Of Ash and Steel is an open-world RPG like The Witcher, Gothic, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance franchises. In this game, you are on your own for the most part. You can find hints from different NPCs, but you still have to handle most of the tasks yourself.
After completing Act One, things will now shift based on the choice you made. If you sided with the order, you will receive quests that differ from ones given to players who sided with the freemen. If you went with the freemen, the quest for you is going to be The Best There Is, where you have to find Irvin. In this walkthrough, I will tell you how to find Irvin during the The Best There Is quest in Of Ash and Steel.
Along with that, I will also provide you with a walkthrough of The Return and The Man With The Man-of-War Tattoo main quests in Of Ash and Steel. For more information regarding the game, head over to its Steam page.
Disclaimer
Of Ash and Steel is an open-world RPG where your choices in the game have an impact. Before concluding Act One, you are given the choice to side with the Order or with the Freemen. Whoever you choose will provide you with protection. I went with the Freemen, so my walkthroughs are based on the quests that appear after siding with the Freemen, not the Order.
Table of contents
The Best There Is – Walkthrough
Visit Irvin’s House
As per the instructions of the leader of the freemen, Kurt, you now have to find Irvin. For that, you will need to move back a little and travel some distance. You may remember a stone bridge you passed when reaching the freemen’s headquarters. Go there, cross the bridge, and take a left.
Go Around The Graveyard And Follow The Path Ahead
After taking a left, a graveyard will be right in front of you. From there, take a right and then follow the path ahead of you. Irvin lives on the cliffs, so you may have to do a bit of climbing. Keep following the path while ignoring the monsters on the way, and eventually you will notice the path extending to the left side.
Head left and go up the path. Follow it and keep climbing. Once you reach the top, you will see a pathway on the left that takes you even higher. Head there, follow the path ahead, and Irvin’s house will be right in front of you. Unfortunately, Irvin will not be home, so you will have to find him somewhere else, but without clues, you cannot do much.
Talk To The Hobgoblin For More Information
Facing Irvin’s house, head to the right, and you will find a tiny hobgoblin. Talk to him, and then you will get a clue about where to find Irvin. Even if you do not, there is no need to worry, as I will tell you exactly where to go. However, before you head back, loot anything useful you see around and make sure to pick up the flower behind the shack where you talked to the hobgoblin.
Head Down The Cliff
Now that you can’t find Irvin in his house, head down the cliff and follow the path to the right. Keep following the path and then take a left. Continue along the path and then take a right to go up the hill. There, the path will divide into two; take the left one and keep following it while staying on the right side.
Head To The Tavern
Ignore the monsters along the way and cross the wooden bridge. Keep following the path, and eventually you will reach some wooden stairs. Go up the stairs, cross the bridge, go down the stairs, and head to the right. You may remember this place by now, as we are almost near the tavern.
Make Your Way To The Guard Tower
Head straight, and to your right will be the tavern. You can go inside and learn some survival skills from the bartender, or you can simply keep following the path ahead. Continue along the path to the right, and you will eventually come across the giant statue.
Head Up The Ruins From The Giant Statue
Go around the giant statue and keep following the path (take the left side where you came from). Continue forward, and the path will split into two. Take the left one, go up the hill, and you will eventually reach the ruins.
Keep moving forward while staying on the east side, and then follow the path. Cross the wooden bridge and continue along the path, and you will reach the Guard Tower. Head left from the board, and you will find Irvin on the northwest side of the area.
Talk to him, and that will conclude The Best There Is quest in Of Ash and Steel.
The Return – Walkthrough
After you have talked to Irvin, he will ask you to follow him. Shortly after walking for a bit, you will both stop at a place, and Irvin will ask you to leave him alone and let him investigate. He will ask you to go down to the battlefield and do some investigation of your own.
Search The Battlefield
So head down the battlefield where you and your party were attacked. Head to the shore, and a cutscene will commence. After that cutscene, head left inside the cave, which you couldn’t access before. Inside, you will find more bodies. There will also be a monster, a zombie. Defeat it and then head back to Irvin.
Talk To Irvin
The zombie can regain its health, so make sure to finish it as soon as possible. Then talk to Irvin, and he will show you the corpse of the person who robbed you.
After talking to Irvin, he will ask you to head to Nerest and ask him about the man-of-war tattoo people. With this, the quest The Return in Of Ash and Steel will conclude.
The Man With The Man-Of-War Tattoo – Walkthrough
Now you need to head back to Nerest’s house, which can be a little challenging. However, do note that after completing The Return, you can finally access the map in Of Ash and Steel. That said, you will not be able to use the map instantly, as you need to go to a certain location for Tristain to draw the map himself.
Head To Nerest
With that aside, I will guide you exactly on how to head to Nerest. Facing away from Irvin, take a right and follow that path. Then take a left and keep going ahead. You will eventually come across some ruins, and your game will lag a little. Cross that and follow the path ahead.
Go Through The Abandoned Village To Reach Nerest’s House
You also remember going through this area when heading to the city. Keep going ahead and then take a right. You need to take a right before reaching the place where Radim will be. Cross the bridge, and you will be inside the Abandoned Village.
From here, the path is very simple, so head to Nerest’s house and talk to him. He will give you some information about a man with the Man-of-War Tattoo, Mazhar. Now you have to talk to him, along with Irvin, to get more information.
Nerest will not tell you anything else, mainly because of the code between the men of war. That said, it is time to head back to Irvin’s house.
Head Back To Irvin’s House
To continue the quest, you need to head back to Irvin’s house. Previously, we found him at the Guard Tower, but this time he will be at his home. If you are finding the way ahead confusing, then simply read my guide on The Long Road Way Home to reach the city easily. I have also mentioned a shortcut for how you can reach the city.
After that, read my guide, Friends in High Places, to reach the giant statue. From there, the path will be very simple, as you just need to go left, and you will reach the tavern. From there, you can retrace your steps or read this guide from the Head to the Tavern section.
Talk To Irvin
After reaching Irvin’s house, you should wait for him to come out. I could not go inside his house, as it was showing the pick option. However, for me, Irvin came out himself in about 30 seconds. So wait for him to come out and then talk to him. Tell him what you have learned, and he will tell you that Mazhar’s base is pretty near.
So follow him, and he will take you to Mazhar.
Defeat The Bugs
Upon reaching the destination, you will notice that the place is filled with bug-type monsters. Mazhar’s guards will have a tough time handling them, so you should join the battle. There will not be much for you to do, as Irvin will literally one-shot them. He is super strong.
Once the bugs have been defeated, head to the other side of the base, and you will find Mazhar inside the large house. Head inside, and a cutscene will be triggered. You will learn that Mazhar and Irvin have some history together.
Now you have to make a deal with him. He will agree to help you, but only on one condition. You will need to go to the source of the bug infestation and eliminate it. Then Mazhar will help you, and the quest The Man With The Man-of-War Tattoo in Of Ash and Steel will be concluded.
As this will start another main quest, I will cover the rest in another walkthrough guide. This concludes my walkthrough for The Best There Is, The Return, and The Man With The Man-of-War Tattoo main quests in Of Ash and Steel.
For more interesting articles related to indie games, check out the links below:
- Into Indie Games Home Page
- Routine Walkthrough Hub
- Sleep Awake Complete Walkthrough – All Chapters
- Marvel Cosmic Invasion Review
- Winter Burrow Review
Obaid Ur Rehman is a lifelong gaming enthusiast with a deep passion for writing about video games. While he enjoys all genres, he specializes in RPGs and Soulslike titles. After tackling some of the toughest bosses, he often unwinds with a cozy game to relax. Outside of gaming, Obaid enjoys watching anime, bingeing TV series, or staying active at the gym.
