It happens to almost everyone playing Genshin Impact for the first time in the Sumeru region. You're exploring the lush, vertical landscapes of the Dharma Forest, specifically near the Fane of Ashvattha, and suddenly you realize you're stuck. The water level is too high. There is a massive, imposing barrier in your way. You can see the Teleport Waypoint or the entrance to the Fragment of Childhood Dreams domain just out of reach. You feel like you're yelling "I am trapped under the water behind the stone gate" at your monitor because the game’s verticality makes navigation a nightmare.
This isn't just a simple swimming mechanic. It’s a multi-layered environmental puzzle.
Getting past that stone gate and lowering the water is one of the most common points of frustration for players. Honestly, the game doesn't do a great job of explaining that the solution isn't even in the immediate room where you find the gate. You've gotta think bigger. You have to understand the Dendro mechanics of the rainforest.
The First Step: Finding the Mechanism
So, you’re standing there. You’re looking at the water. To actually progress, you need to find the first mechanism that starts the drainage process. This isn't behind the stone gate itself, but rather above it.
If you head to the teleport waypoint underwater (or where it should be), you'll notice it’s submerged. To fix this, head to the waterfall area nearby. There is a mechanism guarded by Ruin Sentinels. You have to scrap these machines first. Once they're junk, interact with the cube mechanism. This lowers the water slightly—just enough to let you breathe, but not enough to reach the domain or the area further "behind" the gate.
A lot of people stop here. They think they've encountered a bug. They haven't.
Pushing Through the Cave System
Now for the part that actually feels like being trapped. Follow the path into the cave. It’s narrow. It’s damp. You’ll find yourself moving deeper into the roots of the world. This is where the phrase "i am trapped under the water behind the stone gate" really starts to feel literal.
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The path leads you to a large, hollowed-out cavern. You’ll see Dendro targets and those annoying rock piles wrapped in vines—what the game calls "Dendrograna-encased rocks."
The Dendrograna Secret
Look for a small sprout. You need a Dendro character for this. Collei is the free-to-play standard, but Nahida makes this trivial. Hit the sprout to summon Dendrograna. While these little green spirits are swirling around you, use a Charged Attack or a 精準射擊 (Aimed Shot) on the vine-covered rocks.
One of these rocks is hiding the second cube mechanism.
But it’s locked. Classic HoYoverse. To unlock it, you have to hit the floating Dendro targets that appear nearby. It feels like a carnival game, only with more stakes because you’re tired of being underground. Once the targets are hit, the seal on the cube breaks. Activate it.
The water level drops completely.
Reaching the Fragment of Childhood Dreams
Now that the water is gone, you can finally see the floor. It’s a mess of ruins and ancient masonry. This is where you find the actual entrance to the Fragment of Childhood Dreams domain. If you were looking for the "stone gate" specifically, you'll see the architecture now matches the descriptions found in various player forums.
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You aren't trapped anymore. The exit is clear, but the rewards are just beginning.
Why the Puzzle Layout Confuses People
The geometry of Sumeru is notoriously "swiss-cheese" style. You have layers upon layers of maps. The reason players feel trapped is that the mini-map doesn't accurately reflect verticality. You might be standing directly "on top" of a quest marker while being fifty meters above it in a tree or fifty meters below it in a flooded cavern.
Expert players usually recommend using the "Dendroculus Resonance Stone" if you're stuck in these areas, as it can sometimes highlight paths you missed by pointing toward collectibles in hidden sub-rooms.
Technical Requirements for the Area
Don't go in there with a team of just Fire and Ice. You’ll be miserable.
- Dendro Character: Mandatory. Without one, you can't interact with the Dendrograna sprouts or the elemental monuments.
- Archer: Highly recommended. Some of the Dendro targets are high up on the walls. Trying to hit them with a sword-user’s lunging attack is a recipe for a headache.
- Stamina Food: If you haven't maxed out your Statues of the Seven, you might drown before reaching the first platform. Bring some Barbatos Ratatouille.
Common Misconceptions About the Stone Gate
Some players think this area is tied to the main Archon Quest. It’s actually part of the world exploration and the "Aranyaka" questline progression. If you haven't started the Aranyaka quest (the one with the little cabbage-like forest spirits), some of the mechanisms in this cave system might behave strangely or feel like they lack context.
It's also worth noting that the "stone gate" isn't always a literal door. In the context of Sumeru's lore, these are often "Phantasmal Gates." If you see a green, arch-like structure that looks like a gate but has nothing inside it, you need the "Vintage Lyre" tool.
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If you find yourself stuck behind one of those gates, play the "Rhythm of the Great Dream." This triggers a trial where you collect seeds. Completing the trial is often the only way to "open" the path forward.
Actionable Steps to Clear the Area
To stop feeling trapped and actually finish the zone, follow this specific sequence:
- Teleport to the Fane of Ashvattha (north of Pardis Dhyai).
- Locate the waterfall to the west of the submerged waypoint.
- Defeat the Ruin Sentinels on the platform above the water.
- Click the first cube to lower the water halfway.
- Swim/Walk into the tunnel behind where the water was.
- Use Dendro on the rock piles to find the hidden Dendro targets.
- Activate the second cube located on the balcony overlooking the cave.
- Drop to the bottom and activate the Domain entrance.
Once the water is gone, the "trapped" feeling vanishes. You'll find a clear exit that leads back out to the main forest near the Vissudha Field. Most people miss the second mechanism because it’s tucked away behind a destructible environment piece that looks just like every other rock in the cave. Look for the green glow. The glow is always the key.
If the water still isn't draining, check your quest log. If you are in the middle of a specific co-op session or a "protected" story beat, environmental puzzles sometimes lock until the dialogue is finished. Exit co-op mode and try again.
The Sumeru underground is vast. This is just one of about a dozen similar flooded chambers, but it's the one that catches people off guard because it guards a valuable teleport point. Once you've cleared this, the rest of the Aranyaka-related puzzles will follow a very similar logic: Find the green, hit the green, watch the water go down.