Revision 1

Overview

The Spire of Ringing Truth is one of eight Spire Challenges in Crimson Desert, towering structures scattered across the world of Pywel that connect to the Abyss. Located at Five-Finger Mountain in the Pailune region, this Spire is an ice-themed vertical dungeon that tests platforming skill, ranged combat proficiency, and puzzle-solving ability. It is tied to the Priscus the Ancient quest, a Delesyia faction quest line.

Completing the Spire of Ringing Truth is the first step on the path to unlocking the Frost Mantle skill, one of the game's elemental abilities. After climbing to the top of the tower and defeating the boss in its basement, an Abyss Gate opens, leading to a chain of Abyss puzzle islands: Ether Rest, Frostbitten Paradise, and the Path of Trials. Completing the entire chain grants Frost Level 1 and the Frost Mantle ability, which allows players to imbue their attacks with frost energy.

The Spire counts toward the "Conqueror of Spires" trophy and achievement, which requires completing all eight Spires in the game. It is optional content that players can tackle once they have progressed far enough in the main story and obtained the necessary traversal skills.

Location

The Spire of Ringing Truth stands at Five-Finger Mountain, west of Wayward Woods in the Pailune region. The structure is visible from a distance as a tall stone tower rising above the surrounding mountainside. Players can reach it by following the mountain path from the Wayward Woods area, or by fast-traveling to the nearby Abyss Nexus teleport waypoint. Two Abyss Cresset waypoints north of the structure also provide convenient travel options.

The region around Five-Finger Mountain is cold, so players should prepare accordingly before making the journey. Equipping ice-resistant armor and bringing food that provides Ice Resistance will help mitigate the environmental frostbite damage in the area.

Quick Reference

Recommended Preparation

The Spire of Ringing Truth and its subsequent Abyss puzzles take place in extremely cold environments. Proper preparation makes the experience significantly smoother and reduces the risk of dying to environmental hazards or the boss fight.

Required Skills

Several traversal and combat skills are essential or strongly recommended before attempting this Spire:

• Double Jump (required): Many platforming sections require a Double Jump to reach higher ledges and cross gaps between platforms.

• Aerial Maneuver (strongly recommended): The Aerial Maneuver skill, which requires Axiom Force Level 2, makes the climbing sections significantly easier. Without it, some sections require precise timing on basic jumps.

• Triple Mid-Air Force Palm (recommended): Allows crossing wider gaps by chaining Force Palm presses in mid-air for extra horizontal distance.

• Explosive Arrow or Fire Arrow (required): You need a fire-based projectile to shoot the bell's support structure at the top of the tower. Standard arrows and Blinding Flash do not work for this purpose.

• Nature's Snare (strongly recommended): The Nature's Snare ability is the most effective tool against Priscus the Ancient, as it can absorb his laser projectiles and set up a powerful counterattack.

Equipment and Supplies

• Ice-resistant armor: The Frost Cursed Plate set or any gear with high ice resistance is highly recommended. The environmental cold in the Abyss sections will gradually freeze you over time.

• Cold-resistant food: Stock up on food items that grant Ice Resistance buffs. These help counteract the freezing effect in the later puzzle areas.

• Stamina upgrades: The exterior climbing sections require sustained stamina. Upgrading your stamina pool beforehand prevents frustrating falls.

• Ranged weapon and arrows: A bow with plenty of arrows is essential for the boss fight and for shooting the bell rope. Bring fire arrows or explosive arrows specifically for the bell.

Walkthrough: Climbing the Spire

The first major phase of the Spire of Ringing Truth involves ascending from the ground floor to the very top of the tower. The climb combines interior traversal (ladders, chandeliers, wooden planks) with exterior rock climbing on the tower's outer walls. The entire ascent features more than twenty distinct platforming sections.

Entering the Tower

Approach the Spire from the mountain path and locate the entrance at the base. Once inside, look for an open window on the interior wall. The window provides access to the tower's exterior, which offers a faster route upward than the internal scaffolding alone.

Exterior Climbing

Climbing the outside of the Spire is often easier than navigating every interior section. Use the gaps between stones and the small roof overhangs on the tower's facade to recover stamina while ascending. The key is to move from one rest point to the next without exhausting your stamina bar completely. If your stamina runs out, you will fall and potentially die, forcing a restart.

Continue climbing the exterior until you reach the highest open window you can enter. This window leads back into the tower's upper interior sections where the remaining climb continues through ladders and platforms.

Interior Ascent

After re-entering the tower through the upper window, the ascent continues through a series of wooden ladders and plank bridges. Some sections require precise jumps across narrow beams. Use the Axiom Force to grapple to higher platforms where standard jumps fall short.

Several notable obstacles appear during the interior climb:

• Wooden ladders: Multiple ladders connect the tower's floors. Climb them quickly to conserve time, but watch for crumbling sections.

• Chandelier crossings: Some gaps require swinging from chandeliers to reach the opposite platform. Time your jumps to land cleanly.

• Narrow wooden planks: Walk carefully across thin wooden beams connecting platforms. Falling means restarting from the last checkpoint.

• Arrow-shot ropes: In certain sections, shooting a rope with an arrow lowers a plank or platform that creates a new path forward.

Continue ascending through these sections until you reach the bell chamber at the very top of the Spire.

The Bell Mechanism

At the summit of the Spire, you will find a large bell suspended by wooden support beams. This bell is the key to accessing the basement where the boss fight takes place.

To trigger the mechanism, equip your bow and shoot the white wooden support beams connected to the bell with an Explosive Arrow or Fire Arrow. Standard arrows will not break the supports. When the beams break, a cutscene plays showing the massive bell crashing downward through the center of the tower, smashing through the ground floor and creating a large hole that leads to the previously inaccessible basement.

After the cutscene, jump down through the hole the bell created. The fall is scripted and will not kill you. This leads directly into the boss arena.

Boss Fight: Priscus the Ancient

Priscus the Ancient is a floating, airborne boss that resides in the Spire's basement. This is one of the more challenging boss encounters in the game, particularly for players who are not experienced with ranged combat. Priscus spends most of the fight flying and gliding around the arena, making melee attacks difficult to land consistently.

Attack Patterns

Priscus uses three distinct categories of attacks, each requiring a different defensive response:

Recommended Strategy

The most effective strategy revolves around Nature's Snare and bow combat. The core gameplay loop is as follows:

1. Absorb laser projectiles: Activate Nature's Snare when Priscus fires his laser attacks. The barrier absorbs the projectiles and charges your Retribution counter.

2. Ground the boss: Trigger Nature's Snare Retribution to knock Priscus out of the air and onto the ground.

3. Build the stun bar: While Priscus is grounded, use Force Palm and melee attacks (Turning Slash, Armed Combat, Forward Slash) to build up his yellow stun meter.

4. Punish during stun: Once the stun bar fills, Priscus collapses and becomes completely vulnerable. Unleash your strongest melee combos during this window.

5. Repeat: When Priscus recovers, he returns to the air. Repeat the cycle until he is defeated.

Alternative approaches work as well. Players comfortable with bow combat can use Evasive Shot, Multi-Shot, or Charged Shot to deal steady damage while Priscus is airborne. Sleep Arrows can temporarily ground him, creating openings for melee punishment. The Marksmanship skill tree enhances all of these ranged options.

Important Warnings

• Nature's Snare does NOT block Priscus's shadow attacks or spear attacks. Attempting to block these will leave you completely exposed.

• The Golden Spear attack can one-shot most players. Treat any spear wind-up animation as an immediate signal to dodge away.

• Stay mobile during the shadow attack phases. Prioritize survival over damage output during these windows.

• If you die during the boss fight, you will respawn at the start of the arena. The fight resets completely.

Boss Rewards

Defeating Priscus the Ancient grants the following rewards:

After the boss is defeated, an Abyss Gate opens in the basement. Entering this portal begins the Abyss island puzzle chain that ultimately leads to the Frost Mantle skill.

Abyss Puzzle Chain

The Abyss Gate opened by defeating Priscus leads to a sequence of three Abyss puzzle islands in the Sleet Isles. Each island must be completed in order before progressing to the next. The puzzles involve environmental manipulation using cubes, batteries, wind lifts, and light beams. Dying during any puzzle section means replaying it from the beginning of that island, so careful and methodical play is rewarded.

Ether Rest (First Island)

Ether Rest is the first Abyss puzzle island in the Sleet Isles chain. It introduces several core mechanics that appear throughout the subsequent puzzles.

The puzzle revolves around a central rotating pillar with spiral wires for climbing. Key mechanics include:

• Yellow dials: Use Axiom Force on yellow dials to rotate them. The first dial is above the central pillar; rotate it counter-clockwise twice to open the caged pillar.

• Vent gusts: Wind lifts (fans) propel you upward or across gaps. Use your glider to ride these gusts to upper floors and adjacent islands.

• Nature's Snare interaction: Use Nature's Snare on specific walls to reveal hidden dials and openings.

• Floating reactor cube: Locate the reactor cube above the structure, then transport it back down to the room at the top of the rotating pillar. The Kuku Iron Pot (also called the Cuckoo Pot) can be used to capture and transport cubes between locations.

• Abyss panel activation: At the end, climb the spiral wires, glide across using the wind gust, and use Force Palm on the Abyss panel on the wall to complete the island.

Completing Ether Rest awards one Abyss Artifact and opens the path to Frostbitten Paradise.

Frostbitten Paradise (Second Island)

Frostbitten Paradise is a cold, labyrinthine puzzle area that builds on the mechanics introduced in Ether Rest. The primary puzzle elements are Lightning Cubes and rectangular power cores (batteries) that must be placed on specific pedestals and aligned with crystals to open barriers and progress through rooms.

Key puzzle mechanics in Frostbitten Paradise:

• Lightning Cubes: These electrified cubes must be picked up and positioned so their emitted light beam points directly at yellow crystals. Aligning a cube with its corresponding crystal unlocks the door or barrier in that room.

• Rectangular power cores (batteries): Floating batteries must be grabbed using Axiom Force and then inserted into wall slots using Force Palm. These power various mechanisms throughout the island.

• Conveyor platforms: Some sections use conveyor belts activated by placing a power core on a pillar. Place a Lightning Cube on the conveyor to transport it to the next room, then deactivate the conveyor to retrieve and reposition cubes.

• Blinding Flash: Concentrated Light: Used on crystal domes to briefly open light barriers, allowing you to push power cores through before the barrier closes again.

• Moving platforms: Hop onto moving platforms to cross hallways between puzzle rooms.

• Square floor platforms: Stand on specific floor switches to open hatches that reveal hidden areas below.

The general flow involves acquiring Lightning Cubes and batteries, transporting them between rooms, and aligning them with crystals to unlock successive barriers. The final step requires using Force Palm on the center of the completed platform to unlock the Abyss Artifact reward.

Path of Trials (Third Island)

The Path of Trials is the final puzzle island in the chain and the one that directly rewards the Frost Mantle skill upon completion. This area features the harshest cold environment in the sequence; the freezing effect damages you over time, making ice-resistant gear and food essential.

The Path of Trials walkthrough:

1. Find warmth: Locate the stone lantern at the northern end of the frozen lake. Stand near it to warm up and stop the freezing damage.

2. Wall climbing: Use Jump combined with Triple Force Palm to climb the northern stone wall. Navigate westward to reach an exterior area with a second lantern for warmth.

3. Frozen battery: Climb eastward walls to discover a frozen battery stuck in an empty slot. Return to the stone lantern and light an arrow using the lantern's fire, then shoot the frozen battery with the fire arrow to defrost it.

4. Battery activation: Insert the now-thawed battery into its slot and lock it in place with Force Palm.

5. Follow the wire: Trace the wire extending east from the activated battery to locate the Abyss panel on the wall.

6. Activate the panel: Hold L2 to grip the panel, then press R3 to Force Palm it. This activates the final Abyss Gate.

Upon activating the panel, you automatically learn Frost Level 1 and unlock the Frost Mantle ability, which allows you to use Frost as an Elemental Imbuement on your attacks. You also receive an Abyss Artifact.

Rewards Summary

The complete Spire of Ringing Truth experience, including the boss fight and all three Abyss puzzle islands, grants the following rewards:

Tips and Notes

• Fast travel points are available throughout the Abyss puzzle chain. Activate every Abyss Nexus and Abyss Cresset you encounter so you can return quickly if you need to restock supplies.

• Dying during any Abyss puzzle section means redoing that puzzle from the beginning. Take your time and play carefully, especially in the Frostbitten Paradise and Path of Trials sections.

• The exterior climbing route on the Spire is generally faster and safer than trying to navigate every interior platforming section. Use the small roof overhangs to recover stamina.

• Bring extra fire arrows beyond what you need for the bell. You will also need fire arrows to defrost the frozen battery in the Path of Trials.

• If you are struggling with the Priscus boss fight, consider upgrading your bow and investing in the Marksmanship skill tree before reattempting.

• The Frost Element unlocked by completing this chain is useful for many late-game encounters, making this Spire a worthwhile investment of time even for players focused on the main story.

• This Spire is separate from the Spire of Frost, which is associated with The Frostwarden quest line and contains the Frozen Anguish greatsword. Do not confuse the two.

Related Content

• Spire Challenges (overview of all eight Spires)

• Priscus the Ancient (detailed boss guide)

• Frost Mantle (skill details and usage)

• The Abyss (Abyss system overview)

• Abyss Artifact (artifact guide)

• Spire of Clockwork (another Spire dungeon in Demeniss)

• Spire of Insight (another Spire dungeon)

• Five-Finger Mountain (location details)