The Digging Deeper quest in Mistfall Hunter sends you into Hallowgrove, a dark forest extraction map packed with hostile creatures and real players hunting for the same objectives you are. The task sounds simple enough: find the designated location and investigate it. The catch is that the map is inconsistently called "Hallowgrove" in quest text and "Hollow Grove" in some menus, the objective shack requires climbing to reach the actual interaction point, and dying before you extract could cost you everything you carried in. This guide walks you through every step so you do not lose a run to something avoidable.
What Is the Digging Deeper Quest?
Digging Deeper is a story quest that tasks you with locating and investigating a specific point inside Hallowgrove. The objective is marked by a blue exclamation point on your tactical map. When you reach it, you will find a misty shack. The glowing icon you need to interact with is not at ground level, so players who arrive and search the base of the structure often miss it entirely. You have to climb up top inside the shack to trigger the investigation prompt.
Once you interact with the icon, the quest auto-completes immediately. No cutscene, no loading screen, just a registration and you are done with that step.
Watch for real players en route
How to Start the Match Without Getting Blocked
Head to the docks and select the explore option. Choose Hallowgrove (or Hollow Grove, same map) as your destination. If the Battle Prep menu appears and blocks matchmaking from starting, your inventory contains items flagged as disallowed for this match type.
Open your inventory, remove whatever gear or consumables the menu flags, and matchmaking will begin automatically. This is a common sticking point that stops players before they even load in.
Your spawn point is random each match, so the distance between you and the blue exclamation point changes every time you load in.
How to Reach the Investigation Waypoint Safely
After spawning, open your tactical map and pin the blue exclamation point as a waypoint. Your HUD will track it from there, so you can move without constantly reopening the map.
Hallowgrove is a shared PvPvE space, meaning real players are in the match alongside AI enemies. You can tell the difference between players and bots by watching movement patterns. Bots move rigidly and predictably. Real players are erratic, unpredictable, and actively looking to take your loot.
You can either sneak past other players or fight through them. Sneaking is faster if your goal is pure quest completion. Fighting is riskier but can yield loot if it goes your way.
Investigating the Misty Shack
When you arrive at the waypoint, you will see the misty shack. Here is where most players lose time:
- The glowing icon is not at ground level
- You need to climb up top inside the structure
- Enemies physically guard the area around the chest and cannot be bypassed
Clear the enemies blocking the objective first. There is no way around this fight. Once the area is clear, climb to the upper section of the shack and approach the glowing icon. Interact with it and the investigation registers automatically, completing the objective on the spot.
Do You Need to Extract to Keep Quest Progress?
This is the question players argue about most. Gameplay footage shows the quest auto-completing the moment you interact with the glowing icon, with no forced extraction required. That said, reports from other players suggest that dying after the investigation might void your progress because of how extraction RPG mechanics typically handle run data.
What Comes After Digging Deeper?
Completing this quest opens up related missions in the same area, including The Way Out and Tracing the Trail, both of which involve meeting NPCs like Pip and leaning harder into Hallowgrove's extraction loop.
To extract safely from Hallowgrove, you have two main options. You can hunt and defeat the rare Returner Woodling enemy to obtain a Soul of Return, or use a Returning Chime to summon a Hallowgrove Woodling, build a Soul Tree, and call an extraction point near it. Either way, extraction is a mechanic you need to understand before you run Hallowgrove seriously.
Also watch for Gyldenmist-laden ruins scattered across the map. This environmental hazard spreads madness and corruption, and it can end your run faster than any player if you are not paying attention to where you are walking.
For more on building the right character before you run Hallowgrove, check the Mistfall Hunter class tier list to make sure your class can handle the PvPvE pressure. For everything else related to the game, the full Mistfall Hunter strategy guides collection has you covered. Mistfall Hunter sits firmly in the action games genre, and Hallowgrove is one of the better examples of why that label fits.