No Rest For The Wicked – Of Rats And Raiders Quest Walkthrough

If you have been diving into the side quests in No Rest for the Wicked, you have probably realized that not all of them play by the rules. Even with an objective marker pointing the way, you can still end up scratching your head, wondering what the game actually wants from you.

Some side quests are quick and painless, perfect for a short detour. Others are a real commitment, packed with steps, twists, and backtracking. Of Rats and Raiders firmly falls into that second category, standing as one of the longest and most involved quests you can take on early in the game.

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This is part of our No Rest For The Wicked – Guides And Walkthrough Hub, so if you want more content, guides or walkthrough about the game be sure to check it out.

How To Start Of Rats And Raiders Quest

In order to start the Of Rats and Raiders quest, you need to make your way to Winnick. Start by going to Danos, who is located just north of the Whisper of the marketplace.

From here, simply take the stairs up, and you should find Winnick waiting to your left. Speak to him, and you will learn that he has a proposition for you, which means he needs your help.

Winnick wants you to track down the Risen Warlord Darak, who has been spotted around the Orban Glades area. After the conversation ends, the Of Rats and Raiders quest will begin.

Where To Find Darak At The Orban Glades

Darak can be found to the west of Orban Glades. Fast travel to the Forgotten Bridge Whisper or make your way there. From here, follow the path to the left, and you should see a huge gate burning.

Go through the gate, and you will see the Sacrament men fighting Darak. As he finishes his short speech, he will jump down and attack Cerim. This is where you need to fight him.

How To Defeat Falstead Darak

As soon as the fight starts, you need to take out Darak’s soldiers first so you can focus on Darak later. Make sure you do that first.

Darak is predictable because his attack pattern is slow. He uses both a sword and a shield in combat and performs various swings, thrusts, and combos. Usually, his attacks come in three or four hits, and it is better to just run away and create some distance.

The key here is to wait until he finishes his combos, as he usually takes a couple of seconds to rest in between. This is your opening to close in and land a few hits.

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But don’t get greedy and drain all your stamina because you will need to keep some to fall back.

As the fight comes to an end, Darak will fall back and say a few words to Cerim, then he will run away.

You are left with no clue where Darak goes, so for now, you just need to go back to Sacrament and report to Winnick.

Report Back To Winnick

Winnick can be found just further west from his last location. You will see him standing near Odessa’s cell. As you approach, you will see Odessa speaking to Winnick about Darak.

Odessa believes that this is just an act from Darak and that he didn’t flee just because he was defeated, and there is more to it. After their conversation ends, you can approach Winnick and speak to him.

Winnick doesn’t take Odessa’s words in vain and wants you to check in with her and see what she has to say, so you need to speak to Odessa now.

During your conversation with her, Cerim learns that he may be able to learn something about Darak’s fleeing from one of the captured men nearby.

She specifically points you to go have a chat with Rattigan, who can be found at the cell further south.

How To Free Rattigan

Speak to Rattigan, and he will confirm that the real attack is yet to happen and that the previous one was just an act.

Cerim tries to convince him to reveal where Darak is hiding, but he makes a deal with you: free him from his cell, and he will direct you to their hiding place.

What you need to do here is find the keys to his cage. If you keep heading south toward the tower, you will overhear two guards chatting about one guard getting drunk near the fountain and having the keys.

The fountain they mention is located at the lower level, west of your current location, so make your way there. You should see a guard lying on the ground near the bench. Approach him and interact with him to get the key to the cell.

With this key in hand, head back to Rattigan’s cell. Use the key to unlock his cell, and he will be thankful for this act. He will ask you to meet him at the sewer drain down on the coast.

Meet Rattigan At The Sewer Drain

This is where you need to go, and to reach it, there are a few ways. From the starting location at the shallows, if you keep heading north, you should come across what looks like a sewer entrance with greenish water.

As you approach this location, a cutscene will come, revealing Rattigan on the upper floor. He will use the level to drain the entrance, which will become accessible for you to go inside, and Darak is supposed to be there.

Where To Find Darak Inside The Black Trench

After you enter the sewer known as the Black Trench, follow the path to the left where you will see a door. This door is locked, and you will need to find a key to open it.

Keep progressing north, and if you take the stairs down south, you will reach a Whisper that you can interact with, serving as a checkpoint inside the trench.

From the Whisper, make your way to the lower floor using the stairs and continue north until you reach a sewer door. Nearby, there is a blue loot you can interact with, granting the Drainage Cellars Key.

With this key in hand, head back to the locked door and unlock it. Follow the path west, and you will notice that all of Darak’s men here have been infected by the Pestilence plague.

Navigate The Black Trench

From here, drop down to a lower sewer level and interact with it to activate the bridge to the south. Cross to the other side and continue moving south.

You will come across a ledge of wooden planks. Drop down from here and jump into the water, where you will see another sewer level just north of you.

Activate it, and the water will rise, allowing your character to float, which is exactly what you need to progress.

Activate The Sewer Mechanisms

Swim back to the area where you found the wooden ledge, and this time head west. You should now be able to access this level while swimming.

From here, follow the straightforward path north until you reach another sewer level. Interacting with it will activate a bridge that takes you across, but it is on a timer, so move quickly.

After crossing, another door to the north is locked, and you will need a key. The key is nearby; take the stairs up and defeat a few enemies. One of the loot drops will give you the Water Channel Key.

Use this key to unlock the door and move forward. In this room, you will find another sewer level to the north. Interact with it to raise a platform that helps you reach the upper floor.

This is also on a timer, so you must be quick, though you can try again if needed.

At the upper floor, jump to the other side and follow the path west until you reach another sewer level. This one will drain the water from the room, revealing a hidden entrance below.

Go through it and continue north to activate a Whisper, giving you a closer checkpoint.

Obtain The Sewer Level Handle

From the Whisper, drop down and continue south until you reach a set of stairs leading to an upper level. Cross the bridge and use the wooden path to reach the other side, where you will find a similar sewer level, though this time there is no lever.

To the left, there is loot that gives you the Sewer Level Handle. Use this handle to activate the bridge and reach the other side.

There will be another sewer mechanism missing the lever; activate it to trigger a timer platform that takes you to the upper floor.

At the upper floor, go east and drop down one level. Head right to find another sewer level. Interact with it to raise the water level above.

Reach Darak

Swim south until you reach a ladder, climb it, and follow the wooden path. Eventually, you will return to the starting area near the Whisper.

Now, head back to the sewer mechanism near the Whisper and use the handle to create the bridge to the other side. From here, follow the path straight ahead until a cutscene begins, revealing Darak.

How To Defeat Falstead Darak At The Black Trench

You meet Darak again at his hideout, and this time you need to defeat him once and for all. You see Darak has been affected by the Pestilence, and he’s ready to fight you.

The first part of the fight is exactly as the first time you met him at the Orban Glades, so use the same tactics you did to win.

After you deplete all his health, you will notice that Darak will be completely consumed by the Pestilence and will transform into a beast.

Defeat The Torn Falstead – Phase 2

Now he will have large tentacles, and he will be more aggressive. All his sword attacks now have a follow-up with the tentacles, which have even longer reach, so your best approach is to dodge to the sides instead of creating distance.

The whole attack pattern is still very similar to his basic form, with the addition of tentacles. You just need to be patient and let him exhaust all his attacks before going in for an opening.

One trick that worked really well when fighting him is to always try to stay behind him. This way, most of his attacks will miss or be easier to dodge, and he will waste a lot of time trying to turn around. Use this to your advantage.

How To Complete Of Rats And Raiders Quest

After you successfully defeat Darak once and for all, pick up your loot from him. After that, a cutscene will play where Winnick shows up with some army at the balcony above, with Rattigan in cuffs.

Winnick is not happy that you made a deal with a prisoner, even if it completed the mission, and in fact, they have been watching you during this whole quest.

Rattigan is not happy about this either, even though he made the deal with Cerim, but he won’t let it go easily and swears that he will come back for you.

The cutscene marks the completion of this long quest, Of Rats and Raiders, and you can exit the trench from the same balcony, where you will find a ladder.

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