Exploration Challenges

Overview

Exploration Challenges are the largest challenge category in Crimson Desert. The category contains over 214 challenges spread across nine subcategories, accounting for more than half of the game's total challenge count of 350+. These challenges involve discovering hidden locations, solving environmental puzzles, navigating mazes, restoring corrupted sanctums, climbing spires, completing Abyss restoration rituals, stargazing at constellation landmarks, and more.

Unlike the Mastery, Combat, and Life categories, most Exploration Challenges do not require Sealed Abyss Artifacts to unlock. Instead, they are revealed when you approach areas marked with a white question mark icon labeled "Mysterious Energy" on the world map. Some subcategories, such as Sanctums and Constellations, have additional prerequisites tied to story progression or faction questlines.

Completing all nine exploration subcategories awards the Expert Explorer gold trophy / achievement. Each individual subcategory also awards its own trophy upon completion. Exploration Challenges are tracked under Journal > Challenges in the menu, with each subcategory listed under its own tab name.

How Exploration Challenges Work

Exploration Challenges function differently from other challenge types. While Mastery, Combat, and Life challenges are gated behind Sealed Abyss Artifacts found along roadsides, Exploration Challenges are tied to physical locations in the open world. When you get close enough to a challenge location, a "Mysterious Energy" icon (white question mark) appears on the map, indicating something to discover nearby.

Many Exploration Challenges revolve around Abyss Cressets, which are glowing structures that must be activated by solving a puzzle, reaching a hidden area, or completing a restoration ritual. Each activated Abyss Cresset grants Abyss Artifacts, the primary resource used in the skill tree to learn new abilities and boost core stats.

You can use the Blinding Flash ability to scan the horizon for glints of light, which indicate undiscovered points of interest including Ancient Ruins, Secret Places, and other exploration targets. On the minimap, nearby Abyss Cressets appear as purple icons when you are within a short range. Audio cues such as howling wind sounds near mountain ranges can also signal hidden exploration locations above you.

All Exploration Subcategories

The following table summarizes all nine Exploration Challenge subcategories, their confirmed or estimated counts, journal tab names, and associated trophies. Completing every subcategory earns the Expert Explorer gold trophy.

"TBC" indicates details that have not yet been fully confirmed. The Puzzles subcategory covers standalone environmental puzzles found throughout the open world (distinct from Ancient Ruins). The 9th subcategory has not yet been widely documented. Both contribute to the Expert Explorer trophy.

The Abyss (Restoration)

The Abyss subcategory contains 40 challenges tracked under the Restoration tab in the journal. These challenges require restoring Abyss locations by completing puzzles at Abyss Cressets scattered across Pywel. Many Abyss locations are chains of floating islands accessible from Spires or Abyss portals found in the overworld.

Completing all 40 Abyss restoration challenges awards the Conqueror of the Abysses gold trophy. This is one of only two gold trophies tied to a single exploration subcategory (the other being Expert Explorer itself). This reflects the size and difficulty of the Abyss category.

The method for restoring each Abyss location varies. Some are completed naturally during the main quest, while others require solving environmental puzzles involving rotating statues, placing objects on pedestals, or navigating platforming sections across floating islands. Each restored Abyss location grants Abyss Artifacts and may unlock access to adjacent Abyss areas or fast-travel points.

Known Abyss Challenge Locations

The following list includes confirmed Abyss challenge locations. With 40 total challenges, additional entries continue to be documented.

For detailed puzzle solutions, see the Abyss Island Puzzle Solutions article.

Secret Places (Wandering Footsteps)

The Secret Places subcategory contains 60 challenges tracked under the Wandering Footsteps tab. Each challenge involves finding a hidden Abyss Cresset tucked away in a hard-to-reach or easily overlooked location. Completing all 60 unlocks the Pilgrim of Wonders silver trophy.

Secret Places are not marked on the map until you get close enough for the Mysterious Energy icon to appear. They are typically hidden behind destructible rubble, inside narrow cave entrances, atop climbable pillars, beneath collapsed floors, or behind waterfalls. Environmental clues help locate them: unusual rock formations, narrow passages, and audio cues like howling wind (indicating strong updrafts you can ride with Macduff's Air Dash or the Glider to reach elevated spots).

On the minimap, hidden Abyss Cressets show up as purple icons when you are very close. Using Blinding Flash to scan the horizon can reveal glints of light that mark distant secret locations. Unfogging the entire map by activating all 8 hidden bells makes it considerably easier to spot these locations, since road outlines become visible and Mysterious Energy icons are easier to identify when passing nearby.

For a detailed list of confirmed locations, see the Secret Places Challenges article.

Ancient Ruins (The Thread in the Forest)

The Ancient Ruins subcategory contains 37 challenges tracked under the The Thread in the Forest tab. Each ruin contains an environmental puzzle that must be solved to activate the Abyss Cresset inside. Completing all 37 unlocks the Puzzle Solver silver trophy.

Ancient Ruins are scattered across all regions of Pywel. Like Secret Places, they are not marked on the map by default but appear as Mysterious Energy icons when you approach. Using Blinding Flash while exploring reveals glimmers on the horizon that often correspond to ruin locations.

Ruins feature several recurring puzzle types. Symbol Stepping Stones require you to step on matching symbol pairs without hitting the wrong tiles. Statue Rotation puzzles ask you to rotate statues or dials until they face the correct direction. Mural Deciphering puzzles involve reading visual clues on walls to determine the correct sequence. Object Placement puzzles use Axiom Force to carry and place objects onto pedestals or broken structures. Understanding these recurring patterns makes it faster to solve new ruins as you encounter them.

For puzzle solutions and specific ruin locations, see the Ancient Ruins Challenges and The Thread in the Forest Puzzle Solutions articles.

Mazes

The Mazes subcategory challenges you to navigate underground labyrinths with multiple branching paths and dead ends. Each maze has a single exit that must be reached to complete the challenge. Completing all maze challenges unlocks the Maze Pathfinder bronze trophy.

Mazes appear on the map as Mysterious Energy icons, similar to other exploration challenges. Once inside, you must navigate through winding corridors without a minimap guide showing the correct route. Dead ends may contain loot or environmental storytelling, so exploring fully can be worthwhile even if it slows your progress toward the exit.

Some mazes contain hazards such as collapsing floors, locked gates that require finding keys or solving secondary puzzles, and enemy encounters in larger chambers. Paying attention to environmental landmarks (distinct wall textures, torch placement patterns, water flow direction) helps you track where you have been and avoid revisiting dead ends.

Constellations

The Constellations subcategory contains 13 challenges. Each one requires locating a stargazing point and interacting with a constellation-related landmark somewhere across Pywel. Completing all 13 unlocks the Navigator of the Stars bronze trophy.

Constellation challenges are tied to the Scholastone Institute faction questline. They become available after completing Chapter 3 of the main story and beginning the Scholastone faction quests. Before that point, constellation landmarks cannot be interacted with. Once unlocked, you can visit the 13 stargazing locations in any order.

Each constellation location has an elevated or open-sky vantage point where Kliff can observe the stars. Interacting with the constellation marker triggers a brief visual sequence that maps out a portion of the night sky. After viewing the constellation, the challenge is marked complete in your journal. These locations are typically found on hilltops, cliff edges, open plains, and tower platforms with unobstructed views of the sky.

Sanctums

The Sanctum Challenges subcategory contains 16 challenges. Each sanctum is a corrupted structure that must be cleansed by solving puzzles involving Axiom Force abilities, environmental interaction, and sometimes combat. Completing all 16 unlocks the Lightbringer silver trophy.

Sanctums are inaccessible until you meet the Witch character (Elowen) during Chapter 5 of the main story. Before that point, interacting with a sanctum triggers a message saying you "haven't met the right person yet." After meeting Elowen, she assigns "The Witch of Wisdom" quest as part of the Witches faction questline. This quest adds waypoints for all sanctum locations to your journal.

Most sanctum puzzles follow a similar pattern: clear all enemies from the sanctum area, locate hidden pillar tops in the surrounding environment (behind vines, inside buildings, or underground), use Axiom Force to carry them to broken pillars, and activate them with Force Palm. Some sanctums also feature power cubes that must be retrieved and placed in empty receptacles.

Some sanctum-style locations, such as the Sanctorum of Insight and the Sanctorum of Darkness, are found within the Abyss rather than in the overworld. These count toward both Sanctum completion and Abyss (Restoration) completion for trophy tracking.

For walkthroughs, see the Sanctum Challenges article.

Spires (Land Meets Sky)

The Spire Challenges subcategory contains 8 challenges tracked under the Land Meets Sky tab. Spires are towering vertical structures with multi-floor puzzles and platforming sections. Reaching the top of each spire and activating the Abyss Gate at the summit completes the challenge. Completing all 8 unlocks the Conqueror of Spires bronze trophy.

Some spires are accessible from the start of the game, while others require a key obtained during story quests. Each spire features lifts, doors, and mechanisms that must be activated by solving the puzzles on each floor. The puzzles range from riddle-based object placement to symbol-matching sequences and rotating stone platforms.

Spires also serve as gateways to the Abyss. Activating the Abyss Gate at the summit teleports you to sky islands that contain valuable loot including Abyss Artifacts, Abyss Gear, crafting recipes, and crafting manuals.

All Spire Locations

The Spire Challenges article documents the following spire locations. Some of these locations (such as Gate to Advancement and Jijeong Temple Pagoda) are accessed during the main story rather than through freeform exploration.

For detailed walkthroughs of each spire, see the Spire Challenges article.

Puzzles

The Puzzles subcategory covers standalone environmental puzzles found throughout the open world. These are distinct from Ancient Ruins puzzles in that they are not tied to a specific ruin structure. They include lever sequences, multi-step contraptions, rotating mechanisms, and other logic-based obstacles scattered across the landscape.

Puzzle locations appear as Mysterious Energy icons on the map. Solving each puzzle grants Abyss Artifacts or other exploration rewards. Some puzzles overlap with quest content and may be encountered naturally during the main story. For solutions, see the All Puzzle Solutions and Strongbox Puzzle Locations and Solutions articles.

Unconfirmed Ninth Subcategory

The Expert Explorer trophy requires completion of all nine exploration subcategories. While seven subcategories are well documented (The Abyss, Secret Places, Ancient Ruins, Mazes, Constellations, Sanctums, and Spires), the exact identity and scope of the eighth (Puzzles, described above) and the ninth subcategory have not been fully detailed in guides. It is possible that the ninth subcategory covers a separate set of challenges such as viewpoints, hidden bosses, or another category of world puzzles. This section will be updated as more information becomes available.

Rewards

Exploration Challenges provide several types of rewards that are essential for character progression and game completion.

Trophies and Achievements

The following trophies are awarded for Exploration Challenge completion.

All exploration trophies contribute to the Platinum trophy (PlayStation) or 100% achievement completion (Xbox / Steam). See the Trophy Roadmap for a recommended completion order.

Tips

• Unfog the map first. Activating all 8 hidden bells reveals road outlines across the world map, making it much easier to spot Mysterious Energy icons and plan efficient routes between exploration locations.

• Use Blinding Flash constantly. When exploring open areas, activate Blinding Flash to scan the horizon. Glints of light reveal distant points of interest, including ruins, Secret Places, and Abyss Cressets that are not yet on your map.

• Listen for audio cues. Near mountain ranges, a distinct howling wind sound indicates strong updrafts. Use Macduff's Air Dash or the Glider to ride these currents and reach elevated Secret Places and Ancient Ruins.

• Complete Sanctums after Chapter 5. Sanctums are locked until you meet Elowen during Chapter 5. Do not waste time traveling to sanctum locations before this point.

• Constellations require Scholastone. Constellation challenges unlock after Chapter 3 through the Scholastone faction questline. Begin this questline early to unlock the stargazing locations sooner.

• Sweep regions systematically. Rather than crisscrossing the map, clear one region at a time. Ride along every road and trail, keeping an eye on the minimap for purple Abyss Cresset icons.

• Some Spires are story-gated. Certain Spires require keys obtained from main story quests. If a Spire entrance is locked, return after progressing further in the campaign.

• Explore dead ends in mazes. While dead ends slow your maze completion, they often contain loot chests and environmental storytelling that is worth the detour.

• Bring fire arrows to Sanctums. Several sanctum puzzles require burning vines or lighting lanterns. Have fire arrows or the Blinding Flash ability ready before entering.

• Track progress in the journal. Each subcategory has its own tab in the Journal > Challenges menu. Check it regularly to see which exploration types are close to completion and plan accordingly.

See Also

• All Challenges

• Challenges

• Secret Places Challenges

• Ancient Ruins Challenges

• Sanctum Challenges

• Spire Challenges

• Abyss Cresset Locations

• Sealed Abyss Artifact Locations

• All Puzzle Solutions

• Environmental Puzzles

• Trophies

• Trophy Roadmap

• Mastery Challenges Guide

• Battle Challenges

• Life Challenges

• Challenges and Changes