Crimson Desert Chapter 4 Guide: Howling Hill to Scholastone Institute
Mysterious Pot kicks off Chapter 4 of Crimson Desert, but the story doesn’t stay celebratory for long. The festivities at Howling Hill end abruptly after a strange explosion goes off, and the Greymanes immediately send Kliff to investigate. This chapter also takes you to the Scholastone Institute, where Kliff will earn new key items along the way. If you’re trying to repair the kilns, make your way to Scholastone, and handle the bosses you’ll run into, this walkthrough-style guide breaks down what to do step by step.
Chapter 4 Questline Focus: Mysterious Pot and Kilndren Workshop
| Quest / Objective | Chapter | Key Locations | What You Accomplish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mysterious Pot | Chapter 4 | Howling Hill, Scholastone Institute | Investigate the explosion, progress the main story, and unlock chapter rewards including key items |
| Kilndren Workshop | Chapter 4 | Kilndren Workshop (near Howling Hill), Hernand Town en route | Investigate the kiln-linked explosion and prepare to repair the kilns |
| Kiln Repair at the Kilndren Workshop | Chapter 4 | Ancient generator, three damaged kilns | Activate the generator and restore kiln functionality |
| The Mysterious Pot | Chapter 4 | Grimnir’s setup | Obtain an iron pot after waiting and completing the final steps |
| The Iron Pot’s Usage | Chapter 4 | Togrum’s area | Learn how to use the Kuku Pot for Abyss items and puzzle needs |
Task Search
If you’re stuck on a particular subquest inside the Mysterious Pot sequence, jump to the specific walkthroughs below:
- Kilndren Workshop Walkthrough
- Kiln Repair at the Kilndren Workshop Walkthrough
- The Mysterious Pot Walkthrough
- The Iron Pot’s Usage Walkthrough
Kilndren Workshop Walkthrough
Kilndren Workshop is the first stop you’ll reach in Chapter 4. After you expand the camp at Howling Hill, you’re tasked with investigating an explosion roughly a kilometer northwest of the camp. Don’t overthink it—this trip isn’t about preparing for an immediate fight.
Instead, the workshop area is built around puzzle work. The route to Kilndren Workshop doesn’t have any major pickups, but it’s still worth routing through Hernand Town on the way so you can offload unwanted items and upgrade your gear if you’ve been stockpiling ores.
One resource is worth keeping in mind during your run: Azurite. This rare mineral is used to push your equipment upgrades beyond the earliest stages.
Azurite looks like a bright blue gemstone, so you can spot it easily clinging to the cliffside. The deposit is located just southeast of the Kilndren Workshop, and you’ll want to bring a pickaxe so you can harvest it.
When you arrive at Kilndren Workshop, activate the nearby Abyss Nexus so you can return here quickly later. These Nexus points are easy to find because Blinding Flash illuminates them from a distance.
Next, talk to Grimnir. He’ll tell you the kilns caused the explosion you heard, and he’s looking for help to get them working again.
While You’re Here
Grimnir still needs the kilns repaired, but you can also handle a few other useful checks before you start the main work.
First, there’s a Sealed Abyss Artifact along the road toward the northwest.
Duskwood Ruins Abyss Cresset Puzzle Solution
You’ll also find an Abyss Cresset as a reward in the Duskwood Ruins, located just across the road to the northwest.
Getting to the ruins is the easy part. The puzzle is where you’ll spend your time. To begin, you must deal with the central mechanism and the five stone pillars that are surrounded by creepers.
As long as the sun is out, you can use Focus Light during a Blinding Flash to create a hotspot that will set the vines on fire.
Puzzle Reset Tip
Before you start, save your game. If you try to walk away to reset the challenge, it can bug out—plants may fail to respawn and the pillars may stop responding. Reloading your save is the reliable fix to get the setup functioning properly again.
Once the area is cleared, you’ll need to use the Stab Skill to stab your sword into the central round device. That device includes four slots, and each slot manages between two and three of the pillars.
Solving the Duskwood Hill Ruins puzzle means making all five pillars match in height. That requires raising the four lower pillars in the correct sequence.
To make the instructions easier to follow, label the control points as 1 through 4, with 1 being the point directly facing away from the pillars. Then proceed clockwise: 2 is on the right, 3 faces the pillars, and 4 is on the left. Now label the pillars as 1 through 5, with 1 on the far left and 5 on the far right.
- Hole 1: Controls pillars 2 and 4
- Hole 2: Controls pillars 2 and 5
- Hole 3: Controls pillars 2, 3, and 4
- Hole 4: Controls pillars 3, 4, and 5
Use this order to solve the puzzle:
- Use hole 2 to raise pillars 2 and 5 by half a block
- Use hole 3 to raise pillars 2, 3, and 4 by half a block
- Use hole 4 to raise pillars 3, 4, and 5 by half a block
Do the steps in that order and all five pillars will end up at the same height, unlocking the Abyss Cresset. Pick it up to claim the Abyss Artifact reward from solving the Duskwood Hill Ruins puzzle.
Kiln Repair at the Kilndren Workshop Walkthrough
Kiln Repair at the Kilndren Workshop is the first major quest in Chapter 4. Your job is to fix multiple kilns at the workshop that were destroyed.
The process starts by activating the ancient generator. It’s the tall stone apparatus directly in front of Grimnir.
Activate the Ancient Generator
On top of the ancient generator, you’ll see glowing runes. To activate the device, align every glowing rune in a vertical line. You’ll also feel a noticeable rumble as each rune clicks into the correct position.
Each rune connects to a separate ring on the generator’s top. Rotate the rings by pushing the wooden yellow sticks sticking out of the generator, and use the lever at the base to choose which ring you’re rotating.
As soon as a ring is in the right location, it should click into place. The game can be picky about whether it recognizes your solution, so rotate slowly to avoid overshooting.
Once the generator is live, you’ll need to repair three kilns:
- Fix the Disconnected Kiln
- Fix the Dismantled Kiln
- Put Fuel Into the Kiln
Fix the Disconnected Kiln
This kiln is straightforward—it’s unplugged. To repair it, connect the long power tube to the Connecting Pipe on the side of the kiln. The connection point is sticking out on the eastern side of the kiln near the yellow bar.
After plugging it in, press the yellow bar attached to the kiln to activate it.
Fix the Dismantled Kiln
For this one, you have to rebuild it using spare parts. Use Axiom Force to lift the broken kiln fragments and place them onto the base.
If you bring the correct piece into the correct spot, the game will help guide it into place. The first fragment is located to the right of the broken kiln near a brazier.
Once that’s set, grab the small top fragment sitting behind the broken kiln. It has a flat top with a large grate covering it.
One section of that top piece sticks out lower than the others. You can slot it directly into the indentation on the middle fragment. That’s how the kiln looks once fully assembled.
After everything is positioned correctly, climb up and use Force Palm (R3) to lock the pieces together. You can either anchor yourself by grabbing the ground and using Force Palm, or jump and apply Force Palm midair.
Finally, push the yellow bar attached to the kiln to bring it back online.
Put Fuel Into the Kiln
This repair requires using Axiom Force to place glowing blue electric orbs into the fuel tanks at the base of the kiln. The first two orbs sit right next to the kiln, and they aren’t covered by anything—so their glow stands out among the nearby jars.
The next orb is in the pond on the western side of the kiln. It rests on a small patch of land before the water gets too deep.
The last orb is disguised as an eyeball on a stone statue in the same pond. There are multiple statues, but only one has a glowing blue eye—the one positioned deepest in the water near the lily pads.
Use Axiom Force to pull the orb out of the stone socket. You’ll need careful placement to remove it, and it may take several attempts.
If you travel a short distance southeast along the water, you’ll reach the entrance to Duskwood Cave—where there’s Copper Ore inside.
Once the kiln is fueled, grab the yellow bar and push it to power everything back up.
The Mysterious Pot Walkthrough
With the kilns handled, Grimnir is pleased with your help and prepares a special Mysterious Pot for you. However, it needs time to finish preparing, so open the pause menu and wait to pass the time.
When the wait is over, speak to Grimnir again. He’ll provide a special iron pot, but you still need to add the final touches. Operate the device using the handlebar to get the iron pot.
The Iron Pot’s Usage Walkthrough
The Iron Pot’s Usage teaches you how to use your newly forged Kuku Pot. This special container can store Abyss items, letting you carry puzzle-critical materials that you can’t normally stash like standard loot. To see how it works, head over and speak with the artisan named Togrum.
Togrum has a boulder set up for testing. Use Axiom Force to grab the boulder, then press Triangle/Y while holding it.
This action deposits the boulder into your Kuku Pot. If you open your inventory and select the Kuku Pot, you should be able to see the stored item inside.
You can’t use the Kuku Pot to store regular goods, but it can hold Abyss items such as Magnetic Power Sources and other puzzle items needed to progress through challenges.
Up Next: Chapter 4 – Daily Life Walkthrough
Top Guide Sections
- Things to Do First in Crimson Desert
- Essential Tips and Tricks
- Walkthrough
- Things Crimson Desert Doesn’t Tell You
