Across the Obelisk Boon Guide

Tips and tricks to find even the most elusive boon cards

Across the Obelisk Boon Guide

In any deck-building game, consistency is key. The ability to get the cards you need when you need them is typically even more important than the power of the individual cards themselves.

In Across the Obelisk, there is no greater consistency-enabler than boon cards. Not only does each boon effectively reduce your max deck size, it does so using a trigger that still allows you to have a full hand of cards before applying effects that reduce card cost. Each boon is guaranteed to grant you an additional card and to provide some other bonus to the character.

That said, it makes sense for us to have a guide for obtaining these powerful cards. Here are all 14 of the boon cards available as of Spring 2022 along with instructions for how to obtain them. Note that some boons are not available in all runs while others are always available if you visit the correct map nodes. Note, too, that boons are affected by perks and equipment just like other cards. This means that certain boons are more powerful on some heroes than others or may even have a steeper drawback on some heroes than others.

If you have any questions or comments, please share them, and I will be happy to consider your input.

Thanks!

Arena Champion

• Location: Red Zone, Coliseum Node (Northwest corner of the map), The Coliseum (grey book icon)
• Availability: Always available.
• Choice 1: [Combat] Participate in the Arena.
• Choice 2: [Combat] Fight “The Fang Gang.” -OR- [Combat] Fight “The Blazing Brothers.”
• Choice 3: [Combat] You are ready to fight.
• Reward: All four members of the party receive the Arena Champion boon.

Catharsis

• Location 1: Starting Zone, Small Lake Node (in the South near the beginning of the map), Morning at the Lake (purple book icon)
• Availability: Rare. Usually is the fishing contest instead.
• Choice: [Explore] Look around for something unusual.
• Location 2: Starting Zone, Forest Ruins Node (slightly East of the middle of the map), Story Time! (grey book icon)
• Choice: [Accept] Show them just the note with the tree and ask about it.
• Location 3: Starting Zone, Treasure Spot Node (one node South of the Northeast corner of the map), Treasure Hunt (grey book icon)
• Choice: [Dig] You start digging.
• Location 4: Green Zone, Campsite (near the Northeast corner of the map), Strange Rock Formations (grey book icon)
• Choice: [Dig] Dig near the western rock formation.
• Location 5: Red Zone, Kuzam’Dhar (gate node in the middle of the map), The Gates of Kuzam’Dhar (grey book icon)
• Choice: [Enter] Open the gates at any cost and try to endure the heat.
• Note: If you have Wilbur in your party, you may skip Location 5 and still obtain the Catharsis boon.
• Location 6: Final Zone (first floor), Plaza (node on the circular platform immediately east of the town), The two armies (grey book icon)
• Choice: [Combat] Go south and fight the black constructs.
• Location 7: Final Zone (first floor), Statue (node you automatically reach after the previous choice), The Black Statue (grey book icon)
• Choice: [Continue] You use the white key in the lock.
• Note: Alternatively, you can take a skill check (group 9 or higher) or use Wilbur’s character option.
• Location 8: Final Zone (first floor), Treasure (the node with the green chest on it that is just east of the middle of the map), The Jade Chest (grey book icon)
• Choice: [Open] You use the key to open the jade chest.
• Reward: All four members of the party receive the Catharsis boon. Additionally, opening the jade chest will also get you some great items as well as the “Last Piece” achievement, one of the lesser-obtained Steam achievements in the game.

Child of the Storm

• Location 1: Green Zone, Eastern Village (slightly Southeast of the starting point), An Empty Village (grey book icon)
• Availability: Always available.
• Choice: [Look] Look for anything interesting but don’t steal anything.
• Location 2: Green Zone, Naga Mural (slightly Southwest of the top middle of the map), The Lightning Runes (grey book icon)
• Choice: [Read] Decipher the mural using the nagas notes.
• Reward: All four members of the party receive the Child of the Storm boon.

Custodian

• Location: Starting Zone, Altar Rubble Node (near the middle of the map), The Broken Altar (grey anvil icon)
• Availability: Always available.
• Choice: [Rebuild] Do not make an offering, but try to restore the altar to its former state. (Group skill check of 6 or higher)
• Reward: All four members of the party receive the Custodian boon.
• Note: Wilbur’s character-specific choice does not require a skill check, but it only gives Wilbur the Custodian boon.

Dark Miasma

• Location 1: Starting Zone, Scorched Field Node (Northwest corner of the map), Honest Work (green book icon)
• Availability: Rarely available.
• Choice: [Accept] You offer your help.
• Location 2: Starting Zone, Suspicious Hatch (slightly Northwest of the middle of the map), The Hatch (map icon)
• Choice: [Enter] Jumping on the hatch will break it. The problem will be trying to land on your feet. (Solo skill check of 1 or less)
• Note: Failing the skill check still allows you entry. Additionally, several other options may allow you entry but have a risk of failure.
• Location 3: Starting Zone (in the hatch), Front Door (entry node), Silly Gatekeepers (grey book icon)
• Choice: [Capture] Make a noise to distract two of them and use the old rope to tie the one sleeping.
• Location 4: Starting Zone (in the hatch), Pit (node South of the big pit), The Bottomless Pit (grey book icon)
• Choice: [Throw] You remember typing up a pigman at the entrance…
• Reward: All four members of the party receive the Dark Miasma boon.
• Note 1: Malukah’s character-specific choice does not require a skill check or the rope from the Honest Work event, but it only gives Malukah the Dark Miasma boon.
• Note 2: Zek’s character-specific choice gives him the Dark Miasma boon if he passes a Shadow Spell skill check.

Enlightened

• Location: Final Zone (up the staircase), Garden Node (Top middle of the map), The Sacred Garden (grey book icon)
• Availability: Always available.
• Choice: One of the four “I will eat the apple.” choices.
• Reward: The character you chose to eat the apple will receive the Enlightened boon.

Friendly Tadpole

• Location: Not applicable.
• Availability: When Nezglekt is in the party and reaches Level 5.
• Choice: Select Incubation for Nezglekt’s Level 5 upgrade.
• Reward: All four members of the party receive the Friendly Tadpole boon.

Heat Surge

• Location 1: Starting Zone, Suspicious Hatch (slightly Northwest of the middle of the map), The Hatch (map icon)
• Availability: Always available.
• Choice: [Enter] Jumping on the hatch will break it. The problem will be trying to land on your feet. (Solo skill check of 1 or less)
• Note: Failing the skill check still allows you entry. Additionally, several other options may allow you entry but have a risk of failure.
• Location 2: Starting Zone (in the hatch), Stone Statue (Northeast corner of the hatch map), The Imp Altar (grey book icon)
• Choice: [Examine] Carefully you inspect the statue to find something unusual. (Group skill check of 4 or less)
• Note: Wilbur’s character-specific choice allows you to succeed here without a skill check.
• Location 3: Starting Zone (in the hatch), Secret Room (unlocked room node), An Ephemeral Potion (grey book icon)
• Choice: One of the four “I will drink it” choices.
• Reward: The character you chose to drink the potion will receive the Heat Surge boon.

Honorable

• Location: Any location that completes a character unlock quest.
• Availability: Always available.
• Guide: Please check this guide for details of unlocking this boon.
• Reward: All four members of the party receive the Honorable boon.
• Note: It is possible to receive this boon multiple times in a single adventure.

Merciful

• Location: Green Zone, Cobwebs (Southwest corner of the map), A Tough Choice (grey book icon)
• Availability: Always available.
• Choice: [Kill] Kill them without opening the cocoons to spare them from suffering.
• Reward: All four members of the party receive the Merciful boon.

Merciless

• Location: Green Zone, Cobwebs (Southwest corner of the map), A Tough Choice (purple book icon)
• Availability: Rarely available.
• Choice: [Combat] Slaughter them all mercilessly.
• Reward: All four members of the party receive the Merciless boon.

Take Cover

• Location: Starting Zone, Tower Side (slightly Northeast of the middle of the map), The Soldier Trainer (green book icon)
• Availability: Rarely available.
• Choice: [Pay] Pay 1000g for the whole group to learn his move.
• Reward: All four members of the party receive the Take Cover boon.
• Note: You may instead choose to pay 200g for a single character to gain the Take Cover boon.

Trustworthy

• Location 1: Starting Zone, Tom’s Farm Node (slightly Southeast of the Northwest corner of the map), The Baker’s Son (grey book icon)
• Availability: Usually available but is occasionally a different event.
• Choice: [Accept] Take the gold and agree to find his son.
• Location 2: Starting Zone, Forest Arch (near the Southwest corner of the map), The Forest Trail (quest icon)
• Choice: [Combat] Try to obtain an advantageous position before starting the fight. (Group skill check of 4 or higher)
• Reward: All four members of the party receive the Trustworthy boon.

Well Fed

• Location: Starting Zone, Forest Node (near the Southeast corner of the map), The Goblin Settlement (purple book icon)
• Availability: Rarely available.
• Choice: [Accept] Accept the offer and stay for the banquet.
• Reward: All four members of the party receive the Well Fed boon.
• Alternate Location: Blue Zone, Inn Node (near the middle of the map), The Happy Owl (grey book icon)
• Availability: Usually available.
• Choice: [Rest +100H] You pay her 1600g to have a big feast.
• Reward: All four members of the party receive the Well Fed boon.
• Note: Thuls can gain this boon (or another copy of this boon) by choosing to eat an egg at the Egg Chamber node within the Spider Lair map in the green zone.