You’re stuck. It happens to everyone who steps into the Warlord’s Ruin dungeon in Destiny 2 for the first time. You’ve just beaten Rathil, the First Broken Knight, and instead of a loot chest and a clear path forward, you’re tossed into a cold, damp cell. The iron bars won't budge. There are tally marks on the walls, skeletons on the floor, and a set of spinning gears that seem to do absolutely nothing when you shoot them. Most players start panic-jumping or shooting everything in sight, but the Warlord’s Ruin prison puzzle is actually a simple math problem dressed up in a medieval horror aesthetic. It’s the first real mechanical hurdle of the dungeon, and if you don't understand how the "tally system" works, you’re going to be sitting in that cage until the next expansion drops.
Honestly, the hardest part isn't the logic; it’s the communication. If you’re playing with a coordinated fireteam, it’s a breeze. If you’re in a "no mic" LFG group? Good luck. You have to understand that the dungeon is trying to teach you a language you'll use later, specifically regarding the direction those gears spin.
The Core Logic of the Warlord’s Ruin Prison Puzzle
Here is the deal. You are in three separate cages. Inside or around those cages, you’ll see skeletal remains. Look closely at the walls or the floor near those skeletons. You’ll find white tally marks etched into the stone. These aren't just background clutter. They are the key to the entire encounter.
The total number of tally marks across all three cells tells you how many times the gears need to be "clicked" or rotated. But there is a massive catch that trips up even veteran raiders: the direction of the spin matters. In Destiny 2, Bungie loves to use visual cues that players ignore. In this case, it’s the way the gears move. Some gears spin clockwise, and others spin counter-clockwise.
Each player is responsible for a specific number of tally marks visible from their perspective. When you shoot the gear in your cell, it starts spinning. If you shoot it again, it stops. The goal is to have the total number of "active" rotations across the whole team match the total number of tallies found in the cells. It sounds complicated when written out, but basically, you’re just counting to a number—usually between five and nine—and making sure the gears are moving in the right direction to reach that sum.
Counting the Tallies and Finding the Skeletons
Don't just start shooting. That's the fastest way to wipe or, worse, annoy your teammates who are trying to count. First, everyone needs to look for the skeletons.
There are usually two skeletons per player area, though sometimes they are tucked away in corners or behind debris. You need to count the tally marks near every skeleton you can see. Sometimes a skeleton has zero tallies. Sometimes it has three. You must call out your total. If Player A sees 3, Player B sees 2, and Player C sees 1, your magic number is 6.
Now, look at the gears. They are large, circular spiked wheels. When you shoot one, it begins to rotate. Pay very close attention to the direction.
- Clockwise rotations are typically considered "positive" or "right" movements.
- Counter-clockwise rotations are "negative" or "left" movements.
Wait. Actually, let's simplify that because the community has mostly settled on a "Right/Left" callout system. If the gear is spinning toward the right, it counts toward the total in one way. If it's spinning toward the left, it counts another. Most teams find it easiest to just agree that "Right" means "Forward" and "Left" means "Backward."
The puzzle isn't solved by just spinning the gears a certain number of times. You have to leave them spinning. The puzzle checks the state of the gears once the lever is pulled. If the total number of right-spinning gears and left-spinning gears matches the tally requirements, the doors pop open. If you’re wrong? You get a face full of spikes or just stay locked in the dark. It’s a binary check.
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Why Your LFG Group Is Probably Failing
The number one reason people fail the Warlord’s Ruin prison puzzle is the "tally bias." Players assume that if they see two tallies, they should hit their gear twice. That’s not how it works.
The tallies represent the net state of the gears. Think of it like a combination lock. If the tally marks are all pointing to the right (clockwise), then the gears need to be spinning clockwise. If they are pointing left, they need to be spinning left.
The tallies are often slanted. If the tally marks slant to the right, that gear needs to spin clockwise. If they slant to the left, it needs to be counter-clockwise. You aren't "spending" the tallies; you are matching the direction they indicate.
If you have a total of 5 right-leaning tallies across the whole room, you need the gears to collectively represent that. Since there are six gears total (two per cell usually, or shared views), you have to coordinate which gears are active. This is why solo runs of Warlord’s Ruin are so much more stressful. When you're solo, you have to find a way to see into the other cells to count their tallies, which usually involves standing in very specific spots near the bars or using a sniper scope to peek through the gaps.
Step-by-Step Execution for Success
Stop moving. Seriously. Just stand still for a second.
- Count everything. Look at every skeleton in your field of vision. Count the scratches on the wall. Shout that number out or type it in chat. "I have 2 right, 1 left."
- Wait for the sum. Once everyone has called out their numbers, you'll have a total. For example: "Total is 4 Right, 2 Left."
- Set the gears. Shoot the gears in your cell until they are spinning in the required directions. If you only need 4 Right total and the team already has 4 spinning, don't touch yours.
- The Lever. Once everyone is ready, one person pulls the lever located on the central pillar outside the cages. You can usually reach it through the bars or by shooting it, depending on your angle.
If you do this correctly, the "Imprisoned" debuff vanishes, and the floor drops or the gates open. If you fail, you take damage. In higher difficulties like Master Warlord’s Ruin, failing this can actually be quite punishing because of the respawn timers and the general annoyance of resetting the logic.
Nuance and Complexity: The Solo Player’s Nightmare
Doing this solo is a different beast. You don't have teammates to tell you what's in the other two cages. You have to do the legwork yourself. You can actually see the other tallies if you position yourself correctly against the bars.
It’s a bit of a "cheese" or just clever positioning, but you can see the tallies in the adjacent cells by looking through the gaps in the floor or the side walls. Most solo players use a high-zoom weapon to be 100% sure. One wrong count and you’ve wasted a minute of your life.
There is also the matter of the "Master" version of the dungeon. The mechanics don't change—the math is still the math—but the pressure is higher. You’re often dealing with more aggressive visual clutter, and the penalty for a wrong guess can lead to a wipe if you aren't careful with your health.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Run
To make sure you never get stuck in the Warlord’s Ruin prison puzzle again, keep these three things in mind.
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First, designate a counter. Don't have three people talking at once. Have one person collect the numbers and give the orders. "Okay, we need 5 gears spinning clockwise. Player 1, do both of yours. Player 2, do both of yours. Player 3, do one."
Second, use your emotes. If you don't have a mic, use the "Point" emote or "Dance" emote to signal when you’ve finished setting your gears. It’s a universal language in Destiny 2.
Third, look for the slant. The direction of the tally marks (leaning left or leaning right) is the most skipped detail by new players. They see "three lines" and think "three spins." They don't realize the lines are leaning. The lean is the instruction. Right lean = Clockwise. Left lean = Counter-clockwise.
The puzzle is a gatekeeper. It’s meant to slow you down and force you to look at the environment. Once you stop treating it like an obstacle and start treating it like a simple counting game, you’ll clear it in under thirty seconds every single time. Now get out of that cage and go deal with the Locus of Wailing Grief. That fight is going to be much harder than a few scratches on a wall.
Mastering this puzzle is just the beginning of the dungeon's mechanical depth. As you move deeper into the mountain, you'll encounter the corruption-passing mechanic and the freezing "Biting Cold" debuff. Both of these rely on the same spatial awareness you practiced in the prison. If you can't count tallies under pressure, you're going to struggle when the literal blizzard starts hitting your HUD. Pay attention to the details now so you don't pay for it with your Ghost later. Go get your Buried Bloodline. It's waiting.