This is the absolute minimum a character must do to complete the campaign and acquire all permanent character upgrades. If the game ever tells you that you need to speak to any NPCs other than the ones on this list, the game is lying to you.
How To Read This Guide
This guide is designed as a list that can be completed from top-to-bottom.
The icon next to the name of each zone indicates how you will usually reach that zone, although this can change slightly depending on map generation and preference:
Start of Act
Enter From Previous Zone
Use Town Portal
Use Waypoint
Sometimes you will see instructions like the following:
Find The Grim Tangle and The Red Vale.
This means that you should find the entrance to each of these zones and grab the waypoint directly inside before doing anything else. Once you have all the waypoints you can proceed without worrying about having to backtrack or re-explore.
Warnings
This guide was not designed for new players or first playthroughs.
If you follow this guide blindly you will be chronically under-leveled. Make sure you are proactively killing enough monsters as you progress through the zones.
This guide skips a few once-per-league quests to unlock things like the Salvage Bench (will be added soon).
— Act 1 —
The Riverbank
Find and kill The Bloated Miller
Clearfell Encampment
Speak to Renly
Clearfell
Find and kill Beira for Head of the Winter Wolf
The Grelwood
Find The Grelwood, The Grim Tangle, and The Red Vale
The Red Vale
Complete all three Obelisk of Rust for Runed Girdle, Runed Guard and Runed Skull Cap
Clearfell Encampment
Speak to Renly for Runed Spikes
The Grelwood
Stab the three Runic Seal
Clearfell Encampment
Speak to Una
The Grim Tangle
Speak to Una to clear the path
The Cemetery of the Eternals
Find Mausoleum of the Praetor and Tomb of the Consort
Tomb of the Consort
Kill Asinia for Asinia's Memorial Key Piece
Mausoleum of the Praetor
Kill Draven for Draven's Memorial Key Piece
→The Cemetery of the Eternals
Open the Memorial Gate and kill Lachlann for Count Lachlann's Ring
Hunting Grounds
Find Ogham Farmlands and Freythorn
Find and kill Crowbell for Book of Specialisation
Freythorn
Complete all four Ritual Altars and kill The King In The Mists for Gembloom Skull
→Ogham Farmlands
Find Una's Lutebox for Una's Lute
Clearfell Encampment
Give UnaCount Lachlann's Ring
Give UnaUna's Lute for Book of Specialisation
Ogham Farmlands
Ogham Village
Find and kill The Executioner and pull the Lever on his platform
The Manor Ramparts
Ogham Manor
Find the Psalm of Madness and kill Candlemass for Candlemass' Essence
Follow the Stairs and kill Count Geonor
Clearfell Encampment
Speak to The Hooded One to begin Act 2
— Act 2 —
The Vastiri Outskirts
Find and kill Rathbreaker then use Town Portal and speak to Zarka
The Ardura Caravan
Speak to Asala until you unlock the Desert Map
Send the Caravan to The Halani Gates
The Halani Gates
Speak to Asala
The Ardura Caravan
Send the Caravan to Mawdune Quarry
Mawdune Quarry
Mawdune Mine
Find and kill Rudja and then free Risu from her cage and speak to her
The Ardura Caravan
Speak to Risu
Send the Caravan to Traitor's Passage
Traitor's Passage
Find the Ancient Seal and kill Balbala for Balbala's Barya
The Halani Gates
Clear the gauntlet and fight Jamanra
Head down the Stairs and see the sandstorm
The Ardura Caravan
Speak to Zarka
Speak to Asala
Send the Caravan to Trial of the Sekhemas
Trial of the Sekhemas
Complete the Trial
The Ardura Caravan
Send the Caravan to Keth
Keth
Kill enemies until you get the Kabula Clan Relic
Find The Snake Pit event and kill Kabala for Book of Specialisation
The Lost City
Buried Shrines
Find and enter The Heart of Keth
Kill Azarian and then burn The Water Goddess for The Essence of Water
The Ardura Caravan
Speak to Zarka
Send the Caravan to Mastodon Badlands
Mastodon Badlands
The Bone Pits
Kill enemies until you get the Sun Clan Relic
Find and kill Ekbab for Mastodon Tusks
The Ardura Caravan
Speak to Zarka
Send the Caravan to Valley of the Titans
Valley of the Titans
Find the Waypoint and place the Clan Relics in the nearby pedestal
Find and activate all three Ancient Seal and then find The Titan Grotto
The Titan Grotto
Find and kill Zalmarath for The Flame Ruby
The Ardura Caravan
Speak to Zarka for The Horn of Vastiri
Send the Caravan back to Traitor's Passage
Walk to the front of the Caravan and blow the horn
Send the Caravan to Deshar
Deshar
Find the Fallen Dekhara and loot the Final Letter
The Path of Mourning
The Spires of Deshar
Find the Sisters of Garukhan shrine
Find and kill Tor Gul
The Ardura Caravan
Give The Final Letter to Shambrin
Send the Caravan to The Dreadnought
The Dreadnought
Dreadnought Vanguard
Find and kill Jamanra and then talk to Asala
The Ardura Caravan
Walk northwest off the caravan and talk to The Hooded One
Speak to Asala to begin Act 3
— Act 3 —
Sandswept Marsh
Ziggurat Encampment
Jungle Ruins
Find the Waypoint
Find and kill Mighty Silverfist for Book of Specialisation
Infested Barrens
Find Infested Barrens, Chimeral Wetlands, and The Azak Bog
The Azak Bog
Find and kill Ignagduk for Gemcrust Skull
→Jungle Ruins
The Venom Crypts
Find the Corpse to get Corpse-Snake Venom
Ziggurat Encampment
Give the Corpse-Snake Venom to Servi to choose a buff
Chimeral Wetlands
Find The Temple of Chaos
Find and kill Xiclucian
Jiquani's Machinarium
Find and use three Small Soul Core:
Use one to unlock the initial Stone Altar
Use one to unlock the Oubliette to kill Blackjaw for The Flame Core
Use one to unlock the path to the next area
Jiquani's Sanctum
Find two Medium Soul Core and use them to activate the two Generator
Return to the start of the zone and kill Zicoatl for Large Soul Core
Infested Barrens
Place the Large Soul Core on the Stone Altar to drain the aqueduct
Matlan Waterways
Find and pull the final Canal Lever
→Temple of Chaos
Complete the Trial
Ziggurat Encampment
Walk down the steps to the southeast and speak to Alva
The Drowned City
The Apex of Filth
Find and kill Queen of Filth for Temple Door Idol
Ziggurat Encampment
Walk back down the steps and unlock the door
Temple of Kopec
Find and kill Ketzuli and then ask Alva to investigate
Ziggurat Encampment
Enter the Gateway and follow Alva
Utzaal
Kill enemies until you get the Sacrificial Heart
Find and kill Viper Napuatzi
Aggurat
Find the Sacrificial Dagger and use it to stab the Sacrificial Heart
The Black Chambers
Find and kill Doryani
Speak to Doryani and follow him through the portal