TL;DR
- This is a Hernand Commissions faction side quest at the Scholastone Institute
- Speak with Amaris first, then question all 5 suspects in any order
- Report back to the Steward and pick the correct answers — the game gives zero feedback if you are wrong
- After answering correctly, follow the marker to catch Javier behind the building
- Reward: Kinetic Dolphin Family trophy (usable in your home or sellable for Silver)
The Weight of Knowledge is one of Crimson Desert’s most satisfying side quests. It trades combat for investigation — questioning suspects, piecing together clues, and answering the Institute Steward’s questions in the correct order. The catch? The game gives you no signal whether your answers are right or wrong. The Steward reacts exactly the same whether you nail every answer or miss them all.
That is where this guide comes in. Below is every suspect location, what each one tells you, all five correct Steward answers in order, and exactly where to find the culprit.
How To Unlock The Weight of Knowledge
This quest is part of the Hernand Commissions faction quest group and takes place at the Institute of Knowledge in Scholastone.
You unlock it after completing the main quest at Scholastone Institute in Chapter 4: The Price of Knowledge. If you have not reached Scholastone yet, you will need to follow the Forbidden Knowledge main questline first. The Institute is hidden in the mountains southwest of Hernand, and you need the Scholastone Uniform to move freely inside and interact with key NPCs.
Once you are inside the Institute with the uniform equipped, head into the library to start the quest.
For help with other quests in this chapter, see our Gate to the Otherworld walkthrough and our guide on how to beat Tenebrum.
Step 1 — Speak With the Institute Steward
Head into the library. You will find the Institute Steward talking with a Scholar about a missing forbidden book. He tells you the book has disappeared and asks for your help tracking it down.
He points you toward Amaris, who was overseeing the library the day the book went missing. Follow the quest marker to find her.
Step 2 — Speak With Amaris
Amaris is located near the library. When you talk to her, she tells you there are five suspects in total and that you need to question each of them. All five are marked on your map. You can speak with them in any order.
Step 3 — Question All Five Suspects
Here is where each suspect is and what they tell you. This information matters — the Steward’s questions are based directly on what you have heard.
Raphael (Treasurer)
After speaking with Amaris, climb the stairs to her right to reach the upper level. Follow the quest marker to find Raphael sitting down.
He says he was not at the library that day — he was meeting with some nobles from out of town, and he has proof. He then points the finger at Eleanor.
Javier (Librarian Assistant)
From Raphael’s location, head west and glide to Javier’s marker. Go up to the upper floor of the building to find him.
Javier says he is at the library every day as an assistant. He claims the forbidden book is no use to him because he cannot read the ancient language. He then suggests the theft might have been done by an outsider.
Anselmo (Guard)
Head to the main room of the library where Anselmo is stationed.
He says many people pass through the grand library every day. He specifically recalls seeing Grunil, Tarho, and Javier together in the library. He also mentions that library records track all visitors — but Raphael’s record is missing.
Tarho (Visiting Alchemist)
From Anselmo’s location, turn north and enter the room to the left. There are stairs going down. Follow Tarho’s quest marker to find him.
Tarho says he was working with Eleanor in the lab all day. He stopped by the library briefly to pick up a book but ended up being scolded by the librarian for it.
Grunil (Linguist)
Follow the marker from the library’s side door to reach Grunil.
Grunil is notable because he is the only person in the Institute who can read the ancient language — making him the only one who could actually use the forbidden book. He says he was working with Tarho all day. He then points suspicion toward the guards, noting that some of them do not log their library visits.
Step 4 — Report Back to the Steward
Once you have spoken to all five suspects, return to the Institute Steward. He will ask you five questions about the investigation.
This is where most players get stuck. The Steward gives no indication if your answer is correct or wrong — he responds the same way regardless. You will not know you have failed until the very end, when the quest does not progress.
Select the following answers in this exact order:
All Correct Steward Answers — The Weight of Knowledge
| Steward’s Question | Correct Answer |
|---|---|
| Let’s start with the treasurer — what did he say? | Heard there was a meeting with a noble from out of town that day. |
| What of Eleanor? | They were at the lab with Tarho all day, and reckon the guard’s the one acting suspicious. |
| He says he noticed nothing? | While working on their research with Grunil, they stopped by the library and got scolded by the librarian. |
| How about Almenso, the guard? | The library keeps records of everyone’s visits — but Raphael’s record is missing. |
| Javier — that’s the one. And what did he tell you? | They insist they couldn’t have stolen it — since they didn’t know about the forbidden books or ancient language. |
Answer all five correctly and the Steward will immediately connect the dots. A quest marker will appear pointing you to the culprit.
Step 5 — Catch the Culprit
Head to the marked location on one of the lower floors of the Institute. Go behind the building and you will find Javier in the act — caught red-handed with the missing book.
Tackle him and then tie him up to complete the Weight of Knowledge quest.
Quest Reward
Completing this quest gives you the Kinetic Dolphin Family trophy collectible. You can place it inside your home as decoration or sell it for a solid chunk of Silver.
If you are working on building up your camp and home, see our guides on how to unlock your camp and how to make money fast if you want to sell it instead.
Tips for This Quest
You can speak to suspects in any order. The markers all show up at once, so take whatever route makes sense based on where you are in the building.
Pay attention to what each suspect says. The Steward’s questions reference their statements directly. Even with this guide, it helps to understand why each answer is correct — Javier is the culprit because he is the one without an alibi who also has no stated reason to want the book, making his denial the most suspicious.
The Steward always reacts the same way. Do not interpret his tone as confirmation. If you are not sure, double-check the answer table above before moving on.
Wrong answers do not lock you out. You can retry the Steward’s questions if you get them wrong — but since the game gives no feedback, you might not even know you failed until the quest stalls.
Related Guides
This quest sits within a dense stretch of Crimson Desert’s Chapter 4. Here are some guides that connect:
- Gate to the Otherworld Walkthrough — the main Chapter 4 puzzle quest at Scholastone
- How to Beat Tenebrum — the boss that follows the Scholastone chapter
- How to Use Axiom Force — essential ability for Chapter 4 puzzles
- Crimson Desert Research Guide — the research system that becomes central at Scholastone
- How to Use Contribution Points — rewards from faction quests like this one feed directly into your contribution pool
- How to Read and Replay Memory Fragments — memory fragments appear throughout the Institute and carry lore relevant to this questline
- All Main Story Quests and Chapters — track your progress through the full game
- Crimson Desert Review — our full breakdown of the game
Final Thoughts
The Weight of Knowledge is a short but genuinely well-designed mystery quest. It rewards players who pay attention during conversations and punishes those who rush through dialogue. The biggest frustration is the complete lack of feedback during the Steward’s questions — but with this guide, you will nail every answer first try and have Javier tied up in minutes.
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