If you’ve spent any amount of time exploring the mist-shrouded realms of Nightingale, you’ve likely run into quests that feel far trickier than their low-level rating suggests. Few fit that bill better than a favour for a favour Nightingale side quest, which many players stumble on thanks to its vague objective prompts and hidden pre-requisites. It’s easy to write off side quests in survival games as filler that wastes time you could spend building or gathering resources, but this one pays off far more than most early-game tasks you’ll run into. I first messed up this quest on my third playthrough, missing a key NPC interaction that locked me out of the final reward for three in-game days. I’ve talked to dozens of new players who skipped it on their first playthrough, only to regret it later when they had to grind for hours to get the same perks they could have gotten for 20 minutes of work. This guide breaks down every step you need to follow, plus the hidden perks you won’t want to miss out on.
What Makes A Favour for a Favour Nightingale Quest Worth Completing?
Most new players skip this quest because it pops up right when you’re focused on building your first base, but it’s one of the most high-value low-effort quests in the early game. The rewards don’t just give you a quick power boost, they also unlock access to a faction vendor that sells rare seeds you can’t find anywhere else in the starting realms. Unlike a lot of early-game quests that feel like filler, a favour for a favour Nightingale quest ties directly into the main story’s Fae faction arc, so it’s also worth doing for the lore context. The full reward list includes:
A lot of players assume these rewards are only useful for the first 10 hours of gameplay, but I still use the Mist Warding Charm on my max-level character when I’m running quick resource runs in high-mist realms. It saves me from wasting valuable healing items that I’d rather save for boss fights. The 10% vendor discount also adds up fast, especially when you’re buying bulk materials for base building or crafting high-tier gear late in the game.
Pre-Requisites You Need to Finish Before Starting the Quest
The biggest mistake players make with this quest is picking it up before they’ve completed the two tiny pre-requisite tasks, which aren’t mentioned anywhere in the quest description. If you try to turn in quest steps without these done, the NPC will give you generic dialogue and you’ll have no idea what you did wrong. First, you need to have unlocked the first Herbalism workbench and crafted at least one minor healing potion. Second, you need to have discovered the small Fae camp on the western edge of the starting forest realm, which only spawns after you’ve rested at your base campfire at least three times.
You don’t need to have any high-tier gear or unlocked realms to finish these pre-requisites, so you can actually complete this quest as early as two hours into a new playthrough, if you prioritize the herbalism workbench first. I learned this the hard way on my first playthrough, when I spent almost an hour running back and forth between the quest giver and the Fae camp, wondering why none of the NPCs would talk to me. If you don’t see the Fae camp marked on your map, just go back to your base, sleep through two full night cycles, and it will show up automatically. You don’t need to do anything extra to trigger it.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough for the Quest
Once you’ve ticked off the pre-requisites, the quest is surprisingly straightforward, as long as you follow the steps in order. First, talk to Elara, the faction herbalist near the central Realmwalker camp, to pick up the quest. She’ll ask you to bring her three Fae Lavender stems, which you can find growing near the Fae camp you unlocked earlier. She’ll also ask to see the minor healing potion you crafted for the pre-requisite, so make sure you have it in your inventory when you talk to her.
When you get to the Fae camp, don’t just grab the lavender and leave. Talk to the Fae elder, Lirael, who will ask you to bring her a jar of wild honey in exchange for permission to harvest the lavender. You can find wild honey in the beehives scattered around the oak trees on the eastern edge of the starting forest. If you’re having trouble finding the beehives, listen for the buzzing sound as you walk through the oak forest. The hives are usually hidden high up in the branches, so you’ll need to climb a few trees to find them, but they’re hard to miss once you get close enough. Don’t try to harvest the hives without wearing a full set of linen armor, though, because the bees will deal enough damage to knock you out in three hits if you’re unarmored.
Once you hand the honey to Lirael, you can harvest the lavender and bring it back to Elara. She’ll give you the rewards immediately, and you’ll also get a follow-up quest that unlocks the Fae realm portal after you complete a few more tasks for the faction. Make sure you don’t sell any of the rewards you get from this quest, because you’ll need the Fae Silk Cloak to access the first high-mist realm later in the main story. If you sell it by mistake, you’ll have to grind for 10 hours of faction reputation to get the recipe again, which is a massive waste of time.
Common Mistakes to Avoid During the Quest
Even with a walkthrough, it’s easy to make small mistakes that can delay you or make you miss out on bonus rewards. The most common one I see is players harvesting the Fae Lavender before talking to Lirael. If you do this, the Fae camp will turn hostile, and you’ll have to wait three full in-game days for them to calm down before you can complete the quest. I’ve seen players reset their entire playthrough just because they made the Fae camp hostile, which is totally unnecessary. If you do mess up and harvest the lavender early, you just need to leave the area, sleep for three days at your base, and come back. The Fae will be neutral again, and you can talk to Lirael like nothing happened. That’s a trick I picked up after I made the same mistake on my first run.
Another common mistake is using the minor healing potion you crafted for the pre-requisite before you pick up the quest. Elara will ask to see the potion as part of the first quest step, and if you’ve already used it, you’ll have to craft another one before you can proceed. That’s not a huge hassle, but it’s a waste of valuable herbs you could be using for other crafting projects. I always keep one minor healing potion in my storage chest as soon as I craft it, just so I don’t accidentally use it before I pick up this quest.
Finally, don’t forget to check the small chest next to Elara after you turn in the quest. Most players miss this, and it has a free stack of 20 Fae mushroom seeds that you can plant in your base garden. These mushrooms sell for 10 silver each at faction vendors, so they’re a great way to earn extra cash early on. You only get one chance to grab this chest, so don’t leave the camp before you open it. I missed it on my first playthrough, and I didn’t realize it existed until a friend told me about it months later.
At the end of the day, a favour for a favour Nightingale quest is a small, low-effort task that gives you some of the most useful early-game rewards in the entire game. It’s easy to overlook it when you’re rushing to build your base and progress through the main story, but taking 20 minutes to complete it will save you hours of frustration later on when you’re exploring higher-tier realms. If you follow the steps in this guide, you’ll avoid all the common missteps and walk away with every reward the quest has to offer. Even if you’re already a few hours into your playthrough, it’s worth circling back to finish this quest before you move on to the next realm.
