In the lush yet troubled region of Emerald Stair, the side quest “Nature vs. Nurture” in Avowed plunges you into a tense conflict between farmers and a mysterious gang of seemingly peaceful xaurips. As farm equipment lies in ruins and suspicions rise, your investigation will uncover hidden motives and force a pivotal choice: side with the farmers desperate to protect their land or align with Amadio, the enigmatic hermit claiming a symbiotic bond with the xaurips. Your decision not only shapes the fate of Emerald Stair but also rewards you with unique gear found nowhere else in the game.
This Avowed guide includes a full “Nature vs. Nurture” walkthrough, with where to start the quest and what happens if you side with the farmers or the xaurip whisperer, and what rewards you get for doing so.
’Nature vs. Nurture’ walkthrough in Avowed
The “Nature vs. Nurture” side quest in Avowed begins in the Emerald Stair region, where you meet farmers Dolina and Masco Laima who complain about xaurips damaging their animancy farming equipment. Your task is to investigate the nearby Fortified Xaurip Camp to uncover the truth behind the attacks. Inside the camp, you encounter Amadio, a hermit who claims responsibility for the sabotage, believing the farming practices are harming the land. The quest culminates in a choice: side with the farmers and fight Amadio and his xaurips, or support Amadio’s cause and convince the farmers to cease their attacks. Each choice leads to different outcomes and unique rewards, including the Ring of Pain Amplification and Wolf Boots. It’s recommended to start this quest early, as progressing too far in the main story can make the xaurip camp hostile and prevent a peaceful resolution.
You can begin this quest as soon as you arrive in Emerald Stair. It starts at a farmhouse north of the Maxim’s Claim party camp and north of the home where you can grab the Painter’s Regrettreasure map. Two farmers, Dolina and Masco, are standing outside their home and pondering what’s to be done about a recent spate of xaurip raids that ruined their animancy machines, though no one was hurt.
Or they should be. Some players have reported the couple is missing when they arrive at the farmstead after completing the first half of “The Animancy Method” main quest, and there’s no way to fix the quest if that happens. Your best bet is to at least start the quest before doing anything else in the region, and then you can complete it at your own pace.
Dolina asks you to investigate a xaurip camp in the northern swamps. The region is dangerous, so you’ll want to either avoid fights or have Fine- or Exceptional-quality armor equipped to keep you safe.
The xaurips are, indeed, not hostile when you arrive. Climb to the top of their camp, and enter the cave. Yet more xaurips are dancing around inside, and at the end of the cave is their leader, a man named Amadio.
Amadio tells you he has a pact with these xaurips, who help him with his goals in exchange for shelter and food – hence their lack of interest in attacking people.
Those goals include dismantling animancy farm gear in Maxim’s Claim, machinery that Amadio believes is causing the Dreamscourge. It isn’t, but you can tell him you’re on his side anyway – or attack him then and there.
Should you side with Amadio or the farmers in ’Nature vs. Nurture’?
In the “Nature vs. Nurture” side quest in Avowed, you face a moral dilemma between siding with Amadio, a hermit who believes animantic farming machines are harming nature and causing the Dreamscourge, or siding with the farmers Dolina and Masco, whose equipment has been sabotaged by Xaurips under Amadio’s influence. Supporting Amadio allows for a peaceful resolution and grants you a unique item, the Wolf Boots, but lets the Xaurips continue their destructive raids, which can lead to long-term negative consequences such as losing access to certain NPCs and side quests. Conversely, siding with the farmers involves killing Amadio and his Xaurip followers, resulting in a combat-heavy outcome but securing the farmlands and earning both the Ring of Pain Amplification and the Wolf Boots through combat loot. While both choices yield unique rewards, siding with the farmers is generally considered the better option for maintaining quest opportunities and game stability, as Amadio’s claims about animancy causing the Dreamscourge are ultimately proven wrong.
- If you agree with Amadio, return to the farmers and either tell them to call off the rangers or lie to them and say the problem is resolved. The outcome is the same either way.
- If you attack Amadio, he and all the xaurips in the camp become hostile.
Dolina and Masco demand an explanation if you side with Amadio, and they won’t be happy with you regardless of what you say. However, if you tell Dolina to stop using animancy as a shortcut, she’ll listen, though it seems to have no bearing on anything outside the quest.
’Nature vs. Nurture’ rewards in Avowed
The “Nature vs. Nurture” quest in Avowed offers unique rewards depending on the choice you make. If you side with Amadio, the hermit behind the sabotage, you receive the Wolf Boots, which grant +2 Constitution and +10% Dodge, enhancing your survivability and agility. On the other hand, siding with the farmers Dolina and Masco Laima rewards you with the Ring of Pain Amplification, a unique item that boosts your combat abilities. Both rewards are exclusive and cannot be obtained elsewhere, making the quest valuable regardless of your decision. Additionally, defeating Amadio and clearing the Xaurip camp yields extra experience points, providing further incentive to engage in combat rather than a peaceful resolution.
- If you side with Amadio, he gives you the Wolf Boots, which grant you 1 Constitution and an extra 10% dodge distance
- If you attack Amadio, Dolina gives you the Ring of Pain Amplification, which increases critical hit damage by 15%
Technically, the most advantageous route is to attack Amadio either at the start or after initially choosing to help him. That way, you get a lot of experience points from fighting the xaurips, and you can get Amadio’s boots once he’s dead. The downside is that there are a lot of xaurips, and you’d need an Exceptional-quality weapon to make this set of fights easier.
Will uncovering the xaurip secrets change my view on nature and nurture
Uncovering the secrets of the xaurips in Avowed’s “Nature vs. Nurture” quest challenges your perspective on the delicate balance between nature and human intervention. The hermit Amadio reveals that the xaurips sabotage the farmers’ animantic machinery because they believe it harms the land, presenting a moral dilemma: support the natural harmony Amadio seeks to protect or side with the farmers defending their livelihood. This revelation invites players to reconsider the impact of nurture-human cultivation and technology-on the natural world, making the quest a thought-provoking exploration of environmental ethics within the game’s narrative.
Will learning the xaurip secrets make me see nature and nurture differently
Learning the xaurip secrets in Avowed’s “Nature vs. Nurture” quest indeed encourages you to see the dynamic between nature and nurture differently. The hermit Amadio reveals that the xaurips are attacking animantic farming equipment because they believe these machines harm the land and may be linked to the Dreamscourge, a devastating blight. This perspective challenges the assumption that the farmers’ use of animancy is purely beneficial, highlighting the tension between technological progress (nurture) and natural preservation (nature). Your choice to side with Amadio or the farmers forces you to weigh these conflicting values, making the quest a nuanced exploration of environmental and ethical dilemmas rather than a simple good-versus-evil scenario.
