TL;DR
- Reunion is a main quest in Chapter 2 that starts right after clearing Lioncrest Watchtower
- Follow Jiji the black cat north to the Meandering Hills Ruins
- Learn Nature’s Grasp outside the ruins and use it to lift the stone door
- Learn Focus inside the ruins, then solve the Abyss Cresset puzzle
- Puzzle solution: punch the disks in this order — Middle, Right, Left
- Claim the Abyss Artifact from the pillar outside after solving the puzzle
- Speak to Bilwise outside to receive an inventory expansion and complete the quest
The Reunion quest catches a lot of players off guard. It starts without warning the moment you leave Lioncrest Watchtower, hands you two new abilities back to back, and then asks you to solve a puzzle the game has never explained before. It is short but dense.
This guide walks through every step, explains the two new abilities, gives you the exact puzzle solution, and tells you what not to miss before you leave the ruins.
How to Start the Reunion Quest
Reunion begins automatically at the end of the Where the Light Leads quest. After you climb to the top of Lioncrest Watchtower and collect the story reward, head back toward the exit.
Before you can leave, a Shai child named Rulupee will stop you and start a cutscene. Rulupee tells you that Jiji the cat wants to give you something as a thank you. After the cutscene ends, Jiji appears and the quest becomes active.
If you have not reached this point yet, our guide on how to ascend Lioncrest Watchtower in Crimson Desert covers exactly how to get through that quest first.
Step 1 — Follow the Cat to the Ruins
Follow Jiji north from Lioncrest Watchtower. The cat moves at a steady pace and will wait for you if you fall behind. If you ever lose sight of Jiji, open your map. A small indicator shows the cat’s current position so you can find it again without wandering.
The cat leads you to the Meandering Hills Ruins, a set of ancient stone ruins on a hill to the north. When you arrive, the area will feel quiet and slightly eerie. This is intentional.
Step 2 — Learn Nature’s Grasp
When you reach the ruins, you will see a ghostly figure standing outside near a large stone door. A new task appears: Watch and learn Nature’s Grasp.
Get close to the ghostly figure and hold the examine button to observe it. Watching the figure teaches you the Nature’s Grasp ability.
What Nature’s Grasp does: It lets you lift, carry, and move heavy objects. Stone slabs, boulders, and large doors can all be moved using this skill.
How to use it here: Walk up to the large stone door and get very close — almost touching it. The targeting on Nature’s Grasp is precise and the prompt will only appear when you are right up against the object. Once the prompt appears, press the button to lift the door and open the entrance to the ruins.
If the prompt is not appearing, move closer. This trips up a lot of players because it looks like the ability should trigger from a normal interaction distance, but it requires you to be nearly touching the surface.
Step 3 — Learn Focus
Head inside the ruins. You will see the ghostly figure again, this time sitting still in a meditative pose. Observe it again to learn the Focus ability.
What Focus does: Focus slows down time and regenerates your Spirit while you hold the stance. Spirit is the resource that powers many of your combat skills. Running low on Spirit in a tough fight means fewer skill activations. Focus lets you top it back up without retreating. It is especially useful during longer boss encounters that have breathing room between attack phases, like the Marnie’s Excavatron boss fight later in the game.
You do not need to use Focus right now, but remember it exists. Players who ignore it run into Spirit problems later in the game.
Step 4 — Solve the Abyss Cresset Puzzle
After learning Focus, the next objective appears: Unravel the secret of the ancient ruins. This is your first Abyss Cresset puzzle and it serves as a tutorial for all the others you will find across Pywel.
In front of you are three circular stone disks on the ground. Each disk can be punched to push it into the wall. The goal is to align them all so they connect and form a circuit of energy.
The solution is:
- Punch the Middle disk
- Punch the Right disk
- Punch the Left disk
Hit them in that exact order. If you make a mistake, you can reset the puzzle by saving your game and reloading. The disks will return to their starting positions.
When all three disks are aligned correctly, a pulse of energy runs through the circuit and the puzzle is complete. A stone pillar rises up outside the ruins — that is the Abyss Cresset.
Step 5 — Claim the Abyss Artifact
Head back outside to the pillar that emerged from the ground. Interact with it to claim the Abyss Artifact.
Do not skip this. Some players complete the puzzle and immediately walk toward the next objective without claiming the reward. The Abyss Artifact is used to unlock and upgrade skills, or to refine your gear past Refinement Level 4. It is one of the most valuable resources in the game and you want every single one you can get.
The Abyss Cresset pillar also now functions as a fast travel point. You can warp back to this location any time from the map. This is the first of many Abyss Cressets hidden across Pywel. Each one requires its own puzzle and each one rewards an Abyss Artifact.
A good early use for your first Abyss Artifact is unlocking stamina upgrades in the skill tree. Rolling and dodging costs stamina, and having more of it makes every fight more manageable. You can browse the skill tree to find what suits your playstyle, but stamina is consistently useful from the very start.
Step 6 — Approach Bilwise to Complete the Quest
With the Abyss Cresset claimed, walk outside and approach the child waiting near the entrance. This is Bilwise, a different child from Rulupee.
A cutscene will trigger when you get close. Bilwise will give you an inventory expansion, increasing the number of item slots you can carry. This is a useful reward early in the game when your inventory fills up quickly from looting and gathering materials.
If the cutscene does not trigger when you approach, try moving away and coming back, or save and reload the area. This is a minor bug some players encounter but it resolves with a quick reload.
Once the cutscene plays out, the Reunion quest is complete.
What Comes After the Reunion Quest?
Completing Reunion moves the Chapter 2 story forward. The next main quest will become active and is marked on your map. From here the world continues to open up, with more regions, more Abyss Cressets, and larger enemy encounters ahead.
The skills you just learned — Nature’s Grasp and Focus — will both come up again in the story and in optional content, so familiarise yourself with them now.
Quick Tips for the Reunion Quest
- If you cannot trigger Nature’s Grasp on the stone door, move closer. You need to be almost touching it
- The Abyss Cresset pillar appears outside after the puzzle, not inside — do not leave without interacting with it
- Puzzle solution: Middle, Right, Left. Reset by saving and reloading if you mess it up
- Focus is more useful than it looks. Use it between boss attack phases to refill Spirit quickly
- Bilwise’s cutscene sometimes needs a save-reload to trigger. Do not worry if it does not start immediately
Speaking of staying prepared for tough fights, make sure you have a good stock of Palmar Pills before you push further into the story. Our guide on how to get and use Palmar Pills in Crimson Desert covers where to find the recipe and how to craft them cheaply using herbs from the open world.
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For our full breakdown of the game, read our Crimson Desert Review.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you follow the cat in the Reunion quest in Crimson Desert?
Follow Jiji north from Lioncrest Watchtower to the Meandering Hills Ruins. If you lose the cat, open your map — a small marker shows Jiji’s current location. The cat will wait for you if you fall behind, so there is no rush.
How do you lift the stone door in the Reunion quest in Crimson Desert?
Use Nature’s Grasp, the ability you learn from the ghostly figure outside the ruins. Walk right up to the stone door until you are almost touching it, then wait for the prompt to appear. The targeting requires you to be very close before it activates. Press the prompted button to lift the door.
What is the Abyss Cresset puzzle solution in the Reunion quest?
Punch the three circular disks in this order: Middle, Right, Left. This aligns them and completes the circuit. If you hit them in the wrong order, save your game and reload to reset the disks back to their starting positions.
What do you get from the Reunion quest in Crimson Desert?
You learn two new abilities — Nature’s Grasp and Focus. You also receive an Abyss Artifact from the Abyss Cresset puzzle, which is used to upgrade skills or refine gear. Bilwise gives you an inventory expansion that increases your item slots after the cutscene at the end.
What is Focus used for in Crimson Desert?
Focus is a stance that slows down time and regenerates Spirit while you hold it. Spirit powers your combat skills. Using Focus in gaps between enemy attacks lets you refill Spirit without retreating, which makes it particularly useful in longer boss fights.
