You've probably been running around Monolith Wastelands for twenty minutes, staring at a pixelated map in your inventory and wondering if the developers are messing with you. It’s frustrating. You’re looking for the Treasure of Daybreak Throne and Liberty objective, and the game gives you just enough information to be dangerous but not enough to actually be helpful.
Most players assume it’s a bug. It isn't.
The reality is that this specific exploration codex quest—part of the "Beyond the Sandstorm" chain—is gated by a mechanic that the game barely explains. It’s tied to the position of the sun. If you’re there at the wrong time, the chest literally doesn't exist in the game world. You could stand on the exact coordinates for three hours and see nothing but sand and scorpions.
The Sandstone Monolith and the Timing Trick
To get this started, you need the "Treasure Map - Daybreak" item. You usually pick this up from a lootable object or a chest near the Sandstone Monolith area. Once it’s in your bag, opening it reveals a cryptic sketch of a monolithic pillar and a shadow.
Here is where people mess up.
The chest only spawns at sunrise. In the world of Solisium, time moves fast, but the window for this specific treasure is incredibly tight. You are looking for a very specific shadow cast by a large stone pillar in the Monolith Wastelands. Specifically, you want to head to the area just south of the Sandstone Monolith.
Wait for the clock.
Keep your eye on the in-game timer located at the top left of your mini-map. You are looking for the transition from night to day. As the sun begins to crest the horizon, look for the shadow of the tallest natural pillar in that vicinity. The "treasure" is actually a small, unassuming pile of sand or a chest that materializes at the very tip of that shadow only during the dawn hours.
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Locating the Exact Coordinates
If you’re looking at your map, focus on the region between the Sandstone Monolith and the Vulture's Nest. It’s a transition zone.
The pillar isn't one of the man-made structures with glowing runes. It’s a natural rock formation. Basically, it looks like a giant, jagged tooth sticking out of the desert floor. Honestly, the hardest part isn't the map; it's the competition. On high-population servers, you’ll see a dozen other players hovering around the same empty patch of dirt, waiting for the sun to hit.
Don't panic if it doesn't show up the second the sun rises. The shadow has to move to the specific spot indicated by the quest logic. It usually appears around 6:00 AM or 7:00 AM in-game time.
If you miss it? You’re waiting another full day/night cycle.
It’s a bit of a chore, but the rewards are necessary for early-game progression. You get Growth Stones, some Sollant, and most importantly, the completion credit for the Monolith Wastelands exploration rewards. Those rewards include specialized materials you can't easily farm elsewhere at lower levels.
Why Quest Markers Lie to You
Throne and Liberty loves "environmental puzzles."
In most modern MMOs, a giant golden beam of light tells you exactly where to click. NCSoft went a different route here. The quest marker for Treasure of Daybreak Throne and Liberty will often just circle a massive area on your map. This leads players to believe the chest is hidden in a cave or on top of a mountain.
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It’s neither. It’s on flat ground.
The map you hold in your inventory is an actual tool, not just flavor text. If you look closely at the drawing, it shows the sun’s rays hitting the pillar at a low angle. This is the game's way of telling you "Time of day matters." If you try to find this at noon, the shadow is too short. If you try at night, there is no shadow.
Dealing with the Sandstorm Factor
There is one more layer of annoyance: the weather.
The Monolith Wastelands are prone to sandstorms. While a sandstorm doesn't necessarily de-spawn the treasure, it makes visibility a nightmare. If a storm kicks up right at dawn, you might miss the chest appearing. My advice? Turn your effects settings down if your frame rate is chugging. You need to see the shimmer of the interaction prompt.
Also, watch out for the local mobs. The Basilisks and Vultures in this area aren't particularly dangerous if you're leveled appropriately, but they have a massive aggro radius. Nothing ruins a timed treasure hunt like being stuck in a combat animation while the sun moves and the chest vanishes.
Clear the immediate area around the pillar about two minutes before dawn.
Steps to Ensure You Don't Waste Time
If you want to get this done on your first try, follow a rigid process. First, verify the map is actually in your inventory and the quest "Beyond the Sandstorm" is active in your codex. If the quest isn't pinned, sometimes the interaction won't trigger.
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Next, get to the pillar early.
Don't try to time the run from the teleport stone. Travel to the Sandstone Monolith rift, move south, and find the pillar. Stand there. Check the map in your bag one last time to confirm the "shape" of the rock matches what you're looking at.
- Check the in-game clock (hover over the sun/moon icon).
- Position yourself at the northern side of the pillar, as the sun rises in the east and casts the shadow toward the west/northwest.
- Spam your interaction key (usually 'F') as the shadow reaches its full length.
Sometimes the chest is called "Looked-for Chest" or "Small Sandbox." The name varies slightly depending on your localization, but the icon is unmistakable once it pops.
What to Do if it Still Won't Spawn
Occasionally, the instance might be bugged. This is rare in the 2026 build of the game, but it happens. If you are 100% sure you are at the right pillar at 6:00 AM and nothing happens, try a quick "Escape" to the nearest village and run back, or swap channels if your server allows it.
Most of the time, though, the "bug" is just the player being at the wrong pillar. There are three pillars in that sector that look almost identical. The one you want is the one that most closely resembles a "throne" or a high-backed chair from a distance.
The Treasure of Daybreak Throne and Liberty quest is a test of patience more than skill. It’s designed to slow you down and make you look at the environment. Once you grab the loot, the quest updates immediately, and you can head back to town to turn it in.
No more wandering the desert aimlessly. Get your timing right, grab the stones, and move on to the next region. The gear treadmill doesn't stop for anyone, and you've got better things to do than watch shadows move.
Actionable Next Steps
- Open your map and teleport to the Sandstone Monolith waypoint.
- Navigate to the southern edge of the zone and locate the tallest natural rock pillar.
- Wait for the in-game clock to hit Dawn (transition from moon to sun icon).
- Interact with the sand pile at the tip of the pillar's shadow to claim your rewards and complete the Codex entry.