Leaf of Vigor is the gathering material that pushes Castella past her second Breakthrough in DragonSword: Awakening. If you lean on her Stun abilities, you will burn through this resource quickly, so knowing exactly where it grows saves a lot of aimless wandering across Orbis.
Quick answer: Harvest Leaf of Vigor from the base of trees in the large forest northwest of Hill of Journey, which holds the most nodes, or clear the Rusted Tusk Bandits’ Treasure Vault dungeon for a guaranteed batch.
Leaf of Vigor gathering locations
Leaf of Vigor grows in wooded regions, almost always tucked beneath large trees. It gives off a blue glow, so it stands out clearly while you explore. Three areas are worth your time, and one of them outclasses the rest for raw node count.
| Location | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Forest northwest of Hill of Journey | The densest spot, with multiple nodes under the big trees. |
| North of Firefly Forest | Cluster of leaves around the small pond. |
| Southern Shadowed Forest | Several scattered gathering nodes. |
Start with the Hill of Journey forest and only branch out to the pond near Firefly Forest or the southern Shadowed Forest if you still need more. A single sweep of the Hill of Journey trees usually covers most of what a Breakthrough demands.
Earn Leaf of Vigor from the Rusted Tusk Bandits’ Treasure Vault
If you would rather fight than forage, the Rusted Tusk Bandits’ Treasure Vault dungeon hands out Leaf of Vigor on completion. The reward scales with the difficulty you pick, so higher tiers pay off far better per run.
| Difficulty | Leaf of Vigor |
|---|---|
| Normal | 4 |
| Hard | 7 |
| Very Hard | 10 |
Repeating the vault on Very Hard is the fastest combat route, and it stacks extra dungeon loot on top of the leaves you came for.
Buying Leaf of Vigor from the Exchange
The Exchange sells Leaf of Vigor for Adventurer’s Emblems, at a rate of two emblems per leaf. It works in a pinch, but emblems have far better uses. Treat this as a last resort when you are close to a Breakthrough and only short a few leaves.
Monster Essence for Castella’s Breakthrough
Leaf of Vigor alone will not finish the upgrade. You also need two grades of Monster Essence, and both come from the Goblin Bandits’ Cave dungeon at different difficulties.
| Dungeon difficulty | Reward |
|---|---|
| Normal | Lowest-Grade Monster Essence |
| Hard | Low-Grade Monster Essence |
Run both difficulties of Goblin Bandits’ Cave so you end up with one of each essence grade.
Full Breakthrough requirements and how to confirm it
Even with every material in your bag, Castella’s next Breakthrough stays locked until you hit the required Mercenary Corps Rank. Here is the complete checklist.
- Leaf of Vigor
- Lowest-Grade Monster Essence
- Low-Grade Monster Essence
- Intermediate Mercenary Corps Rank
To reach Intermediate rank, complete the Looming Crisis quest. Until that rank is met, the Breakthrough option will not appear no matter how many leaves and essences you hold.
You know everything lined up when the Breakthrough button becomes selectable on Castella’s screen. If it is still greyed out, the missing piece is almost always the Mercenary Corps Rank rather than the materials, so finish Looming Crisis first and check again.
