How to Fix Stillwell Quests Not Tracking

What v1.0.4 fixed

The official v1.0.4 notes are unusually specific: Stillwell’s quests did not always record defeated monsters correctly, and monster names could appear as “MISSING” in objectives. Both defects are listed as fixed. The third change in the patch restores missing portraits in the final Mines cutscene and is unrelated to Mission Board counters.

This means older advice about repeatedly farming a target while the counter stays frozen describes a pre-fix build. The safest response is version-first, not a more complicated workaround.

Safe troubleshooting order

1. Close the game normally. Let Steam finish any queued update before reopening it.
2. Check the installed version. Compare the version shown by the game or Steam with v1.0.4 or a later build.
3. Open the Journal and read the active objective. A current build should show the monster name rather than “MISSING.”
4. Confirm the correct Stillwell mission is active. The 12 missions unlock sequentially; defeating a later mission’s monster early is not the same as progressing the active objective.
5. Defeat one matching target and recheck the counter. This gives a clean current-build test without wasting a full Mine run.
6. Restart once if the UI still looks stale. Then use NPC Studio’s bug-report channel with the installed version and mission name.

What not to do

Do not delete a save, modify quest flags or install an unverified save patch to solve the launch-build tracking defect. None of those actions appears in NPC Studio’s fix instructions, and they can turn a display or version problem into permanent data loss.

Also avoid assuming every kill counts for every mission. The objective names a target, and the mission sequence matters. Use the monster-location guide to verify the biome and enemy rather than farming a convenient look-alike.

When to report the issue

Report the problem if the game is current, the correct mission is active, the target name displays normally and a fresh matching defeat still fails to move the counter. Include the build number, mission name and a short description of what you defeated. That evidence is more useful than an old workaround copied from a launch-day thread.