Side quests unlock more than extra stories
Side quests in RuneScape: Dragonwilds unlock weapons, crafting recipes, skill rewards, and a mount that makes exploration faster. Knowing where they begin helps you collect useful upgrades while traveling through Ashenfall.
The game calls these activities secondary quests, including several secondary tutorials. Primary quests such as Dragon Slayer and Withering Heights belong to the main story and are excluded here. Some regional side content depends on areas opened through primary progression.
The tables cover 23 named secondary quests across Brynmoor, Ghornfell, Fellhollow, Dowdun Reach, and Umbral Sands. This is the number documented in this checklist, rather than a verified total for every game version.
Brynmoor side quests
The RuneScape: Dragonwilds Wiki and MetaForge identify the main starting points, while Game8 details the equipment and skill-tome rewards.
| Quest | Starting point | Reward or purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Growing Pains | Speak to the Wise Old Man in Bramblemead Village. | Farming tutorial; farming supplies and Plant Cure access. |
| Shrimp Catcher | Speak to the Wise Old Man in Bramblemead Village. | Introduction to fishing. |
| Warding Off Danger | Speak to the Wise Old Man in Bramblemead Village, as listed by MetaForge. | Learn about Lifewards and recharging them. |
| Restless Ghosts | Investigate the crumbling well in Bramblemead Village. | Four Volume 1 skill tomes; obtain Ghostspeak during the quest. |
| Highlighting the Problem | Interact with the wizard statue at the Runecrafting Guild in Bramblemead Valley. | Staff of Light recipe. |
| Goblin Diplomacy | Speak to Zanik in Bramblemead Valley; older guides identify a reliquary trigger. | Goblin War Banner. |
Growing Pains helps establish your farming routine. SuperStooob's October 2026 quest guide identifies farming supplies and access to Plant Cure as its practical rewards.
Restless Ghosts gives Tome of Cooking - Vol. 1, Tome of Mining - Vol. 1, Tome of Woodcutting - Vol. 1, and Tome of the Artisan - Vol. 1. Keep the Ghostspeak Amulet obtained from the well: SuperStooob identifies it as the important connection to Even More Restless Ghosts in Fellhollow.
For magic equipment, Highlighting the Problem unlocks the Staff of Light recipe. SuperStooob describes a route involving a vault password and the guild's orb-and-pedestal puzzle.
Goblin Diplomacy has conflicting start instructions. The Dragonwilds Wiki and MetaForge direct players to Zanik. Game8 instead describes opening a bramble-blocked reliquary east of Bramblemead Valley, matching IGN's older reliquary listing. Check your quest state and version before relying on either trigger.
Ghornfell side quests
Ghornfell's optional quests offer equipment, food recipes, and decorations. Starting locations below follow the Dragonwilds Wiki. Game8 lists the early weapon rewards, and Map Genie documents the cooking, ammunition-recovery, and furnishing unlocks.
| Quest | Where to begin | Main reward |
|---|---|---|
| Heartstrings | Interact with the hilltop memorial in the Fractured Plains. | Crystal Bow and its recipe. |
| Granite Mauled | Speak to Doric in the Fractured Plains. | Granite Maul recipe and Imbued Granite Maul Head. |
| A Room With A Garou | Speak to Caratacus the Elder in the Fractured Plains. | Hanging Tools, Pots on a Bench, and Sawhorse recipes. |
| Dog Days | Speak to Vannaka in central Stormtouched Highlands. | Garou Highborn's Cloak. |
| A Melody Remembered | Repair the broken music box found in a desk in Stormtouched Highlands. | Ravanna's Ring, identified by SuperStooob. |
| Cook's Assistant | Speak to Slopfinger near the southern border between Stormtouched Highlands and Fractured Plains. | Victoria Sponge Cake recipe. |
| Animal Magnetism | Speak to Manktongue near the same southern border. | Ava's Accumulator and its recipe. |
| The Great Body Robbery | Speak to Doctor Fenkenstrain in Bloodblight Swamp. | Zombie Arm and Lightning Rod unlock, identified by SuperStooob. |
For Cook's Assistant, Map Genie lists four eggs, six wheat, and one bucket of milk. Bring them to Slopfinger, bake using the nearby stove, show him the cake, and deliver the signed cake to Manktongue.
For Animal Magnetism, read the Advert-Inna-Bottle beside Manktongue and discuss it with him. Map Genie lists an undead chicken, a magnetised iron bar, and undead twigs as the required items. Ava's Accumulator recovers ammunition, making its value especially relevant to frequent ranged users.
A Room With A Garou asks you to build a home around Caratacus to unlock its furnishing recipes.
SuperStooob's quest guide describes Ravanna's Ring as enabling Corpse Cotton growth where enemies die. The same guide identifies the Zombie Arm and Lightning Rod rewards for The Great Body Robbery, with the rod particularly relevant to a Stormtouched Highlands base.
Fellhollow side quests
Fellhollow offers travel assistance, undead-focused equipment, and additional weapon options. SuperStooob's October 2026 guide describes the five quests and dependencies below.
| Quest | Reward | Planning consideration |
|---|---|---|
| The Wild Hunt | Terrorbird mount. | Prioritize when ready if you expect substantial travel through Fellhollow. |
| Seeking Salvation | Salve Crystal and Salve Amulet recipe. | Useful against undead enemies and Imaru. |
| Even More Restless Ghosts | Dorgeshuun Crossbow unlock. | Bring the Ghostspeak Amulet; the crossbow uses bone bolts. |
| Doric's Quest | Zombie Axe. | Requires a Shadow Sword, whose recipe comes from a shard of glass dropped by Zogres. |
| Things That Go Boom in the Night | Spectral Chinchompa Cape. | Follow-up to The Wild Hunt. |
Pursue The Wild Hunt early enough to benefit from its mount during other errands. Seeking Salvation helps with the undead encounters ahead. SuperStooob also notes that additional Salve Crystals become available through Death afterward.
Prepare for Even More Restless Ghosts before setting out:
- Keep the Ghostspeak Amulet obtained during Restless Ghosts.
- Bring building supplies for a spirit's shelter request.
- Prepare the clay decoration requested by another spirit.
- Allow time to recover a sketchbook.
- Stock bone bolts when you begin using the Dorgeshuun Crossbow.
Completing the original Restless Ghosts is unnecessary for starting the sequel, according to SuperStooob; obtaining Ghostspeak is the relevant requirement.
Doric's Quest can take longer because its Shadow Sword dependency involves a Zogre drop. Work toward that item alongside other Fellhollow objectives.
Dowdun Reach and Umbral Sands side quests
Map Genie's secondary-quest listings identify these four additional quests and their rewards.
| Quest | Region and starting point | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Biohazard | Dowdun Reach: speak to Zanik in her cell. | Zamorak Cape. |
| Beast in the Sand | Umbral Sands: speak to Manathep - The Bereaved during Icthlarin's Little Helper. | 200 Garou Chits. |
| Brink of Extinction | Umbral Sands: speak to Zi at their camp. | Plate of Pure Obsidian. |
| Contact! | Umbral Sands: speak to the Avisk Crystal on a small ledge or Zanik near the spring. | Pharaoh's Sceptre recipe. |
Biohazard begins with collecting ten biological samples from strange ravens. Zanik then needs Dragon Blood, a Twilight Lily, and Unholy Water. Investigate the infection's source high in Dowdun Reach before returning to report your findings.
Beast in the Sand connects to your journey through Icthlarin's Little Helper. Track the Dearg Due through the sandstorm, locate Efina - The Lost, and return to Manathep.
For Brink of Extinction, prepare for several stages:
- Bring Zi one cactus steak and three raw beltfish.
- Activate the four Gauntlet of Fire pedestals in any order.
- Return to Zi in the Burning Spire region.
- Continue the Cave of Screams objectives involving a password, the KotHaar numbering book, and the KotHaar Bouncer.
For Contact!, Map Genie describes finding Vault Guardian Prime in the Kalphite Hive, recovering Crystal Helix fragments from three missing guardians, and following footprints in the sand. Its walkthrough leaves a later step unresolved, so these directions cover only part of the quest.
FAQ
Why do lists of all runescape dragonwilds side quests have different totals?
Older lists cover fewer quests. IGN's April 2025 guide lists seven, while Game8's April 2025 list includes six and omits Warding Off Danger. This checklist documents 23, including secondary tutorials and later-region entries; that does not establish an exhaustive current-build total.
Are side quests required to advance the main story?
Secondary quests are optional activities, although their rewards can support progression. Access to some regional quests depends on primary-story progress. First Steps, Getting Started, Ratcatcher, and Rune Mysteries are primary tutorials, so they are excluded here.
Which quests are useful to prioritize?
Choose rewards that match your needs. Growing Pains supports farming, Restless Ghosts provides early skill tomes, and Highlighting the Problem unlocks a magic weapon recipe. In Fellhollow, consider The Wild Hunt for travel and Seeking Salvation for undead encounters.
Are these the same quests as in the original RuneScape?
Use Dragonwilds-specific instructions. Familiar names such as Animal Magnetism and Cook's Assistant appear here, but this checklist describes their Ashenfall locations, objectives, and rewards.
