Genshin Impact: Secret of the Scorching Desert walkthrough – Mysterious Ruins Domain guide

In the last segment of the Sumeru Archon Quest Chapter III: Act IV - King Deshret and the Three Magi called Secret of The Scorching Desert, you must enter a Mysterious Ruins Domain hidden deep within the desert. There are a lot of confusing puzzles inside, so follow this walkthrough to help you complete it and claim all the Chest rewards.

How to solve all puzzles in the Genshin Impact Secret of the Scorching Desert Mysterious Ruins Domain

Follow the steps below to complete the Domain. If you make a mistake, you can try as many times as you like. However, we highly recommend looting all the Chests as soon as you see them, as you can't return to the Domain after completing it.

Rotating pillar puzzle

Upon entering the Domain, turn left to find three pillars. You need to rotate each of them in any order until they show the illustration in the reference image above. The pillars will also glow blue to indicate that they're rotated correctly. Once you're done, an elevator will appear in the center of the room. Step onto the elevator and interact with it, activating it and bringing you to a lower floor.

Next, go down the stairs to find a locked Exquisite Chest surrounded by fungi. Defeat the enemies to unlock the Chest and loot rewards. Afterward, head further down and follow the quest marker toward the next room. The next part is a bit confusing, so follow the steps carefully.

Sliding wall puzzle

1. Enter the room and turn left to prompt the door to open.
2. Head straight ahead, and the door will automatically open for you.
3. Turn right to spot a Common Chest, but a wall will block your path.
4. Turn right to prompt the other side of the wall to open.
5. Head straight ahead and turn left to find the Common Chest but make sure to loot it.
6. Exit the room with the Common Chest and turn left.
7. Turn left again to make the wall disappear.
8. Finally, turn right to enter a blue room.

Defeat all the fungi in the blue room to unlock the elevator. Step onto the elevator and interact with it, activating it and bringing you to a higher floor. Once the elevator stops, enter the room and defeat the fungi to unlock an Exquisite Chest.

Related: All Sumeru Daily Commissions related to Achievements in Genshin Impact

Elevator puzzle

Turn back to the entrance, where you'll find a button that you can interact with to control the elevator. Interacting with it will make the elevator go up and down. Your goal is to hop onto the elevator while it's going up so it can take you to an even higher floor.

Rotating pillar & switch puzzle

Once you're on the upper floor, defeat all the fungi to unlock two switches on the ground. The logic behind the puzzle is simple:

• The switch on the left controls the leftmost pillar.
• The switch on the right controls the rightmost pillar.
• The middle pillar will never stop rotating.

Your goal is to find a way to make all three pillars show the same illustration. First, focus on the left switch.

1. Wait until the left and middle pillars show the same illustration.
2. Immediately interact with the left switch to Start Up.
3. Wait until the left and middle pillars show the same illustration and are glowing blue.
4. Immediately interact with the left switch to Turn it off.

Related: Genshin Impact The Secret of Al-Ahmar World Quest guide – Golden Slumber

You need to follow the same logic for the other side. Now focus on the right switch.

1. Wait until the right and middle pillars show the same illustration.
2. Immediately interact with the right switch to Start Up.
3. Wait until the right and middle pillars show the same illustration and are glowing blue.
4. Assuming you did this second, the game automatically prompts an elevator to appear, indicating that you've solved the puzzle.

Once that's done, step onto the elevator and interact with it, activating it and bringing you deeper into the Domain. The rest of the Domain can be completed by following the quest marker and enjoying the dialogues and cutscenes.

Check out our guides on Where to find Redcrest in Genshin Impact and Where to find Scarab in Genshin Impact to farm for your Sumeru characters.