Eighth Trial of Aql: All Answers — Dune Awakening
Ornate Door answers in order: Nilotic al-Ourouba, Poritrin, Salusa Secundus, Bela Tegeuse, Rossak, Thurgrod, Harmonthep. Plus the ecology lesson and rings.
Contents
The Eighth Trial of Aql is the journey The Footsteps of the Fremen at Sietch Ta'lab. The Ornate Door asks seven questions. Pick, in order: Nilotic al-Ourouba, Poritrin, Salusa Secundus, Bela Tegeuse, Rossak, Thurgrod, Harmonthep. Inside, the ecology lesson is Bind-Dune-Grass, Planting-Shelter-Downwind and Animal-Aerate-Sand. Bring a Cutteray.
All answers at a glance
| Puzzle | Answer |
|---|---|
| Ornate Door, Q1 "Where did our flight begin?" | Nilotic al-Ourouba |
| Q2 "the planet where we lost our way" | Poritrin |
| Q3 "a planet devoid of gods" | Salusa Secundus |
| Q4 "the slave cribs where we were held" | Bela Tegeuse |
| Q5 "found the poison drug" | Rossak |
| Q6 "planets we barely remember" | Thurgrod |
| Q7 "where our children were taken and made slaves" | Harmonthep |
| Ecology lesson 1 (bind the dunes using grass) | Bind, Dune, Grass |
| Ecology lesson 2 (deep plantings downwind) | Planting, Shelter, Downwind |
| Ecology lesson 3 (burrowing animals aerate the soil) | Animal, Aerate, Sand |
| Deathstill mechanism | Turn the three rings until one unbroken channel runs from the door to the deathstill |
| "Safe" from the projection | The console to the left of the door you came in by |
By position, the answers are 2-2-1-3-1-3-3, but go by the names: the order can change.
Where is Sietch Ta'lab?
The sietch sits on the border of Mysa Tarill and Jabal Eifrit Al-gharb, in the Eastern Shield Wall area of Hagga Basin. The journey step reads "Survey the Eastern Shield Wall to locate the next trial". Here is the exact spot:
The marker sits on top of the cliff, but the entrance does not. Look for a narrow fissure at ground level in the cliff face, marked with a blue Fremen symbol. The easiest approach is from the Mysa Tarill side: follow the cliff wall until you see the symbol, or drop into the gorge from above. The nearest friendly stops are Pinnacle Station (trading post) and the Atreides fortress Helius Gate. Repair and restock at Pinnacle Station on the way:
How to start The Footsteps of the Fremen
Finish The Seventh Trial of Aql in the Red Maw first. Its altar shows a map that points here, and the journey opens on its own. If you try the door too early, the game says "Progress in the Main Story journeys to access this area". All seven earlier trials are covered in Trials of Aql locations.
Walkthrough
Ornate Door: all seven answers
Put your hand on the projection to start. Each answer is a planet that one of the earlier trials told you to "remember", but the questions come in reverse order:
| # | The question asks about | Answer | Learned at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | where the flight began | Nilotic al-Ourouba | Trial 7 |
| 2 | where they grew soft and lost their way | Poritrin | Trial 5 |
| 3 | a godless planet of constant war | Salusa Secundus | Trial 4 |
| 4 | the slave cribs | Bela Tegeuse | Trial 3 |
| 5 | the poison drug and the Sayyadina | Rossak | Trial 2 |
| 6 | planets barely remembered | Thurgrod | Trial 6 |
| 7 | the last place of suffering, children made slaves | Harmonthep | Trial 1 |
A wrong answer ends the proving, and you start again from question 1. There is no timer and no other penalty, so you can retry as often as you need. The decoy options are other planets from the same list (Arrakis and Old Earth also appear), which is why guessing goes badly.
Ecology lesson answers
A solido projection gives three short lessons. After each one, set the three symbols on the door with the buttons in the middle of the room. The glowing wall symbols show what each glyph means.
- "Bind the dunes using grass" → Bind, Dune, Grass
- "Create deep plantings in the shelter of the downwind face" → Planting, Shelter, Downwind
- "Introduce burrowing animals to aerate the soil" → Animal, Aerate, Sand
The third lesson talks about soil, but there is no Soil symbol. The door has 15 symbols: Aerate, Animal, Bind, Cavern, Downwind, Dune, Fire, Grass, Moon, Mountain, Planting, Rock, Sand, Shelter and Tree. So pick Sand. Cavern, Fire, Moon, Mountain, Rock and Tree are decoys.
Deathstill ring puzzle
Three concentric rings sit on the floor between the door and the deathstill. Each has a carved channel. Turn them until the channel runs in one unbroken line from the door to the deathstill. Most players start with the middle ring, then the inner one, then the outer one. Ari reacts when the line is right. Then interact with the deathstill to activate it.
The rings don't always start in the same position, so don't count clicks: watch the line.
The safe and the secret chamber
After the deathstill, a projection in the hallway talks about a safe. It is not a box: it is the console to the left of the door you used to enter that room. Interact with it to take the Minimic Film. That opens the door behind the central console. Drop into the chamber, watch the cutscene, then fight off the Maas Kharet.
Fastest way through
- Bring a Cutteray. Without it you cannot pass the boulder after the door.
- Have the seven answers ready before you touch the door, because one mistake restarts the quiz.
- Skip the straight and left paths at the crossroads unless you want the extra loot.
- Repair your gear and bring a shield. The traps and the final fight are easy, but not free.
- Top up water inside. Water containers in the sietch can refill your literjon. See how to get water for the basics.
Common problems and fixes
- "Area is occupied. Come back later." The sietch is instanced: one player or one group inside at a time. Even party members may have to take turns. Wait, try a quieter server, or come back off-peak, when fewer players are on the journey.
- The door will not start. Check that The Seventh Trial of Aql is complete, and that nobody else is inside.
- The symbol door will not open. Recheck the three symbols for that lesson. Sand, not anything else, ends lesson 3.
- Stuck in a cutscene or a black screen after the door. Relog, and make sure your game is up to date.
- The sietch marker disappears from the map. Use the pin above; after an update the marker stays on the map.
- The Epilogue does not complete. It only completes inside a watersealed shelter. Go back to your sealed base and wait there.
Rewards
The journey is a Major card: 450 XP. The last step, "Find your way out", gives:
Ari's PistolNo tier · Database
3Fremen DeathstillTier 3 · Database
Maw of the Worm Wall ReliefNo tier · Database
Fremen Sietch SwatchNo tier · DatabaseThat is Ari's Pistol, the Fremen Deathstill building recipe, the Maw of the Worm Wall Relief decoration and the Fremen Sietch Swatch.
What comes next
The Act 1 Epilogue asks you to wait for contact. Go home to a watersealed base, and Ari calls when she has a lead on decoding the film. Then Act 2, The Assassin's Handbook, starts with Black Market Tech in Harko Village. It is covered in The Assassin's Handbook walkthrough. New to the game? Start with the beginner guide.
What are the Eighth Trial of Aql answers?
In order: Nilotic al-Ourouba, Poritrin, Salusa Secundus, Bela Tegeuse, Rossak, Thurgrod, Harmonthep. They are the planets the seven earlier trials named, in reverse order.
What happens if I answer the Ornate Door wrong?
The proving fails and you start again from question 1. There is no timer and no other penalty.
What is the third ecology lesson answer?
Animal, Aerate, Sand. The lesson says "soil", but there is no Soil symbol, so the third symbol is Sand.
Where is the safe in Sietch Ta'lab?
It is the console to the left of the door you entered the projection room by. It gives you the Minimic Film.
Why does the sietch say "Area is occupied"?
Sietch Ta'lab is an instance for one player or group at a time. Wait until the other player leaves, or try another server.