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Questing the Castle
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Questing the Castle

Walkthrough for Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen's 'Questing the Castle' quest. Learn how to infiltrate the Duke's Castle, meet Aelinore, and deal with the Duke.

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Walkthrough for Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen's 'Questing the Castle' quest. Learn how to infiltrate the Duke's Castle, meet Aelinore, and deal with the Duke.

Walkthrough
  1. 1
    Ensure it is night. If not, rest at the Gran Soren Union Inn until it is.
  2. 2
    Retrieve one Skeleton Key from storage.
  3. 3
    Confirm you have the 'Gardener's Permit' in your inventory.
  4. 4
    Head to the Duke's Castle. You may encounter Ser Jakys or Flavian, who can offer information about the gardener.
  5. 5
    Upon reaching the castle gates, head north into the 'Duchess's Gardens'.
  6. 6
    Find Mirabelle, Aelinore's handmaiden, on the southern end of the stone pavilion. Speak with her.
  7. 7
    After speaking with Mirabelle, head to the un-named grounds south of the castle.
  8. 8
    Find Fedel standing near the southern pavilion on the eastern side. Speak with him to receive details about his espionage and a potential military coup.
  9. 9
    Return to the Duke's Castle and infiltrate it. Proceed through the front doors, the antechamber, and the 'Audience Chamber'.
  10. 10
    Scale the northern stairs behind the throne. Be cautious of guards; wait for them to move on if spotted. Invisibility does not fool guards.
  11. 11
    Continue up the stairs and through a doorway, then up more stairs to reach a tower.
  12. 12
    Go through another doorway to reach the bridge connecting to the Duchess's tower. The guard by the door will be gone if you have spoken to Mirabelle.
  13. 13
    Enter the Duchess's tower and watch the cutscene.
  14. 14
    After the cutscene, you have two choices:
  15. 15
    Wait: If you wait, Aelinore will be killed by the Duke, failing the quest and preventing future Aelinore-related quests.
  16. 16
    Confront the Duke: Leave your hiding spot and confront the Duke.
  17. 17
    If you confront the Duke, he will stop assaulting Aelinore. Aelinore will then blame you, and the Duke will let her call the guard.
  18. 18
    You will be taken to prison and spoken to by 'Ser Jakob'.
  19. 19
    After the confrontation in prison, Aelinore will appear, apologize, and give you two Skeleton Keys to aid your escape.
Tips
  • Having a Skeleton Key is important for economic reasons and for escaping prison.
  • Be aware that guards will arrest you if they spot you in the castle at night.
  • Assassin's Invisibility skill does not prevent guards from spotting you.
  • Failing to save Aelinore has consequences for future quests and access to certain areas.
  • Two Skeleton Keys (after being imprisoned and freed).

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