The Long Dark: Blackrock Rumours Walkthrough

The Long Dark: Episode 4 – Sidequest: Blackrock Rumours Walkthrough & Guide.

The Long Dark: Blackrock Rumours Walkthrough

Yet another multi-part sidequest… yay. Unlike the one above, this sidequest deals with all the weird things that happened at Blackrock. You’ll get various items from each mini-quest, and I’ll note the important things below.

Missing Employee
This will probably be your introduction to this set of quests. You can activate it by picking up the memo on the floor of the nurse’s office in the infirmary.

To find the employee, you need to head down the main road away from the prison. Then, when you reach the fork, go right. Head a little further down, and you’ll eventually come to a ranch-like arch on the left.

Go through and keep following the road to the left where there are a couple of ruined buildings. Search the buildings for some important early game loot and when you’re done, go past both of them until you reach a ravine.

If you head to the right, you’ll eventually come across a fallen tree trunk that you can cross, allowing you to walk down into the ravine. Go right from when you first entered the ravine, and you’ll eventually come across a dead body. Search it to discover that this is the missing employee and he has a lockbox key on him.

That key goes to the lockbox in the guard quarters near the infirmary. Head back there and use it to find a gold nugget (key item) and rabbitskin hat.

Aggressive Wolf
Ugh, what is it with Will and highly aggressive wildlife? I really didn’t need a wolf-equivalent to the Old Bear. Ah well, you can trigger this quest by picking up the memo in the locker at the guard office that allows you to exit the prison complex.

Apparently there was an overly aggressive wolf bothering the Blackrock staff even before the First Flare. And for some reason, Will has decided it’s a great idea to try and find its den. I think the idea is to find it there and kill it, but there are so many aggressive wolves in this game that I’m not sure killing one will do much to help.

To get to the wolf, you’ll have to head to the top of the map, following the road to the old mine (See Chapter 3 for more details). Once you get close to the marker on the map, there will be a cave to your left. To be honest, it’s a straight shot if you’re following the map, although here are a couple of pictures.

So I idiotically made the approach at night in the middle of a blizzard, which is why the cave photos are so dim. But I’ve circled the aggressive wolf in question; he’s chowing down on a deer carcass. Go ahead and shoot him, but be prepared for a potential attack if you don’t kill him immediately, especially for those on hardened difficulty. Once you’ve killed/scared him, check the back of the cave to find a dead body.

Search the body to discover that this is the wildlife expert sent to deal with the wolf. Clearly he wasn’t paying very close attention while in the middle of its den. Nevertheless, that will complete this part of the sidequest.

Suspicious Person
This quest triggers when you pick up the note in the truck just outside the substation. As a reminder, this is where the power lines lead to when you’re looking for the power plant in Chapter 2 (check there for more details if you’re lost).

To proceed, head down the road like you’re going to the mines (see Chapter 3 for more details). On the way, you’ll eventually see a path to the right that leads to a cabin on the frozen lake.

Now what we want is actually behind the building so climb up the snow back and you’ll see there’s a hidden cache.

And as an aside, please resist the urge to kill the moose that frequents this area. I know it’s really tempting, but I promise there’s a much better reward the sooner you finish this quest.

Searching it will give you another clue to the real secret bunker. Now for anyone who like puzzles, you can try and figure out where the bunker is from the note alone. For everyone else, the game has graciously placed an icon on the map.

What you’re looking for is the below branching path off the road surround by tall rocks and trees. When you go through, the entrance to the cache will be immediately to your left.

Inside are the things you’d normally expect in a prepper’s cache: food, fire materials, and a small cot. The real prize in the moose-hide satchel so be sure to pick it up. Also grab the note on the bed to officially complete the quest.