The Totem of Defiance, or Skaen’s Totem, in Emerald Stair, is the second major totem set inAvowed. As with Woedica’s Totem in Dawnshore, there are seven different pieces, including the totem base. Totems award unique and powerful buffs after placing each piece in your camp, and they can be found in all sorts of locations, typically near other side quests or even main quests. As with all totems, clues about the totem locations can be bought from a specific vendor, but these clues only provide a hint about where to look and don’t provide any specific map indicators.
I recommend grabbing the clues before heading out to find each totem piece, as it will make your life slightly more manageable with a general idea of where to look. As being one of thebest items to get early, which order you decide to grab the pieces in doesn’t necessarily matter, though there is a more convenient path that I’ll lay out here.Skaen’s Totem pieces include the following: the Schemer’s Offering, Sacrificial Dagger, Idol of Covert Plots, Idol of Secret Hatred, Idol of Violent Rebellion, Obsidian Prayer Beads, and Effigy Necklace. Here is a look at where to buy the clues and track down the Totem of Defiance pieces inAvowed’s Emerald Stair.
Where To Buy The Clues For The Totem Of Defiance Pieces In Emerald Stair
Visit Llucia Melcer At The Farmer’s Market
My first stop in Emerald Stair wasFior mes Inverno, where I picked up some of the main quests in the area. The totem pieces are generally near side quest locations, so having these quest markers as reference points can be useful. The Fragments of the Offering clues can actually be foundsoutheast of Fior mes Inverno proper, at the Farmer’s Market.This is in the Coastal Farms area around Maxim’s Claim, and you’re looking for a merchant named Llucia Melcer inside a building with two purple lights on either side of the entrance.
If you plan to take advantage of the Skaen’s Totem bonuses while exploring Emerald Stair, you should grab the Totem Base first, as it’s the only way to place the pieces in your camp.
Llucia Melcer sells the Fragments of the Offering cluesfor 500 Skeyt, and if you collected the Woedica’s Totempieces inAvowed’s Dawnshore region, the clues will look familiar. Each is a cryptic one-line rhyme that only gives a vague hint of where to look. If you’re reading this guide, it’s probably because these clues aren’t extremely helpful in narrowing down the locations if you don’t know the area already. For that reason, I recommend grabbing the Skaen’s Totem pieces in the following order so you don’t have to go back and forth across the map multiple times:
Avowed Totem Of Defiance Walkthrough: Where To Find Every Piece Of Skaen’s Totem
The Effigy Necklace Requires Progressing The Main Story To Access Naku Tedek’s Secret Room
From the Farmer’s Market, head north toward the Ranger Headquarters for the Idol of Violent Rebellion. Speak with the Rangers out front for a new quest if you haven’t already, thengo around the back of the tower and start parkouring your way up, jumping back and forth across the ledges and eventually finding the ladder to the top platform where the Idol sits on a few crates.
From here, head northwest toward the Abandoned Farms, which can easily be found if you have the Farm Xaurips bounty active. The Sacrificial Dagger has beenstabbed into a letter on the back wall of one of the houses there. You don’t necessarily need to take out the Xaurips here now - I managed to clear them pretty easily, even at Level 8, so it’s likely you won’t have too hard a time.
ThePractical Pockets Treasure Maplocation is near the Ranger Headquarters, and I’d recommend grabbing it from the nearby alcove after picking up the Idol of Violent Rebellion totem piece.
Next up is the Idol of Covert Plots, which can be found due west heading toward the"Elder Offerings"quest pin in the Grim Wetlands.This piece is located inside a barred building with some skeleton enemies out front,but to get inside, you’ll need to go up the cliffs overlooking this area and jump across a broken bridge - just mind the spore enemies up there as they’ll attack you if you aren’t sneaky. The Idol of Covert Plots is inside on a table.
To get the Schemer’s Offering totem base for the Totem of Defiance, you’ll need to head south from the Idol of Covert Plots until you see the Shrine to Skaen. For reference, it’s located justsouthwest of the Plateau Junction Beacon. Parkour your way to the top of this shrine for the totem base.
Not far from here, you may grab the Obsidian Prayer Beads from the Delemgan Glade. The Delemgan Glade Beacon isjust south of the Shrine to Skaen,which you can fast-travel to before heading west across the ravine. The beads are located at the top of a high point near the back of this area, and I was able to sneak around the enemies and avoid the main area boss to acquire it. If you feel confident and have your gear upgraded, now is as good a time as any, and you will be able to grab the Adragan Heart once the enemies are dealt with.
Avowed: Painter’s Regret Treasure Map Location & Rewards
The Painter’s Regret treasure is in an area that’s easy to find but also dangerously close to strong enemies that will make you squirm in Avowed.
The Idol of Secret Hatred can be found outside the Naku Tedek Grounds area, the southern island location in Emerald Stair, where Belderreno’s Lair and other significant quest points are found. Before crossing the bridge into Naku Tedek, follow the ravine southuntil you come across the Ancient Grotto Beaconand head inside the Ancient Grotto. Take out Nuna, the boss bear, and the spore enemies, or sneak around them entirely. The idol is found on a body in the back of the cave, and it has a unique ring on it, theRing of the Founder.
The final totem piece for Skaen’s Totem, the Effigy Necklace, is locked behind the main quest progression but can be found once you get inside Naku Tedek proper. Giatta will escort you inside the grounds, andeventually, you will start a generatorand open a locked door. you may access a tree branch by freezing the water in front of it, which will lead you to the final totem piece’s location. Combined, all of the Totem of Defiance pieces can be placed in the camp to create Skaen’s Totem for the following effects:
Effigy Necklace
Naku Tedek Grounds
A Vengeful Victim: After taking damage from an enemy, your next attack within 10 seconds deals +20% of the original damage you received. Stacks with Retribution.
I’d recommend utilizing these bonuses as you collect them, especially if you failed to collect the full Woedica totem from Dawnshore. The Kill the Master ability comes in extremely handy in Emerald Stair due tothe large number of skeleton enemies,while poison accumulation from the Bitter Thoughts ability is among the game’s most effective elemental damage types. Collecting each of the Skaen’s Totem pieces in their various locations inAvowedis well worth the trouble and can give you a serious edge in Emerald Stair.
Avowed
Avowed is an upcoming RPG release from Obsidian Entertainment, the creative minds behind Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds. Avowed will reportedly take place in the same universe as Pillars of Eternity.
