To get through Skipping Stones to Lonely Homes, redirect lily pads while they are still moving, use rocks to divert the river, and keep a usable rock before crossing into the next checkpoint. This southern route introduces stone skipping, then combines it with lily rides and two-character timing. The key to Order of the Sinking Star Skipping Stones is planning both your crossing and where your rocks will end up.
How do you start Skipping Stones to Lonely Homes?
Push the movable entrance rock, then use skipped rocks as stepping stones to cross the opening water gap.
- Move the entrance rock out of your path. Check that the passage is open before trying to continue south.
- Skip a rock across the water where you need a foothold. You should have a tile you can step onto, rather than an uninterrupted water gap.
- As lily pads appear, watch the current move them before spending another rock. Confirm which bank the pad reaches so you can plan your boarding point.
For the route overview, keep the order of the sinking star walkthrough handy. Within this section, stones are resources you carry forward, so an open path alone is not a good reason to abandon one.
How do you turn a lily pad before it stops?
Give the lily pad its second push while it is still travelling through the square where you need it to turn.
At first this looks like a puzzle about placing pads at fixed stopping points. The trick is that a moving pad can change course. Waiting for it to finish its first trip can leave it out of reach of the second push.
- Position the rock for the first push and prepare your route to the second pushing position.
- Launch the pad. Watch its progress across the grid rather than waiting for it to settle.
- Apply the next push as it passes the turning square. The confirmation is the pad changing direction before reaching its original destination.
- Board when it passes your landing point. You should travel with the pad instead of being left on the bank.
When a rock rides on a lily pad, the same timing matters: move the rock at the required square while the pad is passing through it. If you miss that moment, undo the attempt and set up again.
Where do you cross beside the hidden checkpoint?
Arrange the lily pads to cover the square next to the checkpoint, and look beneath the rock on the left for the crossing target.
Locate that corner before pushing the rock left. In this layout, an early leftward push can trap it against the vertical edge, where you cannot get around to retrieve it. Keep access to the pushing side while preparing the crossing.
Send the pads through the square beside the checkpoint so you can step across. Confirm the pad reaches the adjacent square and gives you a usable crossing. Simply riding to another bank can leave you unable to continue.
How do you divert the river and reach the next checkpoint?
Use a rock to change the current, recover the movable rock, then ride a lily pad along the redirected river toward the checkpoint.
A rock in the river can look like a plug that stops the water. Here it redirects the flow. Watch the white current change its path after you place the rock; that visible bend is your confirmation before boarding.
Recover the rock before leaving. You still need a usable rock to activate the lily, and losing too many stones can make the next crossing impossible. Check that you can reach and push your remaining rock before committing to the ride.
Board the lily and follow the diverted current. Aim for the glowing checkpoint shown above, rather than treating the right-hand islands as your destination. Step off at the checkpoint instead of letting the pad carry you past it.
What should you do if the next puzzle is missing a stone?
Hold undo until you return to before the previous checkpoint, then replay the crossing with the stone still accessible.
Players have reached a checkpoint after trapping a stone in the preceding puzzle. Resetting the current puzzle did not bring that stone back. Rewind past the checkpoint that preserved the bad position, rather than repeatedly resetting the same state.
Undo speeds up when you hold it longer. Stop once you can see the missing stone again, then check its landing position before repeating the crossing. A player also recovered an earlier state after leaving for the overworld, so leaving the puzzle is not a reason to assume your undo history is gone.
For the extra island with two stones on its upper island, use those two stones to build the bridge to the right. You do not need to haul stones up from the bottom island. Keeping the lower arrangement intact is the safer approach.
If you want a break from the timing puzzle, a player reported leaving for another set of puzzles and returning to the same position. You can consult order of the sinking star the promise for the west section before returning here.
How do you handle the two-character crossings and finish the south route?
Get one character into position before the other launches the rock or lily pad, then switch characters to complete the next push and board.
Board before launching
At the early shared crossing, put the upper character on the lily first, then use the other character to push. Confirm the passenger is riding with the pad before moving the second character.
Receive the travelling rock
When a rock needs a downward push after arriving, place the receiving character above its landing square first. Send the rock across, then push it down. The rock should enter the intended water square and open the boat route.
Keep a stone for the later crossing
In the later layout where building ordinary footholds leaves you one stone short, make the two travelling rocks collide along the upper row. This saves a stone for the next downward launch. Confirm that you still have that spare stone before sending both characters toward their boarding positions.
Return when the boatman asks
Reaching the far side is not the end of the return sequence. When the boatman asks you to come back, arrange the lily route and board for the trip back to the left. Confirm you have returned to him before expecting to set off.
For the final shared ride, send one character aboard first, then board with the other during the turn in the route. That bend gives you time to act. If a character misses the lily, undo and stage them closer before launching again; do not leave the second boarding move until after the pad has passed.
The completion confirmation marks the end of the southern campaign. The overworld wraps vertically: walking south from the bottom brings you to the gold square at the top. From there, continue with order of the sinking star heroes of hauling for the north route.