Genshin Impact Down in the Dumps Quest Walkthrough

If you just wrapped up 'Transplanted From Yesterday to Tomorrow' and suddenly found yourself in a grimy underground sewer, welcome to one of Genshin Impact's more disorienting sequences. I won't lie: the first time I started Down in the Dumps, I kept trying to switch characters before remembering that the Shadow Realm locks your team away. You're stuck with the Traveler's guns and movement tools, so this quest feels more like a little escape room than a normal combat or exploration mission. The good news? Once you understand the keycard loop, it's actually pretty straightforward.

🧭 Quick Overview

Before you dive in, here's what you're working with.

🚪 Step 1: Escape the First Sewer Section

Start by moving deeper into the sewer and unlock the Teleport Waypoint. When you reach the gate, double-tap the run button to slide under it. I missed this prompt at first because it happens fast, but sliding is a whole mechanic here. After that, use your weapon to aim at the sparkle sigil and pull yourself up. Open the Exquisite Chest along the way, then pick up the Metal Control Wheel and interact with the Rotary Mechanism to open the next gate. Slide under it as it jams—this is another moment where the game wants you to move quickly.

🌊 Step 2: Cross the Flooded Room

You'll soon hit a flooded room. Hop onto the wooden plank Paimon points out, then build a Grappling Gun to cross. If wooden boxes block your path, shoot them. Can you reach that high platform? Yes, but only if you build a Cube or a Floating Platform, sometimes called a Prime Ice Construct, for extra height. This is one of those sections where the solution isn't obvious because the game doesn't exactly tell you to build for verticality.

🟦 Step 3: Read the Guide and Grab the Blue Key Card

Enter the Control Room and read the 'Sewer Entrance/Exit Guide' on the table. This is required to trigger the next objective: collect all three keycards. Interact with the Control Console near the open gate to claim the Blue Key Card. The gate closes behind you, which feels like a trap, but don't panic. Use the same Blue Key Card on the other Control Console to open a new room. Inside, you'll realize you still need the key, so go back to the first console and take it again. The gate will be jammed, so slide through. Sound a little backwards? It is, but that's the trick—the Blue Key Card is meant to be reused.

🟨 Step 4: Drain the Water and Find the White Key Card

Insert the Blue Key Card into the console by the water. This drains half the water and marks the White Key Card location with the Eye of Graeae. Remove the Blue Key Card, then head to the closed door below. Insert it there to open the door. The water will start rising, so move quickly. If you can't jump to the next platform, don't waste time fighting the water—just stand still and let it lift you. Inside the new room, take the White Key Card from the console and claim the Exquisite Chest. Build a Grappling Gun to create an exit route, and you'll loop back near the starting point. Use the ledges on the right to reach the water-side console and insert the White Key Card. With both the Blue and White Key Cards in place, the water drains completely.

🟥 Step 5: Grab the Red Key Card and Beat the Leshy

Head down and follow the path until you find a gate you can slide under. The Red Key Card is on a high platform, marked by the Eye of Graeae. Aim at the blue sigil to pull yourself up. Grabbing the key triggers a battle with a Leshy. This fight isn't too rough, but remember you have no elemental skills, so lean on the Traveler's guns and keep moving. After you defeat it, use the Rotary Mechanism to open the gate. Don't miss the Precious Chest along the way.

🔑 Step 6: Return, Insert All Three Keycards, and Escape

Go back to the Control Room and retrieve both the Blue and White Key Cards from the console. Then insert all three—Blue, White, and Red—into the control room door to unlock it. Proceed through and you'll find a Rotary Mechanism missing its wheel. The Sewer Lift Control Wheel is hanging on a Leshy's head above. Shoot the glass container to free the Leshy, then defeat it to claim the wheel. Place the wheel on the mechanism to open the gate.

Go through the gate, claim the Luxurious Chest, then use the elevator to exit the sewer. Follow the path to reach the surface. That completes Down in the Dumps and starts Back on One's Feet.

🚧 Troubleshooting Tips

Here are a few things that tripped me up.

• 🚿 Water rising too fast? After removing the Blue Key Card from the water-draining console, the water refills quickly. If you can't reach the next platform, stand still and let the water lift you.

• 🔍 Can't find the White Key Card? The Eye of Graeae marks it on your screen after draining half the water. Look for the glowing indicator.

• 🧊 Stuck on a jump? Use the Cube or Floating Platform constructs to gain height. You can also build a Grappling Gun to reach distant ledges.

• 🟦 Forgot the Blue Key Card? Remember that you can always go back and take it from the first console. The jammed gate lets you slide through.

🎯 What Comes Next

After completing Down in the Dumps, you'll automatically start Back on One's Feet, which continues the In the Dwelling of Life questline. Make sure you have enough time to finish the sequence because the Shadow Realm restricts your party, and there's no quick swap option if you're unprepared. I'd also recommend grabbing every chest as you go—the Luxurious Chest at the end is a nice reward, but the Exquisite and Precious Chests along the route are easy to miss if you rush.

Is this quest confusing? At first, absolutely. But that's also what makes it memorable. Once you know the keycard puzzle and the water-draining trick, you'll breeze through the whole sewer escape.