Obtaining any powerful artifact in the Sea of Thieves is a challenging task. The Orb of Secrets is no different. You’ll need to defeat waves of Obsidian Skeletons and, more importantly, solve an Ancient puzzle to acquire one. These Ancient puzzles, Constellation Puzzles, will test your mastery of the Constellations that make up the starry sky above the Sea of Thieves.
Constellation Puzzle
The Constellation Puzzle is a matching puzzle that requires you to align several Constellations on a Star Chart using a Stargazer and Wheel. To align a Constellation, you must first search for its star pattern using the Stargazer’s Search mode. Once you find it, you can align the Constellation by drawing the pattern with the Stargazer’s Focus mode. Drawing the complete pattern will match and solve the Constellation for the puzzle.
The Constellation Puzzle has no time limits, and you can attempt as many times as you need to solve it. Completing the puzzle will open the Temple Crypt, which holds the Orb of Secrets.
You can find Constellation Puzzles in the Ancient Temple below any Skeleton Camp in the Sea of Thieves.
How to solve the Constellation Puzzle
To solve the Constellation Puzzle, you must first activate the puzzle by lighting the Stargazer in the middle of the Ancient Temple. Once you light the Stargazer, the Constellations you need to find will reveal themselves on the Spinning Stones around the temple. The Constellations you need to find are random and different each time, so you’ll only know what Constellations you need to discover once you activate the puzzle.
Activating the puzzle will also allow you to interact with the Star Chart using the Stargazer, which you’ll need to do to find the Constellations.
Now that the puzzle is activated, you must use the Stargazer to match three specific Constellations in the Star Chart. The three Constellations you are looking for are on the row of three Spinning Stones above the Temple Crypt door. Aligning these three Constellations will complete the puzzle and open the Temple Crypt.
There are other smaller Constellations on additional Spinning Stones around the temple. Aligning these Constellations will open Ancient stone coffers filled with Gold Piles. However, they are optional and not required to complete the puzzle.
Aligning the Constellations
To align a Constellation, you must find and draw the Constellation’s pattern in the Star Chart with the Stargazer.
The Stargazer has two modes: Search and Focus.
The Search mode uses the large lens on the Stargazer, helping you find Constellations and revealing the pattern of stars you need to draw.
The Focus mode uses the small lens on the Stargazer and allows you to highlight and draw the Constellation’s pattern. Completing a pattern will solve the Constellation for the puzzle.
Search Mode
By default, the Stargazer is in Search mode. When searching, shine the Stargazer over groups of stars to reveal the pattern that forms the Constellation. Revealing the Constellation will also show lines that connect the stars to create the pattern, making it easier to remember which stars are necessary for the Constellation.
Once you reveal the pattern of stars that form a Constellation, you can switch to Focus mode by holding down the Right Trigger or Left Mouse Button.
Focus Mode
Once in Focus mode, only shine the Stargazer over the stars that belong to the Constellation. When you shine a correct star, you will activate it, and it will light up. You’ll also hear a queue telling you you’ve shined the correct star.
After you shine one star in the pattern, stay in Focus mode and continue to shine the stars in the pattern.
Once you complete a pattern, the corresponding Constellation will glow on the Spinning Stone, marking it solved.
You can activate the stars in Focus mode in any order. However, you will cancel your current drawing of the pattern if you shine a star that is not part of the Constellation and have to start over. You will hear a queue telling you you’ve shined an incorrect star.
If you need to remember which stars to shine for the Constellation, don’t worry. You can always switch back to Search mode and reveal the stars for the Constellation again. You can also refer to the Constellation symbol on the Spinning Stones. Each symbol has bright green dots representing the stars that make up the Constellation’s pattern, with lines connecting them.
Constellation Pattern Example
So, if you need to find and draw the Fox Constellation, you’ll first use the Stargazer’s Search mode to find the group of stars in the Star Chart that includes the Fox Constellation.
After you reveal the seven stars that make the pattern of the Fox Constellation, you’ll use the Focus mode to shine the Stargazer only on those stars.
As soon as you activate all seven stars that make up the Fox Constellation, you will have solved that Spinning Stone.
The Wheel
As you scan the Star Chart with the Stargazer, looking for Constellations, you might notice that pillars and rocks obstruct some of the Star Chart. These obstructions can prevent you from submitting your solutions. That’s where the Wheel behind the Stargazer comes in. You can use the Wheel to rotate the Star Chart around the room, moving hidden stars to a clear view.
While you initially might swivel the Stargazer around the Ancient Temple looking for Constellations, there is a much simpler way to find them.
Point the Stargazer to the front of the Star Chart, above the row of three Spinning Stones, and vertically align the lens in the center of the Star Chart. Now, use the Wheel to rotate the Star Chart. As the Star Chart rotates, the Stargazer will automatically reveal Constellations as the Star Chart moves under its light. When you see a Constellation in the Star Chart you are looking for, stop moving the Wheel and return to the Stargazer to use Focus mode and solve the pattern.
False Constellations
You’ll also need to be mindful of the Constellations in the Ancient Temple, as you might find one that isn’t on a Spinning Stone. You won’t be able to solve these non-existent Constellations.
Orb of Secrets
If you solve the Constellation Puzzle as the crew of the Burning Blade, the Temple Crypt will immediately open to reveal the Orb of Secrets. You must then light all four braziers around the Orb of Secrets before interacting with the orb.
Once you’ve lit all four braziers, you can interact with the Orb of Secrets to complete the Ritual. The Orb of Secrets will automatically transfer to the Burning Blade, adding Ancient Knowledge and increasing its value when you hand it to Flameheart.
If you are not pledged to the Burning Blade, you must defeat waves of Obsidian Skeletons before the Temple Crypt will open. Once you’ve completed the waves of foes, the Temple Crypt will open, and you can pick up the Orb of Secrets. You’ll need to carry it back to your ship and sell it to one of the Trading Companies to earn 20,000 Gold.
