In the sprawling, vibrant world of Throne and Liberty, adventurers often stumble upon secrets tucked away from the main roads and bustling villages. One such secret, whispered among seasoned players in 2026, is the treacherous Ant Nest. Nestled to the northeast of Vienta Village, just below the icon for the Raging Wilds, this hidden zone isn't for the faint of heart. Unlike most areas that proudly announce themselves on the map after activating a Waystone, the Ant Nest plays hard to get. It's a place where the air hums with the constant, unsettling chitter of countless mandibles, and the ground seems to shift with the movement of the colony beneath. Venturing here unlocks a deceptively named side quest from the Codex: "Beginning of Misfortune." And let me tell you, that name isn't just for show—it's a promise.

The game might suggest a minimum level of 35 for this area, but that's the colony just being polite. 🐜 In reality, you'll want to be a few levels above that, with your best gear equipped, unless you fancy becoming ant food. The place is crawling—literally—with swarms that can quickly surround and overwhelm the unprepared. The quest "Beginning of Misfortune" tasks you with three specific objectives that will test your mettle against the nest's most formidable inhabitants.

🎯 The Three Trials of the Ant Nest

Your mission, should you choose to accept it (and you probably will for the loot), breaks down like this:

1. Find a Page from the Collection: Expedition Records: Ant Nest.

2. Defeat the elusive Honeypot Ant.

3. Take down a Giant Acid Ant.

Sounds simple, right? Well, two out of three of these will have you scratching your head and checking your potion supply.

📜 Objective 1: The Mysterious Note

This is the straightforward part, a little calm before the storm. The map won't hand you an icon for this, but the note isn't playing an epic game of hide-and-seek. As you explore the early sections of the Ant Nest, specifically the area just above the Food Storage, you'll find several pits. One of these drops holds your prize: a "Mysterious Note." Just interact with it, and the first objective is in the bag. Easy peasy.

🍯 Objective 2: The Tricky Honeypot Ant Hunt

Now the real fun begins. This is where the quest earns its ominous name. Finding the Honeypot Ant is a proper scavenger hunt with zero map markers. You're on your own, buddy. Players have reported that the southern sectors of the Ant Nest are a good place to start looking. Your target isn't a scurrying insect but something far more bizarre: a giant, pulsating, glowing egg. Yep, that's your Honeypot Ant, just chilling in its shell.

But you can't just whack the egg. Oh no. You have to... convince it to come out. How? By clearing out all the smaller, very annoyed ants guarding it. This is where things get hectic. Remember those swarms? They come fast. The key is constant movement—circle strafe, use area-of-effect attacks, do whatever it takes to avoid being surrounded. Once the last guard ant falls, the Honeypot Ant will finally emerge.

And here's the funny part: after all that trouble of finding it and clearing its guards, the Honeypot Ant itself is kind of a pushover. 🤷‍♂️ It's all bark and no bite. Hit it with your heaviest, most powerful attacks, and it'll go down without putting up much of a fight. Almost makes you wonder what the big deal was... almost.

⚗️ Objective 3: The Giant Acid Ant

Breathing a sigh of relief after the Honeypot Ant? Good, because the final objective is where the game throws you a bone. The Giant Acid Ant is marked on your mini-map with clear icons, and these brutes are scattered around the nest. Finding one is no trouble at all.

In terms of combat, they're not much tougher than their honeypot cousin. A few solid hits from your strong abilities will see them defeated. However—and this is a big however—you must mind the company they keep. These giants are rarely alone. If you blindly charge in and ignore the smaller ants around them, you'll quickly find yourself outnumbered and in a world of hurt. The strategy is simple: focus on the big guy while strategically kiting or eliminating the adds.

💎 Final Tips for Survival

Before you dive headfirst into the anthill, here's a quick survival cheat sheet:

Completing the "Beginning of Misfortune" is a rite of passage in Throne and Liberty. It teaches valuable lessons about preparation, awareness, and dealing with the unexpected horrors a hidden colony can hold. The reward is more than just experience and loot; it's the satisfaction of having weathered a storm of chitin and acid and emerged victorious. So gear up, watch your step, and maybe don't wear your favorite shoes into the nest. You've been warned.