With the lower city of Cipal still in ruins, Chapter 7 of Forspoken begins on a rather somber note. However, thanks to Robian, there remains a glimmer of hope for the citizens of Cipal, providing, that is, that Frey is able to track down more of the Ballow sap needed to keep the corruption at bay.
When it comes to length, The Hue of Blue is one of several Forspoken chapters that can take as little or as much time as players want it to. The main story part of it can be completed in around 40 minutes, though there are plenty of Detours and points of interest to tempt players away from the critical path.
The Day After the Night Before
Chapter 7 begins with Frey having a nightmare, after which, she'll have a short conversation with Auden. When they regain control, players will be prompted to find Robian, who is down in the Harkiska Grove area of the city near the last remaining Ballow tree. As is often the case in Forspoken​​​​​​, there are plenty of events and Detours available elsewhere in the city for those looking to earn some bonus XP.
Speaking with Robian, it quickly becomes clear that the corruption inside him is getting worse, making it increasingly unlikely that he'll be able to help Frey return home to New York City. When Frey asks whether Ballow sap might help to keep the old man stable for a little longer, Councilman Treahy reveals that there's none left. There may be more Ballow trees in a place called Avoalet, however, so players should prepare to head there next.
The Road to Avoalet
Whenever they're ready to leave, players should head toward the city gate. On their way there, they'll run into Councilwoman Bellette, who gives Frey an unconventional yet surprisingly effective pep talk. It's then time to leave the city, at which point, the player's map will be updated to include some of the key locations in Avoalet, which is a few kilometers south of Cipal.
Unless players are eager to explore the lands between Cipal and Avoalet, the best course of action here is to keep following the quest markers. That said, it may be worth stopping at any Refuges or Belfreys on the way there just to add them as fast-travel points. Other than that, the player's first main point of interest should be Merveil Bridge, where they'll need to defeat some of Tanta Prav's minions to proceed.
Once they're all gone, a Pitiless Arbiter will show up, which serves as this area's Recreant Knight equivalent. Thankfully, Pitiless Arbiters are weak to Sila's magic, so players can slash them to death with relative ease. They do pack quite the punch though, so players will definitely want to keep moving to avoid taking too much damage. Shortly after clearing the first bridge, players will find themselves at another one, where they'll once again need to defeat all of the enemies in order to progress.
After stopping in at the Fountainfields Refuge, players will come to an abandoned settlement called Colline. Here, they'll need to defeat a few waves of enemies, with Frey's magic being ideal for taking out the flying ones and Sila's magic being good for dealing with the rest. Killing them will unlock the nearby chest, which contains the Yavus Gagnant necklace. Players will then be free to enter the Avoalet Depths of Corruption, which can be found just a few hundred meters away from Colline.
The Untrodden Forest
The Depths of Corruption in Avoalet are a lot less foreboding than the ones in Praenost, though they can be every bit as dangerous if players let their guard down. With this in mind, they should make their way straight toward the quest marker, which will lead them to Avoalet Castle Town and the first of many Ballow trees that they'll need to inspect. While standing next to the tree, players can attempt to drain its sap by pressing either the Triangle (PlayStation) or Y (Xbox) button.
Predictably, this tree does not have any sap, so players should follow the quest marker to the next one. This pattern repeats a few times until players eventually come to a Ballow tree that's growing horizontally over the edge of a cliff. Before they can interact with it, however, they'll need to take out a large group of Kelaino, which can be dealt with pretty quickly using Sila's magic. Once the area is clear, players should interact with the Ballow tree, which leads to Frey falling to the area down below.
After regaining control, players should head toward the next quest marker, which leads to the Saray Gate and a confrontation with some more of Tanta Prav's minions. They'll tell Frey that Prav wishes to speak with her, but the young adventurer will instead decide to fight her way out. Players will then need to kill all of the enemies, after which, they can head back outside and make their way to the Samum Coast: Western Refuge.
The Final Ballow Tree
Once they've healed up and stocked up on Healing Draughts, players should head for the giant Ballow tree. Before they can drain its sap though, they'll first need to defeat the Riven Claw. It looks terrifying but can actually be taken out in just a few seconds using Sila's magic. Once it's gone, players will be free to get the sap, but before they can head home, Cuff tries to talk Frey into killing Tanta Prav. Not wanting more Tanta blood on her hands, Frey decides to try and reason with Prav instead and hands herself over to some of Prav's minions.
Unlike in previous chapters, players do not get a chance to save their game at the end of Chapter 7. There is an autosave here, so players should be okay to switch off at this point if needed, but those who prefer the safety of a manual save will have to wait until the end of Chapter 8 before they can rest easy. Thankfully, at just 15 minutes in length, Chapter 8 is one of the shortest chapters in Forspoken, so it's arguably better to complete it right away rather than having to rely on an autosave.
Forspoken is available now on PS5 and PC.
