How do you complete Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s The Case of the Missing Ale quest? Where can you find the stolen barrel and the drunk but sometimes elusive Ake?
The Case of the Missing Ale quest comes to AC Valhalla as part of its very first Yule Festival. It’s not a necessarily difficult quest by default, but a series of bugs related to waypoints can send you to distant places that have nothing to do with your actual destination. Our guide is here to point you in the right direction.
You’ll be notified that AC Valhalla’s Yule Festival has begun as soon as you load the game, after which you can select The Case of the Missing Ale from the festival’s section in your quest log.
This sends you to your brewery in Ravensthorpe which you’ll find ransacked. A drunken Alwin explains part of what went on before sending you away to find Ake, Tekla’s apprentice who she left in charge after departing on an errand.
Follow the quest marker to Grantebridgescire and you’ll find Ake on a hill northwest of Utbech that’s overlooking it. If you guessed he’s also drunk, you get five points. He’ll tell you that the brewery was ransacked by a bunch of bandits.
They seemed nice enough when arriving in Ravensthorpe and he invited them in to sample Tekla’s secret brew. The bandits took advantage of the hospitality and the alcohol’s effects on Ake and took what they could find inside, including the secret ale.
You’ll engage in a fistfight with the brewer’s apprentice and convince him that it’s best if you dealt with the bandits. This is one spot where The Case of the Missing Ale quest can bug out, potentially sending you on a wild goose chase across Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s England. If the next quest marker is anywhere other than Utbech, you shouldn’t trust it.
The secret ale waits inside one of the huts in Utbech which you’ll find below where you met Ake, to the southeast. You’ll obviously have to deal with bandits, so it’s best to go in equipped for a fight. The barrel you’re looking for has circular yellow stripes near the top and bottom. Eivor will also comment that it’s one of Tekla’s, making it clear when you’re near the right one.
Pick it up and here’s another spot where AC Valhalla can throw bugs your way, placing the quest marker in unrelated locations like Sciropescire or even under the world. Additionally, placing the barrel on a boat can make it disappear, although you should find it back where you picked it up from when reloading a save.
To find Ake and progress the quest, you’ll want to head slightly southwest of Utbech. You should spot a broken aqueduct that once led to Duroliponte on the map. Following the shoreline to the west from it will eventually lead you to him.
Just don’t cross over to Duroliponte, as that’s not required. To avoid the boat bug, you can carry the barrel there on foot. Even if ends up submerged, you should be able to pick it up.
Once you reach Ake, you’ll have not only saved the day but also completed Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s The Case of the Missing Ale quest. This, in turn, unlocks Ake the Brewmaster as an opponent in the Yule Brawl, grants 140 Yule tokens and experience points.
For more help with AC Valhalla, check out our guides on Ledecestrescire wealth alongside the Treasures of Britain and Excalibur.
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