Avowed: How to find all Totem of Defiance pieces

The Totem of Defiance quest in Avowed allows you to grant yourself a number of unique and powerful buffs. However, in order to do that, you need to find seven different totem pieces that are scattered all around Emerald Stair. While that sounds simple enough, the game offers you almost nothing in the way of hints regarding each piece's location. That means you have to randomly search all over the map to find all seven Totem of Defiance pieces.

While you can purchase some clues from a vendor that give you hints about each piece's location, these clues are phrased as riddles. That can make it even more difficult to narrow down where all of the totem pieces are.

To make matters easier on yourself, you can read our full guide on the Totem of Defiance below.

The order you find all the totem pieces doesn't matter, so we're going to go down the list and show you map screenshots for where to find each piece as well as provide a brief description of their location.

First up is the Totem Core, which is easily obtainable by visiting the Shrine to Skaen in the northwest part of Emerald Stair. Just walk right up to the shrine and grab the Totem Core that's waiting patiently for you on a stone table.

The Sacrificial Dagger is another easy find, as all you have to do is travel to the Abandoned Farms in the northeastern part of Emerald Stair. At the farm, head to one of the central barns, go around to the backside of it, and pick up the dagger that's been pinned to a note on the wall.

Coming up next is the Idol of Covert Plots, which is fairly out of the way in Emerald Stair. It's located slightly north of the Sunken Village in the very northern part of the region. From the village, go north and head inside a ruined building that's right near the water. Inside the building, you'll find the idol lying on some branches in front of a statue.

The Idol of Secret Hatred is one of the tricker pieces to find. You have to travel inside the Ancient Grotto dungeon to snag it, which is just northwest of the Naku Tedek Grounds. Fortunately, it's right by a fast travel beacon. Inside the Ancient Grotto, you'll find the Idol of Secret Hatred sitting on a table next to a skeleton. However, to reach the idol's location, you have to head down a small path that's pretty well hidden.

We're back to another easy totem location. The Idol of Violent Rebellion is located at the very top of the Ranger Headquarters east of Fior mes Iverno. You have to ascend all the way to the top of the tower, which is done by climbing a ladder on the right side and then parkouring up some perches. At the top of the tower, the Idol of Violent Rebellion is sitting on a box.

The Obsidian Prayer Beads are in the most dangerous location of any Totem of Defiance piece. You have to travel deep into the Delemgan Glade, which is located west of Fior mes Iverno. Inside the Delemgan Glade, head to the very back of the area and then climb on some rocks on the right side. Keep ascending the rocks until you can reach an overlook, where you'll find the beads sitting in the clutches of a skeleton.

We've finally arrived at the final Totem of Defiance piece. The Effigy Necklace is located inside the Naku Tedek Grounds. To reach it, head inside the grounds and then go down the back stairway. From here, find your way to the door that's blocked by an Essence Generator. Shock open the Essence Generator to open up the door and inside you'll find the Effigy Necklace sitting on a table next to a dagger.

Once you have all seven Totem of Defiance pieces, fast travel to any party camp Waystone and set up camp. In camp, go to the totem rock formation next to the enchanting table. Place down the Totem Base and fill in the rest of the fragments. This triggers a cutscene between Skaen and Berath, which you can listen to and chime in with dialogue.

After the cutscene is over, you'll receive all six of the buffs that come with the completed Totem of Defiance in Avowed.