Stargazer Observatory is the umbrella term for the three ancient observatory POIs in Windrose that share the same rotating-stone-dial puzzle mechanic and collectively form the Fate of the Prophets side-quest reward chain. The most visible of the three is the named Stargazer Tower in the Cursed Swamps; the other two sites are typically referred to as the Ancient Observatory and the Northern Observatory.
Summary
Property | Value |
|---|---|
Type | Set of three observatory puzzle POIs |
Primary biome | |
Puzzle mechanic | Rotating stone dials matched to constellation symbols |
Associated quest | |
Reward per site | |
Chain completion bonus |
The Three Sites
Each observatory sits at a pre-placed point on the world map and uses the same dial mechanic, but the correct dial positions differ from site to site. A solve at one site does not carry over. The three sites:
Stargazer Tower in the Cursed Swamps. The most visible of the three and the first many players find during the natural exploration loop.
Ancient Observatory, a second ziggurat-style site with the same dial and a distinct constellation arrangement.
Northern Observatory, typically found last because the approach requires a more developed sailing and navigation setup.
Site | Biome | Typical Discovery Order | First-Clear Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
Usually first | |||
Ancient Observatory | Often second | ||
Northern Observatory | Usually last |
How the Puzzle Works
Each observatory has two rotating stone dials at the base of its stairs. The dials display constellation symbols in four fixed positions. The intended solution is to tilt the camera up and read the constellation carving on the wall above each plate, then rotate the dial to match that specific symbol. The puzzle can be brute-forced by cycling through stone positions, but the reference-reading path is faster and more consistent across the three sites.
Completing a site spawns a stele in front of the observatory that starts the Fate of the Prophets side quest (if not already started) and rewards 3 Tumbaga Ingot per first-time completion. Finishing all three sites closes out the quest and awards a further 10 Tumbaga Ingot bonus, plus the completion journal line.
Approach and Strategy
Clear the ambient mobs around the base of the observatory before committing to the puzzle. Cursed Swamps elites can interrupt the dial-rotation animation and reset the solve attempt.
Bring a Healing Potion stack. The puzzle sites are not marked as safe zones, and wandering plague-family enemies will path into the stairwell if ignored.
Check each wall carving carefully. The constellation symbols are drawn with specific directional tilts, and selecting the wrong orientation will not consume the dial position but will delay the solve.
Loot and Rewards
Each first-time solve hands over 3 Tumbaga Ingot, a Rare-to-Epic ascension material used to push gear up a tier at the forge. Across the three sites that is 9 ingots from clears, with a further 10-ingot bonus for closing out Fate of the Prophets, for 19 in total. Because the bonus only pays out once, there is no benefit to re-rotating a dial after a site is marked complete.
Tumbaga Ingot is awkward to farm by hand, so players short on ascension stock often treat the observatory chain as a priority run once they can survive the Cursed Swamps. Bank the ingots rather than spending them on early gear you plan to replace.
See Also
Stargazer Tower the anchor observatory in the Cursed Swamps
Fate of the Prophets the multi-site quest chain
Tumbaga Ingot the Rare-to-Epic ascension material and the quest reward
Cursed Swamps the primary host biome