Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen — Winterweed Blossoms Location for Hammer and Tongs

Winterweed Blossoms are a gathering material in the Norgan region of the Dark Arisen expansion, and they are the single item Hal, the blacksmith in the Norgandian Settlement, needs before he will craft gear for you. They are a separate plant from ordinary Winterweed, so grabbing the wrong one will not advance the Hammer and Tongs quest.

Quick answer: Make the trip east to the Abandoned Village, then pick Winterweed Blossoms from the cliff bases on its east and south boundaries. Visit after dark, when their glow makes them visible.

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Where Winterweed Blossoms grow

Winterweed Blossoms appear across Norgan but only sparingly. The closest reliable patch sits at the Abandoned Village, directly east of the Norgandian Settlement. Skip the houses themselves and focus on the rocky ground around the settlement’s edge.

Near the stream, look where the cliffs meet the ground for blue-tinged plants on the village’s eastern and southern sides. They’re camouflaged by the terrain in daylight, but shine clearly after sunset, so a nighttime visit pays off.

Getting into the Abandoned Village safely

The village gate is locked from the outside, and a party of Beorcan barbarians, often with Direwolves, patrols the grounds. An underleveled party can get overwhelmed here, so the safer approach avoids the front entrance entirely.

From the quest marker’s river crossing, cross the water and head up the hill rather than charging the enemies at the gate. This takes you into Valgr Ravine, which wraps around to a path above the settlement.

At the top you can drop into the village. There is a grapple point here, and a grappling hook can be looted inside; if you miss it, carefully jump down the rocky outcroppings to reach the ground without taking heavy fall damage.

On the ground, move through the stonework and head toward the creek on the cliffside. Run past the building and the plants are along the rock face. Grab the Winterweed Blossoms quickly, then fast travel out before combat fully locks in.

Once you have a grappling hook, pulling the lever near the wooden palisade opens the gate, giving you a direct route on return visits.

Collecting the blossoms without fighting

If your party cannot handle the Beorcans and Direwolves, you do not need to beat them. Switch to the Thief vocation and equip Smoke Screen before you set out. Run straight to the cliffside plants, gather them, and when the enemies give chase, trigger Smoke Screen to confuse them and slip away.

Shadow Cloak is a second useful Thief skill for moving through the area unnoticed. Together with enough Stamina to keep running, these let a low-level character secure the quest item without burning through healing supplies or risking a wipe.

Turning in Hammer and Tongs and unlocking Hal’s forge

Once back at the Norgandian Settlement, revisit Hal and deliver the Winterweed Blossoms. Hammer and Tongs then ends, Hal returns to his blacksmithing, and he supplies enough materials to craft one piece of Norgan equipment. The quest closing and the Workshop manufacturing menu appearing confirm completion.

Norgan weapons and armor are considerably stronger than most gear from Vermund and Battahl. Crafting a weapon for your main vocation is the best first use of those materials. It makes Beorcan fights manageable and trivializes many encounters back in the earlier regions.

Better equipment alone won’t replace leveling. Before committing to tough battles in Norgan while pursuing Dark Arisen’s harder areas, target around level 40.

Farming more Norgan gear with Spoils

The same Thief kit that gets you the blossoms also opens up a steady way to upgrade gear. Smoke Screen and Shadow Cloak let you open chests and search scrap piles throughout Norgan while avoiding combat. Scrap piles can yield Spoils, which you bring to Jiera in the Norgandian Settlement.

Jiera exchanges Spoils for a random piece of equipment. Repeatedly collecting Spoils and trading them in is an efficient way to build up a new or weak character, even one far below the strength needed to beat the region’s enemies in a straight fight. Hal can craft further gear as you feed him the materials you loot, and later side quests expand what his forge can produce.