Chapter One Walkthrough

Jade Empire™ affords you the freedom to explore and complete quests at your own pace. While some quests must be finished to advance the game's story, there are optional side missions that not only extend the length of the experience but also allow you to acquire items, level up, and meet new and interesting characters. The following walkthrough of the game's first chapter gives you the low-down on both types of quest.

Chapter One: Required Quests
At any time during the game you can check your active quests in the Journal screen. Press the Start button and use the left or right trigger to access your mission list. Use the D-pad to cycle through each item. These events must be triggered and completed before you can progress to the next chapter.

Note: If you want to complete the optional quests (see below) you should complete them before entering the Spirit Cave.

A Master's Teachings
Use your skills to defend the town from attack and navigate the depths of the Spirit Cave on your quest for knowledge.

• Speak with Master Li: Following your practice with a fellow student, approach your master's home and engage him in conversation.
• Meet Dawn Star: Find your friend in the garden on the way to town. 
• Acquire a Weapon: Dawn Star will accompany you to Gujin's weapon shop, where you will choose a melee weapon. Next, move to the beach to thwart the bandit attack.
• Stop the Bandits: Fight the invaders onshore. Remember to employ Focus when wielding your weapon.
• Return to Master Li: After your victory over the thugs, return to your master.
• Answer Gao's Challenge: Defeat Gao the Lesser in battle.
• Learn More from Master Li: Return to your master's house when you are ready to face the challenges inside the Spirit Cave.
• Explore the Spirit Cave: Fight your way through each chamber of the Spirit Cave, find the Dragon Amulet, and learn about your destiny before returning to Master Li.

The Search for Dawn Star
After you emerge from the Spirit Cave, you learn of Dawn Star's kidnapping. Pursue her kidnappers into the swamp and fight all bandits in your path.

• Pursue Gao to the Marshes: Meet with Sagacious Zu and fight your way to Gao's camp.
• Journey North: Head north with Sagacious Zu and  find a cowardly soldier who will tell you of Dawn Star's location.
• Rescue Dawn Star from Gao: Dawn Star is being held captive inside the cave. Defeat the toad demons and ogres. Then, take down Gao the Lesser and return to your village.

The Burning Town
Fly to town inside a Mosquito flyer and scour the village for survivors. Defeat all enemies.

Chapter One: Optional Quests
Once you complete chapter one, you won't have the option to return. Tackle any or all side quests before you move on to chapter two.

An Unfortunate Debt
After the beach fight, talk to the villager nearby. He'll recount his tale of woe and ask for advice. You can give him the 20 silver he owes to Gao the Greater, or you can tell him to figure it out on his own.

The Lion of Two Rivers
Place an offering of one silver coin into the collection bowl at the shrine up the hill from the courtyard. Take the token back to your master's house and approach the large lion statue in the back room. Collect the three smaller lion statues from the nearby chest. Insert the Lion Head Token into the statue's mouth, then place the small blue and yellow figurines on the pedestal. Remove the blue miniature and replace it with the red one. Take back the yellow statue and replace it with the blue. The statue will erupt in a burst of energy, and you'll receive the Gaze of the Lion—a power-up that boosts your Health and Focus by two points.

There are two other ways to finish this quest:

• Simply smash the altar and get a silver reward. If you do this, you cannot interact with the statue again. 
• Take the statues without placing the lion medallion in the statue's mouth, and note the color of the orb in the statue's hand. Place the corresponding figurine on the altar, and do this three times. You'll get a small reward of silver, but you can do this multiple times.

Kia Min
Speak with Kia Min in the central courtyard and ask about her injury. Backtrack to the beach and discuss healing salves and plants with Old Ming. Purchase the herb of choice from Merchant Fen Do and return to Kia Min to deliver the poultice and receive your reward. Fight against the newly healed Kia Min and a group of students and beat her combat record in the Smiling Mountain challenge.

If you give Kia Min the red silk grass, she will be fully healed, and she will fight and triumph during the burning town section of the Chapter. If you give her bearded tongue grass, her match with you will injure her seriously, and she will die during the burning town section.

The Flower of the Fields
Help Merchant Hing find his lost Flower of the Field, the beloved Fen.

Just the Beginning
Chapter one is over, but there are many hours of exploration, intrigue, and white-knuckle action ahead. Speak with everyone you meet and trigger new events; you can always decide to ignore the game's ancillary missions, but it's best to be aware of your available options. Good luck!

By Bobby Stein