Imprisoned by the Riddles of Reality is a side quest in The Outer Worlds 2 that takes place in Alexandra Monastery on Golden Ridge. This quest is less about combat and more about philosophy, with a healthy dose of scavenger hunt thrown in. You’ll meet two scholars (Anchorites) busy in a debate in a locked room who can’t agree on whether war is ever justified. They give you a task to find two rare books that can help them prove their claims and reveal more about their theories to either settle the matter or fuel the argument.
Our Imprisoned by the Riddles of Reality walkthrough explains how to start this quest, book locations, and what choice you make between Chao and Brun.
How to Start the Imprisoned by the Riddles of Reality in The Outer Worlds 2
You can start the Imprisoned by the Riddles of Reality quest inside Alexandra Monastery when progressing through the main quest “On the Trail of the Traitor.”
From the monastery’s entrance, head toward the main hall and look for a room called the Anchorhold, which is to the right of the big tree from the hall’s center, as pointed out in the above image.
Inside the chamber, you will encounter the two scholars, Anchoress Brun and Anchoress Chao, arguing endlessly. They seem too consumed by their math equations, as seen on the boards and philosophy debate, to notice the chaos outside. Talk to them through the room’s microphone. They both are confident about their war logic supported by a particular academic text, though the books are missing. Just as you expected, they’ll ask you to retrieve these books:
- Only Real Numbers: The Casualties of Appeasement (Second Edition) by Exemplar R. Kuang (for Anchoress Chao)
- Conflict and Deescalation Theory: An Examination by Archivist A. Maler (for Anchoress Brun)
Accept their request to start the Imprisoned by the Riddles of Reality quest.
Restore Power to the Bathhouse Circuit
You can find a locked pathway near the Anchorhold where you need to fix a circuit breaker to turn on power. Interact with the Anchorite Drawer outside their cell to get the ‘The Essential History of Mechanized Doors: How They Open, Close, and Everything in Between’ book.
Exit the chamber and go straight past the tree opposite to Anchorites’ chamber and enter the hallway from the door to get to the Bathhouse Circuit Breaker.
Interact with the breaker to restore the power and unlock access to the rest of the monastery.
Where to Find “Only Real Numbers: The Casualties of Appeasement” Book
Exit the Anchorhold, then follow the corridor outside, turn left, and go upstairs. The upper levels are crawling with Rogue Order Disciples, so be ready for close-quarters fight.
You need to reach the area where hostages are held, and you’ll come across two labeled doors: “Be a Hero” on the right, and “Betray Your Values” on the left. For Chao’s book, move through the “Be a Hero” entrance.
Inside, go upstairs and enter the first room on the left. Move to the left inside the chamber, and you’ll find stairs in front.
Go to the upper floor and pass through the front door at the other end of the balcony to enter the puzzle location with the red lighting, where you’ll see a vent in the left corner.
Squeeze through the vent, which leads you straight into the room with the “Only Real Numbers: The Casualties of Appeasement” book sitting on a desk.
If you have Engineer level 5 or the Brawny trait, you can unlock the locked door at the balcony to directly access the book room.
Where to Find “Conflict and Deescalation Theory: An Examination” Book
Once you’ve grabbed the book for Anchoress Chao, backtrack to the hostages captured area, and this time take the “Betray Your Values” entrance on the left to get to Anchoress Brun’s book location.
Move upstairs to the upper floor, and you’ll enter a dim scriptorium with the wooden furniture. Look to the left, the planks with yellow cloths can be climbed to access the gallery above.
There’s another small platform across from the ledge. Jump across and move toward the left corner of the upper floor, where you find the second book, Conflict and Deescalation Theory: An Examination by Archivist A. Maler, on the table.
Once you have collected both books in hand, it’s time to bring them back to the scholars.
Note: You can safely explore both “Be a Hero” and “Betray Your Values” rooms until you don’t interact with the Seer Wiley Observatory or trigger the hostage event from the main quest. So don’t stress about rushing this one as the quest won’t break if you ignore those objectives for now.
Return to the Anchorhold
Head back to Anchorhold to meet Anchoress Brun and Anchoress Chao. Use the same Anchorite Drawer to give them the requested books. The two will read your findings and, in true academic fashion, immediately turn your efforts into another philosophical squabble. You’ll then have to weigh in on who you think is right.
Should You Choose Chao or Brun?
Once you submit the books, they review them for a while, and during the next conversation, you’ll get three dialogue options to side with any one of them or ignore both’s logic:
- “Anchoress Chao is right about it being a loop. Violence only ever begets more violence.” → You get Repellent Awakened Seer Robes (armor)
- “Anchoress Brun gets it now. Going to war is sometimes an act of self-defense.” → You earn a Sawed-Off Heavy Machine Gun
- “What kind of crazy circular logic is that? You two just like to argue!” → Ends the conversation with minor loot only.
Regardless of whether you side with Anchoress Chao or Anchoress Brun, you’ll also receive these fixed rewards:
- XP: around 1,000–1,200 (depending on difficulty)
- +1 Reputation with The Order of the Ascendant
- Bonus loot in the drawer: Advanced Decryption Key, Scrap Metal, Crude Biomass, Energy Canister, and Foil.
Considering the reward, we recommend choosing Chao because the Repellent Awakened Seer Robes armor is better than the weapon you receive in the opposite case.
