Heartstrings is the optional quest that hands you the Crystal Bow, a masterwork ranged weapon, for nothing more than a long walk east across the Fractured Plains. The route is a chain of memorial stones set beside unmistakable blue-leaved Anima trees, left behind by an elf bard mourning a human partner named Meya. The only genuinely tricky part is the very first stone, which sits on top of a cliff you cannot simply walk up.
Quick answer: Search the glowing memorial stone at the blue tree atop the hill in the Fractured Plains, then interact with the remaining memorial stones in order, heading east. At the last tree, choose “Sing the bard’s song of remembrance.”
Heartstrings requirements and what to bring
Heartstrings is a secondary quest in the Ghornfell area, released alongside the game on 15 April 2025. It needs no quest items and only one prerequisite, but the open ground between the stones is patrolled, so the recommended kit is about surviving the walk rather than solving a puzzle.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Secondary quest |
| Requirement | Getting Started |
| Start point | Memorial stone on the hilltop, Fractured Plains |
| Required items | None |
| Recommended | Good armour and weapons, antipoison potions, air runes |
| Enemies | Garou, wolves |
| Reward | Crystal Bow plus its recipe |
Air runes matter because the climb to the first stone uses the Windstep spell repeatedly. If you cannot cast it yet, building foundations and stairs up to the ledge works as an alternative, and a few players prefer that route anyway since it removes the risk of a missed jump.
Do not dive off the cliff toward the trees to the east once you reach the top. Windstep will not save you from that fall, and dying resets the memorial sequence.
How to start Heartstrings: The climb to the first memorial stone
The starting stone sits near the centre of the Fractured Plains, on the high ground directly above the first Fractured Plains dungeon. Look for the large tree with blue leaves on the cliff edge, with the glowing memorial stone at its base.
All memorial stone locations, in order
There are seven stones in total, counting the one that starts the quest, and every one of them sits at the foot of the same distinctive blue-leaved tree. They have to be touched in sequence. Skip one and the chain will not advance, and if you die partway through you start the sequence again from the first tree.
| Stone | Direction | Landmark |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quest start | Hilltop above the dungeon, beside ruins |
| 2 | East | Elevated ground north of a pond |
| 3 | East along the road | Edge of a small cliff |
| 4 | South-east | Near a stone archway and ruined tower |
| 5 | Continue south-east | Ruined structure with a garou camp |
| 6 | North | Hill just off the path, on the right |
| 7 | North, across a gorge | Cliff edge past a fallen-tree bridge |
Stones two to four: The quiet stretch
From the starting tree, head east and look for the pond on your map. The second tree stands on the slope above it. The third follows the road further east and sits at the lip of a small cliff, a few hundred metres in. Both are straightforward pickups with only scattered wildlife in the way.
The fourth tree continues along the same road as it bends south-east, beside a stone archway and a ruined tower. Clear anything wandering nearby before you interact, since the reading animation leaves you exposed.
Gather the Anima-Infused Bark scattered around each blue tree as you pass. The Crystal Bow recipe needs four of it, so the walk doubles as a materials run.
Stone five: The garou camp
The fifth tree is the dangerous one. It stands inside a dilapidated structure toward the Bloodblight Swamp border, guarded by a small camp that can include a Shaman and two Berserkers. Pull them away and fight at range rather than trading blows on top of the stone, and go in wearing a full armour set for the bonus. Dropping a lodestone in this corner saves a long walk back if things go badly.
Stone six and the final tree
From the camp, follow the road north toward the edge of the region. The sixth tree waits on a hill to your right, on a cliffside looking out over the sea.
The last tree is a short trip north across the gorge. Cross the fallen tree serving as a bridge, turn left, and walk until the tree appears on the rise to your right. It looks different from the six before it, which is the cue that you have reached the end of the path.
Completing the quest and confirming the Crystal Bow arrived
Interacting with the seventh memorial opens two dialogue options. Pick the first, “Sing the bard’s song of remembrance,” rather than “Step Away.” The song itself is written in Welsh, and the elf’s story resolves through it.
Make sure your inventory has an open slot before singing. The quest only finishes when the Crystal Bow can be added, so a full inventory leaves you with the completed song but no weapon.
You know it worked when “QUEST COMPLETE” appears on screen along with a new recipes notification, and Heartstrings drops out of your active quest tracker. Open your inventory and check that the Crystal Bow is physically there alongside its recipe. If the dialogue option seems to do nothing the first time, selecting it again has resolved it for some players.
Crystal Bow stats and how to craft more
The Crystal Bow is a masterwork ranged weapon with a durability pool of 1,050 and a special action called Shattershot. It sits in the same tier as the Abyssal Whip and the Staff of Light, which is why a quest with no combat gate at the end is worth the walk.
Make extra copies at the Smithing Anvil rather than a crafting table. The bow is listed in the Masterwork section, and the anvil recipe unlocks after you first smelt a Bronze Bar in a Furnace.
- Opal x18
- Vault Shard x8
- Vault Core x1
- Anima-Infused Bark x4
- Bronze Bar x4
- Wool Thread x4
Nothing else in the game is locked behind Heartstrings, so the quest is purely a reward run. Done in one trip with lodestones placed along the way and bark collected at every tree, it costs an afternoon and pays out a top-tier bow plus the means to replace it.
