How to Complete the Forbidden Knowledge Quest in Crimson Desert

There are many puzzles that will astound and possibly confuse you in Crimson Desert. While many of these puzzles are scattered around the world, such as the Trembling Woods puzzle, plenty of them can be found during the campaign.

During the Forbidden Knowledge quest, you will be tasked with completing various objectives that may confuse you. These consist of breaking open rocks, traversing dangerous lands, completing a complex puzzle, and defeating a boss that flies through the air.

Let's break down all the steps required to complete the Forbidden Knowledge quest in Crimson Desert.

Accessing Scholastone

The quest titled Forbidden Knowledge in Crimson Desert can start in multiple ways. For us, it began when we received a letter from Alustin via a messenger bird. Others have shared that this letter can come from a beggar in Hernand or arrive at your camp, so keep an eye out for these as well.

After reading the letter, make your way to Darroch in Harnand to receive the Scholastone Uniform. This item is required to interact with the people in Scholastone.

You will now be tasked with reaching Scholastone, which can be found to the southwest of Hernand, near Fort Perwin. If you haven't captured it yet, this fort could be riddled with Bleed Bandits. There is also a fast travel point to unlock near this area to make traveling a bit easier.

Along the route to Scholastone, you will be blocked by walls of shimmering rocks. Some of these require the Scholastone Uniform so that you can pass through, while others require you to use the Focus Force Palm technique. Use this technique on the glowing energy inside the stones to break them apart, revealing the path forward.

Once you have reached Scholastone, you will be guided to a troll who will tell you about the institute. This troll will only speak to you if you are wearing the Scholastone Uniform, so be sure to keep it on.

Make your way up the road to the Scholastone Institute and speak to Dean Grundir. He will introduce you to Octavius. From here, pass the time and come back in 24 hours to continue the quest.

Helping With Octavius' Experiment

When you are ready, speak to Octavius to begin the experiment. You will be required to complete a puzzle to pull a lever and open the dome. Head underneath where Octavius is standing by using the nearby staircase or by jumping off the cliff and gliding into the room below. To complete the puzzle here, you will need to press various blocks to make them all go inward and glow.

The fastest solution we have found to the puzzle is the following:

• Press the left button in the middle row.
• Press the middle button in the top row.
• Press the left button in the top row.
• Press the right button in the bottom row.
• Press the center button.

Pressing the buttons in this order will set them all so they are pressed in, completing the puzzle and opening the dome. From here, you will need to place the four cubes in the columns above where Octavius is located.

To place the cubes in the columns, use your Axiom Force ability to lift a cube and move it in front of the hole in a column. Once it is aligned, use your Force Palm ability to push it into place.

Once all four of the cubes have been placed in the columns, you will see lasers shoot out of the columns and into the central core. You will get a cutscene with Octavius where the core is corrupted, requiring you to remove it. Use your Axiom Force ability on the central core and pull to remove it. This will initiate the boss fight, so you might want to make sure you have some meals cooked to regain health.

Defeating Tenebrum

The fight against Tenebrum can be trivialized by utilizing both the columns and your Force Palm ability. First, you will want to climb one of the columns. If you have your Axiom Force ability upgraded, you can quickly reach the top of a column by pulling yourself up.

Once on top of a column, run to the edge, jump off, and glide toward Tenebrum. When you are close to Tenebrum, use your Force Palm ability to deal massive damage.

You will most likely only be required to do this around three or four times. It took three hits for us to defeat Tenebrum using Force Palm.

The Spire of Stars

With Tenebrum out of the way, you will be required to make your way up the mountain to the Spire of Stars. Once you reach the area, you will need to place the core in the door to open it.

Inside, you will be required to complete another puzzle, for which we have an in-depth guide. Essentially, you will need to align the shapes in a specific order to solve the puzzle.

Once the shapes have been placed in the correct order on the wall, you will be able to enter the Abyss Gate.

Investigating the Abyss

After entering the Abyss Gate, you will be tasked with investigating the Abyss. Inside, you will see Octavius, who will quickly disappear as you approach.

Start by stepping on the Abyss Nexus. This way, you can fast travel back to this location should you mess up or fall. To traverse the Abyss, you will need to utilize the towers and floating platforms.

Stand on the floating platform, use Axiom Force on the yellow circle to activate the tower, select the tower you wish to use, and then activate it. This will move the platform you are on to the tower.

Follow the pathway in the image above to reach the other side of the Abyss, then climb up the tower to reach the platform above. Once you have reached the objective location, use your Force Palm ability on the pressure switch illuminated by the lights to trigger a cutscene.

This will complete this area, as it will teleport you to Scholastone at the end of the cutscene. Once you are done speaking to Grundir, head back to camp to finish the quest.