The Root Out Corruption side quest in Death Howl takes place in Dead Roots, the introductory zone of the Realm of Gloomy Waters. Completing this quest requires collecting three Essences to empower a special quest card, followed by a confrontation against an infected tree boss named Trunkrot. Finishing the encounter successfully rewards Ro with 3 Teardrop points to upgrade her abilities.
How to Start Root Out Corruption
To begin the quest, travel to the Dead Roots region inside the Realm of Gloomy Waters. If you enter the realm from the southern Sacred Grove in The Hidden Vale within the Realm of Piercing Winds, proceed westward past the initial spirit encounters to unlock the zone's map at the first Sacred Grove.
From the eastern Sacred Grove that leads toward the Howling Mountains, head west past a spirit encounter until you reach a body of water. Along the water's edge, locate a withered red tree trunk named Trunkrot. Interact with Trunkrot to speak with it. After exhausting the dialogue, Trunkrot tasks you with retrieving its stolen Essence from three Usurpers, placing the Twig quest card directly into your deck.
Finding the Three Essences in Dead Roots
Once the quest begins, open your zone map to locate three distinct points marked with yellow X icons across Dead Roots. Each marked location features a red landmark that you must visit and interact with to extract the Essence.
- Navigate to each of the three marked Usurper locations scattered across the zone.
- Interact with each red landmark to drain Trunkrot's Essence.
- Check your deck after each interaction; every extracted Essence automatically strengthens and upgrades your Twig card.
Be prepared for enemy spirits patrolling the routes between these landmarks. Once all three Essences are absorbed, your quest objective will instruct you to return to the withered tree.
Trunkrot Boss Fight Breakdown
Before speaking to Trunkrot to deliver the powered-up Twig, rest at the nearest Sacred Grove to restore Ro's health to maximum. When you interact with Trunkrot and return the card, dialogue will trigger and initiate an immediate boss fight.
| Boss Attribute | Specification | Combat Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Boss Name | Trunkrot | Immobile tree boss positioned on the tactical grid |
| Total Health | 100 Hitpoints | Large health pool requiring sustained offensive pressure |
| Primary Ranged Attack | Quad-directional laser | Fires beams across straight cardinal lines on the grid |
| Close-Range Threat | Poison infliction | Applies poison damage if Ro ends turns in adjacent spaces |
| Summon Ability | Root summons | Spawns rooted adds that also shoot quad-directional lasers |
Combat Tactics Against Trunkrot
Trunkrot stays rooted, meaning positional awareness dictates your survival on the grid. Avoid standing directly in the cardinal firing lanes of both Trunkrot and any summoned roots, as their quad-directional lasers threaten cross-shaped danger zones across the board.
Maintain safe spacing to avoid Trunkrot's close-range poison status effect while chipping away at its 100 Hitpoints. Eliminate summoned roots quickly if they limit your maneuvering space, or focus single-target offensive cards directly on Trunkrot to end the encounter before the board becomes overwhelmed by overlapping laser patterns.
Quest Completion and Rewards
Once you drain Trunkrot's 100 Hitpoints, the boss is defeated and the quest immediately concludes.
- Reward: 3 Teardrop points
Teardrop points can be spent on Ro's character upgrades, providing essential progression before you venture further into The Wailing Marshes or push toward the Great Spirit Cephagloom at the Shores of Darkness.
Known Twig Essence Bug and Progression Issues
Players on the official Steam discussion boards have documented a known issue with the Root Out Corruption quest line. In certain playthroughs, players collect all three Essences and see the quest log update to say "I must return to the sick tree," yet Trunkrot continues to repeat the dialogue prompt: "You need to collect more essence."
Community reports indicate that:
- The Twig card can occasionally glitch and revert to its base form upon interacting with the third Essence landmark, particularly if the northern marker is completed last.
- Removing the Twig card from your active inventory sends the item back to Trunkrot, but doing so does not reset the exhausted world landmarks or clear the quest flag.
- Quitting or reloading during the middle of the quest line does not reliably force the tree to recognize the completed upgrades.
If you encounter this state, check your inventory to verify whether the Twig card is showing its upgraded stage. Because official patch notes have not yet detailed a standalone fix for this interaction, avoiding premature inventory swapping while collecting all three Essences in a single continuous session is recommended.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Root Out Corruption quest located?
The quest is located in Dead Roots, which is the starting area of the Realm of Gloomy Waters in Death Howl.
How much health does the Trunkrot boss have?
Trunkrot enters the encounter with 100 Hitpoints.
What rewards do you receive for completing Root Out Corruption?
Defeating Trunkrot completes the quest and awards 3 Teardrop points.
Why won't Trunkrot accept my Twig after visiting all markers?
A reported community bug can cause the Twig quest card to downgrade to its base form upon gathering the third Essence, locking the dialogue into requesting more essence. Existing official data does not confirm an immediate manual reset once the landmarks have been cleared.
