Complete Blasphemy and Open the University
Complete Blasphemy by following Tribunal Square, Shamble Street and the Sewers through the City of Orphans, then taking the Laboratory Key from the Shrike to enter the University. Continue through the University's library and Lift Shaft for Shield Transmutation, important upgrades and the boss beyond the laboratories.
Follow the City Route to the Shrike
- Pick up the Drawing of a Lancer from the tree beside the Tribunal Square Lantern to start Monster Hunt.
- Follow Shamble Street through the building with movable Neptho-walls. The chest on the way out contains Life Diverted.
- Ride the zipline from the top of the tower to reach the sewer building. The Drawing of a Sphinx is past the building on the right.
- Take the ladder down on the left at the sewer junction to find the Sewers Key in a chest.
- Unlock the door in the circular sewer room with the central grapple point. The Sewers Key opens this route onward.
- Collect the Sewers Master Key from the body left of the platform reached by swinging across the bar on the later left branch. It opens the exterior sewer doors.
- Meet the Shrike at the end of the City of Orphans route to receive the Laboratory Key and gain entry to the University.
City Ambers and Upgrade Stops
| Pickup | Where to Collect It |
|---|---|
| Sixth Sense Amber | Climb the boxes left of the riverside burrow near Tribunal Square and follow the path around the building. |
| Bottomless Well Amber | Defeat the courtyard miniboss reached by circling the house with shootable weak points visible through its upstairs window. |
| Life Diverted Amber | Open the chest on the main route out of the Shamble Street building. |
| Silent Squeak Amber | After grappling across the courtyard, leave the room with descending stairs and climb to the rooftop burrow. |
| Bountiful Harvest Amber | Near the ramp toward a burning tunnel, check right of the statue beside the ladder shortcut and defeat the elite enemy. |
| Ferrofluid Flask Power Upgrades | Check the courtyard miniboss chest, the chest in the open area before the tower, and the side room reached by grappling left from the circular sewer room. |
| Masterwork Firearm Parts | Use the Sewers Master Key on the door beside the Sewers Lantern and open the chest inside. |
Finish the City Side Quests
For Bedtime Stories, accept the children's request at the burrow above the stairs after the burning tunnel. Retrieve the storybook from the basement beneath the house's trapdoor. Return it and agree to read a story for two Tiny Whisker Gifts instead of one.
For Misericorde, speak to the man strapped to wood near the Shamble Street shortcut stairs. Shoot the attic weak point reached through the nearby building's upper floor and outside walkway. Return to the man to complete the quest and receive Remnant's Return.
Start Mummy and Daddy at the burrow opposite the Sewers Lantern. Beyond the gold vines beside the Sewers Key chest, leave the parents in the cell unharmed and play the music box in the hidden room to their right. Place the Cheese on the plate, then speak to the children again for a Tiny Whisker Gift.
For Afraid of the Dark, speak to the Mice about the dark sewers and light the extinguished torches. Monster Hunt requires all 17 drawings spread across the city and sewers. Its final Drawing of an Unknown Figure is around the right corner at the water's edge after leaving the sewer tunnel; completing the collection awards Quintessential Transmutation Material.
Main Hall and Shield Transmutation
- Shoot the weak point behind the stairs to the statue's right in Main Hall to reveal a switch.
- Pull the revealed switch to move the statue and expose the chest containing an Empty Ferrofluid Flask.
- Defeat the cannon miniboss below the circular room's ladder, rather than climbing toward the rooftop, to obtain Payback.
- Collect the Library Key from the enclosed space in the movable-wall area. Reach it by taking the hallway left of the elevator, turning right and keeping left.
- Cross the chandelier in the library to reach the large open room beyond.
- Take Shield Transmutation at the top of the stairs. It lets you cross poison areas and block enemy damage.
University Detours After Getting Shield
| Pickup | Option |
|---|---|
| Quintessential Transmutation Material | Return to the earlier elevator area and cross the poison hallway to another elevator. Ride down to open the Lantern shortcut, then back up to the balcony chest. |
| Ferrofluid Flask Power Upgrade | From the chandelier area, take the opposite poison hallway and descend into the lower library. Collect the item before the statue to remove its vines and reveal the chest. |
| Masterwork Firearm Parts | Continue behind the lower library into the lecture hall with hanging bodies. The chest is beneath the rear balcony. |
Lift Shaft and the Laboratories
- Defeat the dog miniboss in the underground room filled with square cages to collect Warrior's Fury.
- Pick up the Lift Shaft Key beside a cage at the back of the same room.
- Unlock the lift gate in the previous room with the Lift Shaft Key to continue.
- Open the explosive chest before the button at the hallway's end for a Ferrofluid Flask Power Upgrade. Reach it by turning left toward the ceiling gas, then right.
- Collect Lunatic's Grasp from the left explosive chest at the lower end of the long poison hallway.
- Collect the Ferrofluid Flask Power Upgrade from the right explosive chest beside it.
- Cross the hallway platforms to reach the next Lantern and continue toward the laboratories.
Boss Spoilers: Defeat the Orphan
The City of Orphans has no separate story boss; The Orphan waits in the University. The University's Lanterns are Main Hall, Lift Shaft, Laboratories and Sewage Drain. Use these area names to keep your route clear as you approach the fight.
- Keep clear of the poison vents during the opening sword phase so you can concentrate on the boss's attacks.
- Dodge just before the underground sword reaches you when the arena turns red.
- Apply Fire Transmutation during recovery openings, using melee attacks between casts to replenish Nephtoglobin.
- Parry the arm combos after dropping into the lower arena, while watching for an unblockable strike within a combo.
- Dodge sideways repeatedly while the green beam fires from its chest to avoid the attack.
Return Routes Opened by Shield
Shield opens the poison route for The Emissary at Valley of Ashes > The Other Side. It also lets you pursue The King of Smugglers through the poison areas near Ship Graveyard and Harbour. These are return trips to earlier regions.
For The Oathbound, return to Shamble Street and cross the poison below the ramp toward the river. Follow the path through the house and shoot the weak point to reach the Eternal Guardsman carrying Adrien Cassell's Emblem. The quest's final chamber is in Fortress > Courtyard, so keep that completion for the later Fortress route.