Mystery of the Arcadian Ruins is a quest you get early on in Genshin Impact, and unlike most of the quests in the game, there isn’t a marker that tells you exactly where to go. With the help of this guide, you’ll be able to easily solve the mystery in Genshin Impact and discover every chest required to complete the quest. You can pick up hints from Kaeya outside of the Adventurer’s Guild, but even these won’t give you exact locations of the chests. We’ll help you crack the code and decipher the locations from the cryptic hints though. Here’s how to complete the Mystery of the Arcadian Ruins quest in Genshin Impact.
Kaeya’s Troubles
To start the quest, find Kaeya at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters. Speaking with him with start the Secret Pirate Treasure questline. He’ll send you to the Adventurer’s Guild to gather testimonies from the nearby adventurers. Talk to Cyrus, who is standing in front of the Adventurer’s Guild building, and then you’ll be sent back to Kaeya. Returning to Kaeya will complete the Kaeya’s Troubles quest and start the Mystery of the Arcadian Ruins quest.
Meeting the Informant
Kaeya will send you to meet his informant outside of Monstadt at Whispering Woods. When you show up, you’ll find the informant under attack by a group of Hilichurls. Deal with them and speak to the informant. She’ll give you a picture with a riddle on it that will guide you to the first treasure chest. You can return to Kaeya at the Knights of Favonius HQ for a hint, but you can just keep reading to find the exact location of the chest.
Monstadt Windmill
The first clue for the Mystery of the Arcadian Ruins quest reads as follows.
“Three six-armed giants reside in the city in the lake. Two guard the statue, One, the treasure.”
This clue refers to the three windmills in Monstadt. Climb onto the southwestern windmill in Mondstadt. If you can’t find a way up, just climb a nearby building and glide to your destination. There’s a chest waiting for you at the top. Inside, you’ll find another map with another clue. Your treasure hunt isn’t over quite yet.
Springvale Waterfall
The second clue takes you somewhere a bit further away, but it’s still not too far out of reach. The clue reads as follows.
“She just doesn’t love him at all. The passions rushing through the clear spring is just a front. When she’s cold and alone, her true heart is revealed.”
You can return to Kaeya at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters for a hint. He’ll tell you to head to Springvale, a region to the south of Monstadt, and that helps narrow down your search. The map with the clue should direct you pretty clearly to your destination, but if you can’t find it, it’s near a body of water under the word “Springvale” on your map. There’s a waterfall at this location, and next to the waterfall you’ll find three short pillars that have ice symbols on them. You’ll need to freeze them with Kaeya’s Cryo abilities in order to summon a chest that contains your final clue.
Falcon Coast
The third and final clue will mark your destination on your map, so you won’t have to do any detective work to find out where you need to go. Head to the Falcon Coast and you’ll find a dungeon in a cave by the beach. The recommended level is 10, so make sure your party members are strong enough before venturing inside.
It’s a pretty standard dungeon, but you’ll be able to make use of Kaeya’s Cryo abilities multiple times throughout to disable fire traps and defeat fire enemies. There’s a boss battle at the end of the dungeon, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. After dealing the final blow, the quest will be complete and you will have finished the first part of the Secret Pirate Treasure questline. There’s more to come later, but for now, you’re done.
