Enshrouded: How to Solve the Ancient Vault

The barred door inside the Ancient Vault — Hunter stays shut until you light the three runes above it. Each rune is tied to a separate switch spread across the entrance hall, and one of them can only be reached by grappling onto the ceiling. Clear all three and the central chamber opens, giving you access to the ornate chest inside.

Quick answer: Shoot the target switch on the pillar across from the door, press the wall switch in the room that opens behind it, then grapple up to the ledge above the main entrance and press the third switch to unlock the door.

Where to find the Ancient Vault — Hunter

The vault is east of Braelyn Bridge. For a quick approach, take off at the Springlands Ancient Spire on the map’s western side and glide east. You’ll cover about half the distance before landing short; continue east on foot, pass the tower, and keep going until the temple entrance appears.

Map Location — The vault marker sits east of your position on the map, just past Braelyn Bridge. Shown at 00:03 in WoW Quests’s video. Image: Keen Games GmbH

Bring the Grappling Hook and a Glider before you go in. The third switch is out of reach without the hook, and the Glider saves you from fall damage and the floor traps if you miss a jump.

Climb the stone steps into the temple, taking care around the electric floor hazards by the entrance. The locked gate is at the top of the first staircase, with three dark rune indicators overhead.

How to activate all three switches

Face the gate with three lights, then look across at the opposite wall. High on a pillar, you’ll spot a glowing circular target switch. Equip a bow and hit the switch with an arrow to open a nearby metal door on the lower level.

Hitting the First Target Switch — The first switch is a ranged target on the pillar opposite the locked door, triggered with an arrow. Shown at 00:24 in WoW Quests’s video. Image: Keen Games GmbH

Head into the metal doorway that just opened on the left. Inside the small room, look to the wall and press the glowing blue wall switch to light the second rune.

Leave the room and cross to the opposite side of the hall. Climb onto the raised brazier pillar, take a running jump, and grapple across the gap to reach the wire mesh wall.

Grappling and Climbing Up — After grappling across, climb the wire mesh wall up to the higher balcony. Shown at 00:46 in WoW Quests’s video. Image: Keen Games GmbH

Climb the mesh to the upper balcony above the main entrance and interact with the glowing wall switch there. This is the trickiest one to reach, so keep your stamina topped up for the grapple and climb.

Activating the Second Wall Rune — The final switch sits on the upper ledge and must be pressed by hand, not shot. Shown at 00:51 in WoW Quests’s video. Image: Keen Games GmbH

Open the door and loot the chest

Once all three runes are glowing, the central barred door is unlocked. Leave the upper ledge by gliding, return to the main hall while watching for electric traps, and enter the chamber. The open gate and three illuminated indicators above it confirm you succeeded. If only one or two lights seem to show, adjust your camera or position slightly; the viewing angle may hide the lit runes.

Open the ornate chest inside to collect your reward. One run yields the Scout Chest, a Ranger upper-body armor piece. While you are in the vault, there is a second treasure chest tucked higher up that the Grappling Hook reaches, and the Hunter NPC, Athelan Skree, can be found and freed in a side room off the upper floor.

Scout Chest and the gear you need for the puzzle

The Scout Chest is a Ranger chest piece at item level 5. It carries Physical Armor 12 and Magical Armor 12, adds 12 Stamina, and comes with the Ranger 1, Stamina 4, and Vitality Surge 1 perks. The Hunter can craft it once you have rescued her. For comparison, here is how it lines up against the Fur Chest you likely arrive wearing.

Item	Physical / Magical Armor	Item level	Notable
Scout Chest	12 / 12	5	+12 Stamina, Ranger 1
Fur Chest	13 / 7	4	+20 Health, Veteran 1

For the first switch you need any ranged weapon. A bow loaded with Scrap Arrows does the job; each Scrap Arrow deals 12 damage, split evenly between Cutting and Piercing, and the Hunter crafts them 50 at a time. The Grappling Hook, needed for the third switch, costs 40 stamina per use and is crafted at the Workbench, so keep an eye on your stamina bar before attempting the swing from the brazier.