Of Ash and Steel, an RPG inspired by the Gothic series, is a pretty harsh game. In this game, if you are lost somewhere, then you are most likely not to find your way back. This will not happen in the very early areas, as they are pretty easy to remember. However, in the mid to end areas, it can be pretty common, so you need to be careful.
Even in quests, you do not get many pointers except for some very vague hints. There is absolutely no hand-holding, and that makes it extremely challenging to find locations. One such quest, The Long Road Home, has many players confused, as the path to it is extremely long, confusing, and weird. Here, I will guide you on how to complete The Long Road Home quest in Of Ash and Steel.
If you want more information regarding the game, head over to its Steam Page.
Important Note
Before you continue this quest, you should know that the path ahead is quite long. Since there is no fast travel in this game, you will have to come all the way back if you leave any quests unfinished. I recommend completing any unfinished business here before moving on, because the next area is also filled with quests. You can return to this area later, but it may be inconvenient to travel all the way back.
Table of contents
How To Reach The Harbor
Reaching the harbor is going to be pretty troublesome on your own, so here I will tell you exactly how to reach it easily. You can easily get lost, as I did, and reach a pretty weird place where I found many high-level monsters who had enough power to take out half of my health with just one hit.
I will guide you to the harbor from Nerest’s house. From there, go straight and reach the Abandoned Village. Then go right, and when the path ends, head to the left. From there, keep going straight, and you will reach a board. There will also be an NPC, Radim, on the right side, who assigns you the Bad Neighborhood quest.
From the board, head left and keep following that path. You will eventually reach a wooden platform. Cross that and keep going ahead. Shortly after, you will notice some ruins, and as you enter, the game will lag a bit, and you will get some EXP. From there, keep going ahead, and eventually you will come across another signboard.
From there, keep going north, and you will come across yet another board. Take a left from there and go ahead. There will be a fisherman just ahead. Talk to him, and a quest will be started. He will now guide you to the city, so it is better that you follow him.
Important Note
When you reach a camp where you see some swordsmen and heavily armored people, talk to them to learn some new skills. They can teach you combat skills, and you will most probably be able to learn at least two skills. The first is pretty useful as that unlocks the heavy hit which helps in breaking posture if the enemy is blocking.
Take Me By Hand Walkthrough
Now, it isn’t absolutely mandatory that you complete this quest, but you are not going out of your way to complete it. He is helping you, and you will get some free EXP. Also, there will be some enemies along the way, and he is pretty strong. He will take care of the enemies for you.
Keep following the NPC, and eventually, he will stop. He will then ask you to follow him, so do so, and you will be rewarded with some camping supplies and 350 EXP. Then, follow the path to the north, cross the bridge, and in a little while, you will come across a notice board.
Important Note
On the way, on the left side, you may notice a hunter sitting. Talk to him and choose the dialogue options to learn some survival skills from him. You will be able to learn at least a few, but make sure not to spend all of your gold, because you will need 200 to enter the city.
From there, follow the north-east path and then go ahead. The guard will stop you and ask for 200 gold, which is a lot. However, you have to pay this amount if you want to enter. If you select the first option, the guards are going to give a beating, so it is better to just pay and then enter inside. Paying the gold will also complete So Close, Yet So Far.
After paying the gold, go ahead and enter through the door. A loading screen will appear. When you enter the city, you will encounter an NPC asking you for money to guide you further. If you choose the first option, he is going to flee the scene, and you will be scammed.
If you choose the second one, he will guide you the way, but in the end, you will have to pay. However, you should select the third one as I will guide you the way.
Reaching The Harbor By Navigating Through The City
Head straight, take a right, and then follow the path. Keep going straight, pass the guard, and then, after going ahead for just a little while, head to the right. Keep following the path and then go right. After that, go down the stairs until you see a path ahead.
When you see a path ahead, go straight, down the stairs, to the right. Continue ahead, then take a left and proceed up the stairs. After that, take a right and then head left. Now, go ahead and follow the path to the north-west side. Then take a right and follow the path.
Cross the wooden bridge and then keep following the path to the north. When you reach a dead end, take a left from there, go ahead, and then take a right. Now there will be two paths to the right; you need to take the one to the left. Continue straight, and you will notice a pathway leading downwards. Follow that and then take a left. You have now reached the harbor, but you still have to talk to a couple of people.
You will notice a couple of carts and boxes around. From there, go left and take a U-turn to the right side and enter through the door. Talk to Helmut, and after your conversation with him is over, talk to Carrera. After talking to him, you will get to know that you can’t set sail right now, as you need 5,000 gold. Collecting that will take some time, so head out the gate, and someone will be waiting for you.
Follow Vard From The Order
Now, you just need to follow the royal knight, as this is part of the story. Once you reach the spot he has been leading you to, you will reach a dead end. He will then draw his sword to kill you, but fortunately, a mysterious figure will save you. With this, the quest The Long Road Home in Of Ash and Steel will be over, and the next one will be triggered.
That mysterious person will give you hints on what to do, but just the hint may not be enough. This quest turned out to be pretty annoying, mainly because of the hurdles in the way. The way back is also quite long, so it will take a considerable amount of time to return on foot. You can’t fast travel, so going on foot back is the only option for now if you still want to explore the early areas.
Shortcut To Reach The City
After playing the game more, I have discovered a shortcut to reach the city. It is not difficult and will not take much of your time. If you have completed the Knee-Deep in the Ground quest, you will be aware of the woodcutter’s camp. If you have not, do not worry. Read my walkthrough on this quest, and you will know how to get there easily.
When you reach the woodcutter’s camp, follow the path to the right. Keep following this path, and eventually you will reach a completely different location. Keep going ahead, and you will find a notice board. To the northeast side of the board, there will be a road. That road leads to the city.
This will make your journey simple and fast. I also figured out a way to enter the city without paying the guards 200 gold. However, for that, you will need 12 Dexterity. From the main gate where the guards are standing, head left and keep going until you reach a dead end. From there, you will notice vines to your east. You can climb the vines to enter the city without paying.
If you do not have enough Dex, read my guide on how to get the best start in Of Ash and Steel. That will help you get a lot of things that will make your experience better.
For more interesting articles related to indie games, check out the links below:
- Into Indie Games Homepage
- Demonschool Complete Walkthrough
- Constance Complete Walkthrough Hub
- Winter Burrow Review
- The Berlin Apartment 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.
