Cartwheel Quest Bug Hoblin Camp Missing Wheel in Of Ash and Steel

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If your Cartwheel quest in Of Ash and Steel bugged out after dying and reloading – the wheel and note are gone from the Hoblin camp, not in your inventory, and the journal still says something like “Look around in the camp” – you’re not alone.

This guide walks you through:

  • Why the Cartwheel quest breaks
  • All known workarounds (reload tricks, save management, etc.)
  • How to prevent soft-locking your run
  • What to do if nothing works (including contacting the devs)

Quick Summary: What’s Going On With the Cartwheel Quest?

Typical scenario:

  • You enter the Hoblin camp.
  • You pick up the quest note and the cart wheel.
  • You die a bit later and reload a save from before you went to the camp.
  • When you go back:
    • The note and wheel are no longer on the ground,
    • They’re also not in your inventory,
    • The quest log still tells you to search the camp or look around.

This is a classic state desync bug:

  • The game has flagged the quest items as already picked up,
  • But your save file data (inventory, quest progress) does not match that state,
  • So the objects don’t respawn, and the quest cannot advance.

Some quests in Of Ash and Steel are still rough and occasionally broken or unclear.

Is the Cartwheel Quest Soft-Locking Your Playthrough?

The good news: most Of Ash and Steel content is open and optional.

The bad news: some quests are effectively progression gates, and earlier playtest feedback has warned that broken quests can be game-breaking in certain situations.

Whether Cartwheel is mandatory depends on your route, but:

  • If it’s blocking the next main or chapter quest step,
  • And the wheel or note are gone,
  • You might be stuck unless you use a workaround or older save.

Fix it now, not ten hours later.

Step-By-Step Fixes for the Cartwheel Quest Bug

Work from top to bottom. Start with the quick, low-risk fixes before messing with older saves.

1. Double-Check Your Inventory & Quest Log

Do this carefully:

  1. Open your inventory:
    • Check All, Quest, and any special tabs.
    • Look for anything labeled cartwheel, wheel, wagon wheel, or similar.
  2. Check your quest log:
    • Look for the Cartwheel entry.
    • Note the exact wording of the objective.
    • Look for hints like “bring the wheel back,” “talk to X,” or “fix the cart.”

Sometimes the object spawns as a generic wheel. It’s easy to miss.

If you find the wheel:

  • Return to the quest NPC or cart and interact or talk twice.
  • Some quests only update after multiple interactions.

2. Reload the Newest Save After You First Picked Up the Wheel

The bug usually happens because you loaded a save from before the pick-up.

Best-case scenario:

  • You have an auto-save or manual save created after you first looted the wheel.

Try this:

  1. Open Load Game.
  2. Look for a save timestamped after your first visit to the Hoblin camp.
  3. Load that save.
  4. Check your inventory and quest objective.

If the wheel is there or the quest updated, continue playing from this save.

3. Hard Reload Near the Camp (Area Reset Trick)

If you only have the bugged save:

  1. Move far away from the Hoblin camp (another region).
  2. Save the game.
  3. Quit to the main menu.
  4. Relaunch and load that distant save.
  5. Return to the Hoblin camp.
  6. Search the exact item spawn points carefully.

This sometimes forces the area to re-initialize objects.

4. Reset From an Earlier Manual Save (The “Painful but Clean” Fix)

If you:

  • Don’t see the wheel or note,
  • Don’t have a save after picking them up,
  • And the area reset didn’t help,

then do this:

  1. Load a much earlier save from before your first visit to the Hoblin camp.
  2. Play other quests for a bit.
  3. Return to the camp and pick up the wheel and note again.
  4. Do not reload any save from before this pick-up.
  5. Continue until the quest updates.

This is the only fully reliable fix if your current save is heavily desynced.

5. Avoid Reloading Mid-Quest Around Cartwheel

Going forward:

Do NOT:

  • Quick-save and test things immediately before picking the wheel up.
  • Reload back and forth around the pick-up moment.

Do:

  • Make a clean manual save before starting the quest.
  • Pick up the wheel and note once.
  • Continue playing until a new save occurs.

This prevents state mismatches.

6. Verify Your Game Files (PC / Steam)

If you’re on PC:

  1. Close the game.
  2. In Steam Library, right-click Of Ash and Steel → Properties.
  3. Go to Installed Files / Local Files.
  4. Click “Verify integrity of game files.”
  5. Let it repair.

This won’t fix a corrupted save but helps if assets or scripts are damaged.

7. Lower Difficulty and Try Alternative Quest Routes

The game is unforgiving and slow-burn by design.

While fixing the quest:

  • Lower difficulty to avoid repeated deaths.
  • Explore other areas.
  • Do side quests.
  • Level up attributes and skills.

You can often out-level problematic areas.

8. Check for Hotfixes & Known Issues

Because the game just released, the developers and publisher are tracking known bugs and issues on the community hub.

Check the game’s discussion boards for:

  • Known Issues posts
  • Bug Megathreads
  • Mentions of cartwheel quest, hoblin camp, wheel missing, or similar

Follow any provided workarounds.

9. Report Your Specific Bug

Even if you fix it, report the bug so it gets patched.

Include:

  • Platform
  • Game version
  • Quest name
  • Where you picked up the note and wheel
  • The exact steps leading to the bug
  • What happened afterward

Detailed reports help developers prioritize fixes.

10. Last Resort: Start a New Game With “Safe Save” Habits

If:

  • You lack pre-bug saves,
  • The items won’t respawn,
  • The quest blocks progression,

then you may need a new save.

For a new run:

  • Keep multiple manual saves.
  • One before any quest involving unique world items.
  • One after finishing major quests.
  • Avoid saving during combat or mid-dialogue.
  • Avoid quick-save spam around item pickups.

The game’s old-school design makes careful saving important.

FAQ: Cartwheel Quest & Hoblin Camp Bug

Q: The log says “Look around in the camp,” but nothing is there. Is the quest dead?

Possibly desynced. Try:

  • Loading a save after the first pickup
  • Area reset
  • Searching for a generic wheel in inventory

If none work, the quest may be stuck on that save.

Q: Is this a known issue?

The game is new and multiple players report broken or unclear quests.
This fits the same pattern.

Q: Will a future patch fix my current save?

Maybe, but not guaranteed.

Some patches repair old saves; others only prevent the bug in new ones.

Report your bug and keep earlier saves in case a fix becomes retroactive.

Final Thoughts

The Cartwheel quest bug in the Hoblin camp is a quest state problem caused by:

  • Picking up the wheel and note,
  • Dying,
  • Reloading a save from before the pick-up,
  • Causing the game world to think you still have the items even though your inventory doesn’t.

Your best options:

  1. Reload a save after your first pickup.
  2. Try an area reset or verify files.
  3. Use an earlier save and redo the quest.
  4. Report the bug.
  5. Start a new run with safer save habits if necessary.
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