Man, I tried tackling that Rowland Oakes quest fresh outta Hogsmeade station yesterday, expecting a quick story bit. Boy, was I wrong! Jumped in blind thinking “how hard could it be?” and got stomped hard.
The Initial Faceplant
So I wandered south from Hogsmeade near that old mill. Ran into Rowland, listened to his sob story about his missing buddy and that weird artifact. Sounded simple: follow the trail, find the guy. Easy, right? Nope. The second I stepped into that foggy woods clearing, three freakin’ Ashwinders jumped me. Shields up, wands blazing. I panicked, spammed basic casts like crazy. Didn’t even dent their shields. Got hit by a nasty purple curse, rolled into a burning barrel, and bam – game over screen. Embarrassing.
Regrouping & Figuring Stuff Out
Took a breather, ate some chocolate (in-game, obviously), and thought: gotta change tactics. Wandered back to the map, zoomed in on the quest area. Saw that little cabin icon. Okay, target acquired. Prepped this time:
- Chugged Maxima Potion: Figured I needed bigger punches.
- Equipped Expelliarmus: Saw yellow shields? Gotta break ’em.
- Stashed Healing Potions: Like, five of ’em. Learned my lesson.
Also leveled up my gear at Gladrags. Every little bit helps.
Execution (The Smart Way)
Headed back cautiously. This time I snuck around the edge, spotted the Ashwinders near the cabin. Pulled ’em one by one using Accio on the stragglers – isolate and destroy! Key moves:
- Yellow shield dude? Expelliarmus! Shield gone, stunned him silly.
- Chucked a Levioso on another guy, then combo’d with Depulso right off a cliff. Satisfying.
- Saved Ancient Magic for that big guy spamming fire. Boom!
Used trees for cover, dodged like mad when numbers got thick. Kept one eye on my health, chugging potions the second it dipped below half. Got hairy when two wizards ganged up, but a quick Invisibility Potion gave me breathing room to reposition.
Wrapping Up
Cleared the Ashwinders, found the dead buddy under that sheet (dark!), grabbed the artifact – “Rowland’s Keepsake”. Quest done. Honestly? The fight still felt intense, but prepping properly made it way less rage-inducing. Felt good finally checking that thing off my list. Loot wasn’t amazing, but hey, completion is its own reward.
