Of Ash and Steel: How to Reach Grayshaft and Unlock City Access

Of Ash and Steel is a classic RPG set in a Dark Fantasy world. The story follows a young cartographer who finds himself on an island where any mistake can be fatal. In this guide, we’ll explain how to get from Nerest’s hut to Grayshaft. You’ll also learn all the ways to enter the city.

The prologue ends in Nerest’s hut after completing the story quest Welcome to Grayshaft. The old man will suggest that Tristan go to the city, where he can find a captain willing to accompany him back to the capital.

At the start of the game, you won’t have a map. To get and unlock it, you need to complete the first chapter and finish a faction quest, and then unlock all the points to draw the atlas. We explained how to do this in detail in a separate guide.

In any case, you’ll have to memorize all the roads — the compass in the upper corner of the screen will help with this. But before starting your journey, it’s worth noting a couple of details:

At the beginning, turn toward the path so that the compass points south. Now move forward at the first fork after the altar and the wooden bridge. There you’ll find Fox’s camp, where you can pick up a quest — it’s along your route. There’s also a signpost showing directions to Grayshaft, Darkwood, and the Abandoned Village.

In this situation, go left toward the abandoned village. When you enter the settlement, you’ll see another fork. Turn right and follow the path past the ruined houses. Don’t turn anywhere until you reach the wooden bridge. Near the crossing, there’s a campfire where you can rest until morning if you have the Camp Supplies consumable and have bought the Basic Survival skill from Nerest.

Cross the bridge and climb up to Radim. You can take a quest from him to find wheels for the cart, but in this case, you’ll have to stay in the location a bit longer. At the crossroads, there’s a signpost: Lumberjack Camp, Grayshaft, Abandoned Village. Head toward the city. The compass arrow will point east.

Follow the path without turning until you see a fork near the waterfall. If you took the quest from Fox, you’ll need to help him fend off the ratbeasts here. To proceed to the city, take the road to the left and follow it to the ruins, where you’ll transition between the “Nerest’s Hut” and “Camp” locations.

Exit the ruins and turn right to reach the road. Continue to the fork by the tree, where you’ll see a signpost: “Grayshaft, Ivor’s Village, Observatory, Abandoned Village.” Take the path to the left to reach the watchtower.

Here you’ll find a quest board, the forest tavern “King’s Brother” where you can spend the night, and many teachers. Just below the crossroads is a pier where you can meet Irzhi, who will agree to escort the hero to the Suburbs. Continue following the river east.

Follow the road straight to the next ruins, where you’ll transition from the “Camp” location to the “Suburbs.” Descend from the ruins to the fork near the giant statue and go left. Pass the altar by the signpost for Grayshaft, the “Grayshaft Hound” tavern, and the Watchtower. Cross the stone bridge and you’ll arrive at the suburban village.

Follow the cobblestone path to the quest board and you’ll see the city gates. Approach the guards, and they will demand 200 coins from the hero for permanent passage. This will start the side quest So Close, Yet So Far. Don’t try to fight them: the soldiers are level 30, and you’ll have to pay a fine for misbehavior.

You can earn coins by completing tasks from the board or quests from the suburbs. However, there are two ways to enter the city for free, but you’ll need either 15 Strength or 12 Agility. On the left side of the gate, there’s ivy you can climb to get through a repaired breach in the city wall. This way, you’ll end up by the church.

The second entrance is to the right of the gate. To pass through, you need to break the grate and kill the ratbeast. This will bring you to the district between the city tavern and the Order of Seven’s fortress. If you don’t have the required stats, then find 200 coins and give them to the guards.