Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen – How to Cross the Frozen Lake Norgan and Reach the Lakeside Grotto

After the fimbl falls during Reaching the Far Shore, the way forward is to let the lake change and then walk across the ice to a cave on the southern shore. No message announces the change, and the frozen part of the lake lies off the shore by the Deserted Lakeside Estate.

Quick answer: After the fimbl falls the task moves on in steps; back at the lake, go to the Deserted Lakeside Estate shore. The task updates to “Cross the lake and retrieve the treatise.” Walk east across the ice, round the fimbl’s remains on the west, then follow the ice strip south to the cave.

By day at Lake Norgan after the fimbl falls: from the Deserted Lakeside Estate shore east across the ice to the fimbl’s frozen remains, “F Examine” on the body, then the strip of ice south to the cave mouth on the southern shore.

How the task moves from waiting to crossing

When the fimbl is felled, the banner reads “Reaching the Far Shore” / “You felled the ferocious fimbl.” and the task becomes “Wait for the change to come over the lake.” In Quest Details the line reads: “Now that the fimbl lies defeated on the lakeshore, all that remains is to wait for this “peculiar effect” to take place.”

Resting at a camp with “Await Weather Change” at the campfire ring in Ettam Forest changed the weather, but the lake stayed open water and the task did not advance. The next step showed on arriving back at the Norgandian Settlement, as a banner: “Reaching the Far Shore” / “Confirm that the change has come over the lake.”

Jiera, if asked in the settlement, explains that you simply wait a while and then head back to the lake to see the change, and reminds you of the treatise in the cavern on the southern shore. No new task line comes from her.

Two nights’ rest at the Norgandian Inn produced no notification or banner, and the task line stayed “Confirm that the change has come over the lake.” Do not wait for a message telling you the lake has frozen.

Use the Deserted Lakeside Estate shore, not the eastern boats

The frozen part of the lake sits off the estate shore on the west side. Seen from the beached boats on the eastern shore, the lake was still open water.

Go to the Deserted Lakeside Estate with its ballista platforms. On reaching that shore, the task line becomes “Cross the lake and retrieve the treatise.” in the Pause Menu’s quest panel. No banner appears for this change.

From the estate shore, broken floes and broad, level ice sheets cover the lake, with patches of open water between some sheets. A stone ruin is visible in the middle distance, while cliffs frame the right side.

The Arisen on the snowy estate shore by day looking out over Lake Norgan covered in broken floes and flat ice sheets, a stone ruin in the distance — Lake Norgan from the estate shore: floes and ice sheets, the ruin beyond.

The fimbl’s frozen body stretches across the ice; its long white neck and tail curve overhead, studded with crystal spines.

The fimbl's frozen remains lying across the ice with a long white neck arching over and rows of crystal spines — The fimbl’s frozen remains across the ice.

The route across the frozen lake

Begin on the estate shoreline, just north of the ballista platform, at the point where the ice touches land. Water separates the platform’s edge from the ice, so step onto the ice from the shore, not from the platform.

Stepping off the ballista platform’s edge drops the Arisen into the open water, where the Brine (a red glow) takes hold and puts him back on the shore.

Head east over the ice sheets in the direction of the ruin in the lake. The Arisen can walk across the ice as though it were solid ground.

The Arisen walking east across a flat ice sheet with open water beside it and floes ahead — Walking on the ice sheet, open water beside it.

Reach the fimbl’s frozen remains lying across the ice field. Skirt around its western side; going straight along the eastern side is blocked by the body.

A slim run of ice slabs and floes leads south from the remains toward the southern shore. Open water borders both sides of this route.

A narrow strip of ice slabs and floes leading toward the rocky southern shore with open water on both sides — The strip of ice toward the southern shore.

Keep along it until you reach the shore rocks.

A cave mouth opens in the rock right ahead on the southern shore. That is the way into the cavern for the treatise.

The Arisen on the snowy southern shore of Lake Norgan with a dark cave mouth in the rock right behind him — The cave mouth on the southern shore.

The task line stays “Cross the lake and retrieve the treatise.” as you reach it.

What the fimbl’s frozen remains give you

Beside the remains on the ice, the prompt “F Examine” appears.

The Arisen beside the fimbl's frozen remains on the ice with the F Examine prompt on the body — “F Examine” beside the remains.

Holding F takes four items at once:

“Spoils: Lv 3, Ancient Light Weaponry”
“Spoils: Lv 3, Ancient Long Weaponry”
“Spoils: Lv 3, Ancient Bowstaff”
“Wintry Dragon Scale”

A second hold of F gives nothing more.

Item lines at the right of the screen reading Wintry Dragon Scale and Lv 3 spoils after examining the remains — The items from the remains, listed at the right.

With the items collected and the body passed on its west side, follow the ice strip south and step into the cave to continue toward the treatise.