Dragon’s Dogma 2 Dark Arisen: How to Get the Blade of Rancor and Open Niflhel (Into Rancor Walkthrough)

“Into Rancor” is the Forsaken Dominion main quest, triggered when you wake at the Norgandian Settlement and discover Norgan locked in Ruin-Night, an endless night. To stop it, retrieve the Blade of Rancor, unlock the sealed passage called Niflhel Opening, then descend into Niflhel Depth and defeat its occupant. The quest starts with a talk to Polyeidus and ends with a jump from a cliff.

Quick answer: Take the Soulless Godsbane Blade from the Pathfinder at Abyss Ridge, use the Eye of the Sphinx to mark rancor’s vortexes and dispel them until “You acquired the Blade of Rancor.” appears, then return to Abyss Ridge, use the “Proffer the blade” prompt at the cliff edge, and jump into Niflhel.

What you need before starting Into Rancor

The quest appears on its own once the preceding quest “Reunion” (the Fallen Dragon fight) completes. There is nothing to pick up to start it. Before you head out, make sure you have the following.

The Eye of the Sphinx is the tool you received from the Sphinx during the earlier Norgan story. It reveals vortex locations on your map.
A Ferrystone and Portcrystals to cut the walking. The route below leans on “Norgan Portcrystal: Castletown Campground”, plus the Portcrystals at the Norgandian Settlement, Rivercave Campground and Northwall Campground.
Curatives, Wakestones and any buff items. Each vortex throws several large monsters at you in a row.
A party that can grind through back-to-back fights. A sword-and-shield Fighter around Lv. 117 with three pawns near Lv. 114 clears the route comfortably.

Reach Abyss Ridge and claim the Soulless Godsbane Blade

You come to in the inn at the Norgandian Settlement. Dorin shows you the sky, a black disc with a pale rim hanging over Norgan, and asks you to find the cause; his mother Jiera adds her plea. “Reunion” closes and “Into Rancor” opens with the objective to consult Polyeidus.

Bring up the map, select “Norgan Portcrystal: Castletown Campground” and travel there with a Ferrystone. You’ll find Polyeidus in a stone passage beside the campfire room. Speak with him: he connects the darkness to Niflhel and directs you to Abyss Ridge for the best view. Your new objective is “Make for Abyss Ridge.”

In north-east Norgan, Abyss Ridge lies east of Lorade Castletown, beside the dark chasm marked Niflhel Opening on the map. Walking there from Castletown Campground takes roughly three minutes. Exit the campfire room through the raised portcullis and reach the stone rampart; then run to the shattered battlements, jump down onto the wooden scaffolding, and descend once more to the snowy ruins.

Make your way over the rubble. Skeletons emerge, and a purple health gauge briefly signals a large foe at the screen’s top; keep moving and it vanishes as you ascend the outdoor steps. Continue over the stone bridge and up the stairs to the building marked “Castle Barracks Ruins”. There’s a Regeneration Elixir downstairs, while a chest on the upper terrace holds Liquid Vim.

Leave by the upper side and climb the long outdoor staircase until the “Abyss Ridge” banner appears. At the end of the broken platform the Pathfinder meets you, explains that beating the Fallen Dragon never touched the wicked power in Niflhel Depth, and hands you the Soulless Godsbane Blade. The objective becomes “Dispel several rancor’s vortexes.”

Soulless Godsbane Blade and vortex objective — The Pathfinder hands you the Soulless Godsbane Blade and the vortex objective opens. Shown at 656:53 in Shirrako’s video. Image: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.

Dispel rancor’s vortexes to fill the blade

The quest log shows “No Destination” for this stage, so it never marks the vortexes for you. You have to find them yourself with the Eye of the Sphinx.

Open Items, select the Eye of the Sphinx and choose “Use”. A box reads “Locating Fearsome Foes”; confirm with “OK”. The map opens with purple swirl markers, and hovering the cursor on one shows the name “Rancor’s Vortex”. There are more markers than you need.

Head to a marker. A vortex looks like a dark opening encircled by pale smoke, hovering just off the ground; enemies commonly guard it. Activate the “Examine (Hold)” prompt.

Hold the Examine prompt on a rancor's vortex to seal the area and start the waves. Shown at 660:42 in Shirrako’s video. Image: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.

Fog envelops the area, while a purple, pip-marked meter appears along the screen’s top edge. Enemies attack in successive waves, with one or more large monsters ending each wave. Clear the meter completely to dispel the vortex. Each successful clear awards a stack of Lv 4 spoils; the first three payouts include 999 RC.

The objective requires only “several” vortexes. Four were sufficient to finish the blade on this run; the quest records progress after each of the first three, then after the last one.

Four vortexes that work well, in order, with how to reach each:

Lake Norgan — Start at the Norgandian Settlement Portcrystal, pass through Valgr Ravine and reach Lake Norgan. From there, climb a rope on the rock face to enter a ruin.
Beorcan Stronghold — Find it among the snowy ruins outside; its map label is Beorcan Stronghold 1F.
Rivercave Campground — From “Norgan Portcrystal: Rivercave Campground”, head downhill; the vortex is nearby.
Northwall Campground — Follow the forest trail for roughly a minute from “Norgan Portcrystal: Northwall Campground”.

The lines the quest shows track your progress. After the first, “The Godsbane absorbed the power of rancor.” After the second, “The Godsbane has begun to fill with rancor.” After the third, “The Godsbane is nearly replete with rancor.” After the fourth, a pillar of light strikes down at Abyss Ridge and the game reads “You acquired the Blade of Rancor.” Expect a large chunk of experience across the set; an Arisen who starts the first vortex at Lv. 117 is Lv. 129 by the time the blade is complete.

Blade of Rancor acquired after fourth vortex — After the final vortex, the Soulless Godsbane becomes the Blade of Rancor. Shown at 687:57 in Shirrako’s video. Image: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.

Open Niflhel and face Satanachia

Your new task is “Return to Abyss Ridge.” Use a Ferrystone to reach “Norgan Portcrystal: Castletown Campground”, then retrace your route: rampart, scaffolding, ruins, Castle Barracks Ruins and the long staircase. A narrow blue beam is now visible rising from the ridge as you climb.

At the summit, the Pathfinder says the blade is ready and directs you to lift it above Niflhel. Head toward the light, all the way to the broken platform’s tip. Choose the prompt “Proffer the blade”. After you use it, the message “The path to Niflhel has opened.” appears.

Proffer the blade at the cliff edge — At the end of the platform the cliff-edge prompt reads "Proffer the blade". Shown at 692:02 in Shirrako’s video. Image: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.

The objective becomes “Take the leap into Niflhel.” There is no ladder or door. Run off the end of the platform into the dark; the fall is the way in. A scene plays and you land in shallow black water, with the objective changing to “Defeat the wickedness in Niflhel Depth.”

Take the leap into Niflhel objective — The glowing drop at Abyss Ridge is the entrance; jumping triggers the leap into Niflhel. Shown at 692:13 in Shirrako’s video. Image: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.

Prepare before you jump. Stock curatives, Wakestones and any buffs you want active, because the boss fight starts as soon as the landing scene ends.

The foe in Niflhel Depth is Satanachia, a winged demon with horns. Expect a lengthy battle against a health bar packed with pips, so bring Wakestones. Victory triggers “You felled Satanachia.” and finishes the quest.

Into Rancor rewards and keeping the Blade of Rancor

Completing the quest pays out 500,000 XP, 100,000 G and 15,000 RC, along with Lv 5 spoils that include Ancient Helm, Ancient Bowstaff and Ancient Light Weaponry. You wake in an inn room and a tutorial titled “The Blade of Rancor” opens.

The blade remains in your inventory. Wielding it again at Abyss Ridge returns Norgan to Ruin-Night and brings rancor’s vortexes back across the land, allowing another attempt against the wicked power. After doing this, the only way to end the night is to leap into Niflhel and win once more.

Where Into Rancor sits in the Forsaken Dominion chain

Into Rancor sits near the end of the Norgan storyline. “Soul Searching” branches into both “Reunion” and “Into Rancor”, and the completion of “Reunion” is what makes Into Rancor appear on its own. Two side quests also open off “Reunion”, so it helps to know their requirements and payouts while you work through this stretch.

Quest	Type	Requires	Rewards
Soul Searching	Forsaken Dominion main	Sealed History	35,000 G, up to 240,000 XP, 3,000 RC
Into Rancor	Forsaken Dominion main	Reunion	100,000 G, 500,000 XP, 15,000 RC
A Keepsake, for Your Sake	Forsaken Dominion side	Reunion	80,000 XP, 3,000 RC, plus item
Beyond Ruin-Night	Forsaken Dominion side	Reunion	100,000 XP, 8,000 RC

With the blade in hand and the path to Niflhel Depth open, the only thing standing between you and the end of Ruin-Night is Satanachia. Go in topped up, keep climbing and chipping at the bar, and the night lifts the moment the wicked power falls.