The Ancient Ruins puzzle most players search for first is the Secret of the Ancient Ruins in the main quest Reunion: open the wall with Nature's Grasp, then use Force Palm on the three round discs inside in the order middle, left, right so power flows through all of them. That is only the first of dozens, though, and each ruin hides an Abyss Cresset that doubles as a fast travel point and a source of Abyss Artifacts. Below are confirmed solutions for the ruins people ask about most, including Duskwood, Five-Finger Mountain, the Dragon's Stone Chamber and the DLC's Bergal Island, with the patch changes that affect them as of November 2026.
We checked these solutions against PowerPyx, AltChar, GamerGuides, Game8 and a Charting the Unknown island guide, and cross-checked puzzle changes in Pearl Abyss's official patch notes in November 2026.
How Ancient Ruins Puzzles Work
Ruins puzzles are built around the Abyss Cresset, one of the two kinds of fast travel point in Pywel. As you explore, the map flags a large question mark labelled Mysterious Energy when you pass near an undiscovered point, and in many cases that marker leads to a ruin with a mechanism to solve. Finishing the puzzle releases the Cresset, which usually grants an Abyss Artifact for your skill tree and switches on a teleport. Our existing fast travel guide covers how Cressets fit into the wider network.
There are a lot of them. Game8's ruins index lists 37 named Ancient Ruins puzzles, from Arboria Forest and Azure Moon Labyrinth to Trembling Woods and Wiggling Hill, and the expansion adds more on islands and under the sea. Most use a small set of verbs you will learn early: Nature's Grasp to pull or raise objects, Force Palm to strike switches and discs, a bow to hit distant targets, and sword techniques to break ice or shove heavy blocks. When a puzzle seems impossible, the missing piece is usually a skill you have not unlocked yet rather than a trick you have overlooked.
Secret of the Ancient Ruins (Reunion, Meandering Hills)
This is the tutorial ruin, and it is where the "ancient ruins puzzle" searches come from. It appears in Chapter 2's main quest Reunion with the objective to unravel the secret of the Ancient Ruins, right after you learn Nature's Grasp by observing the child's blue silhouette.
- Aim Nature's Grasp at the blue-highlighted wall. PowerPyx lists the input as Triangle plus Square, then X on PS5, or Y plus X, then A on Xbox. The wall lifts and opens the cave.
- Inside, turn on your lantern. You will see a power source on the left, a dead receiver on the right and three round discs on the wall between them.
- Hold the right stick (R3 or RS) to use Force Palm on the middle disc first. AltChar notes this switches the first disc off.
- Strike the left disc to bring it back online, then strike the right disc. All three now line up and power reaches the receiver.
- Leave the cave and talk to the child outside to continue the quest.
Do not leave yet. PowerPyx points out a pillar beside the cave entrance that holds the Abyss Cresset of Meandering Hills, which grants an Abyss Artifact and completes the matching challenge.
Duskwood Waterside Ruins
Duskwood has two ruins puzzles, and the waterside one confuses people because it looks like a board game. GamerGuides places it west of Hernand: ride straight west from the city, cross the river and find the Kilnden Workshop landmark, with the ruins just west of it and an Abyss Nexus nearby.
The grid uses black and white stones, and the ones already placed are correct, so leave them alone. The trick is that zero to three crabs disguised as shrubs can sit on the grid intersections. Face the Cresset at the far corner and read the rows: the nearest row has a single white stone, the next reads white, black, white, and the third reads black, white, black followed by either an empty spot or a crab. Kill any crab on that third row (a bow shot works), then pick up the loose white rock lying in the grass near the Cresset and set it at the end of the third row so it reads black, white, black, white. The Cresset unlocks as soon as the stone is in place.
Five-Finger Mountain: Icy Ruins and Valley Ruins
Pailune's Five-Finger Mountain hides two separate puzzles, which is why guides and searches often mix them up.
Icy Ruins. PowerPyx places it west of the Cloister of Ruination, on the far side of the mountain. You need Turning Slash (R1 plus R2, RB plus RT, or left plus right click) and Sword Stab.
- Break the ice on the surface of the pool with Turning Slash.
- Break the ice on the side of the basin the same way. The water drains out.
- Use Sword Stab to push the blocks until they form the complete picture.
Valley Ruins. PowerPyx puts this one northeast of Whisperleaf Fortress. Push the blocks toward the statue on the far side to open the doors for a short time. While they are open, shoot the statues inside to rotate them: the left statue should show an axe, the middle one a sword and the right one a shield. All three turn blue when they are set correctly. Bring a bow before you climb up, because the timing window on the doors does not leave room for a detour.
Dragon's Stone Chamber and Bergal Island
Dragon's Stone Chamber. Game8 locates it in a ravine near Thinker's Meadow in the Hernand Highlands. The mural clues around the area are optional if you just want the answer:
- Turn the left dial 90 degrees clockwise so the sun faces up.
- Turn the center icon 180 degrees so its outer line faces left.
- Turn the right dial 90 degrees counterclockwise so the outer swirl sits at the bottom left.
Game8 lists the rewards as an Abyss Artifact, the Memory of Abundance key item and a fast travel point.
Bergal Island (Charting the Unknown). Search suggestions spell it Bergel, but the guide we checked uses Bergal. You need a ship and the DLC: sail to the South Sea, head southeast toward the Great Hydrothermal Vents, then turn west to a small island and dock. Five stone pillars stand around a central image; number them 1 to 5 from left to right. Push pillars 2 and 4 up until their images line up with the middle picture, then push 3 and 5 up (3 all the way to the top, 5 level with 4), and finally push 3 and 1 down until the full image of a Leviakan appears. The puzzle glows, rises and leaves an Abyss Cresset on the pedestal. Our guide to getting a ship covers the voyage, and the same southern waters hold the pearl clams in our Natural Pearl locations guide.
Patch Changes and Tips That Save Time
Pearl Abyss has adjusted puzzles repeatedly since March, so older complaints may no longer apply:
- Patch 1.04.00 sped up pushing and rotating objects during puzzles.
- Patch 1.05.00 made the ruins puzzle at the lake near Kharonso keep its progress after saving, loading or leaving, improved hint visibility in certain puzzles, and stopped revolving doors in some puzzles reacting to Force Palm.
- Patch 1.13.00 let Oongka complete puzzles with Scatter Shot, so you no longer have to switch back to Kliff for bow targets.
- Patch 1.16.00 fixed controls locking up when examining the spinning statue dials in the Sunrise Plains and Golden Plains Ancient Ruins.
- Patch 2.04.06 fixed Abyss Cressets at Secret Places and Ruins in the ocean not working properly, so DLC sea ruins that failed in launch week should behave now.
Three habits help with almost every ruin. Light your lantern indoors, since many clues are painted on walls that are hard to read in the dark; Night Tone Mode from our best PS5 settings guide brightens shadowed areas a little too. Look for the obvious "wrong" object, such as a crab on a grid or a loose rock, because puzzles often hide one piece. And if a ruin sits on a cliff, a flying mount saves a long climb; our guide to getting a Wyvern shows how to raise one.
Finally, keep a short list of ruins you could not finish. Many puzzles are gated by a skill you learn later, and coming back once Focused Force Palm or a stronger bow is unlocked is often faster than trying every combination now.
Want the Map Done for You?
Hunting every Mysterious Energy marker is the slowest part of exploring Pywel. The store's Crimson Desert Unlock Bundle is a middle-ground option: its page lists a fully revealed world map with icons and hidden spots, the Knowledge codex fully unlocked, and all teleports and fast travel points switched on, while quests are not auto-finished so your story progress stays your own. The listing quotes about 5 to 30 minutes of turnaround once work starts, and it does not state platforms, so mention yours in the order notes as the page suggests.
See the Crimson Desert Unlock Bundle page for details, or the Crimson Desert services hub for every other listing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you unravel the secret of the ancient ruins?
Open the wall with Nature's Grasp, then use Force Palm on the three discs inside in the order middle, left, right. Once all three are lit, power flows to the receiver and you can talk to the child outside.
How many Ancient Ruins puzzles are there in Crimson Desert?
Game8's ruins index lists 37 named Ancient Ruins puzzles in the base game. The Charting the Unknown expansion adds more on islands and in underwater ruins.
What is the solution to the Duskwood puzzle?
At Duskwood Waterside, kill any crab sitting on the grid, then place the loose white rock from near the Cresset at the end of the third row so it reads black, white, black, white.
What do you get for solving ruins puzzles?
Usually an Abyss Cresset, which gives an Abyss Artifact for skills and activates a fast travel point. Some ruins also hold key items, such as the Memory of Abundance from the Dragon's Stone Chamber.
Where is Bergel Island in Crimson Desert?
Guides spell it Bergal Island. It is a small island in the South Sea, reached by sailing southeast toward the Great Hydrothermal Vents and then west. You need the DLC and a ship.
Why won't an ocean ruin cresset work?
Patch 2.04.06 fixed Abyss Cressets at ocean Secret Places and Ruins not functioning properly. Update the game and try again.