Dark Talisman
| Dark Talisman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Collection |
| Location | Mutant Bug Lair |
The Dark Talisman is the charm that opens the valley's last locked door. The Wizard asks for it once the Community Center has been restored or the Joja projects have all been bought, in a scene that plays on the first visit to the Railroad afterwards. The talisman itself is sitting in a chest deep inside the Mutant Bug Lair, under the town. Carried to the sealed passage in the north-east corner of the Railroad, it breaks the seal and reveals a teleport rune into the Witch's Swamp. That swamp holds the Wizard's stolen Magic Ink, and returning the ink is what unlocks the obelisks and the other buildings he sells, so a small black charm is the start of the farm's late-game construction.
Overview
The chain cannot begin early. Restoring the Community Center or paying out every Joja development form is the gate, and only then does the Wizard appear at the Railroad with his request. He explains that his ink has been taken and that the way to the thief is shut.
The talisman is kept in the Mutant Bug Lair, which is itself hidden behind two doors. The Sewers open with the Rusty Key that Gunther sends over after a good run of museum donations, and Krobus, who lives down there, is the one who points out the lair's entrance. Inside, mutant bugs respawn every time the room is entered, so the trip is a fight rather than a stroll and a weapon is not optional. The water holds Slimejack for anyone who brought a rod. The chest at the far end is where the talisman waits.
Using it is simple once it is in hand. The passage in the north-east corner of the Railroad is blocked by an old artifact, and the talisman clears it. The cave behind holds a teleportation rune, and stepping on it drops the farmer in the Witch's Swamp.
The swamp is not the end of the errand. A Henchman stands between the entrance and the Witch's Hut and will not move for words, but he will take a jar of Void Mayonnaise as a bribe, which closes out the Goblin Problem quest. Inside the hut the Magic Ink sits on the table in a purple bottle, with three shrines around it and a red rune on the floor. Taking the ink back to the Wizard opens his building list, which is where the Junimo Hut, the Gold Clock and the obelisks that warp a farmer to the beach, the mountains, the desert and Ginger Island all come from.
Notes
The red rune on the hut floor is a two-way shortcut. It leads to the basement of the Wizard's Tower, and once friendship with the Wizard reaches four hearts the pair of runes can be used in either direction at any time, which turns a long walk through the swamp into a single step.
The talisman stays listed in the Special Items and Powers tab of the player menu, filed with the keys and permanent powers rather than in the bag.
The obelisks the ink unlocks are counted in the Perfection score, so this quest sits on the critical path for any save aiming at a complete file rather than being an optional side trip.
All Collections
Every entry in this group, with its key details.
