A Bulwark Against Darkness sends Coen across the open world to gather four crafting materials, then hands them to a blacksmith who forges the Arbiter Armor, one of the strongest sets in The Blood of Dawnwalker. The quest starts as a letter and finishes only after you protect the smith from a wave of attackers.
Quick answer: Collect a Relic of a Saint, a Bundle of Silk Threads, a Flask of Quicksilver, and the Moult of a Large Lizard, bring all four to the Uriashi blacksmith, then survive the enemy wave she spawns to receive the full Arbiter set.
How to start A Bulwark Against Darkness
The quest arrives as a message from a mysterious NPC who wants to help Coen. To trigger it, you generally need to reach Infamy level 4 or 5 so you get recognized, then pick up the letter. You can collect it from Anca, or teleport to Svartrau City and take it from a messenger.
The letter contains a schematic for armor built to withstand a Vrakhir’s claws, along with vague hints about the components and the location of a Uriashi blacksmith. Because forging happens with that same smith, it helps to reach her first. Working through the process to forge St. Mihai’s Silver Sword introduces her location, so if Coen already knows her from the Forge It Anew quest, this step is done.
The four Arbiter Armor components
| Component | Where to get it |
|---|---|
| Relic of a Saint | Multiple options, including St. Tibia from Echoes of Silenced Bells |
| Bundle of Silk Threads | Bought from Sanzhana, or found free during Come Hither |
| Flask of Quicksilver | Top of Aurelius’ Tower via Home Sweet Home |
| Moult of a Large Lizard | Cave in the swampy area near Vera / west of Maragir Wealds |
How to get the Relic of a Saint
The relic is not a single fixed item. Several saints’ relics collected during Coen’s journey will satisfy the requirement, so use whichever one you can spare.
The easiest choice is St. Tibia, picked up during the Echoes of Silenced Bells quest. While progressing that quest, head to the area west of the central compound with the zombie nuns. It leads to a corpse below a ladder, and St. Tibia is on that body.
Other relics work as well:
- The Relic of St. Tyna, an amulet from Anca’s Echoes of Silenced Bells quest. Grab the Monastery Keys, unlock the Monastery in the central compound, and loot the corpse inside. Using it means giving up a purple amulet.
- The Relic of St. Tobias, the hand of Tobias found during Lacra’s quest, The Night of Horrors.
- The Relic of St. Dasius, located in Xanthe’s manor or bought from Vicho after finishing his quest.
Because Tyna costs you a valuable amulet, St. Tibia is the more efficient pick if you care about your gear. If that trade-off does not matter to you, Tyna is fine.
How to get the Bundle of Silk Threads
There are two routes to this material, one paid and one free.
The paid route runs through a Sanzhani merchant named Sanzhana. To unlock her shop, work through the Good Home side quest in the Svartrau Outskirts, then Letters to Lunka, and finally Pearly and Precious. That last quest begins when you follow a trail of blood south from the destroyed Small Bridge Shrine to a Sanzhana pulling teeth from corpses. Once her shop is open, buy the Bundle of Silk Threads. Keep at least 6,000 Denarii on hand and have the Svartrau map unlocked before you set out.
The free route uses the Come Hither quest, found east of the Silty Mug Inn shrine. Follow it toward the sound until you reach a cave, defeat the Murohn inside, and pick up the Bundle of Silk Threads off the ground.
How to get the Flask of Quicksilver
Travel to the Silts region and go to Aurelius’ Tower by following the Home Sweet Home quest. The quest itself wraps up in the basement, so once Coen wakes up, climb back to the top floor and reach Aurelius’ study.
The Flask of Quicksilver sits on a table there. Grab it before leaving.
How to get the Moult of a Large Lizard
This component is in a cave in the swampy area, reachable in the Briar Sloughs region south of the Witchcraft vendor Vera, or west of Maragir Wealds near a ritual site. If you played The Bittersweet Toast quest you have likely passed this spot already, but it is available regardless.
From the ritual site, turn southeast and follow the path to its end, where a small pond and a cave sit close together. Enter, clear out the enemies, and the Moult of a Large Lizard is on the ground at the far end of the path.
Forge the Arbiter Armor and finish the quest
You know the quest is complete when the enemy wave ends and Coen receives the upgraded Arbiter set. Clearing that fight turns the pieces into their legendary, enhanced form, and A Bulwark Against Darkness closes out with all four armor slots filled in a single pass.
