Overview
The Duskwood Waterside Ruins are an Ancient Ruins site located in the Duskwood region of Hernand. The ruins contain a checker-style board puzzle that resembles the traditional board game Go, with black and white stones arranged on a raised stone grid. Solving the puzzle unlocks the area's Abyss Cresset and awards an Abyss Artifact. Unlike many other ancient ruins puzzles in the game, this one does not require combat skills or Axiom Force abilities; it is purely an observation and placement challenge.
Location
The Duskwood Waterside Ruins sit beside a river in the western part of the Hernand region, roughly southwest of the city itself. The quickest way to reach the ruins is to head straight west from Hernand, cross the river, and look for the Kilnden Workshop as a landmark. The ruins are just west of the workshop, marked on the map as a Mysterious Energy location.
There are two convenient fast travel options. Players can warp to the Abyss Nexus near Kilnden Workshop and head west, or use the Abyss Nexus near the cave to the east and travel toward the river. The ruins occupy a flat area between the river and a small cave.
Detail | Information |
|---|---|
Region | Duskwood, Hernand |
Nearest Landmark | Kilnden Workshop (directly east) |
Map Marker | Mysterious Energy |
Fast Travel | Abyss Nexus near Kilnden Workshop or Abyss Nexus near the eastern cave |
Puzzle Type | Board game (checker/Go-style stone placement) |
Reward |
Puzzle Description
The centerpiece of the ruins is a large raised stone grid that resembles a board for the game Go. Black and white stone pieces sit at various intersections across the grid. The objective is to align five stones of the same color in a row, whether horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. This makes the puzzle similar to the Japanese board game Gomoku (five in a row) rather than traditional checkers or Go.
Players can freely pick up and reposition both black and white stones on the grid. However, the stones already placed on the grid are in their correct positions. Moving them will only make the puzzle harder to solve. The key to a quick solution is finding the hidden white stone that sits off the grid, near the Abyss Cresset pillar at one corner of the ruins.
Mossback Crabs
Before attempting the puzzle, check the grid for Mossback Crabs. These creatures disguise themselves as small mossy rocks or shrubs with greenery growing on their shells. They can appear directly on the grid, occupying spaces where stones need to go. Up to three Mossback Crabs can spawn in the area.
If a crab is sitting on the grid, it will interfere with your interact prompts when you try to place stones. Eliminate any Mossback Crabs first by using a melee attack, shooting them with a bow, or simply kicking them away from the grid. Clearing them out ensures a smooth solve.
Step-by-Step Solution
The puzzle is open-ended, with multiple valid arrangements that produce a line of five. The method below is the most efficient approach, requiring only a single stone to be placed.
Clear the grid of Mossback Crabs. Look for any mossy rocks sitting on the board. If one is blocking an intersection, attack or kick it out of the way.
Locate the hidden white stone. Walk to the Abyss Cresset pillar at the far corner of the grid. On the ground in the grass beside the cresset (not on the grid itself), you will find a single white stone.
Pick up the white stone. Approach the stone and use the interact/grab prompt to pick it up. Your character will carry it.
Identify the gap in the white stone line. Look at the grid and find the existing row of white stones. There is a horizontal sequence of white stones with a gap in it. The gap is where a Mossback Crab may have been sitting.
Place the white stone to complete the line. Carry the hidden white stone to the empty spot in the sequence and hold the Place button, then press Drop to set it down. This should complete a horizontal line of five white stones.
Collect your reward. A short scene plays showing the Abyss Cresset activating. Approach the cresset and interact with it to receive an Abyss Artifact.
Alternative Solutions
Because the puzzle accepts any arrangement of five same-colored stones in a line, there are other ways to solve it beyond the recommended method above.
Diagonal alignment: Instead of completing the horizontal row, reposition white stones to form a five-stone diagonal line. This takes more moves and is slower, but it is equally valid.
Black stone line: The puzzle does not require white stones specifically. Players can rearrange black stones to form a line of five instead. This is more time-consuming since it involves moving multiple pieces.
Using an existing white stone from the grid: Some players have solved the puzzle by moving a white stone that was already on the grid into the gap rather than fetching the hidden stone near the cresset. Both approaches work.
Controls
Moving stones on the grid uses the standard object interaction controls.
Action | Control |
|---|---|
Approach stone | Walk up to the stone until the prompt appears |
Grab | Press the interact button to pick up the stone |
Carry | Walk to the desired grid position while holding the stone |
Place | Hold the Place button, then press Drop to set the stone down |
Rewards
Completing the puzzle unlocks the Abyss Cresset at the ruins, which grants the following reward.
Reward | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
1 | Used for upgrades at the Abyss skill tree |
The Abyss Cresset also becomes available as a fast travel point after activation, making it easier to return to the Duskwood Waterside area in the future.
Tips
Do not move the existing stones. The stones already on the grid are positioned correctly. Rearranging them will only make the puzzle more difficult to solve.
Check for crabs first. Mossback Crabs can block your placement attempts. Clear them before picking up the hidden stone so you do not have to set it down and fight mid-solve.
Look near the cresset pillar. The hidden white stone is in the grass right next to the Abyss Cresset, not on the grid. It is easy to overlook because it blends in with the surroundings.
One stone is all you need. The fastest solution requires placing just a single stone. If you find yourself moving multiple pieces, step back and look for the hidden stone near the cresset instead.
Related Puzzles
The Duskwood region contains multiple Ancient Ruins sites. The nearby Duskwood Ancient Ruins feature a completely different puzzle involving pillar height alignment rather than stone placement. Other notable puzzle locations in the broader Hernand region include:
Ancient Ruins Puzzle Solutions (full list of all ruins puzzles)
Abyss Cressets (all Abyss Cresset locations and rewards)
Abyss Artifacts (how to use artifacts for upgrades)
Strongbox Puzzle Locations and Solutions (combination lock puzzles found across the world)