I almost slammed my controller down the first night I found the Ancient Ruins. You stand in a stone room with three strange wheels and nothing but silence for guidance. For a beat, the game feels like it’s daring you to quit.
You feel the dust settle — How to unravel the secrets of the Ancient Ruins in Crimson Desert
I’ve guided players through this one dozens of times on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, and the reaction is always the same: a little dread, then relief. Pearl Abyss left clues inside the room rather than handing out the answer, so you’ll need to experiment while keeping calm. If you picked up Crimson Desert on launch for $59.99 (€56), you don’t want a simple puzzle to stall your progress.
The room has three circular wheels mounted on the wall. One of them sticks out and reacts when you use Force Palm. That popped-out wheel is your entry point; when you press it, other wheels pop out in turn. The trick is to push them in the right order so all three sit flat again and the ruin’s energy flows. The wheels mesh like a set of gears in an old clock.
You glance at the wall — Why this puzzle trips players up and how to avoid rage quits
People treat it like a riddle when it’s actually a sequence problem. I tell players to stop guessing madly and watch the reaction after each Force Palm. The game is quiet on instructions, but watching the wheels move gives you the pattern you need.
– Solution beyond this point –
How do I solve the Ancient Ruins puzzle?
Use Force Palm on the protruding (popped-out) circle first. Then press the circles in this order: middle, right, left. Do that and all three wheels will sink flush into the wall and the ruin’s mystical energy will start, activating the local fast travel point (one of the Abyss Nexus-style nodes).
Where are the Ancient Ruins found in Crimson Desert?
The ruins sit in the Hernand area early in the campaign, usually flagged on your map as a landmark. If you follow community hubs — Reddit, the official Discord, or a YouTube walkthrough from creators like IGN or Moyens I/O — you’ll see players point to the same coordinates. I prefer watching a short clip to orient myself, then doing the hands-on work.
What if the sequence doesn’t work for me?
Try again slowly and watch which wheel reacts after each press. If a wheel doesn’t move the way you expect, that’s feedback — not punishment. The pattern will become as obvious as a blinking cursor once you repeat the sequence. If you still struggle, a quick search on Steam discussions or the Crimson Desert subreddit will show screenshots and 10–20 second clips from players who solved it.
There are other puzzles in the game that power Abyss Nexuses and fast travel nodes, including the big question mark near Greymane camp where you get your first house. I’ve seen players save these solutions like secrets or post them immediately on Discord; either way, they’ll speed up your map traversal and reduce backtracking.
So — will you tell your squad how simple it was, or keep the trick to yourself?