Zharkaya is an Eternal Ice designer stationed in the Svetloledovka Mining Town in Snezhnaya, and she has no interest in finishing the sculpture commission sitting in front of her. Talk to her and she hands the job to the Traveler instead, along with an Order Illustration that shows the finished shape from three angles. The structure already has five cubes stacked into an upside-down U, and the fix is a single build action.
Quick answer: Stand beside the camera so you are facing the sculpture the same way the Order Illustration does, open the Prime Ice Construct menu, pick the plain Cube, and place it on top of the forward-most block on the left side.
What you need before starting
The whole thing runs on the Prime Ice Construct system introduced with Snezhnaya, so you need enough resources banked to place one block. There is no combat, no timer, and nothing hidden to collect.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Prime Ice | 20 per Cube |
| Energy | 5 per Cube |
| Build menu | Prime Ice Construct menu, opened with T by default on PC |
| Piece used | The standard Cube, the first option in the list |
Zharkaya’s location in Svetloledovka Mining Town
Teleport to the above-ground Waypoint in the mining town and head south. Zharkaya stands on a wooden platform in the southern part of the settlement, next to the half-finished ice sculpture and a camera rig. You will usually hear her complaining about the Master Exhibition commission before she comes into view.
Walking up to her triggers a cutscene. She vents about the job not being worth her time, checks that the Traveler has some artistic sense, then shows the Order Illustration and offers a reward for finishing it.
How to solve Zharkaya’s ice cube puzzle
How to tell the order is complete
A short cutscene plays the moment the cube lands in the right spot. Zharkaya compliments the finished piece, the dialogue options open up, and the Exquisite Chest beside her unlocks. If no cutscene fires, the cube is in the wrong place.
Interact with the chest to claim the payout. It is a standard reward package rather than anything exclusive to this puzzle.
| Reward | Amount or type |
|---|---|
| Primogems | 5 |
| Mora | 300 |
| Character materials | Hero’s Wit and Cryo Sigils |
| Artifacts | Random pieces |
| Weapons | Random drop |
The chest also counts toward regional exploration progress in Svetloledovka.
Why the cube placement fails
Almost every failed attempt comes down to orientation. The Order Illustration defines left and right from its own viewpoint, not from wherever the Traveler happens to be standing, so a cube built while facing the sculpture from the opposite side lands on the mirrored block and the order stays incomplete.
Note: If the chest is still sealed after you build, walk back to the camera, check your facing, remove the misplaced construct, and rebuild on the forward-most left block. Removing a construct returns Prime Ice, so a retry costs you nothing meaningful.
Once the chest is open, Zharkaya goes back to being unimpressed by the whole commission, and you are free to keep exploring the rest of the mining town. The Prime Ice you spent here is worth re-collecting, since the same construct mechanic shows up repeatedly across Snezhnaya.
