To unlock the Saboteur achievement in Death Howl, you must solve an environmental puzzle and defeat a mini-boss in the Meadows of Delusion. The objective requires locating three hidden animal graves, raising the sunken rock at the central lake, clearing three spirit battles at the red crystals, and defeating Crystwing. Completing the battle rewards you with 3 Teardrops, crafting materials, and the 30 Gamerscore or Silver Trophy achievement titled Saboteur.
How to Start the Saboteur Side Quest
The Meadows of Delusion becomes accessible during the main quest "Death, Release My Child" after following the stag's footprints to the eastern bridge in the Forest of Howling Shadows. Taking the northern path beyond the bridge leads straight into the meadows.
In the northern section of the Meadows of Delusion, you will find a Sacred Grove flanked by rising and slamming stone pillars. Just north of this grove sits a beige stone marked with a rune that matches the symbol on Ro's brother's drum. Further north lie three red crystals blocking spirit encounters. Ro will note that animals are trapped inside these formations: a stork to the west, a hare in the center, and a serpent to the east.
Locating the Three Animal Graves
Before the red crystal barriers can be challenged, you must uncover three buried animal bodies scattered across the meadow. Each grave is marked by sparkling ground and a nearby red crystal marker.
- Trapped Hare: Located southeast of the northern Sacred Grove. Head east from the grove and defeat the spirit pack consisting of a Dreadfin, Gloomcroak, and Sobslug. Move south of that battleground toward the trees along the water and interact with the sparkling patch of grass to reveal the hare.
- Trapped Stork: Located in the southwest area of the Meadows of Delusion. You will find this grave beside a tree near a stream, situated just right of the second Fish Scale from the Balancing the Scales side quest.
- Trapped Serpent: Located in the southern section of the map. From the southern Sacred Grove, head south and take the first right turn. Search among the trees on the north side of the path near a stone with a red crystal, then interact with the sparkling earth to uncover the serpent.
Awakening the Central Lake
Once all three animal bodies are unearthed, walk east from the serpent's grave toward the water in the center of the map. This pond features floating rocks and a beige stone identical to the layout in the north.
Interact repeatedly with the water. Each interaction produces a drumbeat matching the rune on Ro's brother's drum. After clicking the water multiple times (community reports cite roughly five interactions), a cutscene triggers showing the central rock emerging from the lake. This also causes the large boulder in the northern part of the meadows to rise out of the ground, activating the three sealed crystal encounters.
Red Crystal Spirit Encounters
Fast travel or walk back to the northern Sacred Grove. You can now engage the three spirit encounters where the animals were trapped. You do not need to fight them back-to-back; resting at the Sacred Grove restores your health, and defeated spirits do not respawn.
| Encounter Location | Trapped Animal | Enemy Lineup |
|---|---|---|
| West Crystal | Stork | Dreadfin, Gloomcroak, Aurorite |
| Middle Crystal | Hare | 2x Sobslug, Grimsnouth, Aurorite |
| East Crystal | Serpent | Sobslug, Dreadfin, Dire Shroom, Aurorite |
Pay close attention to status effects during these encounters. Sobslugs leave toxic slime trails, Dreadfins retaliate and deal wounds, and Dire Shrooms can pull Ro across the grid while inflicting poison.
Crystwing Boss Fight Strategy
After clearing all three crystal battles, return to the raised boulder north of the Sacred Grove. Interacting with the stone breaks it open and initiates a mini-boss battle against Crystwing, accompanied by an allied Hatchwing.
Crystwing enters the grid with 35 HP and a movement range of 3 tiles. It possesses an innate passive that completely ignores Ro's shields. During combat, Crystwing summons explosive Corrupted Crystals with a 4-turn fuse. When these detonate, they inflict a curse that clogs your hand with Blinded cards. Additionally, Crystwing spawns Elder Larvaborn, while the Hatchwing drops standard larva; left unchecked, these hatch into Elder Hatchwings and standard Hatchwings within a few turns.
- Maintain Edge Positioning: Keep Ro near the perimeter of the grid without empty tiles directly behind her. This prevents Crystwing and Hatchwings from executing their charging strikes.
- Prioritize Adds First: Clear standard Hatchwings and emerging larva immediately to avoid being overwhelmed by enemy numbers on the board.
- Burst Crystwing: Once the board is cleared of minions, unleash high-damage and ranged cards such as Fireball, Aim for the Heart, Rabid Attack, Double Strike, or Triple Strike. Buff attacks with cards like Sharpen Weapon or Enchant Weapon. Equipping the Tree Totem obtained from the Forest of Howling Shadows will further increase your damage output each time you kill larva and Hatchwings.
Saboteur Quest Rewards
Defeating Crystwing immediately completes the encounter and concludes the side quest. You will receive:
- 3x Teardrops
- Crafting Materials
- Saboteur Achievement (Steam / Xbox 30 Gamerscore / PlayStation Silver Trophy with the description "You freed the trapped animals")
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I complete Saboteur and Balancing the Scales together?
Yes. Both quests occur within the Meadows of Delusion. The trapped stork grave sits directly beside the second Fish Scale in the southwest section, and the trapped serpent grave is close to the southern route used when returning scales to the giant fish.
Do defeated crystal spirits respawn if Ro rests at a Sacred Grove?
No. Once an encounter at one of the three red crystals is cleared, those spirits remain cleared permanently. You can safely return to the nearby Sacred Grove to restore full health between battles.
Why won't the northern boulder open when I interact with it?
The boulder only opens after two milestones are met: you must raise the structure by interacting with the central pond until the cutscene plays, and you must defeat all three spirit groups at the western, middle, and eastern red crystals.
