Brighter Shores: Spider’s Nest quest guide

Brighter Shores’ Spider’s Nest quest is a side mission you can encounter in Hopeforest. While some are great for EXP gain, this quest unlocks one of the game’s most valuable mechanics: a banking system in the form of peculiar magical stones scattered around the map.

Brighter Shores Spider’s Nest quest walkthrough

The first part of the Spider’s Nest quest takes place in Hopeforest’s Cliffside Path area on the eastern side of the map. It’ll take some time to get here from the Road of Hopeport, so you’ll want to explore and get to know the forest before venturing this far.

Starting the quest

Once you reach the Cliffside Path, you’ll find Toblaine wrapped up in spider silk, unable to get out. You can joke with him about the situation, but your dialogue will lead to one point: help him escape this predicament. An easy way to get up here is going to the opposite side of the cliff, climbing up the stones, and attempting to run in front of the spider.

Although this would be a fine idea in normal circumstances, the Titan Spider at the top of the cliff disagrees. Once you attempt to cross the narrow ledge, the spider will knock you down, sending you to the floor.

Another NPC, Alannor, will comment on your fall and suggest a way to distract the spider before rescuing Toblaine. They’ll mention tar rats and recommend you ask folks in the southern parts of Hopeforest for some help. Our next destination is the camp in the Small Clearing south of Mine Road East.

Finding some tar rats

After entering the Small Clearing, you’ll spot someone named Hamish Truefire roasting some tar rats. You’d be right if you guessed he’d know where to find more of them. Instead of asking for a hunting spot, your character wonders if they can have one, prompting Hamish to talk about the Pool of Rainbows. An anti-acidic paste will help him get through, but he requires golden marrows, snake eyes, and a shield first.

Grabbing Golden Marrows and snake eyes

Now that Hamish has told you about some anti-acidic shields, your quest book will update, telling you to grab the following items:

• A Golden Marrow
• A Snake Eyeball
• Two uncoated Anti-Acid shields

Of these three objectives, the snake eyeball is the easiest. Head to Snake’s Clearing or Snake’s Path and kill some vipers. You’ll find these locations northeast of the Hopeforest Central portal stone. Vipers are level eight, so make sure you have some decent equipment before jumping into battle.

Golden Marrow, on the other hand, requires venturing down to Mr. McGrish’s Garden west of Timberwell Green. If you’re familiar with woodcutting and carpentry professions, you may have already visited these areas in the past. You’ll spot a golden marrow in his garden, but you’ll first need to convince him to give it to you. He’ll initially refuse since he wants to enter it in a contest. Let’s talk to the official judge and see what we can do.

Head over to Huntsman’s Lodge south of the Forest Clearing near the Road to Hopeport and speak to Kedwick Shalstanger. Ask him if he’s on the fruit and vegetable committee and ask to borrow his badge. He’s not opposed, but you’ll first have to prove yourself. Admittedly, I joked around and told him I could give him some broccoli, but the real answer is to demonstrate your hunting prowess.

Head back out into the forest, find a Spriggan in areas like Treeway Junction and Treeway Trail, and return to Kedwick to get the badge. If you’re unfamiliar with these areas, head north of the Hopeforest Central portal stone and travel north through Central Crossroads, North Central Path, and Stump Clearing.

After returning the claw and getting the badge, head to Timberwell Green and pick up the green marrow in the garden next to the side road’s entrance. On your way back to Mr McGrish’s Garden, you’ll spot some gold paint in front of a few apple trees, which you can use on the green marrow to turn it gold. Show the badge to Mr McGrish, approach his golden marrow, and “use” it on yours to wrap up this part of the quest. Two items down, one more to go.

Crafting some anti-acid shields

Lastly, we need two uncoated anti-acid shields. If you thought the last two were difficult, this one is by far the most tedious. You’ll only need one ash log to make both shields, but you’ll also need level 32 carpentry. If you’re not there yet, be prepared for some grinding. You can speed up the process by buying logs from Gwen’s Lumber, processing them, and selling the finished product, but you can chop down your own trees if you want to level multiple skills. You’ll also lose money doing this, so weigh your options carefully.

After hitting level 32 carpentry, use one ash log on the circular saw in the Carpenter’s Workshop. You’ll then need the workbenches to turn the planks into two shields. With everything on hand, return to Hamish Truefire and use everything on the campfire to make the anti-acid shields.

Now that you have a newly upgraded shield, run south through Acidic Avenue and enter the Pool of Rainbows. You’ll meet Marcus Mint, who’ll teach you how to use a Rift Stone. If this is all you wanted, you can end the quest now, but there are some extra rewards if you finish it. Along the way, you can also use a bucket on the pool to get some rainbow water, which you can bring to The Color Wheel west of Timberwell Side Road to unlock armor dyeing.

Rescuing Toblaine

With a quick trip to the Pool of Rainbows out of the way, talk to Hamish again to get a tar rat. Before returning, make sure you’re strong enough to fight several level 35 enemies.

Once you’re confident enough to fight some powerful spiders, return to the cliffside path and use the rat on the Big Flat Boulder to lure the Titan Spider into a trap. Shortly after, you’ll fight some level 35 baby Titan Spiders, who you’ll have to defeat to save Toblaine. Once Toblaine is safe and out of the webbing, you’ll gain 26,900 Carpenter and 28,500 Scout XP alongside the previous rewards from the Pool of Rainbows.