How to solve the Spire of Insight puzzle in Crimson Desert

Puzzling out each riddle in Crimson Desert‘s Spire of Insight is key if you want to reach the top and access yet another Abyss Gate, leading to a different part of the skylocked region. Once you’ve worked out how to get inside, which I can help with below, you’ll have three riddles to solve, each of which involves finding an item or two and dumping them in a bowl.

I found that the “place” command was super buggy when I did this, so I’d recommend walking right up to the bowl and simply dropping the item instead when facing towards it. All that said, here’s how to complete the Spire of Insight puzzle in Crimson Desert.

How to enter the Spire of Insight in Crimson Desert

First off, you’ll have to burn the thorny roots using Blinding Flash in front of the Spire of Insight, which will let you access the door. Upon reaching it, you’ll be faced with a riddle and a stone basin below it. You need to pick up a Small Pebble from the doorstep and drop it in the basin.

As mentioned above, the “place” command wasn’t working, so I backed off and threw it in, but you could also try dropping it when standing next to the basin. Once it’s in, a light will shine, and the spire door will open.

Crimson Desert Spire of Insight riddle 1 solution

Similar to opening the door, each puzzle in the Spire of Insight involves reading a riddle from the Giant Book on the stand in the centre, and then gathering items to drop into the basin below it to solve said riddle. The first riddle is:

• “Even after many years have passed, the traces left behind revive forgotten tales.”

And the solution to this riddle is:

• Pick up the Gravestone on top of the cabinet just behind and to the right of where the Giant Book is, next to a painting, and drop it in the basin.

The bowl will shine and the stand with the Giant Book will transform into a lift, taking you up to the next floor and the next riddle.

Crimson Desert Spire of Insight riddle 2 solution

Examine the book again and it’ll read:

• “Records filled with wisdom guide us to the past, while tools that look to distant places illuminate the future.”

This time you need two items:

1. Grab the Pen Tip from the desk in the room immediately behind you and drop it in the basin.
2. Grab the Telescope from the table in the southwest corner of the floor, just next to the room with the Pen Tip, and drop that in.

Again, the bowl will shine and the lift will take you up.

Crimson Desert Spire of Insight riddle 3 solution

Arriving at the third puzzle, the first thing you should do is grab the Gold Bar recipe hanging from the bookshelf to your right. Now, read the book to get the riddle:

• “The dancing of the heavens, the turning of the earth, and the march of time all point to a single truth.”

As per the pattern, you now need three items for the basin. These are all very easy to find since it’s a very small room. They’re either on a bookshelf or in between the shelves:

1. Grab the Small Map Rotator and drop it in
2. Grab the Celestial and drop it in
3. Grab the Sundial and drop it in

With that, you’ve reached the final floor. Simply head through the Abyss Gate to complete the Spire of Insight, after which, you’ll find yourself in the Chaos Forest area of the Abyss.