Exploring Devilfire Grove

A walkthrough for Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen's Devilfire Grove, detailing the path from the Ancient Quarry to the Rest Camp, Lake Hardship, and the Shadow Fort.

Once you exit the Ancient Quarry via the south exit, you’ll find yourself in the north-eastern corner of Devilfire Grove. The first stop is the ‘Rest Camp’ in the south, to link up your current explorations with the previous ones. Follow the cliffs to the east, then south, and finally west to reach the ‘Rest Camp’. Along the way you can score some ore veins along the cliffs, find a few junk-bearing square chests, and of course, fight off many Saurians, who dominate the eastern reaches of Devilfire Grove. When you reach the ‘Rest Camp’ do your business and get ready to explore this place properly.

From the ‘Rest Camp’ explore north a bit to discover a large lake, ‘Lake Hardship’ which occupies the center of Devilfire Grove. Saurians are as thick here as they are anywhere else in the game, so be ready for a fight. A quick run around the perimeter of the lake yields little of interest—some Saurians and a handful of meager fishing spots.

Again from the ‘Rest Camp’, head east to discover some apple trees bearing sustenance, and beyond them, a road which you’ll loosely be following for a while. The road initially runs to the north-east, but will turn north, then north-west as you run through the Saurian-infested forest. Be wary of monster-luring trip-wires and search around for the meager pickings to be had. Note that you can expect to encounter more Saurians at night than during the day.

Eventually the road will turn westward, and in the distance you’ll see a wooden cage surrounded by rocks and ruins. Loot a junk-filled square chest west of the ruins around the cage and from there head north, where you can find a junk-filled rounded chest north of a short section of ruined wall. Once done looting, continue west. This cage marks an important shift in Devilfire Grove. The Saurian presence ends abruptly, to be replaced by Goblinoids, which is only to be expected, considering a ‘horde’ of them lurks nearby.

Stick primarily to the road as you continue west, where Goblinoid presence grows the further you travel. Along the way, don’t be afraid to venture to the cliffs to the north to score some ore veins and climb the various boulders that litter the forest, as junk-filled square chests like to hide atop them. Also, you can gather a bounty of plants, fungi, and other natural treasures. Be wary of the tripwires as you explore and eventually you’ll reach the Shadow Fort, looming in the north-western corner of Devilfire Grove.

Gaze in wonder at the Shadow Fort, but don’t head inside yet. While the Shadow Fort is your ultimate goal, it is not your immediate goal—which is to explore Devilfire Grove. Kill Wild Boars wandering around outside the Shadow Fort if you’re hungry for some bacon and head south. Large boulders come close to forming a wall in this direction. Follow a rocky path between two large boulders, then under a fallen tree. Continue south-east to find another boulder-wall which—save for a gap in the center—nearly succeeds at being a wall. Beyond this second and last line of rock you’ll find a wooden cage; the area beyond is crawling with Goblinoids for you to smite.

Kill at will, but try to avoid getting lured south by conflict. Instead, from the wooden cage head east along an unscalable cliff to the north. Shortly you should see Lake Hardship to the north-east. Continue south-east around some boulders near the lake and continue through a forested, trip-wire laden grove to the east. This place will later be occupied by Hobgoblins and a Drake. Keep going east and you’ll find the road that leads back to the ‘Rest Camp’.