Look, let’s be real. Search in the Algae Sea is easily one of the most frustrating yet visually stunning world quests Hoyoverse has ever dropped in Genshin Impact. If you’ve spent any time in the Morte Region of Fontaine, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re trying to follow the Narzissenkreuz Adventure Team’s story, which is already a tangled web of lore involving a talking dog and a tiny Oceanid, and suddenly you're hit with four massive environmental puzzles that feel like a high-stakes physics exam.
It’s a long one. Seriously.
Most players stumble into this while trying to wrap up the "Narzissenkreuz Ordo" questline. You've basically got to find four seals to weaken a barrier around the Tower of Ipsissimus. It sounds simple on paper, but the actual search in the Algae Sea Genshin players experience is usually marked by "Where the heck is the flow mechanism?" and "Why won't this beam hit the right sensor?"
The Absolute Chaos of Orthant Puzzles
If you want to clear this quest, you have to master the Orthant puzzles. These are those massive, glowing blue circuits on the floor that require you to "release" and "direct" energy flows. Honestly, the game doesn't do a great job of explaining that these are essentially plumbing puzzles for light. You find a machine, you hit it to make the energy flow, and you follow the glowing lines.
There are four locations: the Orthant of Faith, Wisdom, Memory, and Soul.
Each one has its own vibe. The Orthant of Souls is usually the one that trips people up first because it involves moving elevators. You'll find yourself standing there, looking at a sealed gate, wondering if you missed a switch three floors back. You probably did. The trick is to always look for the "Release" prompt on the central machines. If the light isn't moving, you haven't interacted with the start point.
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I’ve seen a lot of people complain that the quest feels like busywork. I get it. Walking back and forth across a massive underwater ruin isn't everyone's idea of a fun Friday night. But the payoff is the lore. We’re talking about the fate of the Narzissenkreuz Institute and the fundamental structure of Fontaine’s history. If you skip the dialogue, you’re just moving blue juice through pipes. If you read it, you’re witnessing the tragic downfall of a group of kids who tried to stop the apocalypse.
Tackling the Orthant of Memory and Faith
Let's break down the Memory and Faith sections because they’re the heavy hitters. In the Orthant of Memory, you’re dealing with a lot of verticality. You have to use the elevators to bring the energy flow down to the central hub. It’s annoying. You’ll have to defeat some Clockwork Meka along the way, so bring a team that can handle Fontaine's Ousia/Pneuma mechanics if you want to make it easy on yourself.
The Orthant of Faith is a bit more straightforward but requires some swimming. Since half of this quest takes place in the underwater zones of the Morte Region, make sure you’ve grabbed the Xenochromatic Jellyfish ability. It is, hands down, the best tool for these ruins. You can throw the bomb, detonate it remotely, and hit switches that are behind bars or across gaps.
Why does everyone get stuck at the seals? Usually, it's because they forget to look up.
Hoyoverse loves hiding the final "interact" point on a platform above the central machine. Once all the energy flows meet in the middle, you have to physically go to the top of the device and check the seal. Only then does the quest progress. If you’re just standing on the ground waiting for a cutscene, you’ll be there until the Snezhnaya update.
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The Tower of Ipsissimus and the Real Search
After you’ve done the four-corner tour of the ruins, you head back to the Tower of Ipsissimus. This is where the search in the Algae Sea Genshin quest hits its emotional peak. The tower starts to sink. It’s a literal ticking clock moment.
The narrative here is dense. You’re dealing with Caterpillar (the Hilichurl boy), Ann, and Seymour. If you haven't done the prerequisite quests like "Ann of the Narzissenkreuz" or "Ancient Colors," a lot of this will fly over your head. You might even find yourself locked out of starting this quest entirely if those aren't finished.
Common Roadblocks You’ll Hit
- The "In Use" Bug: Sometimes a character is "busy" with another quest. Check your quest log for anything involving Mary-Ann or the Melusines.
- The Missing Flow: If the energy line is red, something is blocking it. Usually, a gate is closed or a machine hasn't been rotated.
- Underwater Navigation: Use the "T" key (or your console equivalent) to track the quest objective specifically. The mini-map in Fontaine's underwater caves is notoriously deceptive.
It's also worth noting that the Morte Region has some of the highest treasure chest density in the game. While you're doing the "search," keep an eye out for those breakable rock walls. There are several Hydroculi hidden behind the Orthant puzzles that you won't be able to reach easily once the quest environment changes.
Why This Quest Matters for Fontaine’s Lore
The Narzissenkreuz Ordo isn't just a side story. It's the backbone of the entire Fontaine world-building. It explains the "Prophecy" from a different angle than the Archon Quest. While Neuvillette and Furina are dealing with the political and divine fallout, this quest shows you the human (and non-human) cost of trying to rewrite fate.
Basically, it’s about a group of orphans who became obsessed with a "World Formula" to calculate the future. They weren't necessarily evil, just desperate. When you finally reach the end of the Algae Sea questline, you realize that the "sea" isn't just water—it’s a metaphor for the Primordial Sea and the collective memory of the land.
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The quest design is intentionally cyclical. You go to four points, return to the center, and then dive deeper. It mirrors the Ordo’s belief in the cycle of civilizations. Or maybe I'm overthinking it and they just wanted us to spend three hours doing puzzles. Either way, the final boss fight at the end of this chain is a spectacle. No spoilers, but make sure your healers are built.
Crucial Tips for Success
Don't rush. If you try to speed-run the search in the Algae Sea Genshin quest, you're going to miss a switch and spend twenty minutes backtracking through identical-looking stone corridors.
- Look for the mirrors. There are several "Looking Glass" portals in these ruins. They aren't always part of the main quest, but they lead to the "Secret Summer Paradise" style dimensions that offer extra rewards and lore snippets.
- Toggle the elevators. If a light beam stops at an elevator, the elevator needs to be on the same level as the beam. It sounds obvious, but in the heat of a fight with three Meka, it’s easy to forget.
- Read the stones. There are ancient inscriptions scattered throughout the Orthants. They give you the "codes" for the puzzles if you're stuck, usually hinting at the order of operations.
Honestly, just take a breath. The music in this area is some of Yu-Peng Chen’s (and the HOYO-MiX team’s) best work. It’s melancholic, vast, and perfectly captures the feeling of being in a sunken civilization that’s been forgotten by time.
Moving Toward the Conclusion of the Ordo
Once the Algae Sea portion is finished, you’ll transition into "Saviors' Wake." This is the home stretch. The Tower of Ipsissimus will change permanently after this. If you’re a completionist, take pictures of the tower while it’s still standing above water. Once the quest is done, the landscape of the Morte Region changes for good.
The rewards are pretty decent too. You get a fair amount of Primogems, but the real prize is the "Sword of Narzissenkreuz." It’s a unique weapon that can change its alignment between Pneuma and Ousia. This is incredibly helpful for players who don't want to constantly swap characters to solve Fontaine's open-world puzzles. To change the sword’s alignment, you just head back to the little fountain in the Narzissenkreuz Ordo hub.
To finish this quest efficiently, keep your party mobile. Characters like Furina (who can walk on water) or Neuvillette (who has increased underwater sprint speed) make the travel time between the four Orthants much less painful. If you don't have them, Lynette is a solid F2P option for the Ousia puzzles.
Actionable Next Steps:
Check your quest log for "Tidings of the Narzissenkreuz." If you don't see it, head to the Institute of Natural Philosophy and read the book on the table to teleport to the Ordo's hidden room. This is the starting point for everything. Once you’re inside the ruins, focus on one Orthant at a time—don't try to "half-complete" them or you'll lose track of which elevators you've moved. Prioritize the Orthant of Souls first, as it’s the most mechanically complex and best to get out of the way while your brain is still fresh. Finally, make sure you have at least 90 minutes of uninterrupted playtime; this isn't a quest you want to stop and start halfway through a puzzle.