The Sphinx is a boss monster that can be encountered in Dragon’s Dogma 2, but to defeat it, players will have to do it unconventionally by solving its riddles. Read ahead as we share the solutions to all of the Dragon’s Dogma 2 Sphinx’s riddles and where to find her.
The Sphinx will have 10 different kinds of riddles, some of which have several ways of solving while some need some crafty solutions. The first five riddles are given in the Mountain Shrine, while the other five will be given at the Frontier Shrine, with reaching the Frontier Shrine itself as the sixth riddle.
Where to find the Sphinx in Dragon’s Dogma 2?
First location: The Sphinx begins her questline at the top of the Mountain Shrine which is situated northeast of the Checkpoint Rest Town (as indicated on the map above). There are two routes to reach it. You can either go through the Misty Marshes, the most direct path, but beware of creatures only visible at night; or through the Ancient Battleground, which is trickier to navigate, but you can follow Oskar during his quest Tolled to Rest.
Talking to the Sphinx will start the A Game of Wits quest. From this point, it is best to create save files prior to talking to the Sphinx and every time you solve a riddle as you will only be able to participate in the Sphinx’s riddles once. Remember, failing a single riddle will prevent you from taking on the rest of the remaining riddles. You will be solving 5 riddles in the Mountain Shrine before moving on to the next location.
Second Location: After you solve the fifth riddle, the Sphinx will move to the Frontier Shrine, west of Checkpoint Rest Town (as indicated on the map above). The fastest way to get there would be to hop on the Sphinx before she flies away after solving the fifth riddle. To do this, when the Sphinx will start a conversation indicating she’s about to leave, quickly jump up and press the Grab button before she launches into full flight. The benefit of doing this is that you’ll be flying high above the ground, bypassing potentially difficult enemies. Just move around until you’re securely positioned on the back of her neck, you shouldn’t expend much stamina as she flies fairly level for a while. Although you have to watch out for a steep dive towards the end of the flight, you’ll need to grab hold of her again to avoid falling. The downside is that you forfeit the chance to open the chest for the fifth riddle because she’ll leave before you can even claim it. You can always return later, fast travel to it if you have placed a Portcrystal at the Mountain Shrine.
There are also other ways to get to the Frontier Shrine in case you missed the window of opportunity to hop on the Sphinx’ back. The northern route is more direct but required climbing, just exit Checkpoint Rest Town through the northern gate. Follow the dried-up streambed directly below the bridge leading out of town, then climb the rocky cliffs on your right. Be cautious of enemies you might encounter during the climb, especially at night. Continue following the winding canyon path until you reach the Frontier Shrine, which will be visible from a distance.
If you hate climbing and jumping, the southern route to the Frontier Shrine is the best way although it will take longer to get there. Exit Checkpoint Rest Town through the southern gate, then cross the river to the west side, make sure you’re prepared for combat with aquatic creatures. You’ll pass a cave infested with Saurians (reptilian enemies), be prepared for a fight or consider using stealth to avoid them. Head north, following the high ridge, then continue on until you spot the Frontier Shrine in the distance.
All Dragon’s Dogma 2 Sphinx Riddle Solutions
Mountain Shrine Riddles
The Sphinx presents five riddles at the Mountain Shrine. Here are the solutions:
Riddle of Eyes Solution
- Solution: Find the chest near the cave entrance and retrieve the Sealing Phial.
- Reward: Wakestone
The Riddle of Eyes will have you go through the small room near where the Sphinx is at and retrieve an item. Go down the stairs and head to the room to your right. Then, enter through the archway and immediately turn around and look up to find a chest that contains the Sealing Phial. Bring the Sealing Phial over to the Sphinx and the first chest will be opened which contains a Wakestone.
Riddle of Madness Solution
- Solution: Carry your main pawn (or a high-affinity character) to the Sphinx.
- Reward: Portcrystal
The Riddle of Madness requires you to bring someone of utmost importance to you. This can be solved by bringing a beloved NPC who you have romanced and obtained the max affinity with like Ulrika or Daphne. Another way of solving this riddle is by simply carrying your main pawn over to the Sphinx’s pedestal.
Should you wish to go for the beloved route, you can simply use the Sealing Phial you obtained from earlier on your chosen beloved as it will allow you to carry and transport them to the Sphinx. Another option is to leave a Portcrystal inside the shrine, go to your beloved and carry them, then use a Ferrystone to travel back to the shrine. Completing this riddle will open the second chest which contains a Portcrystal. Place the Portcrystal here for easy return!
Riddle of Conviction Solution
- Solution: Give any item to the Sphinx.
- Reward: A copy of the given item.
The Riddle of Conviction requires you to bring your most prized possession and give it to the Sphinx. However, whatever you hand over will instead be duplicated as the original item will still remain in your possession, while the dupe item will be your reward inside the chest.
This riddle can be solved through many ways as any item can be given to the Sphinx, but it is recommended to give only the most valuable ones, not only in monetary value, but also for your progress. You can choose to give the Portcrystal from the previous riddle or duplicate a Golden Trove Beetle as these are hard to come by. Another option is to duplicate the Jadeite Orb for the Hunt for the Jadeite Orb quest in order to get the rewards from both Everard and Offulve.
Riddle of Wisdom Solution
- Solution: Hire a pawn named SphinxFather, SphinxMother, or ideally SphinxParent from a Riftstone of Fellowship.
- Reward: 1,200 Rift Crystals
The Riddle of Wisdom will require you to find the Sphinx someone that they can call a parent. To solve this riddle, you will need to travel to a Riftstone of Fellowship and hire a pawn that has the name SphinxParent, SphinxFather, or SphinxMother. These are pre-generated pawns that can show up in the list and you can check their details to see that they are made by CAPCOM. Once you have hired them, you simply have to return to the Sphinx to solve the riddle. You will then be rewarded with 1,200 Rift Crystals.
There have been reports that could potentially halt your progress in solving this riddle. One of them is if any of the mentioned pawns do not show up in the list. This can easily be solved by going offline through the settings; go to the game’s System > Options > Network > Network Features and turn it off. This will prevent other player-made pawns to show up in the list, increasing the chances of spotting the pawn for the riddle.
Another issue that you may encounter has something to do with the Dragonsplague as any of these pawns can be inflicted with it. In the rare chance that the pawn for this riddle is infected, try to finish the riddle as soon as possible before the Dragonsplague progresses, then dispose of the pawn to get rid of the plague.
Riddle of Rumination Solution
- Solution: Return to the location of your first Seeker’s Token to find the Finder’s Token.
- Reward: Ferrystone x3
The Riddle of Rumination will require you to locate a Finder’s Token throughout the whole world of the game. In order to solve this, you can find the Finder’s Token on the same place where you have found your very first Seeker’s Token. Some consider this riddle as one of the hardest riddles to complete as the solution lies entirely on the player’s memory alone, and there are 199 possible spots throughout the whole map where the Finder’s Token can pop up. Also, you only have a limited amount of time to look for it.
You have 7 in-game days to solve this riddle. In case you have forgotten the spot where you found your first Seeker’s Token, it can help to narrow down your search by looking at the spots that are near the starting location of the game, then work your way from there. Retrace your steps. Think back to the beginning of your journey. Areas near Vernworth, Melve, the Encampment, or Cassardis are probable starting zones where you might have stumbled upon a Token. Upon reaching the correct location, the Seeker’s Token will have transformed into a Finder’s Token. Once you have obtained the Finder’s Token, present it to the Sphinx and the next chest will open up which contains 3 Ferrystones.
If the 7-day timer runs out before you find the Finder’s Token, you fail the riddle. While you can continue with other riddles, you won’t unlock the associated chest or get the trophy if you didn’t solve them all. Save before attempting this riddle, just in case you run out of time and want to reload a previous save.
Frontier Shrine Riddles
The Sphinx will give you 5 additional riddles once you get to the Frontier Shrine. Here are the solutions:
Riddle of Reunion Solution
- Solution: Simply speak with the Sphinx.
- Reward: 100,000 gold
The Riddle of Reunion will only require you to look for the Sphinx’s next location. I have detailed instructions above on Where to find the Sphinx’ second location and the three ways to get here.
Once you arrive at the Frontier Shrine, talk to the Sphinx and the next chest will open up where you can grab 100,000 G as your reward. From here on, the riddles that you will be getting are randomized, so make sure to pay attention on which riddle you are at as one of them will be affected by the order of your riddles.
Also, make sure to be aware what riddle you will be on. You will only need to solve four more riddles from here on before the Sphinx flies away, so as soon as you finish the final riddle, prepare to attack and kill the Sphinx as detailed in the Defeating the Sphinx section below.
Riddle of Recollection Solution
- Solution: Place statues near the Sphinx, equal to the number of solved riddles and unlocked chests.
- Reward: Unmaking Arrow (one-time use, instant kill)
The Riddle of Recollection will require you bring a number of sphinx statues to the Sphinx. The number of statues that you will need to carry will have to be the same amount of chests that you have opened so far. Since these riddles can be taken in any order, the answer may differ from player to player. The simplest way to solve this riddle is to count the number of opened chests in the Frontier Shrine and then add five to it.
Once you have carried the right amount of statues to the Sphinx, talk to the Sphinx and the next chest will open up, revealing the Unmaking Arrow which will be the crucial item in defeating the Sphinx.
Riddle of Differentiation Solution
- Solution: Find the correct twin based on hairstyle (Dante: straight hair with left eye covered, Vergil: way hair with right eye covered) and bring them to the Sphinx.
- Reward: Whimsical Daydream (Trickster weapon)
The Riddle of Differentiation will have you bring a specific NPC over to the Sphinx. The Sphinx will show you either Dante or Vergil and you will have to bring the shown NPC to the Frontier Shrine; pay attention to their hair if it’s wavy or straight. Before setting out to find the NPC, it’s best to use a Portcrystal in order to finish this riddle quickly.
To easily identify which NPC is which, Dante has straight hair which has his left eye covered, he can be found in the main road within the Checkpoint Rest Town, while Vergil has wavy hair covering his right eye and can be found at the Border Checkpoint that leads to Battahl.
Once you have brought the right NPC to the Sphinx, the next chest will open up containing the Whimsical Daydream weapon for Tricksters.
Riddle of Contest Solution
- Solution: Stagger and throw the summoned guard off a cliff.
- Reward: Ring of Ambition (experience boost)
The Riddle of Contest will have you fight against an enemy, but you are equipped with the Ring of Derision which put your damage output at zero. To defeat the enemy, you can have your pawns attack it, or you can just grab the enemy and toss it over the cliff. After the enemy has been defeated, the next chest will open up containing the Ring of Ambition.
Riddle of Futility Solution
- Solution: Bring Maurits from Bakbattahl to the amphora at the Frontier Shrine (use a Ferrystone or Sealing Phial).
- Reward: Eternal Bond ring (greatly increases affinity)
The Riddle of Futility requires you to have Ser Maurits see the amphora or the vase that the Sphinx spawns nearby. The catch is that the amphora is fragile and can easily break if you take damage. The simplest way to solve this is to bring Maurits to the amphora instead as the riddle only needs that the NPC sees the amphora. Solving this riddle will reward you with the Eternal Bond ring and will also unlock the Full Marks Achievement. However, see the next parts first before heading out to solve this riddle.
Maurits can be found in the Mural Byway in Bakbattahl and he can be transported as you did with the previous NPCs. As you head to Bakbattahl fetch him, take advantage of this trip to prepare for the final riddle before taking Maurits back to the Sphinx.
Defeating the Sphinx and the Ultimate Reward (missable)
While working on your final riddle, make sure to rest up in an inn to create a save file in case something messes up in the next steps. Then, change your vocation to Archer if you aren’t already one. Familiarize yourself with the Archer’s attacks if you haven’t yet.
Once you arrive at the shrine, equip a bow and the Unmaking Arrow from Riddle of Recollection right away. Complete the final riddle and then talk to the Sphinx; the Sphinx will then tell you that it will be flying away. Before the Sphinx flies away, shoot the Unmaking Arrow at one of its wings. This will prevent the Sphinx from being able to fly and it will die shortly after.
In case you mess up your aim and shoot the Sphinx on its other body parts like its head or limbs, the Sphinx will still be able to fly away and you will fail to kill it and you have to reload your save. Or, depending on how strong your character is, you can attempt to just kill it with your party, but it can take some time and there’s also a risk at failing.
From its dead body, you can obtain the Key of Sagacity which opens up the final chest that contains the Eternal Wakestone, a Wakestone powerful enough to raise all of the dead people within the area of a town. It is a must item to get in case you have been hit by the Dragonsplague and have to revive a town’s worth of NPCs. Note that the Eternal Wakestone in Dragon’s Dogma 2 is not reusable. It is a single-use item that can revive multiple NPCs at once, so use wisely. If you want another one you can request a forgery but it’s going to cost 30,000G.