If you’ve spent any time in the Glittering Dunes, you know Gaston is… well, he's Gaston. He's loud, he’s confident, and he is absolutely useless at solving ancient puzzles. That’s where you come in. The Disney Dreamlight Valley Diamond in the Rough quest is one of the beefier story missions in the A Rift in Time expansion, and honestly, it’s where the game stops holding your hand.
You’re looking for the third Jewel of Time. To get it, you have to navigate the Cave of Wonders, which looks exactly like the one from the 1992 Aladdin film, right down to the giant tiger head made of sand. But inside? It's a mess of light beams, power coils, and mirrors that can leave you scratching your head if you don't know the specific order of operations.
Starting the Diamond in the Rough Quest
Before you can even see the cave, you’ve got to deal with Gaston’s ego. You need to have finished "The Wild Tangle’s Swarm" first. Once that's out of the way, find Gaston in the Wastes. He’s usually hanging out near his makeshift camp.
He’ll hand over two halves of a Golden Scarab. Use your inventory to "Use" them, and they’ll fuse together. Now, this part is a bit annoying—the Scarab flies away and you have to chase it through the desert. It moves fast, but don’t panic if you lose sight of it; just head toward the far eastern edge of the Wastes. When it stops, interact with it, and the Cave of Wonders will emerge from the dunes in a pretty cool cutscene.
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The First Gate: Powering Up
Once you step inside, Jafar will start talking to you through a hologram. Ignore his gloating. Your first goal is to open the massive gate blocking the main path.
Look to your left. You’ll see some Splinters of Fate blocking a small side area. Clear those out. On the ground, you’ll find a Power Coil. Pick it up and look for the generator-like socket right next to the stairs on that same side. Pop the coil in.
Now, go back to the center of the main room and pull the lever. The gate will slide open. Simple enough, right? It gets way harder.
Solving the Second Gate Mirror Puzzle
This is where people usually get stuck. The second gate requires you to redirect a beam of light using mirrors.
- Find the Ancient Mirror: Go up the stairs and take the path to the left. You’ll find a room with more Splinters of Fate. Tucked in the corner is an Ancient Mirror. Grab it.
- Redirect the First Beam: There’s a lever in this left-hand room. Pull it. This moves a mirror on the wall, causing a light beam to bounce toward the main corridor.
- Place the Mirror: Go back toward the gate you're trying to open. Look at the wall where the light beam is currently hitting a dead end. There’s a specific spot you can interact with to hang the Ancient Mirror you just picked up.
- The Final Switch: Once the mirror is up, the light will bounce across to a receiver on the right side of the door. Pull the lever nearby, and half the lock is cleared.
The Circuit Puzzle: Charging the Power Coil
Now you need to head to the right side of the cave to find a second Power Coil, but this one is "dead." You have to charge it using a floor grid puzzle. Basically, you’re rotating circular stones to connect a line of ancient energy.
Go to the room on the far right. You'll see a grid on the floor. To charge the coil in the center, interact with the circles in this specific order (assuming you are facing the back of the room):
- Top-Left Circle: Turn it twice.
- Top-Right Circle: Turn it three times.
- Bottom-Right Circle: Turn it twice.
- Bottom-Left Circle: Turn it once.
If you did it right, the lines will glow blue and the central coil will spark to life. Pick it up, run back to the main room, and slot it into the empty pedestal on the right side of the gate. Pull the final lever, and the way to the Jewel of Time is finally clear.
Grabbing the Jewel and Finishing Up
Walk down the long bridge—try not to fall, though the game won't actually let you—and grab the Jewel of Time from the pedestal.
You don't have to walk all the way back. There is a convenient teleporter right behind the pedestal that spits you back out at the cave entrance. Talk to Gaston outside. He’ll be surprised you actually survived, and he'll give you a "LeFou Coconut Bust" as a reward. (Gee, thanks, Gaston.)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Upgrading Your Tools: You might see some glass stalagmites or weird plants inside the cave that you can't break. Don't waste time trying. These require later tool upgrades from the Timebending Table. You can always come back for the hidden chests later.
- The Glitched Beam: Some players report the light beam not "registering" even when the mirrors look correct. If this happens, try fast-traveling out of the cave and coming back in to reset the room's state.
- The Scarab's Path: If the Scarab seems to disappear in the desert, check your map. Sometimes the icon hangs behind a rock, but it always ends up at the same spot in the Wastes.
Actionable Next Steps
Now that you have the Jewel of Time from the Disney Dreamlight Valley Diamond in the Rough quest, your next move should be talking to Jafar at a Hologram Station. This will trigger the "Your Eternal Reward" quest, but fair warning: you're going to need 10,000 Mist to unlock the Borderlands to finish the expansion's main arc. Start grinding those Mist Duties now—clear some Swirling Sands or hang out with a level 10 friend to speed up the process.