You’re wandering through the Stonegarden Graveyard in Divinity: Original Sin 2, probably looking for a way to get into the Ryker’s mansion or just looting random corpses, when you stumble upon a crypt that feels... off. This is the start of All in the Family DOS2, a quest that serves as a perfect microcosm of why Larian Studios’ masterpiece is both brilliant and deeply frustrating. Honestly, if you haven’t accidentally failed this quest by teleporting the wrong item or killing the wrong NPC, have you even played Divinity?
It starts with Tarquin. You remember him—the eccentric, slightly arrogant necromancer you likely rescued from the Lady Vengeance’s jail or met near the gates of Stonegarden. He wants a family heirloom. Actually, he wants two halves of a very specific, very powerful staff. But he won’t tell you why. Typical.
The Hunt for the Two Halves
Finding the first piece of the puzzle in the All in the Family DOS2 questline requires a bit of grave robbing. You need to head to the Surrey family crypt. It’s located in the northern part of the Stonegarden. To get inside, you’ll need the Surrey Family Key, which you can find on a corpse nearby or by using a high Thievery skill to bypass the lock entirely.
Once you’re inside, the game throws its first real curveball. The room is full of petrified figures. If you’re playing on Tactician mode, this place is a nightmare. You’ll find a pressure plate mechanism that requires a bit of weight—or just a sturdy crate—to keep the doors open.
Inside the main chamber, there’s a sarcophagus. Open it, and you’ll find the first half of the blade. But wait. As soon as you grab it, the petrified guardians wake up. This isn't a simple "hit them until they die" fight. They have high magic armor and love to spam crowd control. If you aren't careful, your entire party will be perma-stunned before you can even get back to the graveyard surface.
Getting to the Second Half
The second half is where things get truly weird. You have to head to the Bloodmoon Island, which is a high-level area usually reserved for the tail end of Act 2. Getting there requires either a very high Strength score to jump across the broken bridge or using Spirit Vision to see the invisible platforms.
The quest item is located in a hidden vault. You’ll need to pass a Persuasion check with a spirit or simply find the hatch hidden under a pile of rubble. This is the Anathem, the legendary blade Tarquin is so obsessed with.
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Why Everyone Messes Up the Tarquin Questline
The biggest issue with All in the Family DOS2 isn't the combat. It’s the bugs. Or, more accurately, the weird triggers that make Tarquin think you’ve failed him.
A common mistake players make is finding the pieces before officially talking to Tarquin at the graveyard gates. If you do this, the quest log sometimes hangs. It’s a known issue that has persisted through the Definitive Edition. To avoid this, always make sure Tarquin has actually given you the quest before you start looting the Surrey crypt.
Another weird quirk? If you leave Act 2 (Reaper's Coast) without handing both pieces to Tarquin, the quest often closes out as "failed." You lose out on one of the most powerful—albeit fragile—weapons in the entire game.
The Power of Anathema
So, why do all this? Why deal with a snobby necromancer and a bunch of undead guardians?
The reward is Anathema. On paper, it’s the strongest weapon in the game. It has a base damage stat that makes even the best unique two-handed swords look like butter knives. But there’s a massive catch: it has a durability of 1.
One hit. That’s it.
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After one swing, the blade shatters. Most players think this makes the weapon useless. They’re wrong. You save Anathema for the final boss fight in Act 4. If you use it during the final encounter with Braccus Rex or Lucian the Divine, you can effectively skip entire phases of the fight. It’s a "glass cannon" in the most literal sense possible.
Technical Details and Requirements
If you're stuck, check your levels. Stonegarden is generally tuned for levels 11–13. If you're heading to Bloodmoon Island for the second piece, you really should be level 15 or higher. The demons there do not play around.
- Quest Giver: Tarquin
- Location: Stonegarden, Reaper's Coast (X:551, Y:125)
- Key Items: Surrey Family Key, Anathema Blade, Anathema Hilt
- Critical Skill: Spirit Vision (obtained during the Meistr Siva questline)
You absolutely need Spirit Vision to complete the later stages of this quest. Without it, you won't be able to see the levers in the vaults or talk to the spirits guarding the weapon pieces. It’s basically mandatory for 90% of the puzzles in Act 2 anyway, so make sure you've visited the Meistr's basement before diving too deep into the graveyard.
The Narrative Weight of Tarquin’s Request
There's a lot of debate in the Divinity community about Tarquin’s true intentions. He’s a former member of the Order of the Black Ring. He’s literally a necromancer. Giving him a god-killing weapon seems like a terrible idea, right?
But that’s the beauty of All in the Family DOS2. The game forces you to trust an untrustworthy narrator. If you kill Tarquin or refuse to help him, you lose a vendor and a powerful ally later on. If you help him, you’re potentially handing a nuke to a guy who used to work for the bad guys.
The nuance here is incredible. Tarquin isn't necessarily "evil" in the way the Magisters are. He’s ambitious. He’s a scholar. He wants to see if he can actually rebuild the weapon of the gods. Whether you choose to believe his "I’m doing this for the greater good" speech is entirely up to your roleplaying style.
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How to Guarantee Success
To make sure you actually finish this quest without the game breaking:
- Talk to Tarquin early. Find him at the Stonegarden entrance immediately upon arriving in Reaper's Coast.
- Get the first piece from the Surrey Crypt. Don't forget to use a character with high Wits to find the hidden buttons on the wall if the doors won't open.
- Wait until you're level 15 for Bloodmoon Island. The bridge is dangerous, and the enemies in the vaults are even worse.
- Hand over the pieces immediately. Don't carry them around. Tarquin will move back to the Lady Vengeance once you give him the parts.
- Check the Lady Vengeance in Act 3. Talk to him again on the ship to ensure the quest state has moved forward.
This quest is a long-haul commitment. It spans multiple acts and requires you to remember small details from hours ago. But the payoff—seeing that absurd damage number on Anathema for the first time—is one of the most satisfying moments in any RPG.
Keep an eye on your quest log. If Tarquin moves to the ship but the quest doesn't update, try talking to him with a different party member. Sometimes the "main" character trigger gets stuck if you're playing in co-op.
The most important takeaway for All in the Family DOS2 is patience. Don't rush it. The graveyard is meant to be explored slowly. Use your telekinesis, use your teleportation gloves, and for the love of the Seven, keep a save file from before you entered the crypt. You’ll probably need it.
To get the most out of the reward, make sure your two-handed warrior has the "Picture of Health" and "Executioner" talents. When you finally pull out Anathema in the endgame, you want to make that one single swing count for everything. Maximize your Warfare and Strength before that final fight, and you'll see why this quest is worth the headache.