The A Catalyzing Caper quest takes you deep into the Temple of the Flames, Palia’s fire-themed ancient human ruin. Inside, you will deal with bow puzzles, multi-room mazes, a lava platforming section, and a tile puzzle, all while tracking down Hassian’s runaway Plumehound, Tau. This guide walks you through every step from unlocking the quest to claiming your final rewards.
How to Unlock A Catalyzing Caper
You cannot start this quest directly. It unlocks automatically after you complete the Plumehound Pilgrimage quest. The handoff happens so smoothly that you may not notice you have moved on to a new quest at all. Once A Catalyzing Caper is active, your first objective is to meet Hassian and Sifuu at the Fire Temple.
Before heading out, clear some inventory space. The temple contains multiple treasure chests and ancient tomes, and you will want room to collect them all on your first run.
Fire Temple Location
The Temple of the Flames sits inside the Flooded Fortress in the far western section of Bahari Bay. Travel past the entrance to Pavel Mines on your right and follow the walkway to its end. You will find the temple entrance there. Use the repaired Flow Battery to open the doors, then head inside to meet Hassian and Sifuu.
Tip: Look out for Ancient Tomes scattered throughout the temple. They fill in lore about the ancient humans who once lived in Palia.
How to Solve the First Brazier Puzzle
Once inside, Hassian confirms that Tau has run off into the temple and you need to figure out how to open the locked door ahead. This puzzle requires your bow, so make sure you have arrows in your inventory before proceeding.
Look up at the three archways overhead. Each one displays a symbol that tells you the firing order for the hanging braziers on either side of the walkway.
Puzzle Solution:
- Fire an arrow at the first brazier on the right.
- Switch to the left side and fire at the middle brazier.
- Return to the right side and fire at the last brazier.
The door opens after you hit the third brazier in the correct order. Pass through the short hallway beyond it to reach the foyer.
Exploring the Foyer
The foyer opens up into an impressive multi-level area. You can find several treasure chests by exploring the curved walkways. There are also multiple doorways that look accessible but are purely decorative. You will only use two exits from the foyer during this quest.
Follow the curved walkway to the right and take the first set of stairs up to a door labeled “Mysterious Chamber.” Interact with it to enter without needing to solve any puzzle first.
How to Solve the First Mysterious Chamber Puzzle
Inside the chamber, you will find a fire cauldron on one side and a Phoenix Statue on the other. Read the inscription on the statue for a hint, then speak to Sifuu to receive a torch item.
Puzzle Solution:
- Interact with the fire cauldron to light your torch.
- Walk to the sparkling brazier beside the mural and light it with your torch.
Lighting the brazier reveals a hidden maze room behind the wall. Before entering, check the mural on the door for extra lore context.
How to Get Through the First Maze Room
The first maze room branches into two paths at the entrance. The right path leads to an Ancient Tome called Demanding without Meaning. The left path leads to a treasure chest and a lit fire bowl that you will need to relight your torch.
Follow the solution below for the most direct route through the maze:
Puzzle Solution:
- Take the left path at the entrance.
- Take another left when the path ends.
- Take another left.
- Take a right (only option available).
- Take another right (only option available).
- Take a right.
- Take a left.
- Follow the path to the grate over the lava and interact with the fire bowl to light your torch.
- Turn around and take an immediate left.
- Take the next left.
- Climb the wall grate at the far end of the hallway.
- Jump to the next platform.
- Climb up the small climbing wall.
- Once on the long platform, turn around and jump across to the next small climbing wall and ascend.
- Interact with the sparkling brazier at the top to light it and unlock the door.
Note: The next room looks nearly identical to the entrance of this one. You are in a different room, so keep moving forward.
How to Get Through the Second Maze Room
At the entrance to the second maze, you will spot a rock on the left side blocking a small room. Use your pickaxe to break it and collect the Ancient Tome inside, titled Experiment Log. The right path holds a treasure chest, so grab it before using the left path to continue through the maze.
Find the lit fire bowl before you begin climbing walls toward the door at the far end of the room.
Puzzle Solution:
- Take a left at the maze entrance.
- Take the next right.
- Take another right (it is a tight U-turn).
- Take a left (no other choice).
- Take another immediate left down the first path option.
- Take a left.
- Take a right.
- The fire bowl is straight ahead. Interact with it to relight your torch.
- Head back down the path from the fire bowl.
- Take a left.
- Take a right.
- Take a left at the T-shaped intersection.
- Take a right (tight U-turn).
- Climb the short climbing wall on the left.
- Go left after the climbing wall and follow the path to its end.
- Use the long climbing wall on the left to reach a long platform.
- Jump across to the smaller platform.
- Climb the climbing wall on the left.
- Follow the platform around to the next long climbing wall. There is a gap, so jump directly onto the climbing wall rather than trying to reach the platform first.
- Interact with the brazier at the top to open the door.
How to Get Through the Lava Room
The third room of the first Mysterious Chamber has lava covering most of the floor. Check the ramp to your right immediately after entering for a treasure chest. If you fall into the lava, the game repositions you safely at the entrance platform.
Use your glider to cover gaps between platforms. Do not try to glide the entire distance in one go since your character will automatically close the glider when near the central pillar, dropping you into the lava.
Puzzle Solution:
- Jump across to the small climbing wall directly to the right of the main platform.
- Use the horizontal wall to crawl to the far left and reach the next platform.
- Walk along the platform and jump across to the next horizontal climbing wall.
- Climb over to the platform, giving it a wide berth so your character does not get stuck on the edge.
- Jump and glide to the short pillar in the middle of the lava.
- Jump and glide from the pillar to the ramp.
- Walk up the ramp to the top platform.
- Jump and glide across to the next platform.
- Climb halfway up the climbing wall until you spot the lit fire bowl on your left.
- Interact with the fire bowl to relight your torch.
- Hop back on the climbing wall and climb to the top.
- Use the horizontal climbing wall to reach the final platform and exit the room.
How to Investigate the Final Room of the First Chamber
The small room beyond the lava section looks more like a hallway. A mural sits at the far end and an unlit brazier sits on a pillar near the center.
Puzzle Solution:
- Interact with the brazier to light it with your torch.
The unlit braziers along both sides of the room will ignite, and you will hear a short musical cue. Check behind the central brazier for another Ancient Tome titled Pieces Falling into Place before leaving.
Use your glider to travel back through each room toward the foyer. The return trip is far faster since you can glide downward through each space. Hassian and Sifuu will be waiting near the entrance to the first Mysterious Chamber. Speak to Hassian to advance the quest.
How to Solve the Second Brazier Puzzle to Reach the Final Chamber
Back in the foyer, follow the quest marker to Hassian. He stands in front of a locked door that leads to the final chamber. To open it, you need to study the murals displayed throughout the foyer and figure out the correct chronological order of the story they tell.
Each mural has a unique rune engraved at its base. Those runes match four braziers beside the locked door, two on each side. There is also an Ancient Tome titled Changing Times next to the mural directly across from the main entrance.
Puzzle Solution:
Shoot the four braziers with your bow in this order:
- Target the far left brazier.
- Target the second from the right brazier.
- Target the far right brazier.
- Target the second from the left brazier.
The door unlocks after the fourth shot. Head through and follow the hallway forward.
How to Cross to the Final Chamber
At the end of the hallway stands a Phoenix Statue. Interact with it to read another clue. Ahead of you is a wide platform surrounded by lava with no visible bridge. Tau waits on the platform across the gap.
Puzzle Solution:
The Phoenix Statue clue tells you to take a leap of faith.
- Go down the stairs from the statue.
- Jump off the edge toward the center platform. You can also jump from the top of the stairway and glide for a faster crossing.
- An invisible path will catch you, and you can walk straight across to reach Tau.
How to Solve the Kitsuu Tile Puzzle
The final puzzle of the quest sits right next to Tau. Interact with it to launch the tile-moving mini-game. Your goal is to rearrange the tiles to form a complete image of a Kitsuu.
Puzzle Solution:
Follow these moves in order:
First Row:
- Move the second tile from the left one space to the right.
Second Row:
- Move the second tile from the left one space up.
Second Row:
- Move the first tile on the left one space to the right.
First Row:
- Move the first tile on the left one space down.
First Row:
- Move the tile in the second position from the left one space to the left.
Second Row:
- Move the second tile from the left one space up.
Second Row:
- Move the first tile from the left one space to the right.
First Row:
- Move all remaining tiles in the first row one space to the left.
Once the Kitsuu image is complete, the puzzle locks in and the quest concludes. Speak to Hassian in the final chamber to finish. You can also ask Hassian to teleport you out of the Fire Temple if you prefer not to backtrack.
A Catalyzing Caper Rewards
Completing the quest earns you the following:
- 55 Renown
- 40 Friendship Points with Hassian
- 40 Friendship Points with Tau
- Automatic unlock of the next main quest: Vault of the Flames
Speak to Jina to begin Vault of the Flames and continue the main story. Play Now!
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- Palia Prismbeard’s Treasure Quest Guide: All Map Locations & Puzzle Solutions
- Palia True Treasure Quest Guide: All Statues, Puzzle & Rewards
- How to Complete the Spiritfest Bundle Board in Palia (All Bundles & Rewards Guide)
