You've probably seen them while gliding off the peaks of Jueyun Karst or wandering the marshy reeds of Dihua Marsh. Those glowing, blue-roofed stone gazebos that look like they’re holding something incredibly valuable. Well, they are. But getting into a Genshin Impact Liyue Shrine of Depths isn't as simple as just walking up to the front door and knocking. You need keys. Specifically, Liyue-branded keys that are surprisingly annoying to track down if you aren't paying attention to your quest log or domain rewards.
Honestly, Liyue is a massive region. It’s significantly bigger and more vertically complex than Mondstadt. If you’re hunting for these shrines, you’re basically looking for ten specific spots tucked away in the crags and valleys of the Land of Contracts.
Each one of these shrines contains a Luxurious Chest. That means 40 Primogems, a bunch of Adventure EXP, and some Sigils to trade in at the souvenir shop in Liyue Harbor. If you clear all ten, that’s 400 Primogems. That is enough for two and a half pulls, which might not sound like much until you’re ten pulls away from a pity drop on a limited banner.
Why the Genshin Impact Liyue Shrine of Depths Keys are the Real Bottleneck
You can't buy these keys. You can't craft them at an alchemy bench. You have to earn them through sweat and dragon-fighting. Or, more accurately, by clearing specific one-time domains and finishing certain world quests.
Most players get their first few keys from the domains scattered around the map. Specifically, the "Domain of Forsaken Ruins," "Domain of the Wayward Path," and the "Hidden Palace of Guizang Formula." Don't just rush into these. Some of them have level requirements or specific elemental puzzles that will kick your butt if you show up with a poorly built team. For instance, the Hidden Palace of Guizang Formula requires you to activate Pyro totems in a specific order based on the architecture of the ruins. If you don't have a reliable Pyro archer like Amber or Yoimiya, it's just a lot of running around in circles.
Then there are the quests. "The Chi of Yore" (formerly known as The Chi of Guyun) is a notorious one. It’s long. It’s confusing. It involves a massive fight at the end against multiple Ruin Guards and a Ruin Hunter that can easily wipe your party if you aren't prepared for the missiles. But finishing these big world quests is often the only way to get those final few keys to complete your collection.
Scouring the Map: Where the Shrines Actually Are
Liyue’s geography is a nightmare for the uninitiated.
Let's talk about the one near Stone Gate. It’s tucked away on a cliffside. If you're coming from Mondstadt, you'll likely see it up high on the ridges to your right. You have to climb. A lot. Most people miss it because they're too busy following the main road down to Wangshu Inn.
Another tricky one is hidden in the Guili Plains. It's not out in the open; it's tucked into a rocky crevice near the ruins. If you’re just sprinting through to get to the next teleport waypoint, you’ll run right past it. Liyue rewards the players who actually look behind things.
Down south in the Bishui Plain, there's a Genshin Impact Liyue Shrine of Depths sitting on a small island or rocky outcrop depending on how you view the water levels. Then you’ve got the ones in the Mingyun Village area. That place is a maze of mines and hills. One shrine is perched on a high cliff overlooking the ocean, and if you haven't unlocked the nearby teleport point, it’s a grueling trek.
The Western Peaks and the Wuwang Hill Crawl
Wuwang Hill is creepy. It’s always foggy, the music is unsettling, and it’s full of ghosts and puzzles. Naturally, there's a shrine there. It’s located in the northern section, usually shrouded in that perpetual mist.
Further west, you hit the towering mountains of Minlin. This is where the verticality of Genshin Impact really shines—or frustrates you. There are shrines nestled in the shadows of Mt. Aocang and near the Qingyun Peak area. Pro tip: use the teleport waypoint at the very top of Qingyun Peak (the one you unlock by rotating the three bird statues) and glide down. It is much easier to find a shrine from the air than it is to climb up from the bottom of the valley.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Loot
There’s a common misconception that the loot in these shrines scales with your World Level. Sorta. While the quality of the artifacts and the amount of Mora might see a slight bump, the Primogem count is static. It’s 40. Every time.
Because of this, some players wait until they are World Level 6 or 7 to open them, thinking they’ll get better 5-star artifacts. Honestly? Don't bother waiting. The difference is marginal. Those 400 Primogems are much more useful to you early on when you’re trying to build a roster of characters to actually handle the higher World Levels. Open them as soon as you get the keys.
Also, once you open a shrine, it’s done. It doesn't reset. It doesn't respawn with the monthly server update. Once that blue light goes out and the door stays open, that’s it for your Liyue exploration progress.
Navigating the Terrain Without a Guide
If you’re trying to find every Genshin Impact Liyue Shrine of Depths without using an interactive map, you’re in for a long weekend. The game doesn't mark them for you. You have to stumble upon them.
The best way to do it "naturally" is to follow the Seelie. Often, a Seelie path will lead you past interesting landmarks, and more than once, I’ve found a shrine just because I was chasing a blue floating spirit through a canyon.
Also, look for the glow at night. The shrines have a distinct blue luminescence. If you climb to a high point like the top of Wangshu Inn at night and spin your camera around, you can sometimes spot that faint blue glow in the distance, cutting through the darkness of the Liyue countryside.
Realities of the Grind: The One-Time Domains
Let's get specific about the keys again because that's where people get stuck at 9/10 shrines.
- Domain of Forsaken Ruins: Found in Guili Plains. You need to be Adventure Rank 30.
- Domain of the Wayward Path: Near Lingju Pass. AR 30 required. This one has a puzzle with Geo pillars that can be a bit finicky.
- Hidden Palace of Guizang Formula: Located at Luhua Pool. There are actually two stages here that give keys—one at AR 30 and one at AR 35.
If you’ve done all those and you’re still missing keys, check your quest log. "Treasure Lost, Treasure Found" is a big one. So is "The Chi of Yore." If you haven't talked to Soraya at Wangshu Inn or explored the ruins in the south, you're likely missing out on the quest-locked keys.
Actionable Steps for Your Liyue Cleanup
Don't just wander aimlessly. Liyue is too big for that.
- Audit your keys first. Open your inventory and go to the "Precious Items" tab. Count how many Liyue keys you actually have. If you have zero and you still have shrines to open, you know you need to hit the domains or finish world quests.
- Check the Luhua Pool puzzle. A lot of players see the locked floor at the bottom of the pool and assume it’s just flavor text. It’s not. You have to solve the fire totem puzzle to drop the water level and access the domains that hold your keys.
- Use the Pins. When you see a shrine but don't have a key, mark it on your map immediately. Use a specific icon—like the star or the little house—so you don't forget where it is. There is nothing worse than finally getting a key and realizing you have no idea which mountain that shrine was on.
- Focus on the Northwest. The area around Mt. Aocang and Huaguang Stone Forest is dense with vertical terrain. If you're missing one, it's almost certainly tucked into a cave or on a mid-level ledge in this region.
Once you’ve cracked all ten, you’ll receive the "Sanctuary Pilgrim: Liyue" achievement. It’s a nice little boost to your achievement total and a sign that you’ve truly mastered the exploration of the Geo Archon’s domain. After that, you’re ready to move on to the lightning-scarred cliffs of Inazuma, where the shrines get even harder to find and the keys are even more elusive. But for now, enjoy the loot from the golden fields of Liyue. You earned it.