While exploring the mysterious areas of the Fontaine region, you'll come across a cryptic Hydro Pillar puzzle in the West Slopes of Mont Automnequi. This puzzle rewards you with a precious chest upon completion; however, solving it isn't a piece of cake even for many Genshin Impact veterans.
These puzzles can be found in different locations in Fontaine, such as West Slopes of Mont Automnequi, Broken Isle, Boiling Lake, and Jueyun Karst, and solving them can reward players with treasure chests, primogems, and other items.
The primary objective of this puzzle is to collect hydrograna and guide them toward the detection crystal. With that said, here's an essential guide to solving the Hydro Pillar puzzle in the West Slopes of Mont Automnequi.
Genshin Impact Hydro Pillar Puzzle Solution
In the West Slopes of Mont Automnequi, you’ll come across two hydro pillar puzzles. The first one can be found on two floating islands at the center of the Silver Bottle Courtyard. At the same time, the second puzzle is hidden beneath a painting easel in the area.
Puzzle 1
To solve the first puzzle, you need a hydrograna that’s close to an open crystal. One of your characters should be wet or have hydro abilities like Mona. You can either hop into the river or use their abilities.
Once you have the hydrograna, wait for it to create a hydro zone around your character. Place the detection crystal within this circle and listen for a bell chime indicating that it’s ready to move toward the next locked detection crystal. Then collect another hydrograna that appears in front of you.
To unlock the final detection crystal, you need to position the other two detection crystals within the zone and repeat the same process. A chest will appear when you unlock all three crystals, and you can open it.
Puzzle 2
Look for three floating hydrograna in that area to solve the second puzzle. Your character needs to be wet for the hydrograna to work. You can get wet by stepping into the river or using a character like Barbara or Mona who can apply hydro elements.
Wait for three hydrograna to form a triangular hydro zone around your character, stand close to one of the detection crystals, and listen for a bell chime. This sound indicates that you have successfully installed a hydro core.
Repeat the process for the last two detection crystals, and make sure to get three hydrograna each time. When you activate all three detection crystals, a chest will pop up that you can open.
The Noxxis Gaming YouTube channel helped us a lot by providing a detailed walkthrough of the puzzle. For a more thorough exploration, don’t miss the video below.
That's everything you need to know about solving Genshin Impact's Hydro Pillar puzzle near the West Slopes of Mont Automnequi.