TL;DR

Glenbright Manor appears in Chapter 3 — Howling Hill, during the Traces in the Manor quest.
You need two Golden Daggers and the Grace Manor Basement Key to access the basement.
The Ruby-Hilted Golden Dagger is on a weapon stand at the top of the stairs.
The Sapphire-Hilted Golden Dagger is hidden behind a wall panel unlocked by aligning the chandelier light.
The Basement Key is in a secret room hidden behind a painting of two knights on horseback.
Insert both daggers into the fireplace slots in the study — this opens a hidden bookshelf passage.
Basement loot includes the Cloudcart Blueprint, red dye, and several strongboxes (wear a mask to loot them).

Crimson Desert: How to Open the Glenbright Manor Basement

Crimson Desert is full of hidden rooms, secret passages, and puzzles that the game does not explain clearly. Glenbright Manor in Chapter 3 is one of the best examples. It looks like a standard location at first glance, but it hides two daggers, a secret room, a basement full of loot, and a key item needed for The Lord Who Hid in the Manor faction quest.

Here is everything in one place, step by step.

Where Is Glenbright Manor?

Glenbright Manor is located in the Hernand region, in the northern part of the Howling Hill area. You will visit it automatically during the Traces in the Manor main quest — the 37th main mission in the game. The quest sends you there to find Naira and Andrew, who have gone missing.

When you arrive, you will trigger a short cutscene followed immediately by an ambush. Five guards attack you. Take them all out before doing anything else. Once they are down, you are free to explore.

For context on the broader Chapter 3 story, check out our full main story quests guide.

how to get the golden daggers in crimson desert

Step 1 — Get the Ruby-Hilted Golden Dagger

Head upstairs. At the top of the staircase, you will see a weapon stand mounted on the wall. The Ruby-Hilted Golden Dagger is hanging there. Walk up to it and pick it up. It is the easier of the two to find.

Step 2 — Get the Sapphire-Hilted Golden Dagger (Chandelier Puzzle)

This one takes a few more steps. Stay on the upper floor and look for the crystal statue — it is holding a large sphere. The chandelier overhead is shining a light beam, and your job is to aim that beam at the crystal in the statue’s sphere.

Here is how to do it:

Look to the left of the crystal statue. There is a wardrobe with a small gear visible at the top connecting it to the ceiling.
Open the wardrobe to reveal a handwheel inside.
Interact with the handwheel and rotate it to spin the chandelier.
Keep rotating until the chandelier’s light beam lands directly on the crystal sphere the statue is holding.
When you hit the right angle, the crystal glows blue and a hidden wall panel to the left of the wardrobe slides open.
Step inside and pick up the Sapphire-Hilted Golden Dagger.

If you are having trouble seeing where the light is pointing, use your lantern — it makes hidden beam paths easier to track in dark environments.

how to enter the glenbright manor basement in crimson desert

Step 3 — Get the Grace Manor Basement Key (Hidden Room)

Before heading to the fireplace, you need the Basement Key. It is in a secret room that most players walk past completely.

Head back downstairs and look at the wall to the right of the main staircase. There is a painting hanging there depicting two knights fighting on horseback.

Walk directly into the painting and press your left stick toward the wall (on controller) or simply walk into it (on PC). The wall slides open to reveal a hidden room.

Inside, on the side table, is the Grace Manor Basement Key. Pick it up — this key cannot be sold or discarded.

While you are in this hidden room, note that there are a few other valuables here. If you have a mask equipped, you can take them without consequence. Without a mask, looting them counts as theft.

Step 4 — Open the Basement via the Fireplace

Now that you have both daggers and the Basement Key, head to the main study room. It is on the upper floor — take the door to the left of the upstairs corridor where you picked up the Ruby Dagger.

Inside the study, you will find a large fireplace. Here is what to do:

Hold L1 (PS5) or LB (Xbox) or the equivalent on PC to look closely at the fireplace. This activates the inspect mode.
You will notice a plaque on the fireplace with two small holes on either side.
Interact with the left hole to place the Ruby-Hilted Golden Dagger.
Interact with the right hole to place the Sapphire-Hilted Golden Dagger.
Once both daggers are inserted, the bookshelf to the right of the fireplace slides open, revealing a hidden passage.
Head through the opening and climb down the ladder into the basement.

Before you go down: Talk to the wounded servant slumped against the wall in the study first. He gives you useful story context and also has the Grace Manor Iron Door Key on the desk beside him. There is also a memory fragment in the room — hold your lantern up to find and learn it, then play it back from your pause menu. Additionally, check the bookshelf in the back corner for a crafting book called Two-Handed Weapons of the Word, Vol. 1 — open it and focus on it to learn new crafting recipes for heavy weapons.

how to get the glenbright manor basement key in crimson desert

What Is in the Glenbright Manor Basement?

Once you are down the ladder, here is what you will find:

Cloudcart Blueprint — a key story item for the faction quest progression
Red Dye — useful for dyeing your armor and weapons
Several strongboxes — these contain accessories and crafting materials, but you need to be wearing a mask to loot them. Without a mask, you can solve the puzzle on each strongbox but cannot take the contents.
A locked door that requires the Grace Manor Basement Key you picked up earlier — this leads further into the basement and is used in The Lord Who Hid in the Manor faction quest.

Make sure you have a mask equipped before going down if you want to grab everything. Our how to steal items guide covers the full mask mechanic in detail.

Trouble With the Puzzle?

The handwheel is not working: Make sure you are opening the wardrobe first before trying to interact with it. The handwheel is inside the wardrobe, not on the outside.

The wall panel did not open after aligning the light: The alignment needs to be fairly precise. Rotate the handwheel slowly once you are close. Listen for an audible click or watch for the crystal to glow blue — that is your confirmation.

The fireplace holes are not letting me insert the daggers: You need to use the inspect/close-look mode first. Hold L1 / LB to activate it before trying to interact with the holes. You cannot place the daggers without entering that mode.

I can solve the strongbox puzzles but cannot take the loot: You are not wearing a mask. Equip one before going into the basement if you want the contents. Check out our accessories guide for help finding one.

What Comes After Glenbright Manor?

After completing the basement section and speaking to the servant, the Traces in the Manor quest wraps up and the next quest begins immediately in the same room. The story moves into the broader Howling Hill chapter, which includes some of the game’s tougher fights.

A few things worth preparing for:

If you want to strengthen Kliff before tackling what comes next:

Crimson Desert: How to Open the Glenbright Manor Basement (Golden Daggers Guide)