TL;DR
- The Twisted Thicketway is an Abyss Challenge puzzle that unlocks after completing the Ancient Sealed Gate.
- You reach it by riding a giant fan at Sage’s Peak using your Glide ability.
- The puzzle involves turning cogwheels using your Axiom Force — listen for audio cues.
- A boss fight against the Abyss Kutum is required to fully complete it.
- Reward: 1 Abyss Artifact and a permanent fast travel Abyss Nexus point.
The Twisted Thicketway is one of the more satisfying Abyss Challenge puzzles in Crimson Desert. It has multiple phases — a gear puzzle, a traversal section, and a boss fight. Once you know what to do, it flows well. But without a guide, it is easy to get stuck.
This guide covers everything. How to get there, how to solve the underground puzzle, how to reach the floating island, and how to beat the boss waiting for you at the top.
For more on the game, check out the full Crimson Desert hub with every guide in one place.
Where Is the Twisted Thicketway in Crimson Desert
The Twisted Thicketway is a floating island located in the Abyss above Sage’s Peak, in the Pailune region. It sits north of Hernand, past Three Saints’ Falls and Hook Rapids.
There are three ways to reach it:
Option 1 – Root’s End Ruins (Easiest) Head to Sage’s Peak and use your Blinding Flash ability on the cables near the area. Follow the cables with the dotted lines — they lead downward into a cave. Enter the cave to begin the Ancient Sealed Gate puzzle. This is the most straightforward route.
Option 2 – Altar of Solitude Teleporter Use the teleporter found in the Altar of Solitude. It drops you near the giant fan at the base of the mountain. From there, use the fan and Glide to reach the Twisted Thicketway above.
Option 3 – Skyloop Bridge If you have already completed the Skyloop Bridge area, you can access the Twisted Thicketway from the Skybridge network directly.
Look for the Abyss Nexus near Sage’s Peak. It shows up as a mysterious energy question mark on your map, and it is worth activating for fast travel later.
Pro Tip: Grab two Palmar Pills inside the puzzle room to the right before pressing the lift button. Free loot and useful for sustaining your Spirit during the puzzle. See our guide on how to get and use Palmar Pills in Crimson Desert for more details.
Step 1 – Solving the Ancient Sealed Gate Puzzle
Once you enter the cave at Sage’s Peak, the room name changes to the Ancient Sealed Gate. This is the puzzle you need to clear before you can access the Twisted Thicketway itself.
Here is how to do it:
Activate the Lift Walk to the closed elevator on the left side of the room. Press the button to activate it. The platform rises and takes you up to a control device.
Take Control of the Pillar Once up top, aim at the circular device near the lift and use your Axiom Force. Do not try to interact with the glowing orbs you see around the chamber. They are red herrings and do nothing.
After using Axiom Force, your view shifts. You are now looking at the ceiling from above, controlling a central pillar.
Turn the Three Cogwheels You need to move the pillar to each of the three glowing cogwheel sockets in the ceiling. You can only move it in one direction at a time — no diagonals. It is slow, but keep at it.
Once you socket the pillar into a cogwheel, use the Turn Right or Turn Left buttons to rotate it. The key here is to listen for the audio cue. When you hear a sharp chime or hiss, the cogwheel is in the correct position.
Repeat for all three outer cogwheels. One reportedly responds to turning right, the other two to turning left — but the important thing is the sound cue, not the direction.
Activate the Center Cog Once all three outer cogwheels are locked in place, the center port glows blue. Move the pillar to the center and insert it. A cutscene plays showing the giant fan above ground activating.
If the fan does not spin: Go back and try each cogwheel again. You likely did not fully lock all three. Listen carefully for the chime on each one.
If your Spirit runs out mid-puzzle: Disconnect and reconnect your Axiom Force. This resets the pillar without restarting the entire puzzle.
Want more help with this exact section? Check our full Ancient Sealed Gate puzzle solution guide.
Step 2 – Reaching the Twisted Thicketway via the Fan
With the puzzle solved, leave the cave and head back up to the top of Sage’s Peak.
Walk to the center of the large metal fan platform. Stand directly in the middle — not on the edge. The fan activates and launches you into the air.
The moment you are airborne, open your Wings and start Gliding. The updraft carries you high into the sky. Let the wind do the work. You will transition directly into the Twisted Thicketway — the floating island area in the Abyss.
If you need extra height during the ascent, use Force Palm for a vertical boost.
Missed the transition and got launched past it? Make sure you are standing dead center on the fan before the launch.
Step 3 – Activate the Abyss Nexus First
As soon as you land on the Twisted Thicketway, do this before anything else: find and stand on the Abyss Nexus.
This opens a permanent fast travel waypoint here. You will not want to redo the entire fan sequence every time you visit. Activating the Nexus means you can return here instantly from the Abyss Skybridge network anytime.
For reference, this connects to the same network covered in our all Abyss Gears list.
Step 4 – Beat the Abyss Kutum Boss
After activating the Nexus, move forward. A boss fight triggers against the Abyss Kutum.
This is a single-phase fight. The Abyss Kutum is large but manageable if you know its weakness.
Method 1 – Bow and Focused Force Palm Use your bow and hit Focused Force Palm shots at the Kutum’s glowing red eye. This builds up stagger quickly. Once the boss is stunned, close in and deal as much damage as you can. Repeat the cycle until it goes down.
Check out our guide on how to get and use Focused Force Palm if you have not unlocked it yet.
Method 2 – One-Shot with a Tree (Optional) Before approaching the boss, find a nearby tree in the area. You can pick it up without triggering the fight. Once the fight starts, slam the tree into the Kutum. This can one-shot the boss entirely if done correctly.
Important Warning: Do not leave the Twisted Thicketway or fall off the island after defeating Kutum before looting the body and completing the next step. The corpse despawns and you will be locked out from finishing the puzzle. Do not skip this.
For a full breakdown on the fight, see our dedicated Kutum boss guide.
Step 5 – Loot the Power Core and Restore the Abyss
After beating the Kutum, do the following in order:
Loot the Power Core Pick up the “Power Core – Spire of Defiance” from the Kutum’s body. Store it in your Kuku Pot (also called the Cauldron). This is important for upgrading Kuku equipment at the Kilnden Workshop. See our guide on how to get a Cauldron in Crimson Desert if you need help with that.
Restore the Abyss Climb the wall directly in front of you after the boss fight. Grapple onto the gate at the top using L2, then use Force Palm to activate it.
Collect the Abyss Artifact Drop back down from the gate. The Abyss Artifact is now available to collect. Pick it up and the Twisted Thicketway puzzle is fully complete.
Twisted Thicketway Rewards
Completing this puzzle gives you:
- 1 Abyss Artifact – Used to upgrade your character’s core skills and Abyss Gear tiers. Learn more about how to get Abyss Cells for related upgrades.
- Permanent Abyss Nexus Fast Travel Point – One of the best in the sky network.
- Power Core – Spire of Defiance – Needed for Kuku upgrades and progression.
Twisted Thicketway – Common Questions
Can I return after solving it? Yes. The Abyss Nexus you activated gives you permanent fast travel back. The boss will not respawn, but some smaller Abyss enemies may appear.
What if I fall off the island? Falling from a Twisted Thicketway island usually teleports you back to Sage’s Peak with a small health penalty. Open your wings fast next time.
The fan is not working after I solved the puzzle. You probably did not fully lock all three outer cogwheels. Return to the cave and go through each one again, listening for the distinct audio chime.
I defeated the boss but the game bugged out. Do not leave or fall after the boss dies before Force Palming the gate. The Kutum body is needed for the next trigger. If it despawned, you may need to wait for a reset or reload.
More Crimson Desert Guides
Working through more Abyss content? Here are guides that connect directly to what you’re doing:
- Ascetic’s Rest Abyss Puzzle Solution
- Monolith Crown Abyss Cube Puzzle Solution
- Root’s End Abyss Puzzle Solution
- Precipice of Truth Abyss Puzzle Solution
- Vault of Vengeance Abyss Puzzle Guide
- Secret Garden Abyss Puzzle Solution
- Unlock Witches Abyss Gears Guide
- How to Use Axiom Force
- How to Unlock Double Jump
- All Bosses Locations in Crimson Desert
- How to Beat the Forgotten General
- How to Get Max Stamina
- Witchwood’s Mysterious Energy Puzzles
- How to Use Elemental Attacks
- Best Early Build
Crimson Desert is available on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. For more on the game, visit the official Crimson Desert website.
