Alright so this Bow of Awareness thing? Kept hearing about it. Sounded useful, giving advantage on Perception checks. Figured I’d grab it myself in my latest playthrough. Wanted to see the fuss.
Why Bother Hunting This Bow?
Right, first off, why even track it down? Honestly? Curiosity mostly. Plus, advantage on Perception? Yeah, that’s golden for spotting traps or hidden stuff before it spots you. Seemed worth the effort for my sneaky Ranger.
Started like any decent hunt: clueless. No marker, no quest pointer. Just vague forum whispers about being near Risen Road. Great.
Actually Getting My Boots Dirty
So, I loaded up my save. Took my party – me, Shadowheart, Lae’zel, good old Astarion. Figured we could handle anything north. Fast traveled to the Risen Road waypoint. That’s near where you find Karlach. Yeah, that fiery lady.
Faced northwest, right at the cliffs edge overlooking the river. See those broken buildings? That crumbling tower? Yeah, that’s the spot. But getting in? Tricky bit.
- Scrambled Down: Couldn’t just waltz in the front. Path was blocked. Had to scoot down the rocky slope to the east of the buildings. Careful, easy to slip and take some dumb fall damage.
- Went Through the Back (Literally): Found a busted-open hole in the back wall of the main building. Think it was the ground floor? Squeezed through that like a rat in a wall.
What’s Lurking Inside?
Popped inside. Dank. Smelled like wet dirt and something dead. Rummaged around immediately. Low and right? Zhentarim Hideout. Those shifty merchants? Yeah, them. But the bow wasn’t inside their hideout room. It was lying around outside it, in the main basement area.
Think I got jumped almost straight away. Giant spiders. Big, hairy, and pissed off. Two of ’em. They burst out from behind some rubble. Annoying.What I did:
- Shadowheart Blesses: Threw up Bless pronto. Extra attack rolls mean less whiffing.
- Astarion Sneaks: Sent Astarion sneaking into the shadows. Backstabbed one spider as soon as Lae’zel engaged it.
- Lae’zel Chops: Big sword lady goes face-first, draws aggro like a champ. Took some hits, held the line.
- Firebolt FTW: My Ranger? Stood back and peppered ’em with Firebolt cantrips. Burning spiders smell awful, by the way.
Cleaned ’em up fast enough. No major drama. Just quick, messy violence.
Finding the Loot (Finally!)
With the creepy-crawlies dead, I poked around the basement properly. It’s not a big area. Headed towards the northwest corner. Right near the entrance to the actual Zhentarim storage room? You know, the one Bren is guarding if you haven’t dealt with him yet?
Looked down near a pile of crates or sacks? Hard to remember exactly. The floor was mostly dirt and junk. But then I saw it. Glowing faintly under the highlight tooltip. A blue outline on the ground. There it was. The Bow of Awareness, just… lying there. Like someone dropped it hauling stuff around.
Clicked it. Picked it up. Sweet loot sound. Done deal.
Quick Test Run
Equipped it immediately on my Ranger. Next fight outside? Noticed the difference. That little Perception Advantage notification popped up. Actually spotted a trap I usually miss near the river crossing. Confirmed: worth the five minute detour and spider guts.
So yeah, that’s it. No quest triggers, no vendor fees, no complex puzzles. Just get to the right spot, kill the bugs, pick it up. Dead simple once you know the route. Happy hunting!