The Pillars of Creation is the research site around the Strange Structure in the Nomad Highlands, on its border with Revelwood, and it is where the Masonry Tools are. The site sits on a mountain, and the giant ancient building at its centre is what the map labels the Strange Structure.
Quick answer: Head to the Strange Structure on the Nomad Highlands–Revelwood border. The Masonry Tools are in the Research Camp, about 180 to 190 m east of it.
| Spot | Where (from the Strange Structure) | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Return Beacon | About 70 m west | Fast travel point |
| New Theories! (lore note) | About 85 m south | Caspian’s research note |
| Inner Sanctum | About 120 m north-east | Named area of the site |
| Ancient Obelisk | About 140 m north-east | Readable obelisk |
| Four Silver Chests | About 120 to 190 m east | Between the Strange Structure and the Research Camp |
| Research Camp | About 180 to 190 m east | Masonry Tools, plus two lore notes |
| Gate to the Pillars of Creation | About 230 m west | Named gate on the west side |
| Gold Chest and Puzzle | About 240 m and 260 m north | A puzzle with a Gold Chest beside it |
| Fell Critter Queen | About 290 m west | Boss |
| Gold Chest | About 290 m north-east | — |
The Ancient Obelisk’s lore note is “Our Eye Towards The Stars, Forever Shut”. The two notes in the Research Camp are “I Completely Fumbled It” and “The Renowned Dragon Sword”.
Jump to: Where the Pillars of Creation are · Masonry Tools · Ancient Obelisk · Lore notes · Enemies
Where the Pillars of Creation are
The site is on a mountain in the Nomad Highlands, right where that region meets Revelwood. You get sent here by the Carpenter‘s main quest Finding Masonry Tools (see our quests list), which has a recommended level of 15. The quest journal describes the destination like this:
The research site within the Pillars of Creation houses a gigantic, strange structure. Excavation camps are scattered about. One of these camps must contain Masonry Tools.
On the west side, the map marks the Gate to the Pillars of Creation, about 230 m west of the Strange Structure. The Fell Critter Queen boss waits close to that gate, about 65 m from it and roughly 290 m west of the Strange Structure.
On your first trip to the site, activate the Return Beacon, located roughly 70 m west of the Strange Structure. You can then fast travel back there later. Every spot below is marked on the interactive map.
Masonry Tools in the Research Camp
Find the tool pile in the Research Camp on the eastern side of the Strange Structure, in the space between the Inner Sanctum and the camp. The four Silver Chests are along this route, in the area from the Strange Structure to the Research Camp.
Finishing Finding Masonry Tools pays out 250 XP. Our Masonry Tools guide covers every recipe it opens.
Ancient Obelisk at the Pillars of Creation
The Ancient Obelisk is about 140 m north-east of the Strange Structure. Read it and two things happen. Lore is added to your journal, and hidden Flame Shrines and Shroud Roots get marked on your map.
The obelisk’s note, “Our Eye Towards The Stars, Forever Shut”, opens with: “Energy, welling from deep inside the core. A light erupts, breaching the boundaries of space itself.”
Lore notes: Why the Masonry Tools are in Nala’s camp
Two notes at the site explain the tools’ odd hiding place. Caspian’s “New Theories!” is about 85 m south of the Strange Structure, and the other two are in the Research Camp.
New Theories!
Caspian’s note begins: “I must reconsider my studies! Before, I believed this mountain of the Pillars of Creation to be an active volcano… the pit of lava is proof!” He goes on to say another expedition beat him there, “Eastern folk, led by a “Nala””, who think the structure is “a gateway” of some kind.
I Completely Fumbled It
Nala confesses that she told Caspian the structure was “a gateway to the stars,” then adds: “I plundered his masonry tools and hid them in our own camp.” That theft is why the Masonry Tools turn up in her Research Camp rather than in Caspian’s.
The Renowned Dragon Sword
Part of the “Rumors Of The Dragon Cave” collection, this is a researcher’s note about the Dragon Sword hidden in a forgotten cavern. The sword itself isn’t at the Pillars of Creation. It’s at the Dragon Cave, elsewhere in the Nomad Highlands (our Nomad Highlands guide lists it).
Enemies around the Pillars of Creation
The site is busy. Expect these groups while moving between the camps:
- Sabertooths
- Scavengers: Scavenger Hound, Scavenger Scab, Scavenger Scrapshield
- Vukah, including Vukah Rangers and Vukah Lightning Shamans
- Fell Critters
- Bats and Electric Bats
Two bosses sit on the edges of the site (both are in our boss heads list). The Fell Critter Queen waits by the western gate, and the Vukah Brawler holds the Vukah Arena, about 260 to 300 m south-east of the Strange Structure. The Masonry Tools are in the Research Camp east of the Strange Structure.
