Quick answer: Read the engraving on the carved tree beside the petal VI flower bed (“Follow the sound of weeping”). Then, in the ring of portals, pick right, left, middle, middle. A correct pick returns you to the start spot.
The mist portal puzzle is in the misty woods of the Mirrorwood Depths, in Phantom Blade Zero’s Chapter 1 region, Crimson Forest. The fog stays until you take the right portals in the right order, and the game tells you clearly when you’re done.
Where the mist portal puzzle is
Begin at the Mirrorwood Depths bell within the Crimson Forest, then pass through the nearby lantern-tree gate. The blue flower bed containing petal “VI. NEW LIFE” of Inanis’ Memory Flower is roughly 35 metres away. Continue about 20 metres beyond the bed to find a glowing blue portal set in a rock cut between two lantern trees. It opens into the misty woods; the portal ring is farther inside.
Read the engraving first
Stop at the tree with a carved face on its trunk, about 5 metres from the petal VI flower bed, and press E. The screen shows “Engraving” with the line “Follow the sound of weeping”, and it stays up until you left click (“Skip”). Read the engraving before using the rock-cut portal. If you haven’t read the engraving, walking into that portal just turns you around and leaves you standing in front of it again. Once it’s read, the portal takes you into woods thick with fog.
How the portal ring works
Within the misty woods, glowing openings between pairs of hanging lanterns form a portal ring. Its starting position is marked by a lantern among tall trees. Face away from the entrance there, and three portals will be visible: left, middle and right. A selection can lead to either of two outcomes.
- Correct pick: You emerge at the starting spot still facing the same direction, with no apparent change.
- Wrong pick: You emerge beside the portal you entered instead of at the starting spot. Return to the starting spot before choosing again.
Watch for crows in the woods; they may attack as you travel between portals, so be prepared to fight.
Solution: Right, left, middle, middle
Begin each selection at the starting spot, facing away from the entrance. The sequence that follows dispels the mist.
Clearing the mist and what it opens
Follow the new path to a blossoming dead tree wrapped in red mist and press E at the prompt. The message “The mist in the woods has cleared.” confirms the puzzle is solved. Left click (“Skip”) to close it.
While you’re in the ring, check the heap beside a broken tree stump. Pressing E there gives you a Tainted Crystal Shard, shown on screen as “Tainted Crystal Shard x 1”.
From the dead tree, a short walk of about 30 metres brings you to the Threadbound Great Tree bell.
