Upon arriving at the ruins by the water in the Dark Forest, examine the area with several white and black stones. These stones can be carried by hand. Many will likely start looking for some associations or parallels with the game of checkers, but in this case, you can move any pieces—both white and black. Below, we’ll explain how to solve the Dark Forest water puzzle in Crimson Desert by correctly placing the black and white pieces.
The Water Ruins in the Dark Forest are located near the river between the cave and Kilnden’s Workshop in Ernand. You can fast travel to the nearby Abyssal Nexus near the workshop and head west to find a checker puzzle.
You can also teleport to the Abyssal Stone near the cave and head east – this is an alternative and perhaps even more convenient route.
The easiest way to solve the Dark Forest Water Puzzle with checkers is to take the white piece hidden next to the currently inactive Abyssal Stone and place it between two other white pieces to form a horizontal line. However, you don’t have to use this exact piece—the important thing is that you can eventually line up five pieces of the same color horizontally, vertically, or diagonally . So, essentially, you can throw away all the stones from the nodes, then take five black or white ones and line them up.
Another solution is to line up the white pieces diagonally in a line of five. This option is more complex and requires more moves, so it takes a considerable amount of time. Therefore, it’s recommended to use the simpler method to save time and effort.
To move a token, approach the desired one and grab it with the E key. Then, move to the selected location. Afterward, hold down the placement button (CTRL on the keyboard ) for more precise positioning, and when you’re sure the position is correct, press the drop key (R).
After completing the water puzzle in the Dark Forest with checkers in Crimson Desert, you can approach the Abyss Stone and collect the Abyss Artifact. This is a standard reward for such puzzles in Pyvel, where you first solve the puzzle and then receive an artifact that unlocks new skills.