Genshin Impact ‘In the Wake of Narcissus’ walkthrough

The ‘In the Wake of Narcissus’ world quest is the grand finale of Genshin Impact’s Narzissenkreuz storyline in Fontaine. As you would expect, however, it’s also a particularly complex world quest series, with several sub-quests and tons of puzzles. If you complete “In the Wake of Narcissus,” you’ll receive a unique 4-star sword (the Sword of Narzissenkreuz) as a reward.

Our Genshin Impact “In the Wake of Narcissus” walkthrough will help you solve all the interpretation puzzles, orthant’s puzzles, and laser puzzles you may encounter.

How to start ‘In the Wake of Narcissus’

To start “In the Wake of Narcissus,” you first need to finish three lengthy world quests plus two shorter ones, all of which are found in the Fontaine region:

• “Ann of the Narzissenkreuz”
• “Ancient Colors”
• “Unfinished Comedy”
• “Aqueous Tidemarks”
• “Initial Facts”

Once you’ve completed every prerequisite quest, “In the Wake of Narcissus” will be added to your Journal automatically.

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In the Wake of Narcissus Act 1: ‘Search in the Algae Sea’ Walkthrough

1. Return to the Narzissenkreuz Ordo. The fast-travel point is just southeast of the Court of Fontaine (see quest marker below on the left).

2. Interact with the book to enter the building.

Graphic: Marloes Valentine Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

3. Approach Caterpillar to start a conversation. When he asks if you’re ready, say: “Then let’s begin.”

4. You’ll have to solve an interpretation puzzle. First, interpret all the words that pop up on the screen, then associate “The Oceanid Ann” with “There are Oceanids in Annapausis.”

5. Next, interpret “Is not Ann,” then associate “The Mary-Ann in Annapausis” with “There are Oceanids in Annapausis.”

6. Finally, interpret “The Enigmatic Mary-Ann” and submit this as your conclusion.

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7. Speak with Seymour, Ann, and Caterpillar individually, then tell Caterpillar you’re ready to go.

8. Fast-travel to the underground Teleport Waypoint in Annapausis, west of the Court of Fontaine (see picture below on the left).

9. Enter the building, and after a short conversation, be ready to fight Al and Jak, the Hydro creatures. Beware that they’re immune to Hydro damage.

10. Once the fight has ended, enter the bubble that has appeared. This will take you back to the Narzissenkreuz Ordo.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

11. Speak with Caterpillar again, and say “Let’s begin” to enter the next interpretation puzzle.

12. Interpret all the words that pop up, until you see “Mary-Ann Guillotin,” “Mary-Ann Guillotin’s Memories,” “The Red Empress Lyris,” and “Director Lyris’s Memories” on the screen.

13. Associate “Mary-Ann Guillotin” with “Mary-Ann Guillotin’s Memories.” Next, associate “The Red Empress Lyris” with “Director Lyris’s Memories.”

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

14. Interpret all the words on the screen again, then associate “Mary-Ann is the younger sister” with “Mary-Ann is Lyris.”

15. Interpret “The identities are contradictory” and “Lyris’s abilities,” then associate “Lyris’s abilities” with “The Red Empress Lyris.”

16. Interpret “Dissolving the personality and will” first, followed by “Lyris and Ann…” Submit the latter as your conclusion to complete the interpretation puzzle.

17. Go to the Statue of the Seven in Fontaine’s Morte Region to complete the first part of “In the Wake of Narcissus.”

The next objective in the ‘Search in the Algae Sea’ quest is to find and break the four seals. To do so, complete the following sub-quests: “Muse’s Mother,” “Meteoric Lance,” “Cupid’s Lover,” and “Thalia and Melpomene.” Here’s a walkthrough for each “Search in the Algae Sea” sub-quest.

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‘Muse’s Mother’ World Quest Walkthrough

1. Enter the underground ruins next to the Statue of the Seven in the Morte region. There’s a stone staircase leading down. You can’t miss it.

2. Interact with the blue orb on top of the tiny pillar to obtain a “xenochromatic ball octopus ability,” then use the Skill button to unleash this special power on the nearby “feather valve” mechanism. This will temporarily open up the grate floor, so glide down before it closes again.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

3. Go down the tunnel until you see the next grate floor. Do the same thing here: take the octopus ability and use it on the two mechanisms to open the way.

4. Glide all the way down, then defeat the Rifthounds on the lowest floor.

5. In the next large room, solve the “orthant’s puzzle.” You’ll see a fountain with a green orb in the middle of the room, surrounded by four streams of water. Two of these streams are blocked — one in the north and one in the east — and you need to fix them.

6. To fix the stream coming from the north, simply defeat the two clockwork meka enemies guarding the door, then interact with the mechanism behind them.

7. To unblock the stream in the east, hit the blue orb on the left side of the door with a normal attack (step 1, causing it to turn orange), then use the xenochromatic ball octopus ability on the mechanism next to it and hold for a few seconds (step 2), then immediately hit the orange orb again (step 3).

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

8. With the laser on the right side of the door now in the correct position, use the elevator to go down (step 4).

9. Use the octopus ability on the mechanism to open the cage door ahead of you. Make sure you enter immediately as the door will close again.

10. Interact with the fountain-like mechanism at the end of the hallway, then go back up with the elevator and choose ‘release’ once you’re upstairs.

11. Interact with the mechanism in the middle to complete “Muse’s Mother.”

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‘Meteoric Lance’ World Quest Walkthrough

1. Enter the caves underneath Fort Charybdis Ruins, then go inside the ruins to the north. You’ll find a room with a laser puzzle and a clockwork meka enemy.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

2. Defeat the enemy, which will cause the two orbs to fly over to the left side of the room, and activate the xenochromatic ball octopus’s ability (step 1 in the picture below), which is near the door.

3. Use the octopus ability on the blue laser, and hold it until the laser points towards the two large pillars (step 2).

4. See the tiny blue gemstones at the foot of each pillar? If you use the octopus ability on the gemstone on the right, the pillar moves up, and if you use it on the left, it moves down. In this case, use the octopus ability on the stones on the right, to make both pillars move up and hit the laser (step 3 and 4).

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

5. After the cage door opens, take the elevator down.

6. Defeat the meka enemy and hit the blue orb to open the first door. Make sure you stand inside the door as shown in the picture below, then hit the orb (which has now turned orange) again to close the first door and open the second one.

7. The next room contains another orthant’s puzzle. The idea is the same as last time; there are four water streams, and two are currently blocked. Again, it’s the one coming from the north and the one coming from the east.

8. Start with the water flow in the east: use the xenochromatic ball octopus ability (step 1) on both pillars (2 and 3) to lower them as much as possible. Beware that they’ll slowly move up again, so try to hit them interchangeably — both pillars must be lowered at the same time.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

9. Go through the cage door and defeat the meka enemy behind it. Then take the elevator down.

10. For the next puzzle, use the xenochromatic ball octopus ability on the mechanism (see arrow on the left) and hold steady until the floor mechanism is in the correct position (see picture on the right).

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

11. Press “release” on the fountain-like mechanism, then walk to the elevator and go up.

12. When you’re upstairs, press “release” on the fountain-like mechanism to start the water flow back to the center of the orthant’s puzzle.

13. Use the mechanism on the right to open the door, then guide the Seelie back to its pillar on the floor level below.

14. This will open up the floor next to the Seelie, granting access to the water below.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

15. Dive down and grab the xenochromatic stingray ability, then use it to defeat the meka enemies.

16. Here’s how to solve the floor puzzle: Use the xenochromatic ball octopus ability on mechanism 1 (see picture below) until the floor tiles on the bottom row are glowing. Next, use the octopus ability on mechanism 2 until the upper row is glowing as well. Press “release” on the fountain-like mechanism to start the water flow.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

17. Use the stingray ability to cut through the grasses blocking your way.

18. Go to the elevator and press “go up” twice to reach the correct floor level, then press “release” to finish the “Meteoric Lane” puzzle.

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‘Cupid’s Lover’ World Quest Walkthrough

1. Enter the caves beneath Mont Automnequi and keep following the tunnels until you see a large room with a sealed doorway. Watch out for the cannon!

2. To unlock the door, release the water flow from the fountain-like mechanism on the right (step 1). Then pick up the xenochromatic ball octopus ability (step 2) and use it on the mechanism on the left side of the door (step 3) until the floor tile starts to glow. Then release the water flow from the fountain-like mechanism on this side as well.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

3. In the next room, release the water flow from the fountain-like mechanism and grab the octopus ability. To proceed, however, you’ll need a special key.

4. Glide down and defeat the meka hounds. This will take you to the center of the orthant’s puzzle, with three blocked streams in the north, east, and south.

5. Go to the south first and take the elevator down.

6. Hit the blue orb to open the door.

7. In the next room, hit the orange orb to open the door and grab the xenochromatic jellyfish ability. Swim back a little bit and use the jellyfish’s ability to place a bomb next to the blue orb, as shown in the picture below. Swim back to the jellyfish and make the bomb explode.

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

8. Release the water flow from the fountain-like mechanism.

9. Take the elevator to go up and press “release” once you’re in the main room again.

10. Next, take the path to the east and use the elevator. Release the stream, but also grab the item behind the mechanism, as shown in the picture below. This is the special key you need to unlock the water flow coming from the north.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

11. Take the elevator down again, and press ‘release’.

12. Take the path to the north and go back to the locked door. Use the special key to unlock it.

13. Use the elevator behind the locked door and press “release” once you’re down.

14. Check the fountain-like mechanism in the middle of the orthant’s puzzle to complete “Cupid’s Lover.”

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‘Thalia and Melpomene’ World Quest Walkthrough

1. Go to the underwater ruins in the southern part of the Morte Region, and follow the path until the dialogue with Caterpillar starts.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

2. In the next room, press “release” on the fountain-like mechanism.

3. Take the path to the northeast until you reach the room shown in the picture below. Glide down and press “release” on mechanism 1, then choose “go up” on mechanism 2.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

4. This brings you to the center of the orthant’s puzzle, which already has three working streams by now. To fix the rest of the puzzle, dive down as far as you can and follow the underwater tunnel.

5. When you see the room in the picture below, grab the xenochromatic crab ability from location 1, and use it to destroy the rocks in locations 2, 3, and 4.

6. Pick up the two tiny blue orbs from location 4, and use them on the mechanism in location 5.

7. Pick up the xenochromatic ball octopus ability and use it on the mechanism in location 5 until the floor tiles are glowing (just like previous puzzles).

8. Press “release” on the fountain-like mechanism at location 3, then again at location 6.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

9. Follow the water flow; use the mechanism next to the door to open it and defeat the meka enemies in the next room.

10. See the item in the corner of the room, on an old cabinet? This is the special key. Grab it and take the elevator upwards.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

11. Once you’re back in the main room, press “release” again to finish the orthant’s puzzle. Interact with the fountain-like mechanism in the middle to complete “Thalia and Melpomene.”

You’ll be taken to the top of the large tower in the center of the Morte Region. To finish the rest of “Search in the Algae Sea,” enter the tower and defeat the boss, Jacob.

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In the Wake of Narcissus Act 2: ‘Savior’s Wake’ Walkthrough

1. After defeating Jacob, while still inside the tower, walk to the large crack in the floor and press “go down.”

2. Grab the xenochromatic ball octopus ability (location 1), and use it on the mechanism (location 2), until the lasers point at the two floating orbs as shown in the picture below.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

3. Walk to the middle of the room and choose “exit.”

4. The next puzzle is on a lower floor, which you can reach from the outside. Glide down and enter the room shown in the picture below.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

5. Stand in the middle of the room and choose “enter.”

6. Defeat the four meka hounds in the next room, then interact with the mechanism in the middle again. This will unlock a door with an elevator behind it.

7. Take the elevator to go down, and defeat the large meka enemy on the lower floor.

8. Now that the room is safe, activate the mechanism in location 1, take the xenochromatic ball octopus ability from location 2, and use the ability on the mechanism in location 3 until the lasers point at the orbs again (same as before).

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

9. For the second part of the puzzle, interact with the mechanism at location 1 (see picture below), then turn the mechanism at position 2 until the laser hits the orb. Next, interact with the mechanism at location 3 and turn the one at position 2 again, until the second laser also hits an orb. This will open the door at location 4.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

10. Take the elevator down and defeat the two meka enemies on the lower floor.

11. Interact with the mechanism in the middle of the room, which will unlock the next elevator. Go further down.

12. The next room contains a laser puzzle similar to the previous ones. Use the octopus ability on the mechanism in location 1, position the lasers as shown in the picture below, and collect a ‘root cycle’ at location 2. Activate the mechanism in location 2 as well.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

13. Next, use the octopus ability on the mechanism again to aim a laser beam at the door on the left, as shown in the picture below.

14. Grab another root cycle and activate the mechanism behind the previously locked door.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

15. To open the final door, aim the lowest laser at the bottom orb above the door, as shown in the picture below (location 1). Activate the mechanism in location 2, then turn the top laser towards the remaining orb above the locked door (location 3). Finally, interact with the mechanism at location 4 to open the final door.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

16. Grab the root cycle behind the final door.

17. Go to the middle of the room and use the three root cycles to open the floor.

18. After the dialogue, talk to Caterpillar, Ann, Seymour, and Paimon individually.

19. Speak with Caterpillar again to receive a small key, and use it to leave this room. Go downstairs.

20. When the cutscene ends, walk to the middle of the room and break the seal over the Primordial Sea by pressing “activate.” Be prepared to fight a large group of meka enemies shortly afterwards. This will complete “Savior’s Wake.”

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In the Wake of Narcissus Act 3: ‘Waking from the Great Dream’ Walkthrough

1. Enter the ocean current in front of you.

2. After a short conversation, your fight against Narzissenkreuz will start. As you’re unable to defeat him, wait for a blue Hydro ring to appear and go through it.

Graphic: Marloes Valentina Stella/Polygon | Source images: Hoyoverse

3. Avoid the rifts that appear along the route.

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

4. When you’re back in the arena, use charged attacks to defeat Narzissenkreuz. They’re the only attacks that will do proper damage. If you need healing, pick up the blue orbs occasionally dropped by Narzissenkreuz.

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In the Wake of Narcissus Act 4: ‘Rowboat’s Wake’ Walkthrough

1. Talk to Ann and tell her you’re ready to leave.

2. Fast-travel to Annapausis again, west of the Court of Fontaine.

3. Follow the quest markers until you’re surrounded by Hydro bombers. Use the three walls around you to hide behind and avoid getting hit.

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

4. Enter the blue portal and follow the path ahead.

5. After speaking to Mary-Ann, smash the glass wall with your sword.

Image: Hoyoverse via Polygon

6. Go through a lengthy conversation with Mary-Ann, after which you’ll receive the Sword of Narzissenkreuz as a reward.

Teleport to Merusea Village to speak with Mamere. After another dialogue scene, the “Rowboat’s Wake” quest is finished — and so is “In the Wake of Narcissus.” Congratulations, Traveler! You’ll now be able to access the “Through the Looking Glass” world quest.