Among the fascinating features in Avowed, the God Totems stand out as one of the most underappreciated elements. These ancient artifacts, broken into fragments and scattered throughout Eora, hold immense potential for those who can gather and reconstruct them.
By successfully assembling a God Totem at your camp, you unlock a variety of potent benefits that can significantly impact your gameplay.
The Skaen God Totem, also known as the Totem of Defiance, is particularly intriguing—it consists of seven distinct pieces concealed around the Emerald Stair region.
This guide aims to assist you in locating every piece necessary for the Totem of Defiance, thus enhancing your overall experience in Avowed.
Skaen Totem Pieces – The Totem of Defiance
The Totem of Defiance comprises seven unique fragments, each granting its own special effect. As you collect these fragments and reassemble the Totem, you will activate powerful passive abilities:
- The Schemer’s Offering Totem Base: This base allows you to activate the other Totem pieces.
- The Sacrificial Dagger: Grants Furious Frenzy, letting second winds trigger the Flurry of Blows ability.
- The Idol of Covert Plots: Provides +2 Constitution and +2 Dexterity with its Slave’s Patience effect.
- Obsidian Prayer Beads: Increases critical hits with high Poison Accumulation (Bitter Thoughts).
- The Idol of Secret Hatred: Boosts damage against unsuspecting enemies by 25% (Hidden Hatred).
- The Idol of Violent Rebellion: Enhances damage against ‘skull’ enemies.
- Effigy Necklace: After enduring damage, the next attack within ten seconds inflicts +20% of the initial damage received, stacking with Retribution (A Vengeful Victim).
Note that each piece of the Totem features its own riddle, which can be acquired from an NPC named Lluisa at the Farmer’s Market north of the Coastal Farms in Emerald Stair.
Locating the Schemer’s Offering Totem Base
Finding the Totem Base is crucial. Without this key piece, the other fragments remain dormant in your inventory, offering no benefits.
To uncover the Totem Base, journey to the Shrine to Skaen, a majestic spiral structure rising high into the skies of Emerald Stair.
Situated to the left of Tama’s Cabin and north of the Pargrun Cache, the Shrine of Skaen houses the Schemer’s Offering at its pinnacle. Be prepared to encounter foes as you ascend.Upon reaching the top, check near the stone bench to find the needed Base of the Totem of Defiance.
Finding the Sacrificial Dagger
The Sacrificial Dagger represents one of the more accessible fragments of the Totem of Defiance, located in a clearly visible spot.
Travel to the Abandoned Farms, just above the Rolling Crags, to locate the Dagger. However, be warned: the area is home to a crew of aggressive Xaurips. While these enemies are a nuisance, defeating them also presents an opportunity to complete bounty quests.
Be sure to retrieve the Dagger after eliminating the Xaurips! It’s found lodged in the side of a shack on the northeast side of the farm, along with a piece of paper.
Locating the Idol of Covert Plots
For the Idol of Covert Plots, prepare for a challenge—this piece lies concealed within a decaying church located in an enemy-ridden bog in the Grim Wetlands.
The area is infested with formidable Skeletal Casters that can incapacitate you with their spells, increasing the chances of being overwhelmed by their numbers.
To handle this, attempt to draw enemies away from the group and utilize area-of-effect spells as needed.Grimoire Snap is a reliable option when the pressure mounts.
Once you clear the area, approach the left side of the church to locate a statue featuring a Monk holding a lantern.Interacting with the lantern will unveil a hidden passage, leading you to the Idol of Covert Plots.
Finding the Obsidian Prayer Beads
The next item required to complete the Totem of Defiance can be located on the westernmost side of the map, specifically within the Delemgan Glade.
Prepare yourself; the Delemgan enemies resemble robust tree entities. Arriving equipped is crucial, and any fire or ice-based strategies might prove advantageous against them.
Utilizing weapons or spells such as The Last Light of Day can make the battle significantly easier.
Once you’ve defeated the enemies guarding the glade’s edge, navigate to the right-side passage and scale the large branch upwards to reach a higher platform.
Continue along the rocky outcrop to your left, leap across the gap, and discover the Obsidian Prayer Beads resting beside a skeleton.
Locating the Idol of Secret Hatred
In contrast to the easily accessible Sacrificial Dagger, the Idol of Secret Hatred requires thorough exploration as it resides within the Ancient Grotto, a concealed cave that’s difficult to find without prior knowledge.
This hidden Grotto is situated southwest of the Pargrun Cache and southeast of the Ranger Outpost in Emerald Stair. However, reaching the Grotto presents only half of the challenge.
Your first task is to eliminate Old Nuna, another enemy bounty in the Grotto. After overcoming this challenge, enter the grotto’s water pool and swim through a tight cavern until you discover a narrow path.
Proceed down this path, drop from a ledge, and follow the softly glowing green route to ultimately find the Idol of Secret Hatred alongside its former possessor.
Finding the Idol of Violent Rebellion
The quest for the sixth piece of the Totem of Defiance leads you to the Ranger Headquarters on the eastern side of the Emerald Stair map, where a towering lookout beckons.
Undertaking the Debt of Blood quest will guide you to the Ranger Headquarters and introduce you to the Steel Garrote Captain awaiting your arrival.
Begin your ascent at the deck area on the tower’s right side, navigating atop a stack of barrels for access to a nearby roof where you will find a ladder leading inside.
Jump across the tower to reach the exterior and systematically climb to conquer the remainder of the Ranger Headquarters.
Ensure to sprint during larger jumps to maintain momentum.
The Idol of Violent Rebellion rests atop a box positioned behind a large bonfire.
Locating the Effigy Necklace
Your path to the Effigy Necklace intertwines with the main storyline, but reaching it entails enduring a significant challenge presented by Naku Tadek.
This area is rife with enemies and traps; however, before delving deeper, you must make a brief detour.
Upon descending the lengthy staircase at Naku Tadek’s entrance, you’ll encounter two paths—one leads further into difficulty, while the other offers access to the Effigy Necklace.
Take the left path at the base of the stairs, using an electrical-based attack, Electric Lily Seed, or Giatta’s companion ability to activate the lightning switch on the wall, which opens a hidden area.
Utilize an ice spell or an Eye of Rymrgand to freeze the water, enabling you to cross onto a large, twisting log to reach a balcony where the Effigy Necklace awaits on a nearby bench.
Reconstructing the Totem of Defiance
With all seven pieces now gathered, it’s time to reconstruct the Totem of Defiance and unlock the benefits of its associated skills—a task that can be accomplished at your camp.
To position the Totems, find the three stone pillars adjacent to the Enchanting Station and by the campfire.
Interact with one of the pillars to place the Totem Base, then engage again to activate all other Totem pieces you possess.Keep in mind, however, that while there are three God Totems available, only one can be activated at a time, so make your choice thoughtfully.
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