Queen's Domain Walkthrough: From the Campfire to the Mausoleum

Talk to the soldiers around the campfire at the start and they give you the rusty sword. Break the wooden planks blocking the way to the safe point, rush past the enemies and grab the Dagger Belt as soon as you can. The belt sits on the rocky islets by the shipwreck off the beach, and it is the single most useful early item in the game, because throwing daggers make combat manageable, open the first switch, kill the Eye Blooms and pull enemies out of range without spending stamina.

The early weapons guide has every pickup in that first hour.

The Crypt is in the clearing northwest of the first Crystal Monument, and its stone door has a small diamond-shaped target beside it. Equip throwing daggers and hit the target, throwing daggers at the laser flowers on the way as well. At the bottom of the stairs are the Endu Shrine Gate Key and the Wooden Club, and there is an elevator back up near the safe point.

The shrine is the locked building near the start, and its lever starts the fight. The Guardian is a heavily armored skeleton that is weak to impact, so the Wooden Club beats the rusty sword. Its overhead swing reaches much further than it looks, so step well back and punish the recovery. Beating it gives you the Holy Sword Endu with the first Wind Gem for one mid-air Wind Dash, and that dash is how you reach every new area from then on.

Go east, wind dash across the bridge to the Tower of Knowledge approach, and take the Azure Torch from the gargoyle statue there. You need it to light the gargoyle beacons later.

From the first save point head up the hill and wind dash across, looping around to the second save point high up. Then climb the rocks between the pillars and fly over to the second Wind Gem.

At the same pillars, leap up to a little blue lantern, then dash across to a broken stairway where the statue stands guarded by skeletons, and light it.

A higher area opens above the first save point with an elevator back to ground level. Wrap north from the elevator to find the second statue in an alcove by a locked gate facing the sea, and light it.

Head east to where you first fought a centipede, wind dash twice to cross the broken bridge and reach the third save point, which puts you in the flooded ruins area.

There are four of them. One is behind the circular pool of small red fish, turning east. One is on the broken columns to the west of that pool. One is on an octagonal stone in the lower western corner, reached by dropping down from the area where the Trident lies. The last is on the large broken platform in the middle, which you must wind dash to. The skeletons there wake when you land, but you can grab the slate and jump straight off. Take all four to the sealed door at the back, on the four sockets that form a diamond, to open Obmuer Temple. The Trident sits on the statue beside that door and needs two Wind Dashes in a row to reach.

The puzzle guide has the other locks and switches.

In the first flooded cavern, drop to the explorer's note by the ledge with flowing water, clear the Glaucisions and take the Sapphire key from the wall, use it on the one-lock door on the left, and then save at the crystal monument behind that door.

At the big pit, look down for two round openings and wind dash into the open one on the left. Kill the toxic Homopiscium and the two that follow you out of the water, follow the path to the staircase, defeat the Skeletal Soldiers and crossbowmen at the top, then take the Emerald key from the rocks and use it on the grate leading to the Sacred Cistern crystal monument. The third Wind Gem is in the same area, giving three air dashes in total, and that is what lets you cross the large pit near the save point.

From the save point room head into the large cavern and fight Yepo, Erda and Wami of the Royal Orbewa Guard. The three mini-bosses are spread across the upper water, the lower water and the dry slope at the back, and all three must die before the boss door opens, so restock on healing first because they drain healing items.

Dagoom the Sea King waits behind that door. Hit the backs of his legs to knock him over, burn him with the Azure Torch, clear his fish with the Splash Hammer special from the temple chest, and wind dash out of the poison pools and his whirlpool. After Dagoom, leave the dungeon and light the third outdoor beacon on the way out. A fast travel point next to it takes you back to the beginning area, near the second beacon and the locked gate.

The boss guide has the tactics for each fight.

Now go to the Tower of Knowledge: light gargoyles III and VII on the numbered balcony, take the Storm Gem, rotate the stairway and get the Forbidden Archives Key from Budaen, beat the Necronomicon and take the Acid Vial, then use the acid daggers to pop the face in the wall of flesh next to Budaen. That opens the path out to the mausoleum and the big door near the campfire soldiers you met at the very beginning.

Beyond that the route continues through Deimpo Mausoleum with its six green Puwema sigils, the Mask of Second Sight and the bosses Poenir and Duenir, then Unok's Remains and the fissure to the Ancient World, the three pyramid power towers that open the bridge to Siraatsu Castle, and the castle's three interior bosses before Queen Siraatsu.

The area unlock order shows in the achievement names: Obmuer Temple for Ocean Walk, Tower of Knowledge for Endless Pages, Deimpo Mausoleum for Unsealed Tomb, Ancient World for Genesis, Siraatsu Castle for Halls of Hatred, Forgotten Dungeon for Dark Silence, Verdant Hollow for Sacred Groves, and Rotting Cavern for Deep Swamp.

The Tower of Knowledge walkthrough has that part in full.

The order that keeps you from getting lost is shrine, then Wind Gems and beacons, then Obmuer Temple, then the Tower of Knowledge. The route is a loop rather than a line: you leave the starting area, return to it several times, and every new ability opens a gate you passed earlier.

Before you start, carry throwing weapons and healing items, and be willing to explore every corner. Herbs and elixirs are plentiful and should be used freely, especially against bosses. An impact weapon matters too, because the Wooden Club from the crypt is ideal against skeletons, including the Shrine Guardian. A stock of throwing weapons is optional but helpful: daggers, piercing daggers and occult knives make the Dagoom and Necronomicon fights much easier, and the occult knives drop from the trapdoor in the Tower of Knowledge.

A full run is long. The game was built as a 40-plus-hour experience for most players, and early progress reports put players halfway through the island's ten areas at 10 to 16 hours.