are Neutral. If you do attack them, they will fight back, once attacked. At the top of your compass is a blue person marker labeled Bandit Chief Task: Deliver Letter and Package. You can also see where exactly to go on your map as well. Go to the Bandit Chief and speak to him.

He will give his name as Mackey and immediately ask for the Lady Ransom's Package and Lady Ransom's Introduction quest items. Give those to him and receive Black Iron Ore quest item. Deliver Letter and Package task and journal entry clears. Receive Deliver Black Iron Ore task and journal entry. Click Goodbye. Now go back to Etceter and select the Pilgrim's Docks area.

Part 5 - The Passage to Xenos

Speak to the Harbormaster. He will immediately ask for the Black Iron Ore quest item. Hand that to him. Deliver Black Iron Ore task and journal entry clears. Receive Ask Captain for Passage task and journal entry. Click Goodbye.

Go back and speak to Captain Steel. Click the passage and then Yes, let's Leave for Xenos keywords. Ask Captain for Passage task and journal entry clears. Receive Gain Access to Artifice task and journal entry. In a few seconds you will be teleported to Xenos.

At the top of your screen will be a blue person compass marker labeled Elf Official Task: Gain Access to Artifice . Go and speak to this person. Gain Access to Artifice task and journal entry clears. Receive Enter Artifice task and journal entry. Click the name keyword. They will give their name as Notus. Give them your name if you wish. Click the waiting, Artifice, Avatar, Boreas, lottery and truly ready keywords. Click Goodbye. Leave Xenos and go to the World Map.

Part 6 - The Halls of Artifice

This next section is a rather long sequence of events that you may want to wait at this point and do another time if you do not have some free time. Do feel free to just come back and finish this when you have the time to do so!

Also of note, once you are inside the Halls of Artifice you will be completely safe, as there is no combat at all required while within it.

There's no quest marker for Artifice on the compass or map. Just follow the road West from Xenos to the end to find Artifice and enter.

There's no map for this scene. In your compass at the top of your screen is a blue marker labeled Entrance to Artifice Task: Find Person in Charge. Follow the road to this location. Feel free to speak to any of the Artifice Guard's along the way.

When you get close to the entrance of Artifice, you will see a NPC named The Welcomer. Speak to them. Click the customized, desire and others keywords. Click goodbye. Go up the stairs and enter the Entrance to Artifice.

There is no map for this scene. There are no quest markers for this scene. Enter Artifice task and journal entry clears. Receive Explore Artifice task and journal entry. After you arrive, turn Southwest and see a Artifice Guard and a large gate with 3 locks on it. Speak to the Artifice Guard.

Click the name keyword, they will give their name as Pepys. Give them your name if you wish. Click the deeper and key keywords. Click Goodbye.

We need to find 3 different keys that are located in this scene to be able to open the door. Turn Northeast and look for a glowing passage that has piles of treasure and coins and gold objects near by. Enter the glowing entrance.

Feel free to speak to the various Greedy Pilgrims here. To the east is a box with the name The Gift of Envy. Click on that and take the Key of Envy. Exit this room to the West.

Turn North to the next glowing entrance that has various food all round. Enter the glowing entrance.

Feel free to speak to the various Hungry Pilgrim's here. To the north by the fireplace is a box with the name The Gift of Hunger. Click on that and take the Key of Hunger. Exit this room.

Turn Southwest to the next glowing entrance that has a green couch and chair and desk near by. Enter the glowing entrance.

Feel free to speak to the various Lustful Pilgrim's near by. To the west is a box named The Gift of Longing. Click on that and take the Key of Longing. Exit the room.

Turn southeast and you will now be back at the gate with the 3 locks. Hover you mouse on the 3 different locks, there are 3 different ones: Envy, Hunger and Longing. Click on each one and wait for the key turn animation to finish. Then click on the door to open it. Continue South to where an Artifice Guard is and speak to them.

Click the unsettling and enlightenment keywords. Answer however you wish. Click Goodbye and enter the room.

Feel free to read the various dialogue from the people here that you will see. And feel free to speak to them if you would like to know more. When you are ready to proceed go through the door to the west and continue to follow the hallway to another door and open it to enter the next room.

Feel free to read the various dialogue from the people here. Speak to the Artifice Guard in the room. Click on the name keyword. They will give their name as Tarkis. Click the asked for this and fate keywords. Receive Find Notus in Artifice task and journal entry. Click Goodbye. When you are ready go to the door to the east and go through it and follow the hallways to another door and enter it.

Feel free to also observe more from the various dialogue from the people within here.... Near the cage in the ceneter is a NPC named Tormentor. Speak to them. Click the fun, outlander, they're just kids and victim doesn't want this keywords. Click Goodbye. There is nothing you can do here however, and you might be thinking now something is very wrong here..... Proceed to the door to the west and follow the hallway to another door.

Open the door and then look around. Your next objective is to open the door to the prison. Read the sign above the door very carefully, and carefully select one of the 2 Key Holes and unlock it, then open the prison door. Then enter the prison and open the door to the east and follow the hallway to a glowing entrance and go through.

Part 7 - The Maze

You will now enter a maze that does actually have a kind of logic puzzle that once you figure it out, you can then proceed to the next area. I do recommend you try to figure this logic puzzle on your own. Or feel free to read the spoiler below.

BUG: While attempting to figure out this logic puzzle on your own, and not going the correct way, you will come across an invisible object that will block you for a moment then cause you to jump up.

Spoiler: Maze Puzzle

Turn at each blue flame torch you see. If you see a blue torch at a T-intersection, Turn Right.

Spoiler: Step by Step Instructions

When you first arrive there will be a blue torch on the wall near you on the West wall. Turn left (east). Follow the corridor to another blue torch on the wall. Turn left (east). Follow the corridor to another blue torch on the wall. Turn left (west) and walk a short distance to another blue torch on the wall. Turn right (north) and walk a short distance to a blue torch on the wall, Turn left (west) and follow the corridor to a blue torch on the wall. Turn right (east) and follow the corridor and enter the glowing entrance.

After you have found out a way out of the maze you will now arrive in a room with Notus. Speak to Notus.

Click the this far, It is evil, children, nature, bonesteel, who would kill them, hephaestus and boreus. Find Notus in Artifice and Explore Artifice task and journal entry clears. Receive Find Boreas! task and journal entry. Click Goodbye. Continue to the door to the east, of which you will also see a blue marker at the top of your compass labeled Find Boreas!. Go through the door.

Go close to Boreas and you will see a glowing crown on a table near him. Click on the crown. Receive Bonesteel Crown artifact. Find Boreas! task and journal entry clears. Receive Seek information About Crown task and journal entry. Proceed to the door to the east. On your compass it will have a door icon labeled Exit to Royal Forge. Open the door and go through the glowing entrance.

Continue forward toward the blue Hourglass compass marker labeled Seek information About Crown and see a Kobold Blacksmith. Speak to them.

They will give their name as Hephaestus. Give them your name if you wish. Click the crown, No, obviously not, avatar, Of course I do! and destiny keywords. Seek information About Crown task and journal entry clears. Receive Speak to Faun in Lycaeum task and journal entry. Click Goodbye.

In your compass east will be a blue hourglass marker labeled Search Area for Faun? Head to that area and walk through the glowing entrance.

Continue east and then turn North. You will see the elf Kiakis. Feel free to speak to him if you wish. Continue North to see a Curious Faun and speak to them. Click the name keyword. They will give their name as Perri. Give them your name if you wish. Click the not many, satyrs, stronger together, fight and free, keywords. Speak to Faun in Lycaeum task and journal entry clears. Receive Ask Hephaestus about Destiny task and journal entry. Click Goodbye.

(Optional)
Speak to Perri again, and click on the homily keyword. They will ask for the Homily of Perri the Unchained quest item book. Hand that to them. You will receive a rewards. Doing so, you will not get a copy of Homily of Perri the Unchained book back however.

Turn back South, and then turn west, past Kiakis and go back into the glowing entrance.

Speak to Hephaestus. Click the destiny keyword. Ask Hephaestus about Destiny task and journal entry clears. Click Goodbye.

There are no markers in the compass for the exit. Head back to the Lycaeum East and go through the glowing entrance.

Go east and then turn south where Kiakis is. Then turn west then turn north. You will see a set of stairs. Go north up the stairs. Follow the hallway and take the first west to see a glowing entrance with a marker on the compass labeled exit. Go through the glowing entrance to forever leave the Halls of Artifice...

You may wish to now get ready for combat for when you arrive in the Elysian Ruins. There's several wolves here or you can however just run to the exit of the scene. Exit this scene back to the Overland Map.

And that is it! You have now completed the Path of Truth!

Now that you have the Bonesteel Crown artifact, go to any Oracle Confirmatory and speak to the Oracle. She will know you have the Bonesteel Crown and hand you an item: Gem of Truth. She will also tell you the words of power needed to activate the Bonesteel Crown, when you have it equipped: Wast Ylem Asen Desen Umbra Nox Corp.

You now can continue on to do the other 2 paths, if you have not done so already.

If you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to post!
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Bugs
*Various scenes do not have any maps.
*Various blue quest markers are not present at certain stages of the quest.
*An invisible object that will block you for a moment then cause you to jump up in the maze section in the Halls of Artifice if you don't follow the correct path out of the maze.
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Updates:
*Updated with the changes to the room with children offline build SotA.Win.64.1498.Date.12.20.21
*Original Post posted as of SotA.QA.Win.64.1120.Date.01.05.21 build. The exact sequence posted above was done.
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Looking great! Thanks Anpu