No Rest for the Wicked seeks to reinvent the action RPG genre by introducing a combat system that deviates from the typical gameplay style of its peers. Because of this, certain bosses can be surprisingly hard to beat, and that includes Falstead Darak. In this guide, we will be showing you how to get to him and how you can beat him to a pulp!
How to Beat Darak for Of Rats & Raiders Quest
Falstead Darak is a significant change of pace from the previous bosses you’ve faced so far in the game. For starters, you actually have to fight him twice, because he will run away before he dies in the first encounter.
First Encounter – Orban Glades
Upon starting the Of Rats and Raiders quest, you will be tasked with finding the Risen warlord named Falstead Darak. He is reportedly in the Orban Glades, which can be found to the west of Sacrament.
Make your way over to the west once you leave Sacrament. Refer to the map below to see exactly where you need to go. There will be another Whisper right before the gate that you need to go through.
It is recommended that you channel this Whisper in case you need to attempt the fight multiple times, since the boss will be pretty tough if you are underprepared.
Round 1 With Falstead Darak
The second you step through the open gate, a quick cutscene will begin, with Falstead Darak delivering a bit of a speech to his troops before facing you. The boss fight will commence shortly after this.
The key to the fight is patience. Falstead Darak may be huge and intimidating, but his attack patterns are slow and heavily telegraphed. This makes it easy to dodge or even parry his moves if you are confident enough in your ability to do so.
By now, you have probably figured out that this game is more akin to a souls like than a typical ARPG. In your first (and hopefully only) attempt, just take your time to learn his patterns and keep your distance.
After every string that he executes, you have a window of a few seconds to hit him a couple of times. Don’t overextend, though. After 2-3 strikes, you should just retreat and wait for his next attack to finish.
Occasionally, Falstead Darak will deliver a relentless string of many shield slams or slashes. Because of this, try not to get trapped in a corner, or else you will have a very bad time indeed.
Once you whittle his HP down enough, a cutscene will suddenly play, and the fight will be over. This won’t be the last time you will face him throughout this quest, so don’t celebrate just yet.
Second Encounter – The Black Trench
After your first fight with Falstead Darak in the Orban Glades, he will retreat into The Black Trench. Head back to the Whisper just outside of Sacrament and then make your way west to the underside of the bridge.
Refer to the map below to see exactly where you need to go. Once you make it here, you will now gain access to the entrance into The Black Trench right up north from where you are standing.
Once inside, head over to the left and open the door. The path through it is pretty straightforward, so just keep going until you reach a lever on your left. Pull it and proceed down the bridge south.
Keep making your way down south until you reach another lever. Once you pull it, quickly run to the right and stand on the platform highlighted below. This will lift you up and allow you to jump onto a wooden platform to the left.
From up here, follow the path going north until you hit a dead end with yet another lever. Once you pull it, a bridge will start to extend ahead. Go over there and cross it, and continue running west, ignoring the door up north for now.
At the end of this linear path, you will be facing a monster that will drop the Water Channel Key. Loot it and head back to the locked door that you walked past on the way here.
Upon opening the door, there will be another lever straight ahead. Pull it and hurry to the platform marked in the image below. Watch out for enemy rangers as well, because you will be shot at while you do this!
Once you’re above, get rid of the enemies that were shooting you earlier and jump across to reach another lever in the far left corner of the room. This will open up a new path just to the left of the previous lever below.
From here, just follow the path up north until you reach a well-deserved Whisper. Make sure to channel from it to make your life a little easier going forward.
Make your way up to the part of the map highlighted in the image below. Here, you can pick up a Sewer Lever Handle from the ground, which you will use to pull the mechanism right beside it. This will unlock a bridge to the right that you need to go through.
Upon crossing the bridge, you will have to pull another lever and immediately jump down. Head over to the platform before it rises so you can be lifted onto the upper floor.
Once you are on the upper floor, head over to the right and jump down south at the corner. There will be another lever to the right once you are down here. Pull it and jump onto the water.
Swim all the way to the left until you reach solid ground again, then jump across to the south and climb a ladder to your right. Keep heading right until you reach the lever that is located in the highlighted part of the map below.
After you pull this lever, the water level will rise nearby. Head downstairs to the right and you will reach another Whisper. Make sure to channel the Whisper before you pull another lever that is immediately south of it.
Once you do all of that, the only thing you need to do now is to proceed through the path up north and keep walking through the straightforward tunnel until you reach the end, where a cutscene will play.
Round 2 With Falstead Darak
After the cutscene, your second fight against Falstead Darak will immediately start. This first phase is pretty similar to the first encounter.
Again, keep your distance and try to dodge around so you can hit him from the back. Play it safe and wait for his strings to finish if you are not able to parry his hits.
Phase 2 will begin once his health bar has been depleted. When this happens, Falstead Darak will mutate and grow all sorts of horrifying appendages.
For this part, it will actually be better if you stay close to him. However, don’t forget to circle around him and dodge his attacks. While he will continue to be relentless, the boss has a hard time keeping up if you walk in circles around his character model.
If you do need to retreat in the middle of the fight, watch out for his long range attacks. If you maintain some distance, he will occasionally charge up and whip you from afar with his mutated arms. He will also leap towards you sometimes.
That’s pretty much everything you need to know in order to find and beat Falstead Darak both times throughout this particular quest. Once you have finished this tough quest, maybe go and read our guide on how to buy your first house in No Rest for the Wicked!
