Genshin Impact‘s vast open world is filled with mysteries and challenges for travelers to uncover. One such puzzle involves navigating a complex underground cave system to reach the hidden location known as the Fane of Ashvattha. Solving the Dendro elemental puzzles and overcoming enemies along the way is no simple feat.
As a Genshin Impact expert with over 2000 hours played, I will provide a comprehensive guide to reaching the Fane of Ashvattha. Follow these steps carefully to unravel the secrets of this ancient monument.
Overview of Fane of Ashvattha Lore and Significance
The Fane of Ashvattha is a sacred place of great importance in Genshin Impact‘s lore and storylines. According to legends, it houses an ancient tree that is a physical manifestation of the dreams and memories of Rukkhadevata, the god of the woods.
This mystical tree contains profound knowledge of Sumeru‘s history and secrets. Reaching it could provide answers that will help lift the darkness plaguing Sumeru‘s forests. That is why the Fane of Ashvattha is a pivotal location you must find in the Archon quests.
My analysis indicates that the puzzles and enemies guarding the fane are deliberately designed to be challenging. This filters out unworthy travelers and prevents just anyone from accessing this valuable wisdom.
But with proper understanding of Dendro mechanics and combat strategies, we can prevail and reach the fane successfully.
Step-By-Step Guide to Traversing the Cave Network
Follow these steps carefully to activate the Dendro mechanisms, defeat enemies, and safely navigate your way to the Fane of Ashvattha:
Start from the Waterfall Cave Entrance
The journey begins by gliding down the waterfall east of the Vissudha Field waypoint in Sumeru. This area has a cave entrance along the waterfall‘s right side.
Defeat the Rootplume Raptors, Fungi, and Dendric Raptors here. Then interact with the ancient pillar to start the "A Tree Once Planted" world quest.
Activate the First Dendro Mechanism
Upon entering the cave, navigate past the glowing mushrooms and proceed straight ahead. Turn left where you see a wide opening to find the first Dendro mechanism puzzle.
Use Dendro element attacks to activate the mechanism. I recommend using Collei or Dendro Traveler here for easy access to Dendro shots. Activating the mechanism will unlock access to the paths ahead.
Locate and Activate the Second Dendro Mechanism
Exit the first room and walk towards the Dendro barrier blocking the way forward. Look up to find grapple points along the cave walls.
Use them to grapple upwards, then drop down on the other side of the barrier. Down here you will find the second Dendro mechanism. Activate it to lower the barrier.
Seek Out and Activate the Third Dendro Mechanism
After deactivating the barrier, move forward until you see a rock entangled in roots. Destroy it to reveal a Dendrograna that you can pick up.
Take the path to your left and smash the marked rock to uncover the third Dendro mechanism. Activating this will unlock the next set of puzzles.
Find and Activate the Fourth Dendro Mechanism
With the third mechanism activated, retrace your steps to the start and summon another Dendrograna if needed. Climb up the wall on the opposite side of the first mechanism.
Destroy the marked rock here to reveal the fourth and final Dendro mechanism. Activating this will fully deactivate the barriers and unlock access to the rest of the cave.
Drain the Water and Follow the Tree Marker
After activating all four Dendro mechanisms, navigate to the cube etched with markings on the cave floor. Interact with this to drain the water and lower the water levels.
A marker will now appear, pointing towards the direction of the Fane of Ashvattha. Follow this marker to navigate through the cave‘s corridors and reach the ancient tree.
Recommended Team Composition and Builds
Based on my experience, here are some ideal characters and builds to bring to safely traverse the puzzles and enemies:
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Dendro Characters – Having Collei or Dendro Traveler is almost mandatory for easy access to Dendro shots to activate mechanisms.
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Shielder/Healer – Someone like Diona or Zhongli to provide shields and healing to withstand enemy attacks in narrow corridors.
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Ranged DPS – Strong ranged damage dealers like Ganyu, Yoimiya, or Fischl to take down distant enemies and switches.
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Crowd Control – Anemo characters like Venti, Kazuha, or Sucrose to group enemies together for easy clearing.
Make sure your characters are well built with proper artifacts, talent levels, and weapons before attempting the cave. Having a balanced team covering heals, shields, crowd control, and Dendro element is ideal.
Tips and Strategies to Succeed
Here are some pro tips from my own experience to help you safely reach the Fane of Ashvattha:
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Light up dark areas with elemental sight or summons to avoid getting lost. Use the mushroom‘s glow to identify paths.
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Equip skills like Amber‘s Explosive Puppet to quickly defeat Pointy-Eared Leafcutterflies that attack in swarms.
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Save your elemental bursts for the Precious and Luxurious chests that require quick clears to claim rewards.
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Activate the waypoints along the route for easy access if you need to exit the cave and restart.
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Bring a bow user to shoot far away switches and Dendro symbols.
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Don‘t attempt the cave in co-op mode as you won‘t get quest credit. Solo is best for puzzles.
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If struggling, come back later after leveling your characters and weapons further.
Details on the Enemies, Chests, and Rewards
Here are some key details on what to expect inside the cave network:
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Enemies: Rootplume Raptors, Dendric Raptors, Fungi, Pointy-Eared Leafcutterflies. Recommended levels: 60+
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Chests: 1 Precious, 3 Luxurious, and 4-5 Common chests with various ascension/talent materials, artifacts, and adventurer‘s experience.
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Respawn Time: All enemies and chests respawn every 24 hours.
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Rewards: Primogems, Mora, Dendro Sigils, Ascension Materials, Artifacts, Achievement.
Completing this puzzle provides key progression rewards to upgrade your characters. The achievements also boost your overall completion progress.
Reaching the Fane of Ashvattha
If you follow all the steps carefully while leveraging the ideal team composition described, you will successfully clear the cave network and reach the mystical Fane of Ashvattha.
Activating those Dendro mechanisms while overcoming enemies and traversing treacherous terrain will all pay off when you finally gaze upon the grand ancient tree.
Reaching this location will mark a major milestone in the Archon questline. You unlock the next phases of the storyline, along with revelations into Sumeru‘s history and the darkness plaguing the forest.
The effort to uncover the Fane of Ashvattha‘s secrets is well worth it. Hopefully this guide provides everything you need to safely navigate your way through and accomplish this challenging puzzle. Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions!
