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Ancient Rift Maze
April 25, 2026 at 03:11 PM
Rewired 1 wikilink to longer matching article titles
The Ancient Rift Maze is one of four Maze Challenges in Crimson Desert and is usually the first maze players encounter. It sits inside the Ancient Rift chasm in northern Hernand, an area reached during the early-to-mid campaign. Solving the maze activates an Abyss Cresset fast travel point and awards one Abyss Artifact. It also counts as one of four stamps needed for the Maze Pathfinder bronze trophy and achievement.
Unlike the combat-heavy ruins scattered through the Crimson Desert region, the Ancient Rift Maze has no forced encounters. The challenge is entirely environmental: find three hidden chambers inside the rift walls, use light to open them, and extract an Engraved Stone from each.
The maze occupies the central basin of the Ancient Rift, a steep-walled chasm cut into the highlands of northern Hernand. On the world map it appears as a Mysterious Energy marker (a white question mark) northeast of Trovak Camp, roughly halfway between the two waterfalls that flank the rift. The easiest approach is to fast travel to Trovak Camp, mount up, and ride northeast along the ridge line until the marker appears in the valley below. A nearby Abyss Nexus provides a quick exit once the challenge is complete.
The rift is divided into three small alcoves at different elevations. Each alcove is sealed by a row of runestone pillars, and every pillar terminates in a glowing crystal orb that can be struck by light.
The maze is built around the Blinding Flash utility skill and its Concentrated Light follow-up (sometimes written in guides as Focus Light). Concentrated Light is a narrow beam that can be aimed at an individual pillar crystal to raise or lower that pillar by a fixed amount. Each alcove is gated by a row of pillars that are not aligned at the same height, and the puzzle is to bring them to a uniform height by illuminating only the correct crystals.
When a row is aligned, the barrier drops and a small chamber opens. Inside the chamber is a round push-pillar with a rock at its center. Stepping up and using Force Palm on the rock extracts one of three Engraved Stones. Carrying all three stones to the central receptacle in the floor of the rift finishes the challenge.
Blinding Flash + Concentrated Light: open the pillar rows by adjusting crystal height
Force Palm: break the rock inside each opened chamber to free an Engraved Stone
Three Engraved Stones: slot into the dead-end receptacle near the Mysterious Energy marker
Approach the rift from the south. The three sealed alcoves sit at different elevations along the inner walls. Complete them in any order, though the sequence below is the shortest path for players arriving from Trovak Camp.
The first sealed door is on the lower terrace directly ahead as you drop into the rift, guarded by three pillars. Line up with the crystals, cast Blinding Flash, then hit only the third pillar with Concentrated Light. All three pillars will match height and the door will retract.
Step inside, walk to the round pedestal at the back of the chamber, and use Force Palm on the central rock. The rock splits and drops an Engraved Stone.
From the first chamber, turn around and look across the rift. Two more doors are visible. Drop to the west terrace and stand in front of the three-pillar row. Cast Blinding Flash, then hit only the leftmost (first) pillar with Concentrated Light to level the row.
Enter, Force Palm the central rock, and collect the second Engraved Stone. A small ledge on the right side of this chamber leads back to the main rift without having to climb.
The final alcove is the hardest. It is gated by six pillars instead of three, and the orbs sit at staggered heights. Cast Blinding Flash, then apply Concentrated Light as follows: hit the first pillar twice, then the sixth pillar twice. The six pillars now form a level row and the barrier drops.
If the beam is out of reach, use the climbing path on the far wall to reach a higher ledge, then drop through the opening in the ground into the chamber. Force Palm the rock at the back of the chamber to claim the third Engraved Stone.
With all three Engraved Stones in hand, return to the lowest point of the rift. A small stone platform sits against a dead-end wall, marked with three empty slots. Interact with each slot in turn to place the stones. As the final stone seats, the wall opens and an Abyss Cresset activates behind it, completing the maze.
Reward | Details |
|---|---|
One Abyss Artifact, used to upgrade Abyss Gear and progress endgame content | |
Abyss Cresset Activation | The nearby Abyss Cresset turns on and becomes a permanent fast travel point |
Maze Pathfinder Progress | Counts as 1 of 4 maze completions toward the Maze Pathfinder bronze trophy and achievement |
Expert Explorer Progress | Also counts toward the Expert Explorer gold trophy, which requires all nine Exploration Challenge subcategories |
Blinding Flash is required. This skill comes from Axiom Force and must be unlocked before the puzzle can be started. It is available relatively early in the campaign.
Force Palm tier 1 is enough. Unlike the Dawnreach Maze, which needs tier 3 Force Palm to push towers upright, the Ancient Rift Maze only needs the base Force Palm cast to break each rock.
Line up the beam first. Concentrated Light is a narrow directional beam; stand directly in front of the pillar row so the beam can travel the full length without clipping terrain.
Explore the nooks. The rift contains several small caves and loot chests off the main path. Clear them before returning to the receptacle to avoid a second trip.
Watch for wildlife. Goats and the occasional wolf pack wander the rift floor. They are not scripted to defend the puzzle, but they can interrupt a Force Palm cast if they get close.
Maze Challenges - hub page for all four mazes and the Maze Pathfinder trophy
Ancient Rift - the broader region and its other points of interest
Blinding Flash - utility skill required for the pillar puzzles
Force Palm - Axiom Force strike used to extract each Engraved Stone
Abyss Artifact - the main reward for completing any maze
Abyss Cresset - fast travel node activated at the end of the puzzle
Trovak Camp - nearest fast travel point for reaching the maze entrance
Hernand - region the maze belongs to
