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Arboria is an abandoned village in the Hernand region of Pywel. The settlement once stood alongside Arboria Castle, a regional estate that doubled as a fertilizer plant designed to support the surrounding agricultural lands. As the castle's output declined and the facility fell into disuse, the villagers departed one by one. Today the village is little more than crumbling walls and overgrown pathways, occupied by thieves and bandits who have claimed the ruins as their base of operations.
Despite its ruined state, Arboria remains an important destination for players. The area contains Arboria Castle, home to the Queen Spider boss and the elixir factory associated with House Celeste quests. The adjacent Arboria Forest holds an ancient fountain puzzle that rewards an Abyss Artifact upon completion. A specialized craftshop for weaving Spider Web silk can also be found among the ruins, and various gathering materials are scattered throughout the forest.
Arboria sits in the northern reaches of the Hernand region, north of the City of Hernand and west of the Hills of No Return. The village is accessible by road from the city, and Arboria Castle stands directly adjacent to the settlement at the edge of the forest.
The landscape around Arboria transitions from the open fields near the city into dense woodland. Arboria Forest (also referred to as the Arburis Forest in some records) envelops the castle and village, with thick canopy coverage, uneven terrain, and narrow paths winding between the trees. The forest extends southwest toward the Hills of No Return, and deeper sections contain ancient stone structures predating the castle itself.
The overall feel of the area is one of faded grandeur. Collapsed stone walls, rusted gates, and abandoned furnishings hint at the prosperity the village once enjoyed. Moss and vines cover most surfaces, and spider webs are noticeably prevalent, especially near the castle grounds.
Arboria is divided into three distinct sub-areas, each with its own points of interest and hazards.
Area | Description |
|---|---|
Arboria Castle | The central landmark of the settlement. Once a seat of regional authority and a fertilizer production facility, the castle has fallen into heavy disrepair. Its interior is partially collapsed but still explorable, with rooms containing loot, environmental storytelling, and the entrance to the Queen Spider's lair. The castle also houses a strongbox puzzle in its basement and the elixir factory machinery. |
A specialized workshop for weaving Spider Web silk. The artisans here harvest and process raw spider web into fine silk fabric. The craftshop can be found among the village ruins and provides crafting services related to web-based materials. | |
The dense forest bordering the village. Contains hostile creatures, bandit camps, gathering materials such as herbs and timber, and paths leading deeper into the wilderness. The forest also houses the ancient fountain puzzle, one of the Abyss Cresset challenges. |
Despite being abandoned as a village, Arboria still offers several useful services and facilities for players passing through.
Facility | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|
Craftshop (Spider Web Silk) | Village ruins | Weaves raw Spider Web into silk fabric. Interact with the crafting stations for web-based material processing. |
Elixir Factory | A seven-step production line for brewing elixirs. Unlocked after completing the Restarting the Elixir Factory quest for House Celeste. | |
Mission Dispatch Point | After completing the elixir factory quest, the castle becomes a mission dispatch location where Greymane Camp recruits can be sent on assignments. | |
Arboria Forest (fountain puzzle) | Unlocked by solving the fountain puzzle. is a fast travel point once activated. | |
Gathering Nodes | Herbs, timber, and other raw materials are found throughout the forest floor. |
Thieves and hostile bandits have taken up residence throughout the Arboria ruins. Players should come prepared for combat when exploring the area, especially around the castle grounds. The bandits are mid-level enemies who attack on sight and frequently appear in groups. They carry basic weapons and drop loot including gear, crafting components, and consumables.
The surrounding Arboria Forest also contains hostile creatures and additional bandit camps scattered among the trees. Spider webs are common near the castle entrance, and smaller spiders can be found in and around the castle interior. The density of enemies increases as players move deeper into the castle toward the Queen Spider's lair.
The Queen Spider is the primary boss encounter at Arboria Castle. This fight is part of the House Celeste questline and becomes available during Chapter 3 of the main story after progressing through the House Celeste quests in Hernand.
According to local legend preserved in the Arboria Forest lore, a dark sorcerer grew envious of the beauty of the castle lord's daughter and placed a terrible curse on her, transforming her into a giant spider. The resulting creature took up residence in the castle and drove out its remaining inhabitants.
The Queen Spider spends a significant portion of the fight clinging to the walls of the arena, making her difficult to reach with melee attacks. She has a powerful poison attack and regularly fills the arena floor with poison clouds that deal damage over time. Smaller spiders also spawn throughout the fight, adding pressure to the encounter.
Arrows and ranged abilities are particularly useful for dealing damage while the Queen Spider is on the walls. Keeping a supply of food for healing is recommended, though the fight is generally considered manageable compared to other bosses encountered by this point in the story.
Defeating the Queen Spider yields the Queen's Fang, an Abyss Core that can be embedded into a weapon. The Queen's Fang adds a poison effect to the player's Stab attack, which is considered one of the higher-DPS ability combinations in the game.
After defeating the Queen Spider and clearing the castle of spiders, players receive the quest Restarting the Elixir Factory. This House Celeste quest tasks the player with restoring the castle's abandoned elixir production line by activating seven systems in sequence. Instructions can be found on notes scattered around the factory floor.
The seven systems must be activated in order. Skipping a step or performing them out of sequence will stall the process.
Step | System | Action |
|---|---|---|
1 | Cultivation Room Control Unit | Kick the wooden square with the yellow circle on the metal tube, push the lever left, descend the ladder, and pull the handle. |
2 | Ingredient Dispenser | Turn the handle left until the lever springs up, then pull the lever right. |
3 | Washer and Crusher | Turn the handwheel left for the Washer. Triple-jump to the upper platform to reach the Crusher handwheel and turn it right. |
4 | Lift and Dosing Pump | Open the hatch on the metal wall and press the button. Walk into the Dosing Pump button to activate it. |
5 | Mixing Ratio | Set the Yellow handwheel to position 4 (top line) and the Red handwheel to position 1 (bottom line) for the perfect elixir. |
6 | Heater | Carry an oil barrel to the Heater and use Force Palm to push it into position. Pull the dropped handle to fire up the Heater. |
7 | Bottling Factory | Interact with the lever behind the Bottling Factory and wait for production to begin. |
The mixing ratio at Step 5 determines the quality of the output. Setting the ratio to 4 (yellow/top) and 1 (red/bottom) produces a yellow elixir, which is the perfect result. Other ratios produce lower-quality elixirs. The elixirs produced here are not immediately useful but become relevant for later quests.
The underground growing area accessible during Step 1 also contains Fertilizer, a key item needed for a subsequent quest. Make sure to pick it up before leaving the area.
Arboria Castle becomes a mission dispatch location for Greymane Camp recruits.
Access to the elixir production line for future brewing.
Fertilizer item (found during the quest, needed for a later objective).
A strongbox can be found in the basement of Arboria Castle, at the center of a room covered in spider webs. The strongbox uses a rotating board mechanism with five wheels that must each be scrolled a specific number of times before pulling the switch on the right side.
One full scroll is indicated by Kliff's thumb lifting up to return to the top of the wheel. Each scroll counts as two movements. Rotate each wheel the following number of times:
Wheel | Rotations |
|---|---|
1st Wheel | 3 |
2nd Wheel | 4 |
3rd Wheel | 5 |
4th Wheel | 4 |
5th Wheel | 2 |
After setting all five wheels, activate the switch on the right side to open the strongbox.
The strongbox contains an Equipment Manual, a rare resource used in the production of high-tier gear via crafting. Equipment Manuals are uncommon drops, so this is a valuable find for players investing in Crafting Manuals and equipment upgrades.
Deep within Arboria Forest, players can find an ancient stone structure marked as a Mysterious Zone (shown with a question mark icon on the map). This structure contains the Fountain Puzzle, also referred to as "The Thread in the Forest" challenge.
The ancient structure features three stone pillars, each topped with a water bowl. Water flows outward from the bowls, spilling onto the ground. The goal is to rotate all three pillars so that the water collects in the central basin below rather than draining away.
A holographic hint near the structure depicts an NPC shoving a sword into one of the pillars, providing a visual clue for the solution.
To rotate each pillar, execute a Stab attack targeting the square-shaped slits on each pillar. Once the weapon lodges into the slit, push a directional input to rotate the pillar to the correct orientation. Repeat for all three pillars until water flows into the central basin.
Platform | |
|---|---|
PC | Hold Left Shift + Right Mouse Button |
Xbox | Hold RB + Press Y |
PlayStation | Hold R1 + Press Triangle |
Completing the fountain puzzle activates the Abyss Cresset of the Arboria Forest, which is a fast travel point. Players also receive an Abyss Artifact as a reward.
Arboria Forest is a productive gathering area with a variety of raw materials scattered across the forest floor and around the village ruins.
Resource | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Castle grounds, forest edges | Abundant near the castle. Used for crafting traps and reinforcements. The Arboria Craftshop specializes in processing this material into silk. | |
Herbs | Forest floor | Various medicinal and alchemical herbs grow throughout the forest undergrowth. |
Forest paths | Harvestable wood sources found along the trails and clearings. | |
Fertilizer | Castle underground growing area | Key quest item found during the Restarting the Elixir Factory quest. Needed for a later objective. |
Spider Web is particularly noteworthy as a crafting material. Valued for its water-resistant tensile strength, it is a world-drop material commonly found near Arboria. Players are advised to stock up when passing through the area, as Spider Web is used in several crafting and alchemy recipes.
Item | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|
Queen Spider boss | An Abyss Core that adds poison to Stab attacks when embedded in a weapon. One of the highest-DPS combinations available. | |
Castle strongbox puzzle | ||
Forest fountain puzzle | Rewarded for completing the Abyss Cresset of the Arboria Forest challenge. | |
Bandit Loot | Enemy drops throughout the area | Weapons, armor pieces, crafting components, and consumables dropped by bandit enemies. |
Chest Contents | Rooms within Arboria Castle | Various consumables, equipment, and crafting materials found in exploration chests. |
Fertilizer | Underground growing area | Quest item found during the elixir factory quest. Required for a later objective in the House Celeste storyline. |
Bring ranged weapons or a bow. The Queen Spider spends much of the fight on walls where melee attacks cannot reach her.
Stock up on food before entering Arboria Castle. Poison clouds from the Queen Spider deal sustained damage, and healing items help manage the pressure.
Collect Spider Web materials while exploring. They are used in multiple crafting and alchemy recipes and are especially common in this area.
Do not skip the Fertilizer pickup in the underground growing area during the elixir factory quest. It is needed for a later objective.
The strongbox in the castle basement is easy to miss. Look for a spider-web-covered room in the center of the basement level.
After completing the fountain puzzle, interact with the Abyss Cresset to unlock it as a fast travel point. This makes returning to the area much faster for future visits.
