Role-playing games always have the main storyline for the adventuring party to follow, but the larger narrative never stands on its own. Players get to explore the vast world that the game designers have created, and it’s filled with surprises and secrets. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous uses the same framework. The protagonist can ignore all of the side-quests and their related secrets and still finish the game, but that’s not the way that RPGs are meant to be played.
Not only is it a great way to progress through the levels, but it’s also just fun to spend more time searching for secrets that can come in a variety of forms. Maybe it’s a secret quest hidden until speaking to an obscure NPC or hidden companion. It could come to the party in the form of rare loot like a unique weapon. A perceptive character in the party might find it by the side of the road with a lucky Nature or Perception check.
10 Heart of Mystery
While wandering along the road from Kenabras towards Drezen, it will probably be Nenio that scopes out a hidden location called Conundrum Unsolved. It’s a puzzle hiding a mystery hidden in an underground tomb.
The prize for solving this puzzle isn’t just the loot from the opulent grave, but some cryptic clues about yet another puzzle and the revelation of a secret location on the map called Heart of Mystery. For players that enjoy a game that’s more than just hack, slash, or explode, it’s a compelling questline to follow.
9 The Golden Dragon Mythic Path
Some of the Mythic Paths available to players are either obvious or integrated into the main storyline, but not this one. In fact, the Mythic Dragon path is one of the secrets that players might never discover partly because the quest chain to unlock it is long and elusive.
The first step is to chat with the Storyteller. There have to be certain items in the common stash from previous chapters, one being an old weapon and another being a dragon claw, then enough money has to be available to hire the mercenary Slayer and Dragon Hunter dwarf Greybor for the initial dragon hunt. Follow the chain of quests all the way up to Dragon’s Fate and then wait for a character named Hal to show up. This path doesn’t even unlock until the protagonist meets Hal and sufficiently impresses him.
8 The Artifacts of Desna
There are a variety of strange objects to be found scattered throughout the Lost Chapel. This ancient site is located just outside the gates of Drezen and is recognized as a holy place by several different faiths, but in ancient times it was dedicated to Desna. The party comes across a few of her artifacts lying around, and most players never find out the secret behind them.
Where you find the map is the most obvious clue as to how these items work together. This process summons one of the game’s secret companions and this is one of few ways to recruit them.
7 The Recipe for Midnight Soup
Learning how to cook is optional, especially if you’d rather just focus on brewing potions during rest periods instead, but meals are a nice way to buff the party during rest times. Most of the recipes that are scattered throughout Golarian can be purchased from vendors or looted from campsites, chests, and corpses, but this one can only be looted from the Nameless Ruins. It happens to be Daeran’s favorite recipe, too.
6 The False Wall in Defender’s Heart
A lot of players miss this little secret because they’re distracted by everything else going on at this point in the game. Some players don’t make it to the jail in the basement, to begin with, which also means missing out on one of the best companions.
There are three levers hidden in the shadows by Woljif’s cell. Putting them in the right position in the right order opens a pressure plate, which in turn opens a secret wall with a nice stash of potions, ingredients, and other gear.
5 The Hidden Passage in Drezen
There was a lot going on in the city while the Crusader Army was breaking down the doors and bringing the fight to the demons, between dodging fireballs and fighting monsters and cultists, which is why a lot of players miss this secret even if they pick up all three keys.
There are three keyholes in a tall, flat-looking wall on the east side of the city. The keys are easy to miss because they drop off random enemies in a variety of locations. With all three keys, you can open the wall instead of laying siege to the well-defended central door.
4 Slime of the Vescavor Queen
The Swarm-That-Walks Mythic Path is one of the more chilling and visceral choices a player can make. The player has to get their hands dirty, literally. While pushing the demon army out of Leper’s Smile, the party will come across some slime that can be used to attract the swarm. Keep this in order to use it during the siege of Drezen, an essential step for players that have chosen the Path of the Swarm-That-Walks.
3 The Location of Ice Breaker
Sometimes the best, most effective armor and weapons are found in common places that players often overlook. There are many locations that are only revealed to the player after they speak to a certain NPC. Talk to the bartender in Defender’s Heart in the first part of the game and he’ll direct you to an obscure location, the Pitaxian Wine Cellar.
This location is haunted by wights, which are tougher than they look and can drain levels, so make sure the party has some restoration spells. Loot the corpse of the big one to find Icebreaker, a cold iron battleax with a +1 enhancement bonus, and one of the best weapons available this early in the game. When it confirms a critical hit, all creatures in 10 feet area of effect have to make a successful Reflex saving throw. Any character who fails will suffer 3d6 cold damage.
2 A Demon In The Party
In case you were wondering what that weird ritual to Desna in the Lost Chapel location was about, here’s the answer. Using the artifacts isn’t the only way to recruit Arueshalae, however, so if you missed that part there are other chances later. It’s neat to have a demon in the party partly because the race isn’t open to players.
She appears in the Drezen prison, and the protagonist can recruit her at this point if they have chosen the Azata Path. If all that gets a miss, Arueshalae can still be recruited in a location called Greengates, but first the player has to complete a quest called “Demon’s Heresy.”
1 The Wrath of the Other
Not everyone wants to get close to Daeren, and that’s totally understandable given his prickly demeanor. This high-born Aasimar isn’t as cruel or stupid as he pretends to be, and he has a dark secret that keeps him from taking life too seriously. He is one of the romantic sub-plot options, however, so remember that he’s not alone in there if you decide to confront him about that birthday party that went wrong. What happens next the player has to face alone.
