Bard’s Guitar is tied to one of the earliest side quests in The Forge and quietly unlocks a powerful progression path. The quest is short, but it hides one of the game’s first “invisible wall” tricks and rewards you with an Unknown Key that leads toward the Arcane Pickaxe.
How the Bard’s Guitar quest works in The Forge
The Lost Guitar is a side quest for The Bard in World 1, Stonewake’s Cross. The structure is simple:
- Talk to The Bard near the spawn in Stonewake’s Cross to start the quest.
- Enter The Cave on the same island and reach a small, hidden drop into a Secret Cave.
- Pick up Bard’s Guitar next to a skeleton.
- Return the guitar to The Bard to receive XP, cash, the Unknown Key, and a badge/title depending on platform.
Starting the quest is not optional. If you find the guitar’s location before speaking to The Bard, the guitar will not be interactable.
Start the Lost Guitar quest with The Bard
Step 1: Load into World 1, Stonewake’s Cross. This is the opening area where most early NPCs, including Bard, Tomo, and Sensei Moro, are found.
Step 2: From the spawn, move toward The Cave on the eastern side of the island. Near the northeast, you pass a Potions Stall; just beyond it is a small campfire.
Step 3: At the campfire, look for The Bard sitting on the ground, visibly upset. Walk up and press E to interact.
Step 4: Accept his request to find the lost guitar. Once the dialogue completes and the quest tracker updates, you are able to pick up the guitar when you reach it.
Reach The Cave in Stonewake’s Cross
Step 1: From The Bard’s campfire, walk southeast toward the large cave entrance labeled as The Cave on the island.
Step 2: Go down the sloped walkway inside. This is one of the main early-game hubs, with NPCs and a gate deeper in for later content.
Step 3: As you reach the bottom of the slope, turn left. You should see the NPCs Nord and Umut the Brave on this side of the chamber.
This corner of the cave is where the “secret” portion begins, and almost everything important for the quest is clustered around Umut.
Find the hidden drop where Bard’s Guitar is located
The guitar sits in a secret drop just behind a patch of greenery on the wall opposite Umut the Brave. The game hides this as an invisible hole in the floor.
Step 1: Stand facing Umut the Brave. Now rotate your camera to look at the wall directly opposite him, where there is grass, vines, or a small bush patch against the rock.
Step 2: Walk straight toward that greenery. There is no obvious opening, but the foliage masks a hidden gap. Keep moving forward instead of trying to jump.
Step 3: As you cross the edge of the floor, your character will drop down into a Secret Cave below. There is no loading screen; you simply fall through the hidden hole.
Some players line themselves up using small rocks or pebbles on the ground near the greenery. The important detail is that the hole is right in that corner and directly in front of the plant-covered section of the wall.
Pick up Bard’s Guitar in the Secret Cave
Once you land in the Secret Cave, the guitar is very easy to spot.
Step 1: After the drop, look around the small cavern. There is a skeleton on the ground that acts as a landmark.
Step 2: Move toward the skeleton. Bard’s Guitar lies on the rocks immediately beside it, typically to the right-hand side when you face the skeleton.
Step 3: Stand next to the guitar and press E to pick it up. If the prompt does not appear, confirm that the quest is active with The Bard back in Stonewake’s Cross.
Step 4: You can interact with the skeleton as well, though it does not change the core outcome of the quest. When the guitar enters your inventory, the objective updates to returning it to The Bard.
Step 5: In the Secret Cave, find the ladder leading upward. Climb it to return to the main level of The Cave near where you dropped in.
Return Bard’s Guitar and finish the quest
Step 1: Exit The Cave back out to Stonewake’s Cross, or simply follow the path back to the campfire from the cave interior.
Step 2: Approach The Bard again and press E to interact. With the guitar in your inventory, you gain a new dialogue option.
Step 3: Choose the option that confirms you have his guitar (for example, “Here is your guitar.”). The dialogue concludes, and the quest completes.
Quest completion is immediate; there is no extra combat or additional objectives once you retrieve the item.
Rewards for completing Bard’s Guitar in The Forge
Finishing the Lost Guitar quest provides several early-game benefits:
- Unknown Key: A rare key item used to open a locked gate deeper inside The Cave. Behind that gate is the Fallen Angel’s Cave, where you can obtain the Arcane Pickaxe via a follow-up objective.
- XP: A chunk of experience that helps push your early levels forward without grinding enemies.
- Cash / Gold: Useful for buying better weapons and tools that synergize with your chosen race and build.
- Badge / title: In some versions, turning in the guitar unlocks a “Guitar Finder”-style badge tied to the quest.
Because the Unknown Key is part of the route to the Arcane Pickaxe, this short quest ends up being one of the most valuable things to do early in Stonewake’s Cross. It also introduces a design pattern The Forge uses repeatedly: harmless-looking scenery that hides secret drops, invisible doors, or caves behind foliage and waterfalls.
Common questions about Bard’s Guitar
Why can’t I pick up Bard’s Guitar even when I’m standing on it?
This always comes down to the quest state. The game only lets you interact with the guitar after you have spoken to The Bard at the campfire in Stonewake’s Cross and accepted his Lost Guitar quest. If you skipped that step, the item will not respond to E.
Is the Unknown Key required for the main story?
The Unknown Key is not mandatory for basic progression, but it opens a gate in The Cave that leads to Fallen Angel’s Cave and the Arcane Pickaxe. That pickaxe is strong enough that most players treat this quest as a core part of early progression.
Can Bard’s quest be repeated for more rewards?
No. Lost Guitar is a one-time quest. Once you return the guitar and receive the Unknown Key and other rewards, you cannot redo it for extra XP or cash.
Once Bard’s Guitar is turned in, keep the Unknown Key safe and explore the locked gate it opens inside The Cave. The pattern you learned here—walking through foliage or environmental details to reveal hidden areas—will pay off again when you start chasing the Arcane Pickaxe and later secrets across The Forge.
