Marks of Malice

Marks of Malice is a Dark and Darker quest assigned by the Alchemist merchant, part of the Clearer Picture quest line. Recently, the number of patients has increased sharply, and I need more supplies immediately. Many of them have wounds carved deep into their skin. Some are remarkably clean cuts, while others are rough, as if made by an inexperienced hand. There is something unsettling about these wounds. The objective is to bring 1× bandage. All progress requires a successful extraction — items retrieved or kills made during a failed run do not count toward quest completion. Once every objective is fulfilled, return to Alchemist in the lobby to turn in the quest and receive the reward. This quest requires completing Is it you? before it becomes available from Alchemist. Completing Marks of Malice rewards 30 Gold, Surgical Kit, 2x Arcane Essence, 25 XP. The quest is completed in Ice Cavern, Goblin Caves, Ruins or Ship Graveyard. Merchant quests in Dark and Darker are one of the most consistent gold and experience sources in the game, independent of loot luck on the Trading Post. Completing the full Alchemist quest chain unlocks higher reward tiers and increases merchant affinity, which can affect prices and open additional quest tiers in future seasons. The Clearer Picture chain provides a structured progression path through the Alchemist quest tree, and finishing each quest in order is the fastest route to the higher value objectives later in the line. Use the MetaBot Dark and Darker quest tracker to check all open objectives across every active merchant before extracting, so you can turn in multiple quests from a single run and get the most value out of each session.