The Blood of Dawnwalker: How to complete A Bulwark Against Darkness
Overview & Key Takeaways
Looking to complete the A Bulwark Against Darkness quest in The Blood of Dawnwalker? It all starts with a mysterious letter from a stranger, and it ends with a ritual that'll provide you with a full Legendary suit of armour. Put it this way - it's worth your time.
Fortunately, it won't take you as long as it took me, as I've scoured all of Vale Sangora to track down the four items you need to craft such devastating protection. And you'll certainly be grateful once you reach any of The Blood of Dawnwalker endings to have it equipped, protecting you from Brencis's wrath.
In this guide, we'll explain exactly how to complete the A Bulwark Against Darkness quest in The Blood of Dawnwalker, unravelling the mysterious words of the smuggler's letter and pointing out the Uriash blacksmith who can help you get the Arbiter's Suit of Armour.
Looking to complete the A Bulwark Against Darkness quest in The Blood of Dawnwalker? It all starts with a mysterious letter from a stranger, and it ends with a ritual that'll provide you with a full Legendary suit of armour. Put it this way - it's worth your time.
Fortunately, it won't take you as long as it took me, as I've scoured all of Vale Sangora to track down the four items you need to craft such devastating protection. And you'll certainly be grateful once you reach any of The Blood of Dawnwalker endings to have it equipped, protecting you from Brencis's wrath.
In this guide, we'll explain exactly how to complete the A Bulwark Against Darkness quest in The Blood of Dawnwalker, unravelling the mysterious words of the smuggler's letter and pointing out the Uriash blacksmith who can help you get the Arbiter's Suit of Armour.
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How to complete A Bulwark Against Darkness
To equip the Arbiter's Suit of Armour in its Legendary form, you first need to complete some important steps. Here's the full walkthrough for the A Bulwark Against Darkness quest:
- Reach Notorious level of Infamy
- Find the smuggler in Svartrau City
- Obtain the Moult of a Large Lizard
- Obtain the Relic of a Saint
- Obtain a bundle of Silk Threads
- Obtain a Flask of Quicksilver
- Visit the Uriash blacksmith
- Perform the ritual
1. Reach Notorious level of Infamy
Image credit: RPS/Bandai Namco
In order to trigger the A Bulwark Against Darkness quest, you'll first need to reach the Notorious level of Infamy. This can be achieved by completing any of the missions affecting Brencis's Boyars, such as Ambrus or Bakir. However, the quest won't just be handed to you (not yet anyway) - you'll need to wait for a run-in with a mysterious stranger.
Mark step as finished.
2. Find the smuggler in Svartrau City
Image credit: RPS/Bandai Namco
Once at Notorious level, head to the Altenmarkt area of Svartrau City. Walk around near the Tavern and market stalls, and a smuggler will approach you. They'll hand you a strange letter detailing all the components you need for a rather special suit of armour.
Mark step as finished.
3. Obtain the Moult of a Large Lizard
Image credit: RPS/Bandai Namco
For your first component, go to the Briar Sloughs bog. While you may be tempted to head to the Tatzelwurm lair, you won't find this particularly large lizard there. Instead, head directly east of the Muddy Trail shrine where you'll find a large cave. Fight the lizards there and retrieve your reward.
Mark step as finished.
4. Obtain the Relic of a Saint
Image credit: RPS/Bandai Namco
Fortunately, there's a few different ways to retrieve the Relic of a Saint, and you may well have one on you already without realising it. If you've completed the Echoes of Silenced Bells quest, you'll have visited St. Tyna's Convent, where the Saint's Tibia can be found by carefully looting the body next to a ladder in the courtyard.
Image credit: RPS/Bandai Namco
It's also possible to find the Relic of St. Tyna at St. Tyna's Convent. This has its own uses as a piece of equipment, but the Saint's Tibia, on the other hand, has no other use and can't be sold. You can also pick up the Relic of St. Tobias during the Night of Horrors quest with Lacra, or the Relic of St. Dasius can be purchased from Vicho following the A Study in Crimson quest.
Mark step as finished.
5. Obtain a bundle of Silk Threads
Image credit: RPS/Bandai Namco
For this one, you'll want to track down all of the Sanzhana locations in The Blood of Dawnwalker. While there's two Sanzhana missions that will help you retrieve a bundle of Silk Threads, there's one that'll save you some serious denarii.
Image credit: RPS/Bandai Namco
As covered in our guide, focus on the Come Hither quest located south of Svartrau (and highlighted with a quest marker). Completing this mission and slaying a Murohn will get you a bundle of Silk Threads for free, handily obtained in the Murohn's lair. You can also complete the Pearly and Precious Sanzhana quest, but you'll have to buy the Silk Threads for almost 6,000 denarii. See, told you that there was a way to save money.
Mark step as finished.
6. Obtain a Flask of Quicksilver
Image credit: RPS/Bandai Namco
The final item to obtain the Arbiter's Suit of Armour is a Flask of Quicksilver. For this, you must head to the ominous Aurelius's Tower in the deep south of the map past The Silts. Entering the tower leads to a few mini-bosses before you're plunged into the Home Sweet Home quest that'll trap you in a terrifying loop.
Once you eventually escape, you'll be able to search the tower freely. Head to the top floor and use Focus Mode to detect the Flask of Quicksilver sitting on the edge of the desk.
Mark step as finished.
7. Visit the Uriash blacksmith
Image credit: RPS/Bandai Namco
You'll most likely have met the Uriash Hermit blacksmith already by completing the A Forge it Anew quest. They can be found in the northwest of the map, easily visited by the Uriash Hermitage shrine that resides there.
Image credit: RPS/Bandai Namco
Hand over all four components one-by-one, and they will exchange you the Arbiter's Suit of Armour. But, much like St. Mihai's Sword, you'll find the Uriash blacksmith isn't finished yet. In fact, there's one more step that'll turn this already-impressive set of armour into something extraordinary.
Mark step as finished.
8. Perform the ritual
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The Uriash blacksmith will inform you of a ritual that can be performed to bind the armour to you. While they play a bit of music, you'll need to fight off a pack of wolves followed by a pretty aggressive bear called the Ursine Apparition. Once defeated, you'll receive the Arbiter's Suit of Armour in its wholly Legendary form.
Mark step as finished.
That's everything you need to know to complete the A Bulwark Against Darkness quest in The Blood of Dawnwalker. While you're here, why don't you check out our The Blood of Dawnwalker review as well? We've also got useful guides on the best weapons to get first, and the best skills to get first.
