Hive and Seek sends Coen and Lacra underground to track down Isbrand, the vrakhir who might know a weakness in Brencis. The route is linear, but the quest stacks a lot of objectives back to back, and one late dialogue choice decides whether Isbrand survives long enough to be questioned.
Quick answer: Talk to Lacra in the hills on the northwestern edge of Rockfalls, follow her into the caves, accept the Hive’s offer to guide you, kill Chonk the Insatiable, then tell the Kobolds they will lose their bond if they feed on Isbrand and speak to him to end the quest.
Where Hive and Seek starts in The Blood of Dawnwalker
Hive and Seek is part of the Svartrau City quest line and follows A Friend Like This and Song of the Mountain. The quest itself plays out in Rockfalls, and it feeds directly into Our Rotten Roots once it wraps up.
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Starting point | Lacra, in the hills on the northwestern end of Rockfalls |
| Objectives | Talk to Lacra, Go to the caves with Lacra, Find and question Isbrand |
| Companion | Lacra, who uses blood magic to clear the path |
| Main hazard | Silver-infused water in the cave system |
| Boss | Chonk the Insatiable |
| Follow-up quest | Our Rotten Roots |
Follow Lacra to the cave and clear the boulder
The dialogue here is flavour rather than a fork. “Well, that solves it” and “Let’s find Isbrand, then — and unmake our maker” both simply push you into the tunnels.
Cave route: silver-infused water, green stones, and Planeshift
The cave is one long corridor with a few detours, so there is little chance of getting lost. When a junction is unclear, follow the green glow. The glowing stones mark the intended path all the way through the hive.
The one real hazard is the silver-infused water pooled along the floor. Standing in it damages you, so hop across the dry ground or use teleportation to climb past it. Kobolds ambush you in small groups along the way, and the pit sections need either a jump or Planeshift to cross.
Loot is worth grabbing as you go. The passages hold a Lump of Silver, a Broken Hammer, a Broken Sword, Cave Fungus, Green-Gilled Mushroom, Rat Meat, Dog Hide, Common Marrow, and Kobold Bile from the bodies you leave behind.
Investigate the corrupted Kobold
Deeper in, a lone Kobold jumps you in a wide open chamber. Kill it and the game triggers a conversation where Lacra points out that the creature is corrupted. Pick “Let’s investigate further” to examine the carcass and close out the beat.
From there, look to the right for a large wall ringed with green glowing stones. Planeshift across the gap, then work through the platforming and scaffolding section beyond it. That path ends at another corrupted Kobold, and killing it starts the conversation with the Hive.
The Hive’s deal: kill Chonk to reach Isbrand
The Kobolds speak collectively as the Hive, and they offer to lead you to Isbrand. The price is Chonk. Turning them down with “We’re good on our own, as you can see” or calling it out with “This is a trap” keeps the option open rather than ending the exchange.
Taking the deal is the cleaner route. Select “I think it’s worth the risk” and the Kobolds start guiding you through the tunnels. Expect an ambush partway along, so keep your health topped up before you agree.
The guide leads you to Isbrand, who is being held prisoner. Chonk shows up moments later and the boss fight begins.
How to beat Chonk the Insatiable
Chonk hits hard, but his moveset is short and heavily telegraphed. Waves of regular Kobolds join in during the fight, so thin them out whenever Chonk resets his distance.
| Attack | Tell | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Acid spit | He spreads his arms wide | Dodge on the wind-up, then circle behind and punish |
| Lunge | He leaps forward with his claws | Sidestep and attack in the recovery window |
| Standard combo | Repeated hand strikes | Read the direction of each swing and perfect block |
Note: the surviving Kobolds scatter once Chonk goes down, so there is no cleanup phase to worry about.
Stop the Hive from feeding on Isbrand
This is the part that actually matters. With Chonk dead, the Hive turns on Isbrand and moves in to feed. Tell them to calm down, then explain that they will lose their bond if they drain him. That argument is what makes the Kobolds back off and leave the vrakhir alone.
Once they retreat, talk to Isbrand to trigger the closing cutscene. Lacra breaks off to look for a solution of her own, and the option to give her a day appears as the scene wraps.
How to confirm Hive and Seek is complete
The quest ends with a cutscene of a town crier reading out a curfew decree, after which Coen wakes up. Open the journal and Hive and Seek is marked as completed, with Our Rotten Roots waiting as the next step in the chain.
If the quest has not closed out, the usual causes are simple. You either refused the Hive’s offer and never reached Isbrand’s cell, or you defeated Chonk but walked away before finishing the conversation with the Kobolds and speaking to Isbrand himself. The journal objective stays on Find and question Isbrand until that final exchange plays out.
Because time in The Blood of Dawnwalker is spent rather than passed, it is worth banking a manual save before you head into the caves. That gives you a clean point to return to if the Chonk fight or the post-battle dialogue goes sideways.
