TL;DR
- The Haunted Hill Ruins are on the eastern side of Haunted Hill, east of the Abyss Nexus fast travel point
- You need the Nature’s Snare skill before you can solve this puzzle — unlock it from the green Spirit branch
- There are two water pump mechanisms — activate both using Nature’s Snare to fully drain the water
- The first mechanism is above water near the Abyss Cresset — start here
- The second mechanism is on the other side — cross using the pillars to avoid drowning
- Spirit runs out? Use Focus to restore it — your drain progress is always saved
- Once fully drained, a short cutscene plays and the Abyss Cresset unlocks — claim your Abyss Artifact
- Solving this also unlocks a new fast travel point in Haunted Hill
The Haunted Hill Ruins puzzle in Crimson Desert looks deceptively simple. There’s a flooded area, an Abyss Cresset sitting in the middle, and two wooden mechanisms nearby. But if you haven’t unlocked the right skill yet, nothing will work no matter what you try.
Here’s the full solution from start to finish.
Where to Find the Haunted Hill Ruins
The Haunted Hill area has several waypoints close together, which can make navigation a little confusing. Here’s how to orient yourself:
The ruins sit on the eastern side of Haunted Hill. If you’re standing at the Haunted Hill Abyss Nexus fast travel point, head directly east. The ruins will appear as a Mysterious Energy icon on your map — the fog of war marker with a question mark.
While you’re in the area, you’ll also find the Hunter’s Cabin graveyard puzzle to the west of the ruins. That’s a separate challenge worth completing too — the full solution is in the Hunter’s Cabin Graveyard Puzzle guide.
What You Need Before Solving the Puzzle
You cannot solve this puzzle without one specific skill: Nature’s Snare.
How to Unlock Nature’s Snare
Nature’s Snare is in the green Spirit branch of the skill tree — look in the lower-left corner of the Skills menu.
You can unlock it two ways:
Fastest method — spend an Abyss Artifact. Open the skill tree and spend one Artifact directly on Nature’s Snare. Done in seconds.
Alternative method — observation. You can learn it by observing a character or moment in the world that uses a similar spinning motion. This takes longer and the trigger isn’t always obvious.
Most players go straight for the Artifact method. If you need more Artifacts before you can afford it, check the guide on how to get skill points in Crimson Desert.
Once you unlock Nature’s Snare, the game will give you a quick tutorial on how to use it. If you want a full breakdown of how it works across all water drain puzzles in the game, see the complete water drain puzzle guide.
How to Use Nature’s Snare
Before heading to the mechanisms, here’s a quick refresher on the controls:
- Press Focus (L3 + R3 on controller / X on PC) to enter Spirit mode
- Rotate the right analog stick in a circle (or spin your mouse on PC)
- Kliff will move his hand in a circular pattern — the mechanism will start spinning
- Keep the motion going to continue draining
Nature’s Snare continuously consumes Spirit while active. When Spirit runs out, Kliff stops. But the drain progress is permanently saved — the water won’t rise back up. Just press Focus to restore Spirit and continue.
You never have to start the drain over from scratch.
Step-by-Step Solution: Haunted Hill Ruins Puzzle
Step 1: Go to the First Mechanism
Head into the flooded ruins. Near the Abyss Cresset, you’ll find the first water pump mechanism. The good news is that this one is not submerged — it’s sitting above the waterline, so you can reach it without getting wet.
Stand close to it (but not too close — the spin can damage you if you’re right next to it). Use Nature’s Snare and keep the circular motion going.
Watch the water level. It will slowly drop as the mechanism spins. Keep going until the water stops draining from this side. At that point, this mechanism has done everything it can — you need to move on to the second one.
Step 2: Cross to the Second Mechanism
The second mechanism is on the opposite side of the ruins. Don’t just wade through the water — you can drown if the water is still deep enough at this stage.
Use the stone pillars to cross safely. Step from pillar to pillar to reach the other side without falling in. Take your time — there’s no rush here.
Step 3: Drain the Water With the Second Mechanism
Once you’re across, use Nature’s Snare on the second mechanism using the same technique. Keep the circular motion going continuously.
This time, drain until the Abyss Cresset fully unlocks. There should be no water remaining in the ruins at all when you’re done. If there’s still some water visible, keep going — it needs to be completely empty.
Restore Spirit with Focus whenever you run low and just continue where you left off.
Step 4: Watch the Cutscene and Claim Your Artifact
Once all the water is gone, a short cutscene plays showing the Abyss Cresset activating. After it ends, head back toward the first mechanism where the Abyss Cresset sits.
Interact with it to claim the Abyss Artifact inside.
A new fast travel point also becomes available in Haunted Hill after solving this puzzle. That’s a useful permanent addition to your map, especially for backtracking during later quests.
How to Spend Your New Abyss Artifact
Now that you’ve got a fresh Artifact, spend it well. Here are a few recommendations depending on where you are in the game:
Still in the early chapters? Put it into Health or Stamina first. Both stats directly affect how long you survive in combat — especially against tougher bosses like the Reed Devil. Check our best early build guide for the full early-game Artifact priority order.
Ready to invest in combat skills? The best skills to level up first guide breaks down exactly which skills give the best return for your Artifacts at each stage of the game.
Have Sealed Abyss Artifacts in your inventory? Make sure you know how to open sealed Abyss Artifacts — they work slightly differently from the ones you collect directly from Cressets.
Nearby Puzzles and Points of Interest
While you’re in the Haunted Hill area, it’s worth clearing out everything nearby:
- Hunter’s Cabin Graveyard Puzzle Solution — directly west of the ruins
- Mysterious Energy Zones in Howling Hill — for all nearby fog of war locations
- Muckroot Ranch White Circle — Abyss Transporter Guide — another hidden item unlock nearby
- How to Fast Travel in Crimson Desert — now that you have a new fast travel point, understand how the full system works
- Dragon Stone Chamber Puzzle Solution — another Abyss Cresset puzzle worth tackling next
Quick Recap
Head east from the Haunted Hill Abyss Nexus. Unlock Nature’s Snare from the green Spirit skill tree using an Abyss Artifact. Use it on the first mechanism above the waterline near the Abyss Cresset. Cross using the pillars to the second mechanism. Drain completely. Restore Spirit with Focus whenever needed — drain progress never resets. Watch the cutscene, return to the Abyss Cresset, and claim your Artifact.
For everything Crimson Desert has to offer beyond puzzles, check out our full Crimson Desert review.
Available on: PlayStation 5 | Xbox | Steam | Epic Games
