Revision 1

Overview

The Duskwood Checkers Puzzle is an Ancient Ruins challenge at the Duskwood Waterside. Players must arrange five stones of the same color in a row (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally) on a large grid. The puzzle resembles the board game gomoku (five in a row). Unlike standard checkers or go rules, you can freely pick up and place both black and white stones anywhere on the grid, which makes this puzzle more of a spatial arrangement challenge than a competitive game.

Location

The puzzle is located beside the river in Duskwood, at the Duskwood Waterside Ruins. The closest fast travel point is the Kilnden Workshop. From the Abyss Nexus near the workshop, head west along the river until you see the stone grid and the Mysterious Energy marker on your map. The ruins sit between a cave and the workshop.

Board and Stones

The playing area is a large stone grid set into the ground of the ruins. Black and white stones are scattered across the grid in a seemingly random arrangement. Both colors can be picked up and repositioned freely. To move a stone, approach it and grab it, then walk to the desired location and hold the Place button to confirm before pressing Drop to set it down.

The objective is to create a line of five stones of the same color in any direction: horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. Either color works; you do not need to use a specific color.

Quickest Solution: Hidden White Stone

1. Look near the Abyss Cresset in the corner of the ruins. There is a hidden white stone sitting off to the side, separate from the main grid. It is easy to miss because it is not on the grid itself.

2. Clear the Mossback Crab that usually spawns near the eastern corner of the grid. Defeating it creates space for stone placement.

3. Pick up the hidden white stone and carry it to the eastern area of the grid where two existing white stones are positioned close together with a gap between them.

4. Place the stone so it becomes the fourth in a line. The nearby stones on the grid already form the remaining positions, completing a horizontal row of five white stones.

Alternative Solutions

This puzzle has multiple valid solutions since both black and white pieces can be moved freely across the board. If the quick solution above does not work for your particular grid layout, consider these approaches:

• Diagonal line: Rearrange five stones of the same color into a diagonal formation. Diagonals are often easier because fewer existing stones block the path.

• Black stones: Instead of using white, gather five black stones and line them up. The puzzle accepts either color.

• Vertical column: Stack five same-colored stones in a vertical line if the grid layout makes horizontal placement difficult.

Tips

• The puzzle does not follow traditional checkers or go rules. You have complete freedom to move any stone to any position.

• If the Mossback Crab respawns while you are working on the puzzle, defeat it again. It can knock stones out of position if you are not careful.

• Count your line carefully before placing the final stone. Lines of four do not count; you need exactly five in a row.

• Save before attempting the puzzle if you want to experiment with different arrangements.

Rewards

1 Abyss Artifact from the Abyss Cresset.