EXPLORATION,
PUZZLES
& LIFESTYLE

Complete all 37 Ancient Ruins puzzles scattered across Pywel. These are the most mentally demanding challenges in the game — each ruin has a unique puzzle type.

• Tile puzzles — Walk a path between matching symbols without repeating tiles (Precipice of Echoes, 7×7 grid)
• Bell puzzles — Ring bells in the correct order shown on a nearby pinboard (Steel Mountains Camp area)
• Checkerboard puzzles — Place 5 white stones in a row at each intersection of lines (Duskwood Waterside Ruins)
• Map puzzles — A wall map shows locations to visit; find and press the marked symbols in sequence (Azure Moon Labyrinth, between Witchwoods and Phoniel Ranch)

Scale all 8 major spires (peaks and towers) across Pywel. Each spire is a tall natural or man-made structure that requires parkour, gliding, or specific traversal skills to reach the summit. The game tracks these as "Land Meets Sky" challenges.

• Spire of the Stars — southwest of Icemoor Castle Ruins, overlooks a vast valley
• Spire of Clockwork — central Demeniss, requires gear-based climbing routes
• Frozen Souls Summit — atop the Mountain of Frozen Souls (near Reed Devil boss area)
• Remaining 5 spires are found across Pailune, Delysia, and the Crimson Desert region
• Some spires require the Aerial Maneuver skill to reach — unlock it mid-game

Navigate and complete every labyrinthine dungeon and Sanctum across Pywel. These are enclosed puzzle areas marked with a distinctive archway entrance. Unlike Ancient Ruins (which are open-world), these are fully enclosed puzzle spaces with multiple rooms.

• Sanctums are always marked on the world map with a distinct icon after the map is unfogged via bells
• Each Sanctum has a unique puzzle — rotate the map mentally before walking sections
• The Azure Moon Labyrinth counts for both this trophy and Puzzle Solver
• Some Sanctums are story-gated — return after progressing the campaign

This is the most grind-heavy lifestyle challenge. To tame a pet, you must reach 100 Trust with a specific animal. Trust is built by repeatedly interacting with the animal over multiple in-game sessions — you can't rush it. Plan ahead and start bonding with animals early, as a passive background activity.

• Interact with the same animal daily to build Trust — each interaction gives a fixed Trust amount
• Animals respawn in the same locations if you leave and return
• Focus on common animals near your camp first — rabbits, dogs, deer — they have the fastest Trust rates
• Use the Pet system to assign tamed animals to your camp for passive rewards
• Start taming pets in Hour 1 — don't save this for late game

Tame wild horses by approaching them slowly and establishing a bond. Wild horses are found across the open plains of Hernand and Pailune. The taming sequence requires a slow approach, feeding, and then mounting without being thrown.

• Crouch-walk toward wild horses to avoid spooking them
• Hold the interact button while approaching to begin the bonding sequence
• Feed them Carrots or Apples to speed up the trust gain
• After bonding, register the horse at a stable to save it permanently
• Different horse breeds appear in different regions — rare breeds appear in Delysia and endgame areas

Crimson Desert has an extensive suite of minigames hidden across Pywel — from rock-paper-scissors with street children to the Duo gambling card game with NPCs. Many of these are tied to the Operation challenges as well.

• Rock-paper-scissors: Found in towns — just approach children NPC groups. Win 3 matches in a row for the Abyssal Star challenge.
• Duo card game: Located at specific inns and taverns across Hernand and Demeniss. Learn the NPC's patterns — they have predictable tells.
• Fishing: Available at any water body. Use different bait for different fish types. Some fish are required for cooking challenges.
• Shooting gallery: Found in Hernand — a timed archery challenge. Use the basic bow for best control.

Complete trading and banking challenges — selling a set number of items through the game's economy system. The most efficient approach is to combine this with your resource-gathering runs.

• Sell goats at the camp ranch — the Greymane Camp ranch (unlocked via faction quest) lets you breed and sell livestock
• The Bram ranch challenge requires selling 3 goats to Bram at the camp
• Bank excess Silver at the banking NPC to avoid carrying penalties
• Mining loops in Crimson Desert region (Scolecite/Azurite) are the most efficient way to generate sellable resources in the endgame

Complete all Shadow challenges — stealth-based tasks that require eliminating enemies or completing objectives without being detected. Found at enemy camps across all regions. Shadow challenges are among the most missable because they disappear after camp liberation.

• Open Journal → Challenges → Shadow before clearing any camp
• Shadow challenges usually require: eliminate X enemies undetected, steal item from chest without being seen, or sabotage camp supplies silently
• Crouch + move slowly, watch enemy patrol patterns before acting
• The Backstab skill deals bonus damage to unalerted enemies — invest in it early
• If you fail a shadow attempt, leave the area and return to reset enemy states

Win every battlefield challenge across Pywel. These are large-scale combat encounters at designated battlefield zones — different from standard camps. Each one has specific win conditions beyond just clearing enemies.

• Some battlefield challenges require killing enemies in a specific order or using specific skills
• Others require protecting an NPC or reaching an objective under time pressure
• Check Journal → Battlefield Challenges list for the exact condition at each site before engaging
• Liberate watchtowers only after completing any challenges tied to them — watchtower-related challenges are flagged in the guide above