There are many secrets to discover in Dragon’s Dogma 2. Very few, however, can match this one in terms of creativity, as well as the level of frustration that you’re likely to feel. Here’s our Dragon’s Dogma 2 Sphinx riddles and solutions guide to help you with these conundrums.
How to solve the Sphinx riddles Dragon’s Dogma 2
There are a total of 10 Sphinx riddles in Dragon’s Dogma 2. Every puzzle that you solve nets you a reward from a chest. You can also obtain an even more enticing reward from the larger chest once you solve all the riddles.
Sphinx location #1
To find the Sphinx’s first location, you have to go to the Mountain Shrine, which is well north of Checkpoint Rest Town. Follow the road going north until you reach the Ancient Battleground.
Meeting Oskar in the Ancient Battleground
Once you get past the Ancient Battleground, you’ll meet an NPC named Oskar. He has a quest called Tolled to Rest. Although completing it isn’t required to solve the Sphinx’s riddles in Dragon’s Dogma 2, you might as well tackle the objective along the way.
It simply involves helping Oskar enter the ruins above the hill. Inside the crypt, you’ll even find the Nation’s Death Knell, a grimoire for Trysha or Myrddin.
Going through the Worldsend Cavern
Continue to the top of the ruins until you spot a lone Cyclops. Take it out and climb the ledges along the cliffside area. You’ll find yourself at the Worldsend Cavern, which is a tunnel system that’s filled with phantoms.
Climbing up to the Mountain Shrine
Upon exiting Worldsend Cavern, look to your right to see a series of ledges carved along the cliff. These lead you to the Mountain Shrine and the Sphinx’s lair. We recommend placing a Portcrystal here. You’re going to fast travel back to this area often, so you might as well save some time.
Should you fight the Sphinx?
The Dragon’s Dogma 2 Sphinx is very different from most other boss creatures. That’s because she won’t attack you immediately, and you should be able to speak with her.
We can’t stress this enough, but you should NOT fight the Sphinx at all. Doing so will just cause her to fly away, ending this entire arc before it could even begin.
The first set of Sphinx riddles
These are the Sphinx riddles in the Mountain Shrine:
- Riddle of Eyes
- Riddle of Madness
- Riddle of Wisdom
- Riddle of Conviction
- Riddle of Rumination
How to solve the Riddle of Eyes
Riddle: “Our eyes are our allies, yet oft do they betray, for eyes tell lies, so I advise, and thence do lead astray. Yet how will your eyes advise you? Venture through yonder door and retrieve that which is of greatest value.”
Solution: The Sphinx will open the cracked doorway for you. Inside is a vast tunnel system that’s crawling with hobgoblins and even an Ogre. If you look above the entrance, you’ll see a chest that has a Sealing Phial. This is what you should give the Sphinx. Note that there’s another chest deeper in the chambers, but it’s the incorrect item.
Reward: 1x Wakestone
How to solve the Riddle of Madness
Riddle: “Love is as twin to madness, they say. They are bound fast, as night is to day. So bring forth your most beloved to me, that I might gauge the depth of your insanity.”
Solution: You need to bring the person with whom you have the highest affinity value with (as noted in our romance/affinity guide). For us, it was Ulrika. Although we had also romanced Wilhelmina in our playthrough, we received an achievement notifying us that we maxed out someone’s affinity–and that was when we gave gifts to Ulrika. We did not even need to complete her quests.
In any case, carry whoever that person in your arms. Then, use a Ferrystone to teleport back to the Mountain Shrine. Place that person on the pedestal and tell the Sphinx that they’re your beloved.
Reward: 1x Portcrystal
How to solve the Riddle of Wisdom
Riddle: “The parent knows the child, yet the reverse is far from true. The child knows not the parent; such is the parent’s due. I am a lost child, for kinship do I yearn. So bring to me my parent, that I may learn.”
Solution: This Dragon’s Dogma 2 Sphinx riddle might stump a lot of folks because the solution isn’t as obvious at first glance. Basically, you need to bring a Capcom-made pawn that has “Sphinx” as a moniker:
- If you’ve already tagged a Riftstone of Fellowship, it will allow you to summon pawns with a special moniker.
- Pawns with the following names do work: SphinxParent, SphinxMother, and SphinxFather.
- Just in case other players start making pawns with a similar name, remember that the pawn has to come from Capcom (which you should see at the bottom of the panel).
- Teleport back to the Mountain Shrine and carry the pawn on your shoulders so you can bring them to the dais.
Reward: 1,200x RC
Riddle of Conviction
Riddle: “Life is an enigma–a lender of mortal debt. Yet lighter pack makes fleeter foot and challenge nimbly met. So grant to me what you most prize, and hence elude your ponderous demise.”
Solution: Initially, we thought that this riddle required us to give the Sphinx the most expensive item we had in our inventory. However, any item works. Basically, this riddle will just duplicate any item you give. As such, we recommend choosing something that’s really hard to find or expensive, such as a Portcrystal.
Reward: 1x Portcrystal
Riddle of Rumination
Riddle: “You know of Seeker’s Tokens, I trust? Those keepsakes of a fondly remembered journey? Yet where it was that you found your first? Retrace your steps, if you can–you might make a new discovery.”
Solution: This will be very tricky if you no longer remember where you found your first Seeker’s Token. The Sphinx will also give you just seven in-game days to return to wherever that area might be.
For us, it was the one in a nest atop a small hill. The spot was just north of the campsite outside Melve. Upon going there, we found a Finder’s Token. We then retrieved it and returned to the Sphinx.
Reward: 3x Ferrystone
Sphinx location #2 and Riddle of Reunion
After you’re done with the first set of puzzles (whether you solved them all successfully or failed a few), the Sphinx will fly away. However, she’ll also tell you that she’ll move to a new location: the Frontier Shrine.
To get there, make your way south from the Checkpoint Rest Town. Then, follow the path that lets you cross the river to the west. Continue up the ridge and past the cave until you arrive at the shrine. Don’t forget to plop down a Portcrystal, too.
Note that reaching the Frontier Shrine also counts as a Sphinx riddle in Dragon’s Dogma 2. This is the Riddle of Reunion, and you’ll receive 100,000 gold inside the chest.
Flying on the back of the Sphinx
Believe it or not, it’s possible to ride on the back of the Sphinx. You do need to be quick about it. As soon as the Sphinx finishes talking, jump up and press the “Grab” button. Then, move around her until you’re on her nape (i.e. the back of her neck).
Because the Sphinx flies levelly for several minutes, you should be able to stand on her nape without expending stamina. Just watch out because she’ll do a steep dive once she’s about to enter the cave, which means you have to grab hold of her once more.
Riddle of Differentiation
After reaching the Sphinx’s second location and solving the Riddle of Reunion, it seems that we couldn’t choose which riddle we’d tackle anymore (unlike the first part). As such, we had to do the Riddle of Differentiation when we spoke to her again.
Riddle: “I seek this man. If men are so distinct, I’m sure you’ll meet him in a trice.”
Solution: The Sphinx will show you an image of a tubby red-haired man wearing a white robe, but there are some distinctions, which you should see if you check the History – NPC Logbook:
- Dante – Has straight hair and a straight scar on his eye; found in the market area in Bakbattahl.
- Vergil – Has wavy hair and a jagged scar on his eye; found just past the gate in Checkpoint Rest Town.
After that little Capcom reference, take note of the individual’s look, then go to the location. Once you find the person, carry him and teleport back to the Frontier Shrine.
Reward: Whimsical Daydream – Trickster class weapon
Riddle of Contest
The Sphinx will spawn an armored combatant, and she’ll force you to equip a Ring of Derision. It will weaken all your attacks to the fullest extent, which means you’ll barely do damage.
Solution: Stagger your opponent, then carry them and toss them off the cliff.
Reward: Ring of Ambition – Increases XP gains from defeating enemies.
Riddle of Futility
Riddle: “Here I have an amphora destine for Ser Maurits in Battahl. Deliver it to him, but beware; it’s rather fragile.”
Solution: The goal here is to carry the vase all the way to the location. However, there are some key requirements:
- Because it’s fragile, you can’t let yourself get attacked or it will break instantly. You need to place it down whenever you see enemies in the vicinity.
- If it breaks, the Sphinx will simply fly away and you’ll fail the remaining riddles.
- You cannot fast travel either.
- Those on PC can, hopefully, avoid a migraine by creating a backup save. The save file location is in: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\<user ID>\2054970\remote\win64_save. Copy the three .bat files here to another folder. Make sure you have a backup prior to any encounter that causes the amphora to break accidentally.
Reward: Eternal Bond – Give this ring to an NPC to greatly boost your relationship/affinity with them.
In any case, these are the Dragon’s Dogma 2 Sphinx riddle solutions. These might cause some headaches, so be forewarned.
Fierce foes and loyal companions await you as you journey onward in Dragon’s Dogma 2. For other tips and strategies, you can visit our guides hub.
