Dragon’s Dogma 2: Riddle of the Will Answer and How to Escape the Mountain Stronghold

At the Shrine of Wisdom in Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, the Sphinx presents three puzzles, one of them The Riddle of the Will. She wants an item that bears “the will to defy ruin.” You need to bring her an object, not give a spoken answer, and finding it leads straight into a fight you cannot avoid.

Quick answer: The answer is the Decorative Brooch from the Mountain Stronghold. Get it in the roofless chamber, escape the stronghold over the rubble, then hand the brooch to the Sphinx to finish the quest.

The quest objectives in order

The quest is “Sage’s Wisdom – Riddle of the Will”, handed out alongside “Sage’s Wisdom – Riddle of the Body” and “Sage’s Wisdom – Riddle of the Soul”. Its summary reads: “The Riddle of the Will is one of three conundrums posed by the sphinx to instruct you on what constitutes a life. It asks you to find an article bearing “the will to defy ruin.””

Quest page for the Riddle of the Will — The quest page you track throughout, listed as Sage's Wisdom – Riddle of the Will. Image: CAPCOM Co., Ltd. / via @FightinCowboy

Once you have spoken to Polyeidus the first time and taken the “Hunt for clues about the Riddle of the Will.” objective, the log moves through these lines in sequence:

“You sought further advice from Polyeidus.”
“Scour the mountain stronghold for clues.”
“You found a decorative brooch.”
“Escape the mountain stronghold.”
“You escaped the mountain stronghold.”
“Take the decorative brooch to the sage.”

To see your progress at any point, check the current line beneath the quest title in the Pause Menu.

Ask Polyeidus a second time

With the quest sitting at “Hunt for clues about the Riddle of the Will.”, the person in the village to speak to is Polyeidus. He stands at his tent in the Norgandian Settlement, the dark tent marked with a round gold emblem and a brazier out front.

Ask him about the riddle. He suspects the item is somewhere you have already been, so he sends you back to the mountain stronghold. The journal updates in this order: “You sought further advice from Polyeidus.” followed by “Scour the mountain stronghold for clues.”

Reach the Mountain Stronghold

Head up Valgr Ravine, north of the settlement. The area name “Valgr Ravine” appears along the way.

Make your way up the long stone staircase, passing beneath the icicles hanging overhead. At its summit, the area label changes to “Mountain Stronghold”.

Arriving at the Mountain Stronghold — The area label flips to Mountain Stronghold once you crest the icicle stairway. Image: CAPCOM Co., Ltd. / via @FightinCowboy

Battle through the snow-covered courtyard, where enemies remain active even at night. Ghouls in this area may drop “Pulsating Scarthe”. A wide stone staircase, flanked by low posts, climbs from the courtyard.

Before you climb, check the foot of that wide stairway. An ornate wooden chest stands against the wall there, holding a Norgan Portcrystal. You can set it down right there to create a fast travel point at the stronghold.

Find the Decorative Brooch in the chamber

At the top of the broad staircase, slip between the pair of square stone pillars, then ascend a few additional steps over broken masonry. A shadowy chamber without a roof lies beyond, its floor covered in rubble.

The roofless chamber at the top of the stairs — The roofless chamber where Wash and Chrona are waiting at the top of the wide stairs. Image: CAPCOM Co., Ltd. / via @FightinCowboy

Entering the chamber starts a talk with Wash, a commission archer in a hood with a lantern hanging from his belt. When it ends you can move again: cross the chamber toward Chrona, a shield-bearing soldier with a lantern. A small glint with a thin beam of light above it marks the brooch on the floor; stand over it for the prompt “Pick Up” with “Decorative Brooch” written beneath (F on PC). Taking it starts a second scene in which Chrona remarks on it.

When control returns, the banner reads “Sage’s Wisdom – Riddle of the Will / You found a decorative brooch.” and the Decorative Brooch is in your pack. Its item text reads: “A brooch found in the mountain stronghold. Though quite old, it was clearly well-loved, and the stone has not yet lost its luster.” It weighs 0.3 kg and cannot be sold.

You found a decorative brooch banner — The confirmation that the Decorative Brooch is now yours. Image: CAPCOM Co., Ltd. / via @FightinCowboy

Escape the Mountain Stronghold

The fight begins immediately. The quest page explains it plainly: “The moment you discovered the decorative brooch, a horde of monsters stormed the stronghold. You must fight your way to safety.” It shows “No Destination”, so there is no map marker pointing to the exit.

Take care of the chamber enemies first. Blue spectral flames hover as ghouls charge, and a larger foe joins the first wave. Stay toward the edge and whittle them down instead of getting caught in the middle. Ghouls drop “Pulsating Scarthe”; afterward, you can collect “Maleficent Heart” from the floor, while one body holds “Abandoned Supplies (Rare)” and “Fine Harspud Roborant”.

Escape by crossing the rubble. Fallen stone now blocks the arch you used to enter, leaving the wide stairs inaccessible. Head for the large pile of blocks beside the chamber wall, climb the stones sloping against it, then descend the opposite side into the lower courtyard.

Rubble slope out of the chamber — The mound of fallen blocks against the chamber wall, your only route down into the lower courtyard. Image: CAPCOM Co., Ltd. / via @FightinCowboy

Clear the lower courtyard and the pillared ruins beside it. Ghouls come in ones and twos out of the dark. A charging ghoul can be led into a wall, which leaves it open for a moment. Work down through the ruins, past the square pillars, past a barred iron door set in the wall, and out onto the snowy terrace with a wooden spiked barricade.

To check where you are, open the local map. It is titled “Mountain Stronghold” and has floor tabs labeled “B1F”, “1F” and “2F”. On 1F, the chamber is the square room at the map’s top, directly above the courtyard.

When the last ghouls are dead, another scene with Wash and Chrona plays. After it, the banner reads “You escaped the mountain stronghold.” and then “Take the decorative brooch to the sage.”

Give the brooch to the Sphinx and claim the reward

Return to the Sphinx at the Shrine of Wisdom. If you have used the portcrystal there, it appears on the map as “Norgan Portcrystal: Shrine of Wisdom”. Speak to her, choose to answer the Riddle of the Will, and hand over the Decorative Brooch from the Valuables tab.

She accepts it. The reward lines read “+25000 XP” and “20000 G”, and the banner reads “Completed: Sage’s Wisdom – Riddle of the Will”. Walk up behind her, and the stone chest on the terrace can now be opened with “Open”. Inside is an Eternal Wakestone.