Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Quest Guide: Stuck Points, Choices & Hidden Objectives

Quick Answer

Kingsroad's quests rarely fail — they gate. When a quest will not progress, the cause is almost always one of three things: a level or momentum requirement, an unfinished prerequisite, or a hidden objective the game trusts you to find. This guide gives you a general unblocking routine, then walks through the specific quests players search for most: the Oldtown City Mysteries, The Wolf's Shadow, and the game's choice quests.

The Universal Stuck-Quest Routine

Before hunting a specific quest, run this five-step check. It resolves the large majority of stalls:

1. Read the quest log text again. Stalled quests usually state their gate: "Reach level X", "Reach momentum Y", or "Complete [quest name] first". Momentum gates are the most common in mid and late story — see the momentum guide.
2. Check the map for the quest marker's region. Some objectives point at distant areas you have not unlocked or entered yet; fast-travel to the nearest waypoint and walk the last stretch.
3. Talk to the named NPC, not the board. Investigation-style quests (the City Mysteries, faction quests) start and advance through named characters — maesters, captains, estate staff — not the auto-complete markers you may be used to.
4. Run aide quests. If the gate is a level or momentum wall, aide quests are the game's designed catch-up: short, repeatable, and rewarding. This is the intended fix, not a workaround.
5. Re-enter the area or relog. A small number of progression bugs (NPC not spawning, marker not updating) clear on re-entering the zone or restarting the client. If a quest is genuinely broken, the game's regular maintenance patches tend to fix it within days.

The Oldtown City Mysteries

The most searched "stuck" quests in the game are the City Mysteries — a series of investigation quest chains attached to the game's cities (community quest databases count seven across the game, with three in Oldtown). They play like small detective stories: gather evidence, follow the trail, investigate a location.

The Location of the Body

The chain that starts it, based on community documentation:

1. You find evidence on a murdered son: a note with four symbols in his luggage and a piece of a map on his body.
2. The map points to a location in Oldtown — travel to Oldtown and investigate the marked location.
3. What you find there advances the mystery into its next stage.

The common stall point: players investigate the body but never travel to the Oldtown location, or reach Oldtown without the map piece collected. Both pieces of evidence are required before the city marker becomes meaningful.

A Great Discovery

The second Oldtown chain connects to Maester Venn and the Citadel's world of research and records. The chain behaves like the others: start from the named maester NPC, follow the objective trail, and expect the final step to ask you to investigate rather than fight. If the quest text references something you have not found yet, backtracking to the previous objective's location usually re-flags the step.

Lost Map

The third Oldtown mystery extends the map motif — a lost map that must be recovered and cross-referenced. As with the other two, the quest giver in Oldtown anchors the chain; the objectives themselves are investigation steps rather than combat checks.

Verification note: City Mystery objectives are documented from community quest databases and player reports; Kingsroad patches adjust quest text and steps occasionally. Use this as orientation and confirm current steps in your quest log.

The Wolf's Shadow (Early Side Quest)

One of the first side quests players encounter, and a common search for "where is it":

• Where: Winterfell's north gate
• Difficulty: recommended level 1 — it is an early-completion side quest
• Rewards: community-documented at roughly 2,700 Copper and 4,000 Experience, plus a small item reward

If the marker is not visible, check that you have activated the nearby waypoint and that the quest is actually accepted in your log — side quests in the starting region sometimes sit unaccepted in the journal.

Choice Quests: "Give Up the Weapons or Not" and Friends

Kingsroad sprinkles choice moments through the story and side quests — dialogue or handover decisions where the game asks you to give something up, report something, or pick a side. The frequently searched example is a main-story moment where you must decide whether to give up your weapons.

How to think about these:

• Story choices do not branch the campaign. The main plot continues on its fixed path either way (see our ending explained guide for why).
• They can change immediate outcomes — a reward, a reaction, a small scene variation.
• When in doubt, keep your agency: quests that ask you to surrender equipment or report a friend usually resolve acceptably either way, but one branch often pays a slightly better reward or a warmer NPC relationship.

If a specific choice is blocking a reward you care about, check the quest log's completion state after each branch — the game records what you picked.

Maesters and Other Quest Givers You Might Be Missing

Investigation quests orbit named NPCs, and the maesters are the most important to know:

• Maester Venn (Oldtown) — anchors the "A Great Discovery" chain and connects to the Citadel's research flavor
• City NPCs in each hub — the City Mysteries are attached to specific cities; the quest giver is a named character in that city, not a board or auto-accept

If you are hunting where a mystery "starts," walk the city's central district and look for named NPCs with quest markers — and remember that some chains only appear after you have advanced the main story past a certain point in that region.

When the Wall Is Actually a Momentum Gate

Many "stuck quest" reports in mid and late game are really progression walls: the quest is fine, your character is not. Signs you are hitting a gate rather than a bug:

• The log explicitly states a momentum requirement
• Enemies in the quest area out-scale you sharply
• You recently skipped side content to rush the story

The fix is the game's core loop: aide quests, gear upgrades, set bonuses, and sigils. Our how to level fast guide covers the downtime-reduction routine, and the F2P guide covers resource discipline so the catch-up does not cost you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why won't my main quest progress?

Check the log for a stated level or momentum requirement, confirm no prerequisite quest is unfinished, and make sure you are in the right region. Momentum gates are the most common mid-game blocker — run aide quests until you clear the number.

Where do I start the Oldtown City Mysteries?

In Oldtown, from the named quest givers (the maester-connected chains). Collect the evidence items the early objectives point to — the mysteries are investigation chains, and missing a clue item is the usual reason they will not advance.

Are quest choices permanent?

Within a playthrough, yes — the game records your choice and moves on. But since story beats do not branch, the cost of a "wrong" choice is usually minor (a reward or reaction), not a lost ending.

What is the best way to catch up if I'm under-leveled for a quest?

Aide quests first, then gear: refine your main weapon, complete your current set bonus, and invest sigils. The equipment guide and best leveling build cover the priority order.