GRIM DAWN / QUEST / SIDE QUEST
A Family Crisis
Act 2 dialogue-choice side quest. Convince Stephen Skinner at Kymon's Retreat to take his family to Devil's Crossing, then speak with him in the upper prison room after they relocate.
Last updated: 2026-07-12
Side QuestPermanent ChoiceEasy to Get Lost
Act
Act 2
NPC
Stephen Skinner
Area
Kymon's Retreat / Devil's Crossing
Level
20-30
DLC
Base Game
Missable
Yes
WHY PLAYERS GET STUCK
The trap is the first conversation, not navigation. If you pick the wrong lines or end the talk, Skinner burns the house, attacks, and the quest never starts. Follow the second dialogue option each time.
WALKTHROUGH
- 1Find Skinner at Kymon's Retreat
- ▸After killing Edmund in Murderers and Worse..., continue southwest in Act 2.
- ▸Talk to Stephen Skinner outside the house at Kymon's Retreat.
- ▸A Family Crisis is not in the quest log yet. It only starts if the persuasion succeeds.
- 2Use the correct dialogue choices
- ▸Start with the line that asks who is inside the house.
- ▸Then choose the calming line that asks him to listen.
- ▸Finally tell him you are from Devil's Crossing and can offer safety. The Japanese wiki summarizes this as taking the second option at each stage.
- 3Report in at Devil's Crossing
- ▸If the persuasion succeeds, Skinner and his family relocate to Devil's Crossing.
- ▸Go to the room on the upper level of the prison and speak with Stephen Skinner.
- ▸Talking to him completes the quest. Rewards are experience and Skinner Family Seal.
- 4Understand the failure branch and unique drop
- ▸If you fail the persuasion or end the conversation, Skinner burns the house and becomes hostile.
- ▸In that branch A Family Crisis never starts, so you lose the experience and Skinner Family Seal reward.
- ▸Killing hostile Skinner drops the unique Skinner's Torch. It is niche, so the rescue route is usually the practical choice.
STILL LOST?
If the quest is not in your log, you are either before the successful persuasion or you already failed the dialogue branch. Once it starts, return to the upper level of Devil's Crossing prison and look for Stephen Skinner in the room there.
Wiki cross-check: accepted at Kymon's Retreat and turned in inside Devil's Crossing. Because a failed conversation prevents the quest from starting, this is treated as missable.