Dark Determination is an Edict in Bizarre Lineage that temporarily boosts your character's Strength, Health, Power, and Destructive Power for up to 15 seconds. It shines in PvP fights and boss encounters, especially when you're low on health and need a burst of power to turn things around. Once the buff expires, your character suffers equivalent debuffs for a short period, so timing matters.
Quick answer: Travel to Bus Stop #14, find the Determination NPC standing near a boulder behind the stop, speak to him, and complete all seven quests he assigns. You must talk to him before attempting any of the tasks or your progress will not count.
Finding the Determination NPC
Open the bus stop menu by pressing N to locate nearby stops, then travel to Bus Stop #14. From the stop, head behind it and turn right. Follow the lamp posts on your left until you reach a boulder at the base of a hill. The Determination NPC stands there, marked with a question mark icon above his head. Interact with him and progress through his dialogue until he presents the full quest list.
All Seven Dark Determination Quests
The Determination NPC assigns seven challenges, each themed around a philosophical question. Every single one must be finished to unlock the Edict.
| Quest Name | Requirement |
|---|---|
| What is Selflessness? | Defeat Yoshikage Kira Bites the Dust while using the Bloodlust perk. |
| What is Reticence? | Win a 1v1 while staying above 90% health. |
| What is Piety? | Win a Gang War. |
| What is Faith? | Beat The Self (your inner-world clone) with 5% or less HP remaining. |
| What is Hate? | Grip 5 of your own Gang Members. |
| What is Purity? | Win 3 Gamemode 1v1s in a row. |
| What is Repose? | Kill 10 players that are Level 40 or higher. |
Tips for the Harder Quests
Selflessness is often the first roadblock because it requires the Bloodlust perk, which is not available through normal gameplay. You need to buy it from the Prestige Shop for 5 Prestige Shards. That means you must prestige at least once before you can even attempt this quest. The Prestige Shop is inside the TG Hospital building behind Bus Stop #10 — talk to the Arch Mage NPC there.
Faith asks you to beat The Self while barely alive. The Self is the inner-world clone you fight when meditating at the gym. You need to whittle your own health down to 5% or less before landing the finishing blow. This requires careful damage management — let enemies or the clone hit you first, then close out the fight at the last moment.
Piety and Hate both require gang membership. If you haven't already, create or join a gang so you can participate in Gang Wars and interact with gang members. Gang Wars are accessible through the Game Modes menu from the main screen.
Purity demands three consecutive 1v1 wins in the Gamemode queue. Queuing with a friend on a low-population server can make this significantly easier, though you still need to win legitimately.
What Dark Determination Actually Does
When activated, Dark Determination grants a temporary boost to Strength, Health, Power, and Destructive Power lasting 15 seconds at base tier. After the duration ends, your character receives matching debuffs for a brief window. This risk-reward dynamic makes it ideal for clutch moments in fights rather than something you pop casually.
Dark Determination Tier Buffs
Dark Determination has five upgrade tiers. Each tier stacks on top of the previous one, making the Edict progressively stronger.
| Tier | Buff |
|---|---|
| 1 | +5% Damage |
| 2 | +5% Defense |
| 3 | Restores up to 25 HP over a few seconds |
| 4 | Global lifesteal against enemies with a lower Health% than you |
| 5 | Duration extends from 15 to 20 seconds; all active debuffs are removed on activation |
Tier 5 is a significant power spike. The extra five seconds and debuff cleanse make Dark Determination far more forgiving to use, removing the need to time it perfectly around incoming crowd-control effects.
Upgrading Dark Determination Through the Prestige Shop
Step 1: Fast travel to Bus Stop #10. The TG Hospital is the large building directly behind the stop.
Step 2: Enter the hospital and speak to the Arch Mage NPC on the right side of the lobby. This is the same NPC used for prestiging.
Step 3: Open the Prestige Shop and navigate to the Edicts section. Purchase a Dark Determination Upgrade. Each purchase raises your tier by one level, and upgrades cost Prestige Shards.
Since you earn roughly five Prestige Shards per prestige (which itself requires 10,000 in-game currency and reaching max level), plan your shard spending carefully. The Bloodlust perk alone costs five shards, so unlocking Dark Determination and upgrading it to higher tiers demands multiple prestige cycles.
Known Bug With Quest Tracking
Dark Determination quest progress has been reported as bugged, with some players finding that completed tasks do not register properly. The development team is aware of the issue and working on a fix. If you notice your progress isn't being tracked after speaking to the NPC and completing a quest requirement, it may be worth waiting for a patch before investing more time into the remaining tasks.
Dark Determination sits firmly in the late-game progression loop of Bizarre Lineage. Between the prestige requirement for Bloodlust, the gang membership needed for multiple quests, and the PvP skill checks, it's not something you'll knock out in your first few hours. But once fully upgraded, the Edict adds a meaningful combat tool that can flip losing fights in your favor — as long as you're willing to accept the debuff window that follows.