In case you were wondering, a cairn is a pile of rocks used for marking locations, burial monuments and loads of other stuff. In Devolver Digital’s Absolver however, cairns are used for loot. Essential armor pieces are within the rock piles, which are hidden throughout the map. Some of these you’ll no doubt find on your own, but there are some tricky ones you may have missed. This guide will tell you where to find every cairn in the game.
If you’re planning on following this guide as written, I suggest taking a look at our guide for Marked Ones and Boss Locations as the order in which you’ll visit the game’s areas is identical to how they are laid out in this guide.
Central Harbor: 3 Cairns to find
Go to the very back of the area where you fight Lamren to find the first cairn.
Enter Central Harbor from Guidance Bridge and follow the water on your right all the way to end of the dock. It’s normally guarded by at least 2 enemies.
From the Guidance Bridge entrance into Central Harbour head straight forward, take a left and go all the way up the stairs. Turn right, follow the path, and the cairn will be on your left.
Raslan Coliseum: 3 Cairns to find
After your fight with Ristael, drop down off the ledge and there’s a cairn right there.
Head through the door to the left as you enter the coliseum and follow the stairs up. Once you re-emerge outside, go down the stairs ahead of your and follow the path to the left to find this cairn.
You will have to beat the Stagger master, Jinn Mesca to get this one. After beating him, a previously locked door will open inside the Coliseum. Drop down off the ledge after stepping through the doorway and turn right. Follow the path and you’ll find the cairn.
For help with finding Jinn Mesca, check out our guide on How to Unlock Stagger Style Early On which covers how to find the Drunken Fist Master.
Hunting Path: 3 Cairns to find
Coming from Guidance Bridge, head down the left path from the uprooted tree.
The second cairn in this area is right next to the Hunting Path’s altar.
Go behind the tree that Revario sits beneath and follow the path to find the last cairn in this area.
Forgotten Temple: 3 Cairns to find
As you enter the area head to the right past a couple of enemies and you’ll come to a small incline. Follow the path up the incline to find a cairn. If you get to the altar, you’ve gone too far. Turn around and you should see the path you need to take.
Go back the entrance but this time, take a left. You’ll find this area’s second cairn up some stairs guarded by 2 or 3 enemies.
To get the last cairn in this area you’ll need to climb to the top of the temple. It is on a ledge outside the window at the back of the temple.
Bird Caller’s Outpost: 3 Cairns to find
In the house where you fight Ama Saba, go upstairs and a cairn is in the corner of the room.
Follow the path behind the house where you fight Ama Saba. Keep going to the dead end and you’ll find another cairn.
Head into the house with the balcony near the centre of the area. The cairn is on the balcony.
Oratian Quarters: 3 Cairns to find
From the altar in this area, head into the courtyard and go through the doorway on the right. Follow the stairs to an area with two enemies who are guarding this cairn.
Entering this area from the Raslan Coliseum, follow the wall on your left and make a u-turn when it comes to an end to find a cairn.
There are two large buildings in this area; the first can be accessed from the ground and the second can only be accessed by climbing the first building. The last cairn in the Oratian Quarters is on the top floor of the second building.
Tower of Adal: 3 Cairns to find
You’ll find a cairn in the corner of the area where you fight Dormek, which is accessed by heading through the gap under a staircase.
From the gate that leads to the Essence Reserves, turn right and a cairn is in the corner of the dead end.
From the gate to the Essense Reserves again, head up the stairs to your left. Turn around once your get to the top and the cairn is in the corner.
Essence Mines: 1 Cairn to find
Head for the third floor, and follow the path round to dead end where you’ll find a cairn in front of some breakable pots.
If there’s any that I’ve missed, let me know in the comments below, and for more tips and tricks for Absolver, check out more of our Absolver guides!
