How to complete In Desperate Times and ask the watcher for help in Diablo 4

Diablo 4 boasts one of the longest campaigns in the dungeon-crawler series, though plenty of side quests are scattered throughout Sanctuary. In Desperate Times is a side quest that you can pick up in the Imperial Library of Kehjistan.

Before you can jump into this quest to attain XP, gold, and renown, there is a perquisite that you will need to meet. You cannot actually start this side quest until you have fully completed the main campaign and then returned to Kehjistan.

While this is a relatively simple quest that only took me a few minutes to complete, players have reported issues asking the watcher for help. Given this is the central premise of the entire side quest, performing this action is essential, however, it can be unclear how exactly you are supposed to signal this NPC.

Diablo 4 ‘In Desperate Times’ walkthrough

In order to start the “In Desperate Times” quest in Diablo 4, you will need to travel to the Imperial Library waypoint in Kehjistan. From here, interact with the nearby book on top of the shelf titled “On Caldeum’s Defenses” to start the quest.

“And when all is lost, stand before the golden watchers at the palace gates, plead for their help, and be armed,” is the only clue you’re given to finish this quest, and it begins right after reading this passage from the book where the quest is found.

Once the quest is started, head south from the library and fight your way through several groups of basic enemies that should be no problem to deal with. If you’re having trouble fighting these enemies, consider leveling up and returning later, re-working your build, or inviting a friend.

How to ask the golden statue for help in Diablo 4’s In Desperate Times quest

Eventually, you will reach a golden statue perched in a corner, as pictured above, marked on your map by a small blue circle. If you’re like me, I spent several minutes rifling through all the ways I assumed I could ask this statue for help, though it eventually dawned on me that “help” is also an action on my emote wheel.

In order to ask for help, open your emote wheel either by pressing E on the keyboard or up on your D-pad. From here, face the statue and use the “Help” emote. Almost immediately, a Mysterious Chest should appear in front of you to loot. All you need to do is search the contents of the chest, and this side quest will be all wrapped up, rewarding you with XP to use on your journey.

This quest is a good teacher for several other similar ones like it. If the game presents you with a silly-sounding objective, always check your emote wheel to see if something can be done to finish the task.