How to find briar branches in New World

New World briar branches
(Image credit: Amazon Game Studios)

If you're looking for briar branches in New World, you've no doubt picked up a quest from Matthias Cormack, the barkeep in Windsward. The objective might not seem complicated, but with numerous plants in the world, it's not always easy to know what to look for until you stumble across it.

There are a lot of resources to gather in Amazon's new MMO, but finding them can be pretty tricky with so many players vying for the same materials. So if you're having trouble completing The Prickly Request objective, here's where you can find New World briar branches in Aeternum.

New World briar branches: Where to find them 

More New World guides

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(Image credit: Amazon)

New World tips: Get started in Aeternum
New World crafting: How it works
New World leveling build: Best weapon combinations
New World servers: Find the one for you
New World factions: Which to choose

The briar bush is pretty tricky to spot amongst all the other plants you come across in New World. Your best bet is to head to a riverbank and look along the water line for a thorny looking bush with sparse green leaves. The image at the top of this guide gives you a good idea of what to look out for.

I found briar branches along the short river directly east of Windsward—there were a few rivercress stems here, too. The plant also favours grassy areas rather than forests, so look for rivers that cut through grasslands.

Also, bear in mind that other players may be trying to complete the same quest, so the further afield you go, the more likely you are to find briar bushes—and resources in general.

You'll still need to find the skinned rabbits and plucked turkeys to complete this quest, but the briar branches are by far the most difficult to locate. Once you've grabbed all the required materials, head back to Matthias Cormack in Windsward to complete the Prickly Request.

Sarah James
Senior Guides Writer

Sarah started as a freelance writer in 2018, writing for PCGamesN, TechRadar, GamingBible, Red Bull Gaming and more. In 2021, she was offered a full-time position on the PC Gamer team where she takes every possible opportunity to talk about World of Warcraft and Elden Ring. When not writing guides, most of her spare time is spent in Azeroth—though she's quite partial to JRPGs too. One of her fondest hopes is to one day play through the ending of Final Fantasy X without breaking down into a sobbing heap. She probably has more wolves in Valheim than you.

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