A comprehensive walkthrough with advanced combat strategies, hidden collectible locations, and expert tips for South of Midnight’s seventh chapter.
Chapter Overview & Initial Progression
“A Barman is Hard to Find” represents the seventh major story segment in South of Midnight’s mystical adventure. Players continue guiding Hazel, now equipped with growing supernatural abilities, on her quest to subdue mythical creatures. This chapter focuses on her search for a Juke Joint and a man named Laurent, key to finding Huggin’ Molly. The narrative picks up immediately after the previous chapter’s events, adding the “A Barman is Hard to Find” storybook to your inventory.
Pro-Tip: Before starting, ensure you’ve mastered basic movement mechanics like wall-running and grappling, as this chapter heavily tests platforming precision.
Path to the Sawmill & First Collectibles
Follow the glowing guiding strand until Hazel verbally notes the old Sawmill. Leap to the next platform, but resist the main path. Immediately scout behind the first rock on your right to discover a flippable metal sheet. Directly opposite, on the left side of the road, a climbable wall awaits. Traverse it carefully, dodging environmental spikes, to claim a Floof knot. The platform above hosts your first readable, “The Lost Boy.”
Execute a wall-run on the adjacent surface and freeze the echo platform submerged in water to advance. Grab another Floof knot along this route. Your next action is to grapple across a patch of thick bramble, which triggers an introductory combat scenario. This fight introduces two new enemy types you’ll face throughout the chapter.
Common Mistake: Players often miss the metal sheet behind the first rock by rushing forward. Always check immediate surroundings after key narrative cues.
Combat Strategy: The Brute Haint & Initial Arena
Your first real challenge is a Brute Haint, a formidable close-quarters fighter accompanied by a Hurler. The Brute possesses a lunging attack and high resistance to weave effects, making traditional kiting ineffective.
Optimal Strategy: Use Hazel’s Strand Pull ability to close distance rapidly, deliver a few quick strikes, and immediately disengage. Never commit to a prolonged melee exchange. After defeating the first Hurler, a second spawns alongside a Larva Haint nest. A clever tactic is to throw Larva Haints from the nest at the Brute for significant ranged damage, preserving your health.
Once the arena is clear, search for a nearby cave. Behind a breakable branch lies a Health Filament, while a readable titled “Lost Liquor” sits atop a crate. Always scour combat zones post-fight for such hidden rewards.
Navigating the River & Memory Object Detour
The guiding strand leads you upward via ledges to higher ground. Upon arriving, perform a 180-degree turn to spot a breakable branch concealing a Floof knot—a classic developer trick to reward backtracking. Proceed along the main road and drop down, but halt when you spot a Memory Object.
Critical Detour: Do not activate the Memory Object yet. Veer right to find the “Lieutenant Laurent” readable perched on blue and yellow boxes. Further ahead, pull a large crate to create a path to an elevated platform holding a Floof knot. Only after securing these items should you return and trigger the Memory Object.
Cross the subsequent river using a combination of jumps, dashes, and moving wooden planks. At the fork, explore both branches: the left path hides a metal sheet, while the right path offers another sheet plus the “The Babblin’ Boy” readable.
Ability Upgrade Point & Floof Management
This juncture is an ideal checkpoint to invest your accumulated Floofs. Consider two key upgrades: Immortalizing Push for an extra automatic weave charge, or Crouton Surge for a substantial damage boost. For players struggling with the upcoming tougher encounters, Crouton Surge is highly recommended.
Return to the main path and traverse a hollowed-out tree trunk. Exit and immediately take the left path, jumping over brambles to locate another Floof knot before rejoining the primary route.
Optimization Tip: If you’re aiming for 100% completion, track your Floof count here. This area marks a midpoint where you should have collected a significant portion.
River Crossing & Laurent’s Trail
A sequence of three sequential echo platforms is required to cross the next river. When you land on the third platform, glance left; an additional platform leads to a Floof knot. After backtracking and completing the crossing, avoid the obvious right turn. Go left to find a metal sheet and the “Baby Faced Laurent” readable.
The strand guides you to a fork with a dead tree at its center. Inspect the birdhole within the tree for the “Burrower’s — Lil Drunkards” readable. Snag some Floofs to the right of the tree, then take the left fork to progress.
Multi-Enemy Arena & Hidden Stigma
Prepare for a complex combat arena featuring two Hurlers, three Ravagers, and a nest. The Stigma for this area is not in plain sight. It is hidden inside a burrow in the arena’s corner, accessible only by sending Crouton inside. Clear all enemies first, then use Crouton to unlock and unravel the Stigma.
Upon exiting the arena, look beneath the massive tree’s opening to find the “End of Prohibition” readable.
Advanced Tactic: Focus the Hurlers first, as their ranged attacks can disrupt your combos on the Ravagers. Use the environment for cover.
Barn Exploration & Generator Puzzle
When Hazel mentions finding an ascent route, turn right into a destroyed barn. Find the “Boy out of Time” readable inside. A metal sheet rests to the left of the house structure. The guiding strand points to climbing a house, but first, check behind it for another hidden metal sheet.
Scale the hut, use the grappling point to cross the stone wall, and collect Floofs from the rooftop of the nearest house. After dropping down, smash through branches for more Floofs. Then, investigate the rear of the nearby house marked “Pool Repair Used Parts” for a final metal sheet in this section.
The key puzzle here: Locate breakable wood on the house left of the train car (where you landed). Breaking it creates a passage for Crouton to enter and activate a generator, a prerequisite for progression.
Juke Joint Approach & Milltown Collectibles
Activate the gate switch ahead of the train car, open the doors, and use your powers to push the car through. Board it near the barn and jump to the echo platform. Cross the river via floating wood platforms (timing is crucial) and climb to Laurent’s Juke Joint. Before entering, scour the building’s rear for Floofs. Ascend to the top floor and enter to view a cutscene. Afterward, return to the ground floor to claim the “Heart of Lace” readable.
The next destination is Milltown, a loot-rich zone. Floofs are abundant in most open structures. For a tricky metal sheet, go to the back of the “L. O. GARO” grocery store and use an echo box to ascend to the roof. Two readables, “Treatment” and “A Mother’s Last Words,” are in the house left of the grocery store (front-facing perspective).
Milltown Exit & Pre-Final Combat Prep
Return to Milltown’s entrance (the two grapple points) and take the left path to find a metal sheet tucked in a corner. Follow the strand to collect the “Everything Helps” readable just before a combat encounter against six Ravagers and a Hurler.
After victory, find a shed with a tree branch or crane protruding from its roof. Inside, on a table, lies the final Milltown readable, “A Father’s Job.” Conduct a thorough sweep of all buildings for remaining Floofs before following the strand out of the area.
Preparation Check: Before leaving Milltown, ensure your health is full and you have at least one Health Coil available. The upcoming fights are the chapter’s most demanding.
Final Stigma Puzzle & Climactic Arenas
Descend to an area with three trees forming a square. To your right, a burrow for Crouton contains a rock pile. Use a box in the center to scale the wall right of the burrow. From the top, navigate wide tree branches to cross over the Stigma and drop down to unravel it.
Two combat encounters remain. The penultimate fight (near the left burrow grappling point) pits you against three Ravagers, two Hurlers, a nest, and a Brute. Remember to collect Floofs post-battle.
The final arena, marked by a wooden cross, is brutally difficult: seven Hurlers, a nest, and a Slug. Strategy: Prioritize destroying the nest to stop Larva spawns, then kite relentlessly, using the Slug’s slow speed to separate enemies. Do not hesitate to use a Health Coil.
Chase Sequence & Sawmill Boss Puzzle
Victory triggers a chase sequence involving precise jumps across floating wooden pallets over multiple rivers. Master the timing to avoid falls.
After the chase and a cutscene, you’ll be deposited at a new location. Immediately path right to gather Floofs. Your objective is to climb the sawmill. The core puzzle: A circular saw must cut through rubble, but it requires power. Locate the water wheel to the saw’s left (outside the pillar with a yellow union poster), activate it, then push the cutter.
Enter the revealed room, break the wooden planks on the right for Floofs, and freeze the echo structure to the saw’s right to climb. Exit and use grappling hooks to cross to the mill’s other side.
Final Collectibles & Rougarou Boss Fight
Inside the mill, avoid the central path. Instead, locate and destroy breakable wood on the left, then another further in, to access a room with the “A Penny Saved” readable. An adjacent room holds Floofs and the final readable, “Maintaining Productivity,” on a table.
Return to your starting point after the grapples and move forward. Follow the guiding strand upward to find and unravel the chapter’s final tangle. Continue up the stairs (a Floof hides behind one) and exit to scale the mill’s exterior via white ledges. This platforming segment ends at a red door.
Opening the door initiates the boss battle against Rougarou and awards his pattern. Defeat this avian foe to conclude the “A Barman is Hard to Find” chapter.
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