The route I used
Send familiars on contracts first, check your active clan bonus, then push Path of Blood. Work through the weekly tasks around Assembly and Vault opening times, and collect the separate contract and Vault rewards. That took my character from Initiate I to Blade IV in the recorded day.
You need a character strong enough for the Path of Blood fights. This follows my spring recording. Later updates changed contracts and clan buffs and added Akeba’s Ordeal as another source of Marks. Check the current reward panels, active bonuses and event times before following the route; the figures below describe the recording.
The first-day checklist
- Send the familiars first. Start their contract work before you head out. Return to collect completed rewards as you go.
- Check your Dark Clan’s active advantage. In this run, Leaps and Bounds gave 10% more earned Marks. Check the active bonus before collecting rewards.
- Push Path of Blood. Use a setup that can handle packs and bosses, and claim rank increases as they unlock. I reached Blade I here. Your stopping point depends on your damage and survivability.
- Read the weekly task panel. I worked through Elder Rifts, Challenge Rifts and bounties while waiting for Vault. Match your activities to the listed objectives; a Rift run alone does not mean a Shadow task reward.
- Fit in Assembly. Collect the blessings and claim the rewards during your server’s opening window. In the recorded route, this was a separate daily stop alongside the weekly tasks.
- Use Vault for both counters. Complete any listed Vault objectives and collect the available chest rewards. Watch the task counter and chest limit separately. I reached Blade III with the weekly checklist at 20/20.
- Finish collecting contracts. In the video, I collected the first three weekly contract bonus rewards and combined familiar work with a contract I completed myself. The final familiar collection pushed me to Blade IV.
- Include successful Shadow invitations. The video describes 50 Marks per successful invitation, up to three a day: 150 Marks before bonuses. Check the current invitation reward before planning your total. Include these alongside the route; the recorded Blade IV milestone came before the invitation explanation.
20/20 does not cover every reward.
Keep the weekly checklist separate from the other reward panels. In this run, finishing a Vault objective counted toward the twenty tasks, while opening Vault chests had its own rewards and limit.
| Source | What to check |
|---|---|
| Weekly Shadow tasks | The recorded checklist included Vault objectives and finished at 20/20. |
| Vault chests | Check chest rewards and the weekly limit separately from the tasks. |
| Contracts | Check completed rewards and the bonus-reward panel. The recorded run used the first-three weekly bonuses. |
| Assembly and invitations | Keep these in your daily routine after finishing the weeklies. |
After the first day
Keep returning for Assembly and successful Shadow invitations after completing the weekly tasks. Check finished familiar work too. The pet does the paperwork; you still have to collect the reward.
Follow your personal Shadow rank bar when comparing progress. Clan contribution and Deeds of Valor badge ratings are different counters.
How far can you get?
Blade IV was the highest first-day rank I could think of reaching with this route. I have not established an absolute maximum. Your Path of Blood progress, active clan bonus and available rewards affect the result.
Am I missing a source of first-day Marks? Let me know under the video. See you in-game.