Quests and the Story Tree
The typical quest ends with you bringing an item to someone and picking the right line of dialogue. What you’re currently working on appears in the Story Tree, a tab in the character window that unlocks the first time you’re sent to look for Herbert. For every quest in the game, see the Quests page.
Taken or only checked?
Dialogue answers that complete a quest display their requirements beside them:
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Price | The item is handed over and gone. |
| Lock | The item or number is just checked, and you keep it. |
| Red lock, answer greyed out | You don’t meet the requirement yet. |
A case in point: Certificate, Please wants you to show Herbert a burial certificate, not give it up, so it’s still available to sell later.
Where the item has to be depends on the wording. Anything you hand over must sit in your backpack; a copy on your toolbar is ignored. But when a quest wants something equipped, a tool or armour for instance, it has to be on the toolbar.
Working out where to go
- A marker above someone’s head means a hand-in is ready right now. It appears only when you satisfy the conditions, not just because the quest is active.
- Watch for interaction prompts. Any character or object with something new to say shows a prompt, even if you weren’t looking for it. That prompt, rather than the marker, is the real signpost.
- Plenty of quests end without talking to anyone: you enter a place, complete a craft, or go to sleep. When the game says “come back later”, it nearly always means sleep in your bed.
A guard who sends you back every time isn’t broken. That road opens only when some other quest advances; for example, the village gate stays closed until Herbert has seen a burial certificate.
Reading the Story Tree
One box on the tree is one story step, yet a single box can contain several quests in a row. Only the first carries a name. Finish it and the next one slides into its place while the completed one disappears from view.
Notes
- Keep anything you might need to show. A quest that only checks an item still needs it in your possession at the moment you answer.
- First… Sludge? can be retried if you lose.
- Some deliveries skip the dialogue. Herm accepts certain hand-ins silently; the quest still finishes and the items are still removed.
- Winning the first battle doesn’t advance the story on its own. Things only continue once you step onto the port bridge, and you’re never forced across, so feel free to tidy up at home first.