Norgan is packed with side quests, and some of them hand out rewards that make the whole expansion easier. I'm talking a 7th augment slot, transmog, a wolf that sniffs out relics, and a ring that makes the cold stop draining you. Here are the ones worth your time, in the order you can get them. Light story spoilers ahead, no big reveals.
Key Takeaways
- Save your first 20 Norgan Ducats for the 7th augment slot book from Dwayne.
- Do the wolf quests early. The wolf leads you straight to relics.
- Learn Heatstone crafting early and finish Hal's Treasure Hunt for the cold-proof ring.
- Transmog comes from Reaching the Far Shore, later in the story. Do not miss it.
Quick List
| Side quest | When it opens | Why do it |
|---|---|---|
| Dwayne's Ducat trades | Right away | 7th augment slot book (20 Ducats), Ring of Virtue (1 Ducat) |
| Hammer and Tongs | Right away | Unlocks Hal the blacksmith |
| In for a Hare, in for a Hound | After Chilling Tidings | The relic-hunting wolf |
| Sticks and Stones | After Chilling Tidings | Heatstone crafting |
| Oh, to Be in Vermund | After Rumbles in the North | Easy XP and Rift Crystals, later a consumables shop |
| Hal's Treasure Hunt | After The Castle in the Ice | A ring that stops the cold |
| Reaching the Far Shore | Later in the story | Transmog |
| The Truant Soldier | After Rumbles in the North | Amos, who later gives you a cave map |
| The Snatching-Beast | After Rumbles in the North | Level 3 relics |
| No Spoils Get Left Behind | After The Castle in the Ice | A pile of level 4 relics |
| Quilt Me Down with a Feather | After The Castle in the Ice | The Firebird Cloak |
Do These First
Dwayne's Ducat Trades
Dwayne runs the inn and trades for Norgan Ducats. Save your first 20 and buy the book that unlocks a 7th augment slot. It works for every vocation, and for your main pawn too. While you are there, grab the Ring of Virtue for 1 Ducat, favorite it, and wear it for the final boss of the DLC story.
Hammer and Tongs
Hal the blacksmith needs winterweed. You can find it all over the starting area of Norgan, and it glows purple at night, so it is easy to spot after dark. Bring it back and his smithing opens up. His first gear is just okay, but it gets a lot better later (see Village Defense below).
The Wolf Quests
After your first run-in with the undead dragon, the girl looking after the village wolves asks for alpine hare meat (In for a Hare, in for a Hound). Kill the white rabbits around the area and bring the meat back. The wolf, Freki, then leads you to nearby relics and a chest.
The follow-up quests are where it gets good. A Direwolf Delicacy gives you a Hound's Scent Pouch, which lets you call the wolf wherever you are and have her show you the relics around you. Later, A Hound and His Bone has you find a missing wolf pup, and the reward cuts your stamina drain while you travel with the wolf.
Sticks and Stones
A soldier northwest of the village needs help finding Heatstones in old firepits. You are heading that way for the main story anyway. Finish it and you learn to craft Heatstones yourself (one Molten Ore plus one Sunstone makes three). In the cold, that is a lifesaver.
Oh, to Be in Vermund
A little girl in the village dreams about Vermund. She asks for a rabbit pelt, then a Moonloom, then a noble cloak, all easy stuff from the main game. You get XP, ingredients and Rift Crystals. Later in the story she asks you to take her to the scholar (Flight in the Night). Help her and she opens a consumables shop in the village.
Mid-Story Quests
Village Defense
When the village gets attacked while Hal is hurt, stay and defend it. You get relics, a Ring of Toppling, and Hal comes back stronger. His new weapons and armor use Norgan ore and monster parts and can keep up with level 3 and 4 relics, upgraded skills included. If your relic drops are bad, craft from Hal.
Hal's Treasure Hunt
Hal marks four wooden posts with red flags out in the Norgan Snowfield. They are buried in snowdrifts, so run through the drifts to uncover them. The eastern two are in a whiteout with no mini-map, so open your main map to get your bearings. Once all four are found, the treasure is in Snowslide Pass, a little cave to the north. Bring Hal the rusted ring you find there and he turns it into a ring that stops the cold from building up and draining your max stamina. Huge in Norgan.
The Truant Soldier
Amos, one of the commission knights, keeps getting lost. When he goes missing in the snowfield, take the elevator down, save him, and send him home. Do not skip this one. Later in the main story you have to search a huge underground area for stone tablets, and because you helped Amos, he shows up with a map of the whole cave.
The Stranger in the Snowfield
Find the stranded merchant in the snowfield cave and fight off the attack. He becomes a merchant who sells Climbing Hooks, strong consumables and rings that block status buildup.
Free Relics
- A Howl in the Dark (opens after Sticks and Stones): track a beast that stole a pendant. It is out in the snowfield at night, in a whiteout. The dark wolf has a barrier, and holy damage breaks it. It drops a bunch of level 3 relics, plus gold and XP when you return the pendant.
- The Snatching-Beast (opens after Rumbles in the North): get back five lost supply packs from a snowfield cave. One pack is on a high ledge behind breakable boxes in the center room, so do not leave without all five. You get level 3 relics.
- No Spoils Get Left Behind (opens after The Castle in the Ice): Chrona asks for backup against some of the toughest enemies in Norgan, including a Gore Chimera. Hit the goat head first. Win, then hurry to the cave to the west for a huge pile of level 4 relics. Go in with level 3 or 4 gear.
Late-Story Quests
Reaching the Far Shore (Transmog)
This is the big one everybody wants. It shows up later in the main story from Jiera, the appraiser. The quest has you chase the ice dragon Fimbl three times: once out in the open, once inside the castle, and once at the lake. At the lake, use the ballistas in the ruins to shoot it. Fire between its spells and get to cover when they come your way, because the ballistas break.
Once it dies, rest overnight and the lake freezes over. Cross it, loot the cave on the far side for the Taillour-Crafte Treatise, and bring it to Hal. He can then tailor your relic gear to look like other gear you have found. It costs gold, which you will have plenty of.
When the Culling Gets Tough and Bout of Passage
Dwayne is scared to fight monsters. Help him anyway. After a couple of failed tries, he finally steps up when his little sister goes missing, and you get the Ring of Brawling for bare-handed damage. Later his dad wants you two to have a fist fight (Bout of Passage). Dwayne asks you to help him cheat with a couple of extracts. Your call, but you get a big chunk of XP, Rift Crystals and consumables either way.
Quilt Me Down with a Feather
Aymond wants a feather from a living gagana's nest. Beat the gagana once in its cave to the east, talk to him again, then summon a new one (rest a few days so a brazier frees up). This time, weaken it until the music changes, climb on its back, and ride it back to the nest. Let it burn the ice there too, because there are extra chests. Grab the feather and Aymond makes you the Firebird Cloak. It resists frostbite and fire, and since it is a cloak, every vocation can wear it.
Bonus: A Lost Rite Behind a Base Game Quest
One of the new Lost Rites dungeons, the Mired Conduit on the west side of Battahl, is reached through the Coral Snake hideout, which is normally closed off. To open it, finish the base game side quest Mercy Among Thieves. It starts at Checkpoint Rest Town when you help the beggar near the gate to Battahl. Once the gang is dealt with, the oasis in the middle of their caves leads to the dungeon. It has a big fight you want to do before the end of the game, plus good armor.
New to the expansion? Start with my Dark Arisen: What to Do First guide.