Duskwood Waterside Ruins puzzle walkthrough in Crimson Desert

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Published Mar 25, 2026, 10:45 AM EDT

How to solve the Duskwood checkers puzzle

The Crimson Desert Duskwood puzzle shaped like a Go board.

The Duskwood Waterside Ruins puzzle in Crimson Desert is a devilishly tough one. Although this puzzle may look like a checkerboard, it's actually a Go board, and solving it requires knowledge of basic Go rules. Don't worry; once you know what to do, it'll only take a few seconds to get the abyss artifact.

As there are two ancient ruins puzzles in the Duskwood, don't confuse this one with the Duskwood Hill Ruins puzzle, the one with the large pillars. Got the right one? Here's how to change the Go board and find the Crimson Desert Duskwood Waterside Ruins puzzle solution.

How to solve the Duskwood Waterside Ruins puzzle in Crimson Desert

In the Duskwood, west of Hernand Castle and just northwest of the Kilnden Workshop, you'll find an ancient ruins puzzle that looks like a giant Go board (similar to checkers). It's close to the Duskwood abyss nexus location and the lower-situated river. As usual, it's marked as a "mysterious energy" location on your map.

The location of the Crimson Desert ancient ruins Go puzzle in the Duskwood.

The goal is to create a row of five white stones on the Go board. To do so, you must nudge (push, kick, or hit) the mossy stone that's occupying a spot between four white stones. The mossy stone will turn into a mossback crab and scurry off. Facing the abyss cresset, it's this stone, shown on the left:

The solution to the Crimson Desert Duskwood puzzle that requires the player to chase away a mossback crab and place white stones in a row on a Go board.

Now, pick up a white stone (any white stone that's not in the line of five you're trying to create) and place it on that same spot, thus completing a line of five white stones. And that should solve the Crimson Desert Duskwood Waterside Ruins puzzle. Don't forget to collect the abyss artifact before you leave!

Just starting out in Crimson Desert? We have guides to help you learn the basics and refresh your memory on how some of its systems work. The world of Pywel is huge, so you might have a hard time deciding where to go first, but you can make your journey a little easier with the help of our interactive map. Along the way, make sure to learn a few life skills like fishing, logging, cooking, and mining, all of which can help you make money.

We also have walkthroughs for puzzles in the Abyss like the Root's End and Precipice of Truth, as well as ancient ruins like the Dragon's Stone Chamber.

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