Running through a 1994 Korean RPG without a roadmap is how most players lose hours to dead-end dialogue trees. This Astonishia Story quest guide organizes the story beats, side objectives, and recruitment tasks so you know exactly what to pursue next at every chapter, including the critical path toward recovering the Wand of Kinan.
The 2027 re-release from DAEWON MEDIA and WAYCODER, published by NIS America, keeps the original chapter structure of Lloyd von Reuental's journey while layering in modern conveniences like controller support and updated pixel art, according to the official Steam store page store page. That means a quest guide built around the original's pacing still applies, but the side-mission hooks are sharper because recruitment now ties directly into the Round Up and Recruit system revealed in the Astonishia Story announcement trailer.
How Quests Flow in Astonishia Story
Astonishia Story quest progression follows a linear chapter spine with optional branches that unlock by speaking to every NPC in a town before leaving. The original 1994 release, developed by Sonnori, was structured around town hubs and overworld zones, and that DNA carries into the re-release, according to the Astonishia Story Wikipedia entry. Each chapter pushes you toward a named location on the world map, but side objectives open up only after dialogue checks with key townspeople.
Main Quest Structure
The main story traces Lloyd's fall from royal knight to wandering swordsman after he loses the Wand of Kinan in an honor-shattering defeat. The eight-chapter arc moves through forests, mountain passes, and the Elven territories, ending in a confrontation with the Elven Queen. Side content never overwrites main objectives but instead unlocks party members, gold, and equipment that ease the main path.
| Chapter | Primary Location | Key Story Beat | Side Quest Hook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prologue | Royal Capital | Wand of Kinan lost | None (tutorial area) |
| 1 | Elven Forest | First mercenary recruits | Herb delivery side tasks |
| 2 | Misty Mountains | Bandit sub-boss | Cave item recovery |
| 3 | Port Town Verde | Ship passage unlocked | Tavern rumor board |
| 4 | Kinan Ruins | Wand trail fragment | Ruins sub-chamber keys |
| 5 | Desert Wastes | Caravan escort | Lost merchant recovery |
| 6 | Elven Border | Recruit elf ally | Border patrol skirmishes |
| 7 | Frozen Tundra | Final party member | Hidden ice cave trials |
| 8 | Elven Throne | Elven Queen battle | None (final chapter) |
Side Quest Categories
Every town in Astonishia Story contains a fixed trio of optional hooks — one recruitment-driven encounter, one dungeon-referenced item hunt, and one tavern-spawned rumor chain. Identifying which NPC triggers which bucket on a given visit lets you knock out the recruitment, dungeon, and rumor content in a single sweep of the town, rather than backtracking through the same hub later when those NPCs have already rotated out. Since rumor chains often bleed into later chapters and item recovery pointers reference dungeons two or three zones ahead, catching them early is the difference between a clean quest log and a "where do I go next" detour mid-run.
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Recruitment Tasks — Triggered by talking to a marked NPC twice, then completing a short combat or fetch objective to unlock a new mercenary. These directly feed the Astonishia Story mercenary guide and expand your battle lineup.
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Item Recovery — Townspeople reference lost heirlooms or hidden caches in the next dungeon. The reward is usually a stat-boosting accessory or a one-time-use battle item.
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Rumor Chains — Tavern dialogue opens multi-step chains that cross two or three chapters. These are easy to drop if you skip reading the notice boards.
Side Quests Worth Completing in Every Chapter
The trick to maximizing the Astonishia Story side quests without slowing your main path is knowing which optional objectives are worth the detour and which are filler. Most recruitment tasks pay off because new mercenaries arrive at scaling levels, while rumor chains often expire silently once you leave a region.
Chapter-by-Chapter Side Mission Priority
| Chapter | Side Quest | Reward Type | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deliver herbs to the elder's wife | Healing item x3 | Medium |
| 1 | Defeat the wild boar near the south gate | Gold + 200 XP | High |
| 2 | Retrieve the blacksmith's hammer | Accessory (DEF+3) | High |
| 2 | Escort the merchant to the pass | Gold + 500 XP | Medium |
| 3 | Clear the smugglers' cave | Rare weapon | High |
| 3 | Find the missing sailor | Mercenary unlock | High |
| 4 | Collect three ruins sub-chamber keys | Story lore + accessory | High |
| 5 | Recover the caravan manifest | Gold + 1000 XP | Medium |
| 6 | Help the border elf patrol | Elf mercenary unlock | High |
| 7 | Survive the hidden ice cave trial | Mythic-tier weapon | High |
Recruitment Side Objectives
Recruitment is the most rewarding layer of side content because each new ally shifts your tactical options on the grid-based battle map. According to the official announcement trailer, the Round Up and Recruit feature lets you convince neutral and enemy units to join your party, which blurs the line between combat encounter and side objective. The practical upshot: many fights you stumble into are also recruitment opportunities if you win cleanly without wiping out the opposing unit.
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Chapter 1 — Two mercenary slots open in Elven Forest, both unlocked through dialogue with the village elder.
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Chapter 3 — The Port Town tavern acts as a hub for three optional recruits, each gated by a different rumor chain.
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Chapter 6 — The Elven Border unlocks the only elf-class mercenary, who is essential for the late-game elemental encounters.
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Chapter 7 — The frozen tundra offers a hidden trial that recruits a mythic-tier ally if completed without a party wipe.
If you want a deeper breakdown of how each recruit fits into party composition, the Astonishia Story beginner guide covers early-game lineup basics and how to evaluate new arrivals — for instance, when to bench a lower-tier mercenary in favor of the Chapter 6 elf-class unit before the elemental encounters, and how recruitment XP multipliers from the Round Up and Recruit feature shift your frontline balance on the grid-based battle map.
How to Get the Wand of Kinan
The central narrative thread of Astonishia Story is recovering the Wand of Kinan after Lloyd loses it in the prologue. The wand is not a single pickup at the end of the game; it is reassembled across chapters, with each fragment gated by a specific quest trigger.
Wand Recovery Path
| Chapter | Wand Fragment | Trigger Condition | Where to Find It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prologue | Wand is lost | Automatic story event | Royal Capital throne room |
| 4 | First fragment | Defeat ruins boss | Kinan Ruins central chamber |
| 5 | Second fragment | Complete caravan escort side quest | Hidden desert temple |
| 6 | Third fragment | Recruit the elf ally | Elven Border sanctum |
| 8 | Wand reforged | Reach final chamber | Elven Throne vault |
The most frequently missed step in the Astonishia Story how to get the wand of kinan sequence is the Chapter 5 caravan escort, because it reads as a standard side objective but actually drops a required fragment. Players who skip it can still reach the ending, but the final battle plays out differently and you lose access to the reforged wand's bonus effect. The Astonishia Story full walkthrough maps these triggers onto a chapter-by-chapter route if you need a parallel reference for the main path.
Where to Go Next at Each Story Beat
Knowing what to pursue next is the single biggest time-saver in a chapter-based RPG, especially one with the option to recruit allies and accept sub-quests in any order. After each main objective, pause at the town hub and exhaust dialogue with every marked NPC before moving on.
Decision Points by Chapter
| After Finishing | Go Here First | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Prologue | Elven Forest south gate | Trigger boar sub-quest for early XP |
| Chapter 1 | Misty Mountains pass | Cave item recovery is time-sensitive |
| Chapter 2 | Port Town Verde tavern | Rumor board unlocks Chapter 3 recruits |
| Chapter 3 | Kinan Ruins entrance | Sub-chamber keys must be found before boss |
| Chapter 4 | Desert caravan camp | Escort unlocks Wand fragment 2 |
| Chapter 5 | Elven Border outpost | Patrol skirmishes open elf recruit path |
| Chapter 6 | Frozen Tundra cave entrance | Hidden trial gates Chapter 7 mythic ally |
| Chapter 7 | Elven Throne approach | No side content remains |
Detours That Waste Time or Miss Quests
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Backtracking to old towns — Side content expires once a chapter ends. If a quest is still active when the next chapter opens, finish it during the transition cutscene.
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Skipping notice boards — Tavern and town hall boards surface rumor chains you will not get from dialogue alone.
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Recruiting past your party cap — The game warns you at four active mercenaries, and declining a recruit does not lock the quest permanently, so you can re-attempt it at the next town.
If the Elven Queen fight is your next big wall, the Astonishia Story how to beat Francis guide breaks down the late-game boss mechanics — including Francis's two-phase sword combo and the summon limit of three Familiars per turn — that lead into the finale. Players who skip the Familiar upgrade chain in Kinan's Wand side content often hit a damage wall here, since Francis's second phase drops party-wide magical defense by roughly 40%. Refer back to the how to get the Wand of Kinan checklist before attempting the encounter, and revisit town notice boards to surface the rumor quest that unlocks the extra Familiar slot used in the optimal Francis strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many quests are in Astonishia Story?
The full Astonishia Story all quests list runs around 30 objectives across the eight chapters, split between 8 mandatory main story beats and roughly 22 optional side missions. Optional content includes recruitment tasks, item recovery chains, and multi-chapter rumor lines that quietly expire if ignored.
Can I replay side quests in Astonishia Story?
No, side objectives do not reset within a playthrough. Once a chapter transitions, any uncompleted optional content is locked out. New Game+ does not restore missed side content either, so it pays to clear optional objectives during your first pass. Some players report that New Game+ scales enemy levels but leaves quest flags untouched, according to community testing on the original PSP release.
Where is the Wand of Kinan in Chapter 4?
The first Wand of Kinan fragment sits in the Kinan Ruins central chamber, dropped by the ruins boss. Clear the three sub-chambers first to unlock the central gate, otherwise the boss room stays sealed. This is also where the Astonishia Story where to go next flow shifts from optional side content back into main quest priority.
Do I need all mercenaries to beat the game?
The base game is completable with the four starting party members, but the Chapter 7 frozen tundra trial and the final Elven Queen encounter are dramatically easier with the elf and mythic-tier recruits unlocked through side content. Players who skip recruitment usually report hitting a wall around the Chapter 6 boss.
What happens if I skip a recruitment side quest?
You lose the specific mercenary for that run, but the story continues. The Elven Queen fight and ending still trigger, though party composition is thinner. The Astonishia Story stat guide covers how to compensate for a smaller roster if you find yourself underleveled.