Trader Escort is a gold quest in Fable, The Lost Chapters, and Fable Anniversary.
Quest Summary[]
Escort the Traders in Darkwood safely to Barrow Fields.
Objectives[]
- Get to the Traders in Darkwood by going through Greatwood.
- Escort the Traders to the Trader Camp.
- Escort the Traders from the Trader Camp to Barrow Fields.
Boasts[]
No Protection[]
Boast: Do the Quest naked.
Wager: 200 Gold
Reward: 400 Gold
Without A Scratch[]
Boast: Take no damage.
Wager: 200 Gold
Reward: 1000 Gold
Protect Traders[]
Boast: During this Quest, all Traders must survive.
Wager: 100 Gold
Reward: 400 Gold
Walkthrough[]
During this quest you must make your way to Darkwood where you will find two traders requesting to be escorted to Barrow Fields.
Darkwood Entrance[]
Upon entering Darkwood, the Hero of Oakvale is greeted by the Traders who hired the guild for the escort. They explain how Barrow Fields is their destination at the other end of Darkwood. Beginning the escort, a Balverine is seen in the distance but vanishes as the group approaches. Another trader gets off the ground where the Balverine had just been resting. This trader has a large scratch on his face. He begs the hero to join the group. However, one of the traders is sceptical as he is infected and "will be eating our guts before we know it." The hero may choose to allow the third trader to join or not, but denying the request will result in a subtraction of 40 morality points. Should the hero allow the infected trader to follow, they must proceed quickly to Barrow Fields before he turns.
Darkwood Marshes[]
The hero comes into contact with a Balverine eating a dead bandit. Once the hero slays the Balverine, the group encounters lethal spores. The hero must dispatch the spores from a distance, or they will explode, causing damage to the group.
Darkwood Lake[]
The hero must prepare for bandit attacks and bandit ambushes. Many bandits are scattered in this area.
Darkwood Camp[]
The camp is a safe zone. The Traders will be able to heal should they have been injured.
Ancient Cullis Gate[]
The hero will encounter more bandits at the base of the stone steps near the Cullis Gate. More Bandits and Hobbes are ahead.
Darkwood Weir[]
The hero will encounter an earth troll just before they enter Barrow Fields. The traders will keep their distance until the troll is defeated. A magical barrier will guard the entrance to leave until the troll is killed.
The use of melee weapons is still a viable strategy although not recommended because it has a mighty stomp which is an area of effect attack. You can also stand back and use a melee weapon to deflect his boulders back at him. This will accomplish the achievement Feed The Troll in Fable Anniversary.
After defeating the Troll, he will drop a gem (such as a Ruby) and then the path will be clear. Continue onward to Barrow Fields where you will receive a warm welcome and the quest will complete.
Tips[]
General[]
- The trader in the lightly coloured hat is optimistic unless the terrified trader (Dark hat) dies.
- Use the wait expression to make the traders stop following you while you eliminate all hostiles ahead. Doing this will put them out of harm's way making this quest much easier. After doing this simply ask them to follow you again.
- In some areas of Darkwood such as Darkwood Lake, the bandits will run right past you up to the traders, if you have asked them to wait.
- The areas you clear of enemies don't respawn; you could use the wait expression to make the traders wait in the safe areas.
- You don't need to fight any of the enemies to keep the traders safe. If you run past everything, the traders will always spawn right next to you when you get to the next section of Darkwood.
Helping the Third Trader[]
- If the infected Trader is still following in Darkwood Weir, it is best to run into Barrow Fields the moment the death animation begins for the troll (and the barrier is disabled.) You can return as soon as you finish the quest to obtain the experience orbs and drops from the troll. You must do this to ensure the trader doesn't turn.
- If you choose to reject the third trader you will receive 40 evil points, but killing him gets you 100 evil points. Although if you kill him from a distance with the lightning spell before he can begin talking to you, you will only receive 2 evil points.
- Oddly, the third trader, unlike many of the other balverines, will run to you if you asked the traders to wait while you cleared the area, rather than attacking them. It is best then to avoid staying too close to the waiting traders as the balverine may lunge and strike them by accident.
- One method of keeping the third trader alive (although 3-4 minutes long) is to take him along with you but upon reaching the Darkwood Camp, leave him there. Transport the other 2 all the way to the end of Darkwood Weir (after defeating the Troll) then ask them to wait and come back for the third one. He will NOT turn into a balverine whilst you escort him to the other traders prior to entering Barrow Fields.
- You can use a bow to kill the balverine who attacks the trader before he asks you to escort him, but the trader's dialogue will stay the same.
Fighting the Troll[]
- When fighting the Troll, it can be helpful to pick up Skorm's Bow when leaving Darkwood Camp for this reason, as it can charge up indefinitely and kill the Troll with one shot given enough time. Just move far enough away so that he goes back underground, and then approach him while still holding down the drawstring before shooting.
- If you follow the river in Darkwood Weir (Where the Earth Troll fight is staged) you'll find a chest with a Lightning Augment in it. Trolls are weak to Lightning damage. If you don't have a weapon with an open slot, there's a Steel Axe in Darkwood Camp that has a slot.
- Batting a troll's projectiles back at it deals good damage. He'll throw 3 in quick succession, so hit the 1st back at him, roll out of the way of the 2nd, and then slap the 3rd back his way. A player with enough Speed might be able to hit the three pprojectiles in sequence.
- An alternative strategy is to walk up until it surfaces out of the ground. Retreat to a safe distance so that the troll goes back underground. Take out your bow or crossbow and hold the button down for several minutes, depending on your skill. The longer you hold the button, the more powerful the shot. Without releasing the button, move up until the troll pops back up. Quickly lock on and release your shot. Doing this, it is possible to kill the Troll in one shot, depending on your weapon, your accuracy, and how long you held the button. You will receive a large amount of Experience, and a large Combat Multiplier. If you have any "Ages of..." potions, now is a good time to use them.
Bugs[]
- It is possible to make the quest easier to complete if one possesses the original Fable game (not TLC). This is done by getting to Barrow Fields before the quest even begins. You will need a Spade for this. Accept the Quest card at the Guild, then use the Cullis Gate to get to Barrow Fields. Go through the tunnel to Darkwood Weir, and you'll encounter a red barrier. Put your back to the barrier, and use your Spade (this is easiest if you assign the Spade to a slot). It is possible for you to push your Hero through the barrier (note that it may take several uses of your Spade). You'll then encounter the Earth Troll, which you can deal with as you wish. Then head through Darkwood taking care of things at your leisure. At the Entrance, you'll encounter the Traders. You may then easily and quickly stroll down to Barrow Fields with them.
- A bug may occur in Fable Anniversary if the player saves the game upon reaching Barrow Fields with the first two traders but has yet to go back for the third at the camp (assuming one followed the strategy above). When loading from this save after entering Barrow Fields, the two traders will run towards the bridge to meet with a villager who welcomes them and you and then confirms your quest as complete. After this occurs if the player heads back to Darkwood Camp from the Barrow Fields entrance then they will find a red barrier has been put in place, preventing them from advancing. It is therefore recommended to complete the quest in a single run or have a save history.
- Even if you manage to escort all three traders to Barrow Fields, bards will occasionally sing a song about the quest as if the third trader still transformed into a Balverine. This is likely because the third Trader was not supposed to make it all the way under normal circumstances.