TL;DR
- There are two Mysterious Energy Zones near the Howling Hill Greymanes camp — one unlocks a fast travel point, the other rewards an Abyss Artifact.
- Zone 1 (Thinker’s Meadow / Abyss Nexus): Requires completing two quests — Sealed in Stone (Chapter 2, House Roberts) and the route to Scholastone in Chapter 4 — before you can solve it.
- You need the Kuku Iron Pot and the Focused Force Palm ability, both obtainable in Chapter 4, to retrieve and install the Abyss Transporter disk.
- Zone 2 (Dragon Stone Chamber): A mural puzzle south of the camp. Align three stone tablets correctly to activate the Abyss Cresset and collect an Abyss Artifact.
- A Day 1 patch added a default fast travel point directly at the Greymanes camp, so Zone 1 is no longer required to teleport home — but it’s still worth completing for the extra Abyss Nexus node.
- Missing the Focused Force Palm ability means waiting until Chapter 9 to get another chance — don’t skip it.
The Howling Hill Greymanes camp unlocks after you progress through Chapter 3 in Crimson Desert. It sits south of Hernand City on top of a cliff, and once you start calling it home base, you’ll notice two glowing question marks in the area that you can’t immediately solve.
These are Mysterious Energy Zones — the game’s term for exploration puzzles tied to Abyss Nexus points, Ancient Ruins, and hidden Abyss Cressets. Both zones near Howling Hill are worth solving. One unlocks an extra fast travel point right at your camp. The other drops an Abyss Artifact you can spend on Kliff’s skills.
Here’s how to solve both of them, in order.
What Are Mysterious Energy Zones in Crimson Desert?
Mysterious Energy Zones appear on your map as question mark icons. They come in three types:
- Abyss Nexus points — broken fast travel platforms that need to be rebuilt
- Ancient Ruins / Secret Places — puzzle rooms containing an Abyss Cresset
- Hidden areas — revealed by using Blinding Flash while exploring, which makes glints of light visible at a distance
Solving them typically rewards an Abyss Artifact, a fast travel node, or both. Since Abyss Artifacts are the game’s skill points, completing Mysterious Energy Zones is one of the most consistent ways to keep upgrading Kliff across the game.
For a full list of how else to farm them, see our guide on how to get skill points in Crimson Desert.
Zone 1: Thinker’s Meadow — Unlocking the Howling Hill Fast Travel Point
Where To Find It
The first Mysterious Energy Zone is located southeast of the Howling Hill Greymanes camp, in an area called Thinker’s Meadow. It’s close to Kliff’s personal residence inside the camp. On the map, look for the question mark icon east of his house.
On the ground, you’ll find a stone platform with a circular indent in the center. It’s partially hidden under vines and surrounded by two trees. This is a broken Abyss Nexus — it’s missing its Transporter disk, which is why the fast travel point isn’t active here.
Prerequisites Before You Can Solve It
You cannot solve this puzzle right away. Three things need to happen first:
1. Complete the “Sealed in Stone” side quest (Chapter 2)
This quest is part of the Estate in Dismay arc for House Roberts in Chapter 2. It sends you to Karin Quarry to clear out Bleed Bandits and help workers use a large crane to lift a heavy boulder. Completing this quest opens up the underground section of the quarry where the Abyss Transporter disk is hidden.
2. Obtain the Kuku Iron Pot (Chapter 4)
The Kuku Iron Pot is earned through the “The Mysterious Pot” quest chain in Chapter 4: The Price of Knowledge. The chain starts at Kilnden Workshop west of Hernand Castle, where you repair three kilns for craftsman Grimnir. Once the kilns are repaired, operate the lever to receive the pot. The Kuku Pot holds up to 230 slots for Abyss-type objects and is essential for carrying the Transporter disk.
3. Unlock Focused Force Palm (Chapter 4)
Focused Force Palm cannot be purchased with Abyss Artifacts — it must be learned from a spirit apparition found on the road to Scholastone in Chapter 4. You must first complete the House Roberts faction questline, which clears Fort Perwin and opens the path. Then, follow the road toward the Scholastone Institute and watch for a cave entrance along the route — this is where the spirit appears. Do not take a shortcut or alternate path here, as the cave encounter won’t trigger. Missing this spirit means waiting until Chapter 9 — a very long wait for an ability you need well before then.
How To Get the Abyss Transporter Disk
Once all three prerequisites are done, head to Karin Quarry, located northeast of Hernand City.
Go to the area beneath the crane — the same spot where the large boulder was removed during the Sealed in Stone quest. You’ll now see a hole in the Abyss crystalline formation below. Jump into the hole and follow the narrow caverns until you reach a large open room.
On the left side of the room, there’s a large purple crystallized wall. Use Focused Force Palm to break it. Before you do, position Kliff behind the stone formation in the center of the room to avoid the laser beam firing from the opposite wall — it deals heavy damage if you’re standing in its path.
Behind the broken wall, you’ll find the Abyss Transporter disk. Use Axiom Force to grab it and seal it inside the Kuku Iron Pot.
How To Install the Transporter Disk at Howling Hill
With the disk in your Kuku Pot, fast travel or ride back to Howling Hill and head to the Mysterious Energy Zone east of Kliff’s house.
Stand in front of the vine-covered stone platform. Activate your Blinding Flash ability and focus the light directly onto the vines to burn them away. On controller:
- Xbox: LB + RB to activate, then LB while holding RB to focus
- PlayStation: L1 + R1 to activate, then L1 while holding R1 to focus
Once the vines are gone, open your inventory and access the Kuku Pot. Move your cursor over the Abyss Transporter disk and press Discard to bring it out of the pot and into the world.
Use Axiom Force to grab the floating disk and pull it toward the stone platform, positioning it directly above the circular indent. Then jump and execute Force Palm to drive the disk into the slot.
The platform will activate as a complete Abyss Nexus node. Step on it to register the fast travel point. You can now teleport directly to the Greymanes camp at Howling Hill from anywhere in Pywel.
Note: A Day 1 patch added a default fast travel node directly at the camp, so you no longer need this puzzle just to get home. But completing it adds a second Abyss Nexus node in the area, which gives you more flexibility when fast traveling to different spots around Howling Hill.
For more on how the fast travel network works across Pywel, see our guide on how to fast travel in Crimson Desert.
Zone 2: Dragon Stone Chamber — Abyss Cresset Mural Puzzle
Where To Find It
The second Mysterious Energy Zone is the entrance to the Dragon Stone Chamber, located in the chasm directly south of the Howling Hill Greymanes camp.
Stand on top of the cliff edge and look down toward the northern wall of the chasm. You’ll see a large mural painted on the wall and a red doorway at the bottom. Glide down toward it — don’t drop straight down or you’ll miss the entrance. Walk up to the red door and push it open.
How To Solve the Dragon Stone Chamber Puzzle
Inside the chamber, you’ll find a lower section with three circular stone tablets on pedestals. Each one can be rotated by interacting with it. The goal is to align all three tablets to match the correct orientation.
The three tablets display different symbols — a sun/moon/tree combination, a gear, and an animal. Each tablet needs to face a specific direction for the door to open. For the exact visual orientation of each tablet, refer to the screenshots in our dedicated Dragon Stone Chamber puzzle solution guide.
Once all three tablets are aligned correctly, the locked doorway in the chamber opens. Inside, activate the Abyss Cresset to unlock this location as a fast travel point and collect your Abyss Artifact reward.
The Abyss Artifact can be spent immediately in the Skills menu. If you’re not sure where to put it, check out our guide on the best skills to level up first in Crimson Desert.
Common Issues and Tips
Missed the Focused Force Palm ability?
If you bypassed the cave near the road to Scholastone by taking an alternate route or skipped clearing Fort Perwin via House Roberts, the spirit apparition encounter won’t have triggered. The next time you can pick it up is in Chapter 9. In the meantime, Zone 1 simply cannot be completed. Follow the correct road exactly — don’t shortcut.
Force Palm not driving the disk into the slot?
Make sure the disk is properly centered over the circular indent before jumping. If Kliff is slightly off-angle when executing the move, it won’t connect. Use Axiom Force to reposition the disk directly over the slot and try again. Since Patch 1.03, on-screen indicators now make it clearer when Force Palm can be applied to a gimmick — watch for the prompt before jumping.
Can’t burn the vines?
You need to hold the Blinding Flash focus for a moment before the vines catch fire. Briefly tapping the button usually isn’t enough. Hold the focus on the vines for a second or two until they ignite.
Disk disappeared after discarding from the Kuku Pot?
If the disk fell through the platform or rolled away, use Axiom Force to pull it back toward Kliff, then reposition it.
Rewards Summary
| Zone | Location | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 — Thinker’s Meadow | Southeast of camp, east of Kliff’s house | Abyss Nexus fast travel point at Howling Hill |
| Zone 2 — Dragon Stone Chamber | Chasm directly south of camp | Abyss Cresset fast travel point + Abyss Artifact |
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