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)

Requirement: Complete all 8 Spire challenges · Missable: No · Difficulty: 4/10. Spires are tall landmark structures (peaks and towers) scattered across Pywel; each one's "Land Meets Sky" challenge completes the instant you reach its summit.

Good news for the platinum: most spires are reached naturally while following the main story, so this rarely needs a dedicated session. Open Journal → Challenges → Land Meets Sky at any time to see all 8 with their exact map markers and tick off only what's left.

Topping a spire cleanly:

• Climb via ledges and parkour; the marker triggers the moment you stand on the highest point — look for a small shrine, flag, or interact prompt at the very top if it won't pop.
• A few peaks need the Aerial Maneuver skill (mid-game). If a spire seems impossible early, leave it and come back once it's unlocked.
• Upgrade stamina and carry recovery food before the tallest climbs so you don't slip near the summit.

Requirement: Complete all 4 Maze challenges · Missable: No · Difficulty: 3/10. Mazes are enclosed labyrinth areas (distinct from the open-world Ancient Ruins puzzles) where you navigate tangled paths to a central objective.

• There are only 4, so this is quick once you know where they are — track them under Journal → Challenges, which pins each maze on your map.
• Unfog the surrounding region first (ring its Hidden Bells) so the maze entrances actually appear.
• Inside, follow one wall (the left-hand rule) to guarantee full coverage, and watch for shortcut levers or gates that open later sections.
• Some sit behind story progress — if an entrance is sealed, return after advancing the campaign.

Requirement: Tame 30 animals · Missable: No — it counts retroactively · Difficulty: 3/10, but the biggest time-sink in the lifestyle set. You tame an animal by raising its Trust to 100, then selecting Take In.

How Trust works — the exact numbers:

• Petting: +25 Trust per day (once per in-game day, so petting alone is a 4-day bond).
• Feeding: +10 for standard food, +35 for the animal's favourite — favourites are by far the fastest route to 100.
• Combine them: a favourite feed (+35) plus a daily pet (+25) tames most animals in just 1–2 in-game days.

• Cumulative & retroactive: animals tamed before the trophy's Abyss Artifact unlocked still count — check your running total before grinding more.
• Stick to common animals near camp (dogs, cats, rabbits, deer); don't chase rare beasts for this one.
• Assign tamed animals to your camp afterward for passive lifestyle rewards.

Requirement: Tame wild horses and complete the horse-taming tasks · Missable: No · Difficulty: 3/10. Wild horses roam the open plains of Hernand and Pailune; the sequence is slow approach → calm → mount without being bucked off.

• Crouch-walk toward the horse from the side or behind to avoid spooking it; freeze if it raises its head.
• Hold the interact prompt to start the bond, then feed Carrots or Apples to fill the trust gauge faster.
• When you mount, counter the buck prompts (it'll try to throw you a few times) until the gauge fills and it settles.
• Register the horse at any stable to keep it permanently and free a slot for the next.
• Rarer, higher-stat breeds appear in Delysia and endgame regions — worth taming for your main mount.

Requirement: Clear the minigame challenge set across all 5 subcategories — Test of Strength, Shooting, Mind Games, Duel and Racing · Missable: No, but a few have limited attempts, so save before each. This is the same family of challenges as True Gamer — see that guide for the exact location and champion of every match.

• Mind Games (rock-paper-scissors, Duo, Five-Card): win 3 in a row; the Deceiver's Fedora reveals an opponent's deck for the card games.
• Shooting & Test of Strength: first-to-10 target contests and QTE arm/hand wrestling — beat a 3-win streak, then the Champion.
• Duel & Racing: arena 1v1s (parry/counter) and the horse race — the most skill-based of the set.
• Save-scum freely: the game itself recommends a manual save before every minigame session; reload instantly if a streak breaks.

Requirement: Complete all 5 Trade challenges · Missable: No · Difficulty: 2/10. These task you with moving goods through the economy — selling livestock and trade goods and using the banking system.

• Track them under Journal → Challenges → Trade; each names the exact item, quantity and buyer.
• Livestock: breed and sell at the camp ranch (unlocked via its faction quest) — e.g. selling goats to Bram at the camp clears one of the five.
• Generate stock cheaply: mining loops in the Crimson Desert region (Scolecite / Azurite) give plenty of sellable resources in the endgame.
• Bank excess Silver at a banking NPC to dodge carry penalties while you stockpile.

Requirement: Complete all 10 "Above the Law" challenges · Missable: YES · Difficulty: 5/10. These are outlaw/stealth tasks — eliminate targets undetected, steal unseen, and deal with bounties.

• Open Journal → Challenges → Above the Law and read the whole list before progressing — clear anything tied to bounties or a specific camp the moment it appears.
• For the stealth tasks: crouch, learn patrol routes, and strike from behind — the Backstab skill one-shots unalerted enemies, so invest in it early.
• Fail a stealth attempt? Leave the area and return to reset enemy alert states, then retry.
• Track your count as you go — alongside Battlefield Conqueror, this is one of the two most-missed trophies in the game.

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