White Blizzard is an optional House Lanford faction quest that sends you into the frozen Hoenmark Ruins in northern Hernand to confront a frost-wielding wraith called Beloth, the Darksworn. It is split into two linked quests, Cursed Mountain and Wraith in the Frost, and ends with the Armor of the Shadows set as the headline reward.
Unlock requirements for White Blizzard
The quest line is locked behind main story progression and faction standing with House Lanford. You need to push past Chapter 6: Cracks in the Shield before any of the Lanford side content opens up, since the chapter ends with Kliff reporting back to Marquis Stefan Lanford and unlocking the faction tab.
After that, House Lanford soldiers in the northwest of Hernand City start handing out contribution tasks. Completing enough of those raises your standing with the house and triggers Cursed Mountain, the first beat of the White Blizzard chain.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Story progress | Chapter 6: Cracks in the Shield completed |
| Faction | House Lanford (Calphade region) |
| Standing | Several House Lanford contribution tasks completed |
| Region | Hernand, Pywel |
Cursed Mountain: Argent Peaks Outpost
Cursed Mountain opens at the Argent Peaks Outpost, west of the Calphade Gate stronghold and east of the Hoenmark Ruins on the map. Wounded Lanford soldiers there describe an unnatural blizzard tearing through the ruins and ask you to investigate.
Step 1: Fast travel or ride to the Argent Peaks Outpost and speak with the wounded soldiers. If you stumbled into the outpost before clearing Chapter 6, the introductory dialogue may auto-skip, and the quest will move directly to investigation.
Step 2: Head west to the Hoenmark Ruins, located just north of the “H” in Hernand on the world map. The whole zone is locked in a constant snowstorm.
Step 3: Clear out the Darksworn Wraiths patrolling the ruins. Blinding Flash works well against them and staggers them long enough to finish the kill quickly.
Step 4: Return to the wounded soldiers at Argent Peaks Outpost. Cursed Mountain completes, and you receive the Fancy Flame-Patterned Lantern along with +100 Hernandian contribution.
Wraith in the Frost: Beloth, the Darksworn
Once Cursed Mountain wraps, exploring the central section of Hoenmark Ruins triggers Wraith in the Frost. The objective is simple in description and brutal in execution: slay Beloth, the Darksworn on the circular stone platform in the middle of the frozen lake.
Beloth has roughly 13,000 HP, resists stagger, and hits hard enough to one-shot underprepared players with his frost halberd. He teleports across the arena often, so the fight is about reading wind-ups rather than chasing him.
Gear and prep before the fight
Ice resistance is the single biggest factor in whether this fight is survivable. Aim for Level 15 or higher in Ice Resistance before stepping onto the platform.
| Item | Effect |
|---|---|
| Kuku Ice-Resistant Armor | Lv. 10 Ice Resistance (crafted from Frostcursed Plate Armor) |
| Frostcursed Plate Cloak | Lv. 5 Ice Resistance |
| Warming food | Counters blizzard health drain in Hoenmark Ruins |
| Palmar Pills | Self-revive if Beloth lands a finisher |
| Cooked meats | Sustained healing through the 5–10 minute fight |
Combat strategy
Beloth telegraphs almost everything, but his combos are designed to punish reactive rolling. Wait for the full chain to play out, then take one or two hits and reset. Trying to greed a third swing is how most attempts end.
- Watch for the red flash on his body. Those attacks ignore blocks, so dodge instead of guarding.
- Circle around him when he lunges forward or winds up an overhead slam with the icy halberd.
- Back off when frost pools start forming on the ground and re-engage once the AoE fades.
- Don’t panic roll. His sweeping arcs catch dodge-spammers mid-animation.
Verification: When Beloth falls, a cutscene plays of him collapsing on the platform, and the objective updates to “Obtain the artifact.” Interacting with his body shows “Frost Spike acquired” on the right side of the screen and “Artifact Obtained: Abyss Artifact” on the left, followed shortly by the “Quest Completed: Wraith in the Frost” banner and a “Region Liberated” notification.
Rewards from the White Blizzard chain
Beating Beloth directly drops two pieces of the Armor of the Shadows set. The remaining three pieces are tied to exploration around the ruins, completing the full plate set tied to House Lanford’s endgame side content.
| Quest | Reward |
|---|---|
| Cursed Mountain | Fancy Flame-Patterned Lantern, +100 Hernandian Contribution |
| Wraith in the Frost (boss drop) | Plate Helm of the Shadows, Plate Gloves of the Shadows |
| Wraith in the Frost (completion) | Frost Spike (Abyss Gear), 1× Abyss Artifact |
| Set completion | Plate Armor, Plate Cloak, and Plate Boots of the Shadows from nearby ruins |
Common reasons the quest doesn’t progress
If the quest marker isn’t appearing or steps seem stuck, the cause is almost always one of three things. Confirm each before assuming a bug.
- Chapter 6: Cracks in the Shield is not yet complete, so the House Lanford faction tab hasn’t unlocked.
- Not enough House Lanford contribution tasks have been turned in to surface Cursed Mountain.
- You visited Argent Peaks Outpost early, and the soldier dialogue auto-resolved, which is intended behavior. Push directly to Hoenmark Ruins to continue.
Once Beloth is down and his armor is collected, the White Blizzard line is finished, and the Armor of the Shadows set becomes one of the strongest cosmetic-and-stat payoffs available from House Lanford’s side content in Crimson Desert.