You're standing in front of a shimmering blue barrier in Sumeru, or maybe you're stuck in a damp cave in Inazuma, and that annoying prompt pops up. It tells you to try to lift the seal Genshin players have been obsessing over since the 3.0 update. It's frustrating. You’ve hit it with every element. You’ve jumped around like a maniac. Nothing.
The truth is, this specific objective usually refers to the "Legends of the Stone Lock" world quest or the complex puzzles found within the Enkanomiya and Fontaine regions. It isn't just one seal. It’s a mechanic. If you’re looking at a stone pillar wrapped in green energy, you’re dealing with the Aradasha seals. If it's a massive dome in the middle of the desert, you're likely looking for Primal Ember torches.
Honestly, the game doesn't do a great job of explaining the "how" here. It just expects you to know that Dendro interacts with specific ancient stone locks. You need a Pyro character. Wait, no—usually you need Dendro and then a follow-up. Let's break down exactly what's happening when the game tells you to go lift these things.
The Sumeru Stone Locks: Why You Need Pyro
Most people search for this because of the Legends of the Stone Lock quest in Sumeru. You'll find these jagged, grey stone pillars wrapped in green vines. They look ancient. They look immovable. The quest log simply says "try to lift the seal," and it drives people crazy because the vines look like they should react to Dendro.
They don't. Use Pyro.
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Actually, hit them with any Pyro attack—Amber's charged shot or Bennett's skill—and the green shackles burn away. Once you destroy all the locks in a specific area, a Ruin machine wakes up. It’s usually a Ruin Grader or a Ruin Guard. You have to kill it to "officially" clear that seal. There are 16 of these locations hidden across the rainforest. 16! That is a lot of backtracking through the woods.
If you’ve cleared a few and nothing happened, it’s probably because you missed one hidden in a cave. There's one particularly nasty one behind a music-gated wall. You need the Vintage Lyre for that. You play the "Rhythm of the Beastly Trail" to open the path. If you don't have the Lyre yet, stop trying to lift the seal and go finish the Aranyaka questline first. Seriously. That quest is longer than some entire games, but it's the master key to Sumeru.
The Aranyaka Connection
You cannot separate the act of lifting seals from the Aranara. These little cabbage-like forest spirits are the ones who put the seals there to begin with. They were locking away the "Marana," which is basically the magical cancer of the forest.
When you try to lift the seal Genshin quest markers point you toward, you're essentially undoing an ancient safety lock. This is why the Aranara, specifically Aradasha, get mentioned. If you haven't talked to the Aranara in Vanarana, the seals might be interactable, but you won't get the hidden achievement or the final quest trigger.
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Hidden Seal Locations You Probably Missed
- Pardis Dhyai Cave: This one is deep underground. You need to follow the stream.
- North of Gandharva Ville: It's tucked behind a cliffside.
- Devantaka Mountain: Inside the giant Ruin Hunter's arm area.
Dealing with the Barriers in Fontaine and Inazuma
Sometimes, "lifting the seal" isn't about stone locks at all. If you're in Fontaine, you're looking at pneumousia mechanics. You see a block glowing purple or gold. You hit it with the opposite color. Simple? Kinda. But when there are three of them and they have a timer, it gets annoying fast.
In Inazuma, especially on Watatsumi Island, lifting seals involves those rotating cube puzzles. You’re trying to make them all face the same direction. Or, if you're in Enkanomiya, you're looking for Key Sigils. You find a symbol on a wall, you match it to a sigil in your inventory, and the seal vanishes.
The game uses the word "seal" for everything. It's a catch-all term for "we blocked the path and you need to do a chore to pass."
Why the Prompt Won't Go Away
Sometimes you do everything right. You burn the locks. You kill the Ruin Guard. The chest spawns. But the map still feels... unfinished. This is usually because some seals are "layered." In the "Silently the Butterfly Crosses the Valley" quest in Chenyu Vale, lifting the seal involves catching butterflies. It's a totally different vibe.
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If the prompt to try to lift the seal Genshin is stuck in your log, check your inventory. Do you have a quest item like a "Rust-Worn Key" or a "Strange Stone"? Often, the physical seal is just the final step of a three-hour fetch quest you started by accident while picking flowers.
Nuance: The Level of your Elements
Does it matter what level your Pyro character is? Not for the stone locks. A level 1 Amber burns those vines just as well as a C6 Hu Tao. Don't waste your resources leveling a character just to break a seal. The only thing that matters is the element. However, once the seal is lifted, the Ruin machine that spawns will be scaled to your World Level. If you're at World Level 8, that Ruin Grader is going to have a lot of HP. Be ready for a fight immediately after the seal breaks.
Step-by-Step Action Plan for the 16 Sumeru Locks
- Get a Map: Use the Teyvat Interactive Map. Don't try to find all 16 by memory. You will lose your mind.
- Bring a Bow: Using a Pyro archer (Amber or Yoimiya) is ten times faster than running up to every pillar with Bennett.
- Check the Underground: Half of these are in the cave systems near Devantaka Mountain and the Mawtiyima Forest.
- The Final Fight: Once all 16 are dead, go to the cave where you first met Aradasha. You'll have to fight a Perpetual Mechanical Array. It’s a boss fight, essentially.
Final Check for Other "Seals"
If you aren't in Sumeru, check these specific things:
- Inazuma: Are there electrograna nearby? You usually need to summon one to pass through thunder barriers.
- Liyue: Look for geo pressure plates. Sometimes the "seal" is just a heavy door that needs a Zhongli pillar or a Geo Traveler boulder to stay open.
- Dragonspine: It's almost always Scarlet Quartz. Find the red rock, smash it, and hit the ice seal while you have the red aura.
Getting these puzzles done is basically the only way to hit 100% exploration in some of these zones. It’s tedious, but the Primogems add up. Just remember: if it's green and woody, burn it. If it's blue and glowing, find a switch. If it's a floating cube, hit it until it stops moving.
Next Steps for Your Progress
Start by heading to the Pardis Dhyai region and locating the first stone lock pillar near the waterfall entrance. Ensure your Vintage Lyre is equipped in your gadget slot, as several seals are hidden behind "Song of the Dark Path" portals. Once you have cleared the initial 16 locations, return to the hidden cave in the Vanarana area to trigger the final encounter with Aradasha for the "Now Let Time Resume" achievement.