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“What’s Eating The Watervine?” is the first quest that most players will encounter inCaves Of Qud.The objectives themselves are fairly simple, but Qud’s randomly-generated world and the anything-goes nature of the game means that each attempt at the quest can be a unique challenge.
It may be impossible to prepare for every eventuality, even for a quest as straightforward as this one, but you can at least follow the story’s known constants so that you can get to Red Rock, do what you need to do, and escape more or less intact.
How To Start The “What’s Eating The Watervine?” Quest
“What’s Eating The Watervine?” is available inJoppa Village, which means you need to start your campaign there in order to actually begin the quest. If you don’t start in Joppa, there will only be ruins on the site of the village if you travel there from elsewhere.
When the game begins,speak to Mehmet, the man in yellowto the northwest of your initial position. Ask him for work, and he’ll offer you a job investigating a problem with the watervine harvest. If you accept,Red Rockwill be added to the known locations in your journal.
Before you leave Joppa,speak to Argyvein the southwesthouse to get another quest. You can also trade with the droma merchant in the southeast and the two village leaders in the northern house.Bandages are a smart purchase.
How To Reach Red Rock
Red Rock istwo parasangs north of Joppa.That means it’s close enough that youdon’t need to bother using the World Map; just travelsix screens directly north from the villageand you’ll reach Red Rock. You’ll get a notification when you arrive at the outskirts, plus some XP for completing the first quest step.
There’s always a statue on the first screen north of Joppa;look at itto get the location of a Historic Site that you can explore later.
In most worlds, the only real danger on the road will becrocs in the salt marshes.They’re best taken down from afar with a ranged weapon or Mutant power until you’ve gained at least one level, since they have areasonably powerful melee attack.If you aren’t in any hurry, you canhunt fish and goatsfor XP to level up on the route.
How To Deal With The Red Rock Baboons
Red Rock is usually populated byaggressive baboonsthat throw rocks at unsuspecting travelers. If they gang up on you, they can finish you off quickly. Tryisoloating them and picking them off one by one, and using the stone walls around the area to take cover from the rocks.
you’re able to alsopick up the rocks and throw them back.
If you see a baboon with ablue or purple sprite, it’s best to flee. These are usually named leaders who are too powerful for a low-level character. Come back later after you’ve explored elsewhere for more XP and gear, and either avoid or defeat the mighty primates.
Don’t get too bogged down fighting the apes. You’re here to explore the dungeon.
Red Rock Dungeon
Look for a staircasein the center screen of Red Rock. If you get lost,go to the World Mapthen return to Red Rock from there to re-set your position. The stairs will take you to the dungeon.
The threats you face underground will vary based on the current World Seed, but you can expect to seesnapjaws, giant centipedes, and qudzusmost of the time.Dreadroots and ivoriesare common static threats that you’ll need toforce attack using the \ key.
The giant centipedes are the most dangerous enemies in the cave, thanks to their comparatively high HP and melee attack power.Try to avoid fighting them until you’re at least Level 3.Qudzus are stationary, but the narrow tunnels can make them hard to avoid if you aren’t ready for a fight. Snapjaws are easy prey alone but very dangerous in packs, especially if a leader is nearby.
Unless your character can see in the dark, you’ll need a light source. Don’t forget to equip a torch!
How To Find The Vermin
The creature you’re looking for is on thefourth floor of the dungeon.Since the layout is randomized with each world seed, your only choice is to explore until you find each set of stairs leading further down.
On the fourth stratum,look for a purple crablike creature,thedefanged girshling.If you’ve survived long enough to make it this deep, you should be able to defeat it one-on-one as long as you go in with full health. Just be sure toscope out the area for any other threats first, including other girshlings.
The girshling is accompanied by a gyre wight, but it won’t attack you unless you strike it first. The wight is probably more than you may handle at this point, so feel free to ignore it.
Once the girshling is dead,collect its corpse.It weights 20 pounds, so if you’ve been collecting a lot of loot as you traverse the dungeon you may need to offload some things if you have a low Strength.
Completing The Quest
With the dead girshling in hand,return to Joppa and speak to Mehmet.Show him the creature, and he’ll direct you tospeak to the village elderin the house to the north. Do so, and the elder will reward you with XP and some useful healing items to help you on your continuing journey through Qud.
What To Do Next
It’s likely that youfound a trinket for Argyve in Red Rock. If you did, bring it to him. you’re able to also give him one of the injectors that you received from the elder, but this isn’t advisable. Once you bring Argyve two trinkets, he’ll tell you the location of a dungeon where you can find wire for his next project. This is a good quest chain to pursue.
Alternately, you canlook for the Historic Siteyou learned about from the statue near the graveyard. Whichever you choose, be careful - it’s a dangerous world out there.
