For the flooded Timberdale Gorge Ruins, break the crumbling wall on the structure’s north side with Turning Slash, let the water drain, then solve three power panels in this order: center wall, right wall, and the panel behind you. The dial sequence is 2 inputs, 2 inputs, then 4 inputs. Completing the final route opens the door to an Abyss Cresset, which awards an Abyss Artifact and unlocks a fast-travel point.
Timberdale also contains a separate Cliff Ruins puzzle. The Cliff site does not use the Gorge’s water-draining or dial sequence, so identify your location before following the steps below.
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First, identify which Timberdale ruins you found
“Timberdale puzzle” can refer to two Ancient Ruins activities. The solution in this guide is for Timberdale Gorge Ruins, the flooded structure east of the Sanctum of Devotion in Timberdale, Delesyia. A nearby guide labels the surrounding area Dewhaven, which can make location searches seem inconsistent.
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| Site | Location cue | Obstacle before solving | Core mechanic | Reward described by guides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timberdale Gorge Ruins | East of the Sanctum of Devotion | Water fills the interior | Three power panels with dials | Abyss Artifact and a fast-travel unlock |
| Timberdale Cliff Ruins | Forest southwest of Dewhaven Logging Camp | Thorns around the site | Redirecting power through switch tiles across three walls | Not stated in the cited walkthrough descriptions |
If the ruin is dry and you are clearing thorns or connecting lit lines, you are at Timberdale Cliff Ruins. Do not use the Gorge sequence there. The instructions that follow assume you are standing at the flooded Gorge structure.
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How to start Timberdale Gorge Ruins
1. Confirm that the interior is flooded
The Gorge puzzle cannot be operated while water covers the interior. The dials are inaccessible until you drain the room, so searching for a dial sequence before completing this step leads to a dead end.
2. Reach the northern exterior wall
Walk around to the north side of the ruin. Look for the section of wall that is visibly crumbling. Use Turning Slash on it to create an opening. The breach allows the water to drain from the structure.
Games.gg also reports that Force Palm Expertise can break this wall. Turning Slash is the primary instruction in the walkthroughs, while Force Palm Expertise is an alternative interaction reported by that guide.
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Go back inside only after the flooding has cleared. The power panels and their dials can then be reached. If the room still appears submerged, verify that you struck the correct northern wall rather than attempting the panels prematurely.
The complete Gorge dial solution
There are three panels. Work through them in this order:
- Center wall: two dials.
- Wall to the right: two dials.
- Final panel behind you: four dials.
The visible power path is a useful confirmation. Follow the current as it appears on the walls, and activate one dial at a time. The positions below use the orientation given by the walkthroughs: “leftmost column,” “top row,” and similar labels refer to the panel as you face it.
Panel 1: center wall
- Hit the leftmost dial.
- Hit the rightmost dial.
This first panel contains two inputs. Check the power route after each strike instead of rapidly hitting several controls.
Panel 2: wall on the right
- Hit the middle dial in the leftmost column.
- Hit the top-right dial.
The second panel also requires two inputs. The intended route continues from the center-wall solution, so move to the right-hand wall rather than trying to complete another panel out of order.
Panel 3: the final panel behind you
- Hit the middle dial in the leftmost column.
- Hit the middle dial in the top row.
- Hit the bottom dial in the fourth column.
- Hit the top-right dial.
This final panel requires four inputs. When the route is complete, the door opens.
What to do when a dial changes neighboring dials
Games.gg cautions that striking one dial can reset neighboring dials. That behavior means a panel may look different after an input even when you selected the intended control. Treat each strike as a deliberate adjustment and inspect the resulting current path before continuing.
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- Face the panel squarely so the column and row descriptions match your view.
- Target one dial, then pause long enough to see which lines light up or change.
- Use the visible current path to confirm that the route is progressing toward the next panel.
- If neighboring dials move, do not assume the entire puzzle is lost; realign the affected section and continue cautiously.
The same guide recommends saving before breaking the northern wall. Its warning is practical: after the wall is destroyed, leaving the area may not restore the water, so a mistaken run can be difficult to reset. That save-and-reset behavior is reported by the guide and is not described identically by every walkthrough, but saving first is a low-risk precaution.
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Which combat skill should you use on the controls?
Walkthroughs use slightly different names for the interaction. PowerPyx describes using Force Palm on the buttons. Games.gg recommends Force Current for higher dials and says lower dials on the final panel can be struck directly with Force Palm. VULKK lists Force Palm, Force Current, or Focused Shot as possible ways to activate the controls.
Focused Shot may activate too many tiles at once, according to VULKK, making it harder to isolate the intended dial. For a controlled attempt, use the method that lets you hit a single target and watch the current path after each activation. If a high dial is out of ordinary melee reach, Force Current is the safer choice among the options described by the guides.
How to finish the ruin and claim the reward
Open the door
After the four-input final panel is aligned, the sealed door opens automatically. If it remains closed, revisit the panels in sequence and check whether a neighboring-dial reset altered an earlier route.
Interact with the Abyss Cresset
Enter the opened room and interact with the Abyss Cresset. The Cresset provides an Abyss Artifact and unlocks a fast-travel point. These are the completion rewards identified in the walkthroughs.
Gorge versus Cliff: the mistakes that waste the most time
Following a Gorge guide at the Cliff site
Cliff Ruins is a different Ancient Ruins puzzle in the forest southwest of Dewhaven Logging Camp. PowerPyx describes using Force Palm to connect lit lines across three walls. VULKK describes clearing thorns and redirecting power through switch tiles. Neither description uses the flooded-room sequence from Gorge.
Trying to use the dials before draining the room
The Gorge dials cannot be accessed while the structure is flooded. Go outside first, break the northern crumbling wall, and return after the water has drained.
Using an area attack on several controls
A broad attack can activate more tiles than intended. This is why the guides’ advice favors Force Palm or Force Current for individual targets and treats Focused Shot cautiously.
Assuming every guide labels the walls identically
Descriptions of the final panel and interaction skills vary between walkthroughs. Use the physical order—center wall, right wall, then the panel behind you—and match the dial positions to the panel in front of you. The current path is the in-game check when a guide’s wall labels differ.
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- You are at the flooded Gorge Ruins, not the thorn-covered Cliff Ruins.
- You reached the structure’s north side.
- You broke the crumbling wall with Turning Slash, or used the Force Palm Expertise alternative reported by Games.gg.
- The water drained before you attempted any dial.
- You solved the center wall with leftmost, then rightmost.
- You solved the right wall with middle-left-column, then top-right.
- You solved the final panel with middle-left-column, middle-top-row, bottom-fourth-column, then top-right.
- The door opened and you interacted with the Abyss Cresset.
- The Abyss Artifact was collected and the fast-travel point unlocked.
Version and update caveat
The solution is supported by multiple secondary walkthroughs accessed on October 13, 2026. No official game documentation or patch notes confirming this puzzle’s current behavior were identified in those materials. If a future update changes the ruin, skill interactions, or reset behavior, the visible power path and the structure’s location remain the best in-game checks; verify the puzzle again after a relevant patch.
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