Ancient Ruins Puzzle

How to reach

1. Travel to the Old Pywel border wall, then take the west footpath before the sealed-gate pedestal.
2. Clear the ruin sentries on the collapsed colonnade. They return if you leave before the puzzle starts.
3. Interact with the sunken plinth in daylight so the relief shadows stay readable.

Walkthrough

1. Read the intact wall relief from left to right: stag, bear, crane.
2. Rotate the three fallen drums until each carved face points at the wall in that same order. A drum locks with an audible click.
3. Stand on the pressure tile only after all three drums lock. That raises the middle lintel. Stepping off early drops it.
4. Cross the stair and turn the floor mosaic until the gold inlay forms a closed ring.
5. Open the side vault and take the Ruins Lens. The tablet beside it points back to the Ancient Sealed Gate.
6. Use the lens at the border wall to see which outer runes are already seated. You still need Absolution Seal, Temperance Band, and a spire crest to open the gate.

Tips

• Solve the drums in daylight. Torch light washes out the relief shadows that show stag, bear, and crane.
• The pressure tile does nothing while any drum still spins.

Common pitfalls

• Leaving the ruins after the plinth starts resets drum facing and brings the sentries back.
• The Ruins Lens does not open the Ancient Sealed Gate by itself.

Rewards

• Ruins Lens — Shows which outer runes are seated at Ancient Sealed Gate
• Border ruins chest

Related locations

• Ancient Sealed Gate
• Duskwood Puzzle

Updated 2026-10-20