Master The Ritual Stones Puzzle in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum

After losing the One Ring in a game of riddles, Gollum sets out to reclaim it in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. His search leads him to Mordor where he is captured and imprisoned by Sauron's forces. Though he manages to escape, he is taken to the Mirkwood by a group of Elves before he can regain his freedom. In an attempt to escape once more, Gollum forms an alliance with a blind Elf named Mell who assigns him the task of solving the Ritual Stone puzzle in chapter eight of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.

Upon reaching the edge of the Mirkwood's Haze in Chapter 8: Her Eyes, Gollum and Mell are faced with a significant puzzle that must be solved before they can leave. The puzzle involves six nearby Ritual Stones, and players must tackle it before the story can progress.

Once they reach the tree at the center of the Ritual Stones, Mell shares a chilling memory of her last visit to this region of the Mirkwood, where six of her companions met their ends. In order to move forward, Mell must recall where each of her companions stood before their demise. However, since she is unable to see, Gollum must take the lead in solving the puzzle.

Before Gollum can begin searching for the solution, players must choose between two options - either cautiously closing their eyes or trusting Mell's instincts. Either choice will lead to the same outcome, so players have the freedom to select whichever option they prefer.

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Eristor, the Elf with the staff, plays an important role in uncovering what happened to Mell's friends. Once players regain control of Gollum, they can activate Gollum Sense to reveal the path each Elf took. This is indicated by a series of glowing blue swirls that lead to clues on who made the tracks.

To find Eristor's Staff, Gollum can follow the first blue swirls to the east and around the tree. On the other hand, heading in the opposite direction leads to the northwest Ritual Stone, which players must interact with and select the Elf with staff option.

Once Eristor's location is revealed, players can freely explore the area to locate where the other five Elves were originally positioned. If players have trouble identifying where each clue leads, they can refer to the in-game map to confirm the positioning of each Ritual Stone.

One of the Elves, Dondopher, is depicted holding a knife as seen in

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Traveling northwest of the tree, Gollum will come across a tranquil little lake. As he approaches, he notices a dark red substance splattered across the ground. It's Blood. Curiosity getting the better of him, Gollum jumps into the lake and dives down to the bottom. He's surprised to find the Hilt of a blade resting there.

Following the trail back to the Ritual Stones, Gollum spots a Knife wedged between the western and southwestern stones. Mell informs him that the blade belonged to Dondopher.

As you venture further down the trail, you'll eventually come across the southwest Ritual Stone. Once you reach it, you'll need to interact with it and select the option to use the Elf with knife.

In your journey south from the Ritual Stone, you'll stumble upon a small stone bridge where Turien's Boots await, left behind by the barefoot She-Elf herself.

Turning towards the smaller lake in the east, players can spot the Footprints clue beside the yellow flowers at the water's edge. By using Gollum Sense, the tracks left behind by these Footprints can be easily traced back to the southeast Ritual Stone. Here, players should opt for the Barefoot She-Elf option to proceed further.

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Traveling towards the northern part of the western lake, Gollum will come across a tree branch that he can easily jump to and climb. From there, he needs to leap onto the branch directly behind it, turn right and jump onto the vines on the wall. Upon reaching the top of the vines, he will finally find Celon's Bow waiting for him.

To locate the other two Elves, Gollum must make his way back to the lake in the southeast corner of the area. Using the stepping stones, he can reach the small island at the center of the lake. Once there, he can interact with the stone Faces by approaching the large stones.

Following the trail towards the east, the Feathers clue can be found on the slightly red section of the ground. Upon interaction, Mell will inform Smeagol that the only Elf who didn't wear feathers was Cethil, who had beautiful braids instead. After that, players must follow the blue swirls back to the tree and interact with the eastern Ritual Stone. They must then select the She-Elf with feathers option to progress further.

After discovering the first five Elf locations, players have the option to interact with the Ritual Stone in the northeast and select the She-Elf with braids to solve the puzzle. Once solved, Mell will speak the necessary words to clear the Haze, finally allowing her and Gollum to escape the Mirkwood.

If players have not yet found the Collectible in the area, they should head south and cross the small stone bridge where Turien's Boot was discovered. From there, Mell will make her way towards the exit. However, it's worth noting that Gollum can be found directly south of the bridge, and he can lead players to a hidden area between two large trees. Following the path will eventually lead to a dead end where the Shard Collectible can be found lying on the ground.

Players will face a pivotal moment as the chapter draws to a close, where a multiple-choice scenario presents itself: should they lull Mell to sleep or make her leave? The decision made will greatly impact the outcome of Chapter 9, so careful consideration is advised.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is currently available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, with a Nintendo Switch release slated for later this year.