If you’ve just arrived at the Vanderboom Estate in Servant of the Lake, you might be wondering what you’re actually supposed to do next. The front door is locked, the driver is standing around waiting for his payment, and the game doesn’t exactly hand you a giant flashing arrow telling you where to look.
Don’t worry. The opening puzzle is actually pretty clever once you know what you’re looking for.
Your main goal is to find the missing tankards, solve the tankard puzzle, pay the driver, and then use the item he leaves behind to find the estate key. Here’s the whole process without making you wander around the property clicking on absolutely everything.
How to Unlock the Vanderboom Estate in Servant of the Lake
The driver wants his payment, but before you can pay him, you need to find the two missing tankards.
Fortunately, neither one is particularly well hidden.
First Tankard: Left Window
Start by checking the left-hand window of the estate.
Click the window to zoom in. You’ll spot a tankard sitting on the windowsill, lying on its side.
To reach it:
- Click the left window.
- Click and drag the bottom of the window frame upward.
- Once the window is open, click the tankard.
- It will be added to your inventory.
That’s the first one done.
Second Tankard: Inside the Carriage
The second tankard is inside the carriage parked outside the estate.
Walk over to the carriage and click it to zoom in. Open the carriage door and look down at the floor.
You’ll find the second tankard sitting there.
Pick it up and add it to your inventory.
Now you should have both missing tankards.
How to Solve the Tankard Puzzle in Servant of the Lake
This is where the game starts testing whether you’ve actually been paying attention to the objects around you.
Take both tankards to the right-hand window of the estate.
Open this window in the same way as the left one. You should see several tankards already sitting on the windowsill.
Place the two tankards you’ve collected alongside the others.
At first, it might look like you’re simply supposed to put them somewhere and hope for the best. That’s what makes this puzzle easy to miss.
Take a closer look at the tankards.
Each one has a different number of grooves etched into its body. The number of grooves gives you the order.
You need to arrange the tankards from:
1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5
Place them from left to right according to the number of grooves on each tankard.
Once you’ve got them in the correct order, something interesting happens: the tankard with the lid opens.
Click it and you’ll find a gold coin inside.
Take the coin. This is the payment you’ve been looking for.
Where to Find the Driver’s Fee in Servant of the Lake
Once you’ve solved the tankard puzzle and collected the gold coin, take it back to the carriage driver.
Give him the coin as his payment.
Finally, he’ll stop repeating that he’s waiting for his fee and leave the estate.
And that’s important because the carriage was blocking the next part of the puzzle.
How to Get the Iron Rod After the Driver Leaves
After the driver and carriage are gone, don’t immediately head back to the front door.
Look at the area where the carriage was parked.
You’ll find an iron rod lying on the ground.
Click the area to zoom in, then click the iron rod to pick it up.
Make sure you collect it because this item is needed for the next step.
How to Find the Hidden Estate Key
Now it’s time to return to the planter box near the estate.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably already interacted with it because there was a carrot sitting there when you first arrived. But there’s another secret hiding in this area.
Click the planter box to zoom in.
Now examine the wooden floorboards around it carefully.
One of the boards has a noticeably thicker black outline than the others.
That’s your clue.
It isn’t just a random line in the floor. It’s indicating a hidden compartment.
Use the iron rod you picked up after the driver left to pry open the suspicious floorboard.
Inside, you’ll find the estate key.
Pick it up and you’re finally ready to open the front door.
How to Unlock the Vanderboom Estate Door
With the estate key in your inventory, return to the locked front door of the Vanderboom Estate.
Interact with the door and use the key.
The door will unlock, allowing you to enter the estate and continue your adventure.
Vanderboom Estate Puzzle Solution at a Glance
If you just want the quick version after getting stuck, here’s the entire sequence:
- Find the first tankard in the left window.
- Find the second tankard inside the carriage.
- Put both tankards on the right window’s windowsill.
- Examine the grooves on each tankard.
- Arrange them from 1 to 5 grooves, left to right.
- Open the tankard with the lid.
- Take the gold coin.
- Give the coin to the carriage driver.
- Pick up the iron rod after the carriage leaves.
- Go to the planter box.
- Find the floorboard with the thicker black outline.
- Use the iron rod to open the hidden compartment.
- Take the estate key.
- Use the key on the front door.
And that’s it. The Vanderboom Estate is now open.
The nice thing about this opening puzzle is that the game is already teaching you how Servant of the Lake works: look closely at objects, pay attention to unusual markings, and don’t assume something is just background decoration. That habit will save you a lot of time as you get deeper into the game.