Quick on Your Feet in SCROOMS: How to Beat Shax and Get the Songtreads

Find Shax to start A Leg Up

After you finish Tamer in Training, Halden points you toward the racer: “I wonder if that fellow Shax with the boots could help you?” That line kicks off “A Leg Up,” a short main quest whose only objective is “Find and speak to Shax.” Clearing it hands you 675 XP.

In a shadowy, purple-walled section of Songkeeper’s Grove, Shax is perched on a grassy shelf beside a little campfire and a wooden crate. Look for his red spiky hair, raised goggles, red scarf, black-and-white striped jacket, and glowing boots. A pale “?” hovers above him. Approach until E Talk appears, then press E.

Songwalker Shax with an E Talk prompt showing by his campfire in Songkeeper's Grove — Approaching Songwalker Shax on his ledge brings up the E Talk prompt that starts the conversation.

His dialogue runs through three short exchanges, each with a single numbered reply:

“Hey, hey! You look quick on your feet. Let’s have a race!” — choose “1. A race?”
“Yes, yes! I love a challenge, and if you beat me, I’ll reward you handsomely.” — choose “1. A tempting offer…”
“Good, good! Say the word and I’ll take us to my track.” — choose “1. [Teleport to Track]” or “2. Maybe Later.”

Shax dialogue box with the Teleport to Track option highlighted — The last line offers Teleport to Track; picking it moves you to the race area and ends A Leg Up.

When a reply won’t respond to a click, try a single right-click. SCROOMS captures the mouse for camera movement (“Camera Control Enabled – Right click to toggle”); toggle that mode off to release the cursor and choose your response.

Choosing “[Teleport to Track]” drops you into a separate area. A banner reads “Shax’s Retreat” with the subtitle “A stretch of cavern used to hone one’s speed through song,” and a notice shows “Quest Started: Quick on Your Feet.” A Leg Up is marked complete the moment you arrive, so your Quest Log’s Completed count ticks up by one.

Quick on Your Feet: the race and its rewards

The quest card describes the setup: “A stranger called Shax challenged me to a race and pulled me into a pocket of the song to run it. He’s wearing something on his feet that I want.” Its objective is “Beat Shax in the race,” and finishing pays out 1,350 XP and 250 Chimes.

You arrive on a patch of grass in Shax’s Retreat, a blue cavern lit by glowing water and filled with waterfalls. Wooden posts hold up a red cloth banner at the start, and a dark red pier extends above the water. Shax stands beneath the banner with a “!” over his head. Other players can be in the area at the same time.

The countdown plays on the start dock. — The start of the course: the pier leads out over the water from the banner.

Running the course

Walk up to Shax at the banner. He says, “Hey there! Tell me when you’re ready!” with the options “1. [Start Race],” “2. Can you take me back?” and “3. Give me a moment.” Pick “[Start Race].”

Your character gets a “3, 2, 1, Go!” countdown, followed by a timer at the screen’s top center. Shax charges down the pier, with sparks and musical notes streaming from his boots.

Countdown numbers appearing on the wooden starting dock before the race begins — The countdown plays on the start dock; the race timer appears at the top of the screen once it hits Go.

Hold forward (W) and run straight down the dark red pier from the banner. You do not need to sprint or use any item — holding W the whole way and tapping Space for each jump is enough to win.

The run holds forward the whole time; only Space is needed to clear each jump between platforms.

Jump across the small square wooden platforms standing on posts over the water, then run up the long slatted rope bridge. A steady rhythm of Space taps carries you across the gaps without stopping.

Player standing on a wooden platform among waterfalls with a backpack prompt visible — The platforms and rope bridge sit over glowing water; a fall here ends the run and hides the timer.

Jump across the seats of the tall wooden chairs standing in the water, then land on the final pier with its rope rails and lantern. Run to the end of it to finish. A clean run with forward held and a jump on every gap crosses the line with the timer sitting around 16.6 to 17 seconds.

Player reaching the final wooden dock at the end of the race course — Reaching the end of the last pier finishes the race and triggers the Quest Updated banner.

The race is lost if you don’t move from the start or if you plunge into the water; either way, the timer disappears. You can start the race again as many times as needed. Return to Shax, choose “[Start Race]” once more, and try again. Expect to make several attempts before completing a clean run.

How to know you won and claimed the Songtreads

A white flash follows your victory, returning you to the starting lawn, where “Quest Updated: Quick on Your Feet” appears overhead. Shax is back under the banner, marked with a “!”. Talk to him again to collect your reward.

Player using the E Talk prompt to speak with Shax again after winning the race — After the win, Shax waits at the banner again; talking to him delivers the reward.

A reward card reads “Unlocked the: Songtreads” with the line “Used to: Summon a pair of boots that enhance your movement through the song!” and a “Continue” button. After Continue, an achievement banner titled “Songwalker” appears, reading “Unlock the Songtreads. Walk with the song, tamer.”

Two things confirm the payout went through. Your Chimes counter rises by 250, and the Songtreads show up in your Equipment Bag in hotbar slot 2, under the “Core” tab beside the Ocarina, marked “Owned.” The quest also pays 1,350 XP; on a level 27 character that was not enough for a level-up by itself.

Equipment Bag Core tab showing the owned Ocarina and Songtreads — The Core tab of the Equipment Bag lists the Songtreads as Owned, next to the Ocarina.

What unlocks next: Beyond the Grove

The moment you have the Songtreads, a new main quest opens on its own: “Beyond the Grove.” Its card reads, “Shax gave me his Songtreads. Those ledges at the entrance to the Bluestone Caverns shouldn’t stop me now.” The objective is “Find your way into the Bluestone Caverns,” and it pays 2,925 XP and 500 Chimes.

When you are done in the cavern, talk to Shax one more time to leave. He says, “Nothing to race for right now. Come find me when there is!” with “1. Can you take me back?” and “2. Will do.” Picking “Can you take me back?” returns you to Songkeeper’s Grove, boots in hand and ready to tackle those ledges.