Shadow over Petrichor in Genshin Impact: How to Enter the Decayed Castle

«Shadow over Petrichor» is a quest in the game Genshin Impact, introduced with the 4.6 update. It is part of the «Odes of Harmony» quest series. In our guide, you will learn how to start this quest, complete it, reach the Decayed Castle, and what rewards await you upon its completion.

To activate the quest, you need to reach the new island of Petrichor in the Nostoy region, located between Li Yue and Fontaine. This can be done by using the teleport in this area, which is available to all players.

Once on the island, first activate the Statue of the Seven Archons and run down the only path to the settlement. Along the way, you will encounter several thieves, one of whom will have an exclamation mark for the quest.

After a brief conversation, several bandits will attack the protagonist. Defeat them and watch a lengthy cutscene. You will realize that the thieves mistook crates of stones for treasures and also try to figure out what happened.

Head to the central square of Petrichor and listen to a few more men. One of them will tell you about the castle ruins in the mountains — that's what you will explore.

Tip: Along the way, you can track and collect Hydroculi available in this area.

Follow the marker and deal with the animated statue behind the musical pedestal. Throughout the «Odes of Harmony» quest chain, you will encounter quite a few such enemies.

Once the enemy is defeated, a glowing cat will approach the heroes. Ossi activates a mechanism that allows access to the ancient land located directly under the spring.

This is how you obtain the first Ancient Score out of six. You can read more about how to find all the ancient scores here.

Before heading into the abyss with Ossi, we recommend checking the previously unlocked chest, as well as a few more nearby. When you're ready, jump down from the cliff and enter the sea current.

Soon you will find yourself in the Decayed Castle and be able to activate the fast travel point. Approach the stairs and watch the cutscene where the heroes use the obtained Ancient Score.

This will start the next quest «Underwater Nocturne».

Rewards: