Ritual Preparations is the 106th main quest in Crimson Desert, kicking off early in Chapter 8 (Blood Coronation) as part of the Ashen Steps sub-chapter. After completing the preceding quest, A Bond, Maegu tasks you with recovering three ritual items from a beach littered with shipwrecks in the Hernand region. Two of the three are straightforward pickups, but the Censer requires you to use Nature's Grasp — and the timing can trip you up if you don't know what to expect.
Quick answer: The three items are the Talisman (northern edge of the search area), the Censer (hidden beneath the large shipwreck — lift it with Nature's Grasp and lock it in place), and the Bells (southern edge of the search area). All three sit on the sand within the yellow-marked zone on your map.
Reading the shipwreck's memories (first objective)
Before the three items become available, you need to complete the quest's first objective. Head to the beach and clear out the enemies inside the small orange search area on your minimap. Once the area is safe, equip your lantern and aim it at the ground near the center of the search zone. You're looking for faint blue ghostly outlines — when you spot them, hold your focus on them until the "Learning in Progress" pop-up appears and you learn Memory of the Kidnapped Witches.
After that, Kliff automatically equips the Visione helmet to read the memory fragment. You can also trigger this manually through your inventory by selecting the Visione, then navigating to Demeniss and choosing Memory of the Kidnapped Witches. Once the memory plays out, a new, larger search area appears around the shipwrecks, and the item retrieval objective activates.
All three Maegu item locations
The three items are spread across the north, center, and south of the yellow-marked search zone. You can collect them in any order, but the table below lists them from simplest to most involved.
| Item | Location | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Talisman | Northern edge of the search area, in front of a shipwreck | Pick it up off the sand — no special action needed |
| Bells | Southern edge of the search area, on the beach | Pick it up off the sand — scan the ground carefully |
| Censer | Underneath the large wooden shipwreck with the locked front door | Lift the wreck with Nature's Grasp, lock it in the air, then grab the Censer from the center |
Talisman — northern shipwreck
Head to the northern part of the yellow zone. You'll see a shipwreck partially buried in the sand. The Talisman is sitting on the ground right in front of it. Make sure you've dealt with any remaining enemies in the area first, since combat can interrupt the pickup prompt. The map marker points directly to this spot, so it's hard to miss.
Censer — beneath the large shipwreck
This is the one that catches most players off guard. The Censer is trapped underneath a big wooden shipwreck that has a locked front door you can't open normally.
Step 1: Stand near the shipwreck and activate Nature's Grasp (Y + B on controller). This lifts the entire wreck off the ground.
Step 2: While the wreck is suspended, press X (controller) to select the "Lock" option. This freezes the shipwreck in the air for several seconds, giving you a window to move underneath it.
Step 3: Run to the center of where the shipwreck was resting. The Censer is on the ground in the middle section. You do not need to enter the ship itself — just grab it from underneath.
Bells — southern beach
Walk to the southern edge of the yellow-marked search area. The Bells are sitting in the sand along the beach. They can be slightly hard to spot because they blend into the ground, so move slowly and watch for the interaction prompt. Like the Talisman, no special abilities are required — just pick them up.
Completing the ritual after collecting all three items
Once you have the Talisman, Censer, and Bells in your inventory, head back to the altar where you lit the stone lanterns during the earlier A Bond quest. When you arrive, interact with the altar and select the "Examine" prompt. This triggers the ritual sequence and completes the Ritual Preparations quest. No reward is granted for finishing this mission, but it advances the Blood Coronation storyline and unlocks the next quest in the chain.
The Censer is the only item that demands any real problem-solving — the other two are simple ground pickups at opposite ends of the search zone. If you're having trouble spotting the Talisman or Bells, try adjusting your camera angle downward and walking slowly through the sand until the interaction prompt appears. The yellow search boundary on your minimap keeps you from wandering too far off course.