Located in the Woodlands of Orsterra, the S'warkii Trail is connective tissue linking the towns in the northeast. You'll begin your journey here if you choose H'aanit as your first character. This guide will assume you're starting out from S'warkii, and so any directions will be from that perspective.
There are plenty of woodland baddies here who will want to take a bite out of you as you're passing through the region:
- Forest Ratkin I - Weak to Sword, Axe, Lightning, and Light. Not all that notable, though they can hit the entire party at once, which is mildly annoying. H'aanit's axe will make short work of them.
- Forest Ratkin II - Weak to Sword, Axe, Lightning, and Light. Upgraded version of the Forest Ratkin that can use Soporific Arrow to put someone to sleep. Axe 'em.
- Forest Ratkin III - Weak to Polearm, Axe, and Fire. A stronger version of the other Forest Ratkins with fewer vulnerabilities and some stronger, single-target Skills. Axe still works nicely.
- Mossy Meep - Weak to Sword, Axe, and Staff. Stout little piggies that aren't of much note, Mossy Meeps provide healing when Captured, making them a worthy prize for H'aanit if you don't have many Healing Grapes on hand.
- Marmot - Weak to Bow, Staff, and Fire. Basic enemies that aren't of much note. Take them down with Haanit's bow. Rain of Arrows works well, as they usually appear in groups.
- Majestic Marmot - Weak to Bow, Staff, and Fire. Slightly stronger versions of Marmots. Not that worthy of note compared to the originals.
- Giant Boar - Weak to Sword, Bow, and Dark. Beefy fighters that can do a ton of damage. Prioritize taking these down if you're at lower levels, and keep them stunned as much as you can.
North S'warkii Trail
As with every character's starting town, when you first leave S'warkii you'll see a young man at the side of the road. He's been injured, and needs a Healing Grape. Hand one over and he'll identify himself as Kit. He's on a trip to find his father. Helping him out here will complete the Kit, the Traveler Side Story and earn you 1,500 Leaves. Not a bad start. (And if you don't have a Healing Grape handy, you can find one just north of the entrance of S'warkii, down a little side path.)
Head north from S'warkii until you hit an intersection with a save point. To the east from here you'll head towards the Western Flamesgrace Wilds, a wintery land where you'll recruit the Cleric Ophilia to the party. Along the way you can find a Nomadic Hunter who's moderately useful for a number of Path Actions, and just west of the Nomadic Hunter is a side path where you'll find an Olive of Life.
Head back to the intersection and go west. Pop open the chest on the ledge as you wander for an Herb of Awakening. Ahead along the path is a Roving Naturalist; he's part of a Side Story, and will provide the Where the Giant Boar Roams information when Scrutinized or Inquired. Just south of him you'll see a purple chest on your right, which you can get to by poking along the rocks until you find a small opening. The chest contains a Slippery Nut.
Carrying on west from the Roving Naturalist will bring you to the West S'warkii Trail.
West S'warkii Trail
Straight ahead to the west is an intersection. Check the chest to the north for an Inspiriting Plum. Take the path on the right and you'll curve back left to find an Herb of Light, as well as a save point to the south. Going right from the save point will take you to North Bolderfall Pass, which links up to Bolderfall. You can recruit Therion, the party's thief, by heading to Bolderfall. If you check the side of the trail right beside the exit to the North Bolderfall Pass you'll find the Path of Beasts, a Danger Level 15 area that's a good spot for a four-person party just starting out to tackle.
Take a left at the previous save point and the path will lead you north, to another intersection with a road sign. Check the path west of this sign to find an Olive of Life. Taking the eastern path will lead you back to S'warkii, while going north will take you to the East Victors Hollow Trail, a Danger Level 21 area that you should avoid at lower levels. That's all for the S'warkii Trail.