Are you wracking your brain trying to solve Ancient Ruin puzzles in Crimson Desert ? Many of these locations are scattered all over Pywel. Each one happens to have an Abyss Cresset, but you have to complete the challenge to activate it. Certain objectives are straightforward, though a few others are significantly more complex. We've got all the details for you right here, but be forewarned that there are a few spoilers ahead. Abyss Cressets and Ancient Ruins puzzle mechanics As mentioned in our beginner's guide , your trek across Pywel is bound to lead you to strange places. Should you use your Blinding Flash while exploring, you're likely to see glints of light at the horizon. As you approach these, they'll appear as Mysterious Energy--i.e. fog of war with question marks on your map. These points-of-interest might just be the Ancient Ruins that you seek. Here's what you need to know about Crimson Desert Ancient Ruins puzzles: These puzzles, once completed, cause an Abyss Cresset to be activated. The Abyss Cresset then turns into a fast travel point . They also yield Abyss Artifacts , which you can use to unlock abilities and boost your attributes. Puzzles come in different varieties, including those where you need to turn statues and those where you have to move a device to match the symbols. Some are more complex, such as mural puzzles, where you need to check a different locations just to decipher the clues. You can track all Ancient Ruins that you've discovered and completed via the Journal: Challenges - The Thread in the Forest tab. In any case, our Crimson Desert Ancient Ruins guide is organized per region. We start things off in Hernand, since that's also the first region that you get to fully explore. Northern Hernand map The map above shows the locations of five Ancient Ruins that are fairly close to the city of Hernand. The first one is actually part of a main quest. Northern Hernand Ancient Ruins #1: Meandering Hills Ruins Location: This Crimson Desert Ancient Ruins objective is unmissable. It's northwest of Hernand and you visit the place as part of Act 2: Unexpected Gift - Reunion. Solution: Use your Nature's Grasp to lift the wall. Then, use your Force Palm to hit the following stone plates in order: Middle, left, right. Northern Hernand Ancient Ruins #2: Dragon's Stone Chamber Ruins Location: This is a cavern carved into a cliff face due east of the Greymane Camp at Howling Hill. Solution: This is a fairly complex mural puzzle. You can refer to our Dragon's Stone Chamber guide for the solution. Northern Hernand Ancient Ruins #3 Location: On a hill due south of St. Halssius House of Healing . Solution: Refer to the explanation below. This will likely be the first "Angel Statue" puzzle that you encounter in the game. Here's how this puzzle works: At the start, the Angel Statue's beam points to another statue off to the side. That statue might depict a person or an animal, or it might be holding an object. Examples include the sun, moon, vase, shield, plate, horse, and the like. Walk in front of the stone plinth/mechanism and use your Stab ability--i.e. RB + Y on an Xbox gamepad or R1 + Triangle on a PlayStation gamepad. This allows you to rotate the selection dial. The goal is to move the selection dial over the symbol that the beam is pointing at. For the second round, the statue will point at two objects. Then, for the third round, the statue will point at five objects. Keep rotating the mechanism so that the device "selects" all symbols hit by the beam. Now, as for this particular Ancient Ruins puzzle in Crimson Desert, you just need to rotate the dial to select the following symbols: First round: Plate. Second round: Lyre, vase, and scales. Third round: 2x horse, lyre, scales, and plate. Northern Hernand Ancient Ruins #4: Hunter's Cabin Ruins Location: On the map marker for Haunted Hill due west of an Abyss Nexus fast travel point. Solution: Use your Visione to find the Memory scene. Then, make sure that all five lanterns are lit. Northern Hernand Ancient Ruins #5: Haunted Hill Ruins Location: Due east of the Abyss Nexus fast travel point. Solution: Refer to the explanation below: In all likelihood, this might be the first Water Drain puzzle that you encounter. Here's what you need to know: Your goal is to drain the water in the area. This is done through wooden mechanisms in the vicinity. Make sure you've unlocked the Nature's Snare skill--i.e. it's part of the Spirit/green branch in the lower-left corner of the Skills menu. Cast your Nature's Snare and continue the rotating motion--i.e. keep rotating the right thumbstick if you're using a gamepad. Eventually, the pool of water should get drained. For this particular puzzle in Haunted Hill, there's one mechanism off to the side. Activate it with Nature's Snare to partially drain the pool. Then, use Nature's Snare on the second mechanism that was partially submerged earlier. Southern Hernand map The map above shows the locations of the Crimson Desert Ancient Ruins puzzles in the southern reaches of Hernand. You're going to have to travel farther from your city and abode. Southern Hernand Ancient Ruins #1: Azure Moon Labyrinth Ruins Location: This is a hidden chamber deep below the Witchwoods where you meet Elowen the Witch NPC . Solution: Since this is also a mural puzzle, you can take a look at our Azure Moon Labyrinth guide if you're interested in the solution. Southern Hernand Ancient Ruins #2: Precipice of Echoes Ruins Location: Directly south of Fort Perwin. There's a chance that you'll stumble upon this area while traveling to the Scholastone Research Institute . Solution: This is a type of Symbol Stepping Stone (S3) puzzle. You can refer to the explanation below. For this kind of puzzle, you need to step on the initial plate and then walk over to the one that it matches. You cannot step on other active symbols and you cannot step on the same grey stone plate twice. There are usually three rounds: The first round only has one pair of symbols, the second has three, and the third has five. You can see how we completed the second and third rounds in the image above. Likewise, we recommend bringing out your lantern as you walk. It should help you avoid mishaps where your character runs and accidentally steps on a different symbol. Southern Hernand Ancient Ruins #3: Sunrise Plains Ruins Location: Due south of Glenbright Manor and Emberwind Workshop. Solution: This is a Statue Rotation puzzle. As the term implies, you just need to rotate the statues until they all face the pedestal on the center. Just remember a few caveats: Interacting with certain statues may cause others to get rotated as well. However, there might be a statue whose rotation won't affect others. You're going to have to rely on a bit of trial and error for this one. In some ways, you need "pixel perfect" alignment when checking if the statues are facing toward the middle. You can also listen for the audible "thunk" of grating stone, which denotes that the statue is facing in the correct direction. Southern Hernand Ancient Ruins #4: Steel Mountains Ruins Location: All the way to the south in the Steel Mountains. It's near the Spire of Insight . Solution: First, pick up the Mallet and make sure you have it equipped. You have to strike the bells based on the symbols that you see on the board. Hit the first through sixth bell in ascending order. Then, go back and hit the fourth through first bell in descending order. That does it for our guide on how to complete all Ancient Ruins puzzles in Crimson Desert. We'll include the solutions to the riddles in other regions soon, so stay tuned. If you're looking for more action, you can head over to our best skills/abilities guide . The lands of Pywel are vast and you are the only one who can keep the peace. As you explore distant realms and battle numerous foes, you might want to read about various tips in our Crimson Desert guides hub .