Secrets of the First Pyramids (DLC Side Quest)
If you own this DLC, the quest will automatically be added to your log when you first enter the Iment Nome Area. However, tracking down the scholar is a little trickier than it seems- whenever you fast travel near him, he teleports somewhere else. You can test your whack-a-mole luck for a while, or just ride straight to him.
When do finally catch up with him, he's under attack by bandits. Annihilate them.
If the mounted ones are giving you trouble, try ducking behind cover, then hitting them with the spear or warrior bow when they draw close to attack. When the enemies are all dead, catch up with Merkes to join his quest for secret treasure.
There are two artifact pieces to recover. One is in Hugros Hideout (see out location guide here ). The artifact appears in a red chest, in the same room as the location treasure chest.
The other artifact is in the Tomb of Sneferu.
Climb up the north side to enter the tomb.
Squeeze through a narrow passage, then reach a room with a scarab wall, and a reminder about secret passages.
Before passing through the crack, look up to see a doorway above.
Pop up there for a note and a chunk of silica, then go back down and through the scarab wall. This passage will lead you across some water and down a shaft, neither of which hold any secrets. Eventually it opens up into a platform puzzle room.
Pick up a spool and walk onto the platform.
Once it's down, slide the mobile rack onto the platform as well.
This is enough to hold the other platform in place while you jump up to the high door beyond.
Up top, smash the pots to clear the passage and find…. two more platform puzzles. The good news is you don't need to solve either of them. In the first room, the left platform has a large pot, and right platform has a number of spindles. If you leap up on the left platform and up the pot, you can just scrabble your way up the wall before the platform falls. There's a treasure chest up top.
In the other room, you can climb up the Thoth statues embedded in the wall.
From there you can jump to the platform, then climb up before it falls.
This brings you to the tablet room of the pyramid. Do note the copious amounts of treasure.
A more modest chest has the artifact you seek.
Loot the room, then read the tablet to complete the location.
Exit through the letter slot.
This passage leads you out of the pyramid- follow your marker to Merkes' new camp and show him your findings.
He sends you on a trip to the top of the pyramid, which is just like climbing any other pyramid. Up top, interact with the odd divots to get the last tomb location.
Note that Merkes has changed his campsite since you've been up there- cross around to the far/east side of the pyramid and slide down to meet him.
Ride to the new site with Merkes for some chatter and an Indy reference.
You arrive at an investigation area, but there's only one thing to investigate, the pile of soft sand right by your marker.
Interact with it, then bust through the wooden barricade that's revealed.
Follow the passage, but watch for cobras.
Loot the bottom chamber, then speak with Merkes to complete the quest.
Despite the apparent hints, there is no time of day at which a beam of light will fall through one of the cracks, bounce off the capstone, and reveal something interesting.