The Dark Arisen expansion sends the Arisen to Norgan, a frozen region north of the mainland, with a self-contained story that runs through roughly a dozen mandatory quests. The campaign is shorter than the base game, but the encounters are packed tighter and the difficulty climbs sharply the moment you arrive in the north.
Quick answer: Dark Arisen has 12 main quests, starting with Chilling Tidings. Expect about 20 to 25 hours for the Norgan story with an existing high-level character, or around 40 hours from a fresh level-1 run.
All main quests in Dark Arisen, in order
The Norgan questline progresses in a fixed sequence. There are technically 10 story missions, but Relics of the Past and Hammer and Tongs are listed alongside them here because each one unlocks a gameplay system you will rely on for the rest of the expansion.
| # | Quest |
|---|---|
| 1 | Chilling Tidings |
| 2 | Relics of the Past |
| 3 | Hammer and Tongs |
| 4 | Rumbles in the North |
| 5 | Seeking the Sage |
| 6 | Sage’s Wisdom |
| 7 | Sealed History |
| 8 | The Castle in the Ice |
| 9 | Soul Searching |
| 10 | Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way |
| 11 | Reunion |
| 12 | Into Rancor |
Relics of the Past unlocks spoil appraisal, which turns the relics you dig up in Norgan into random-stat gear and becomes your main way to grow stronger. Hammer and Tongs unlocks gear crafting with Hal, a reliable fallback when appraisal isn’t handing you good equipment for your Vocation. Treat both as required progress rather than optional detours.
How to start Chilling Tidings
The expansion begins in Vernworth through Captain Brant. You need a character at the recommended level 40 before heading to Norgan, since even top-tier base-game gear falls short against the enemies there.
You’ll know it worked when the HUD shows “Chilling Tidings” added and the Quest Log lists its objective to stay at Shakir’s Inn until further word arrives. The separate “About the uncovered ruins…” option instead starts Lost Rites, a level 20 dungeon track that runs on the existing Vermund and Battahl map.
How long the Dark Arisen campaign takes
Completion time depends heavily on how prepared your Arisen is when you reach Norgan. A character already well past level 40 can clear the story in roughly 25 hours. A brand-new character starting at level 1, played on Hard Mode, takes closer to 40 hours to reach the final boss, with about 30 of those hours spent inside Norgan itself.
| Scenario | Approximate time |
|---|---|
| Norgan story (existing high-level save) | 20–25 hours |
| Fresh level 1 to final boss (Hard Mode) | ~40 hours |
| Capcom estimate, Norgan scenario | 15–20 hours |
| Whole expansion (Norgan plus Lost Rites) | More than 25 hours |
Producer Naoto Oyama placed the Norgan scenario at around 15 to 20 hours and the full expansion, counting the 12 Lost Rites dungeons at 30 minutes to an hour each, at more than 25 hours of additional content. The base game sits at 30 to 40 hours on top of that for anyone starting fresh.
There is a sharp difficulty jump between the mainland and Norgan. Expect to spend extra time farming spoils for weapons and armor that can actually handle the frigid north before the story opens up.
Side quests worth doing during the campaign
Around 10 side quests appear while you work through the Norgan story. Most reward Gold and supplies rather than anything you strictly need, but two of them unlock features that make the whole expansion smoother.
- Sticks and Stones unlocks Heatstone crafting, which you need to survive whiteouts in Norgan.
- In for a Hare, In for a Hound lets you take Freki, one of the settlement’s dire wolves, on walks to sniff out relic piles when you feed her meat.
With the main sequence mapped out and both unlock quests cleared early, the Norgan campaign stays dense but manageable, and the relic appraisal loop gives you a reason to keep fighting long after Into Rancor wraps the story.
