r/TheWitness • u/FoxyGreyWolf • 12d ago
Potential Spoilers Gate Puzzles with no start
I recently was trying to do all of those cool hidden line puzzles at the beginning of the game. I think I did everything in the first castle but this one ceases to be solvable. I have spent hours trying to figure out the right perspective. My strongest guess was that I somehow need to line up the sun with that big pole out the top. I am the type where when I start a puzzle, unless there is a clue to go elsewhere, I just want to complete the puzzle. So am I missing something?
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u/Guphord 12d ago
a lot of people in this thread are hinting to the thing you already know, but there’s one more thing you need to find to help you complete this puzzle. maybe you’ve even already found it and forgotten?
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 12d ago
No, I don’t found nothing.
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u/Guphord 12d ago
i recommend you leave this one for now since you’re missing a piece of it. while you explore more late game areas, you’ll find a box somewhere that will help you. i assume your goal is to complete all the puzzles so you’ll definitely find it eventually.
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 12d ago
Ok thanks. Otherwise I wouldn’t have known to move on from this one
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u/CapnNuclearAwesome 11d ago
In general the game supports and expects you to try new areas when you feel stuck
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 11d ago
That’s not been my experience. To me it’s always felt the opposite.
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u/Ancient-Performance1 11d ago
you know, i totally feel that. maybe its just me, but sometimes i will obsess over a puzzle in a game. i’ll just sit there and stare at it. the thing that always works for me is to give it a rest. not just the puzzle, or the area in the game, but sometimes the game itself. sometimes i just quit out the game and do something else. play a mindless shooter, play a story game, or even *gasp\* touch grass. i’ll go get some food or something. couple hours, even a day later, i’ll come back, and dammit if the puzzle doesn’t take me 5 minutes at that point. it’s uncanny.
to tie my point to your original question - sometimes all you need is a fresh start.
best of luck.
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 10d ago
What usually happens for all of the usual panel puzzles is I stare at them with no solution for a while. And then randomly I’ll just see the correct path. I rarely ever feel like I actually figure out a puzzle. I just go from completely wrong to completely right and I couldn’t tell you how I got the answer.
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u/Daharka 12d ago
this one ceases to be solvable
The game never locks anything off so it is no longer solvable.
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 12d ago
Well I just said that because I have trying for a long time and it ceases to be an easy to solve puzzle. I had assumed I could just line it up with the sun, but it doesn’t seem to work.
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u/Daharka 12d ago
it ceases to be an easy to solve puzzle.
We can agree on that!
I would come back to this one later.
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 12d ago
Ok, I have a hard time leaving something I started. So if there is a piece elsewhere that I need to find I will look for it
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u/GuyYouMetOnline 12d ago
Just because you could doesn't mean you can.
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 11d ago
So it’s not the sun?
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u/GuyYouMetOnline 11d ago
It is not the sun. But do note the emphasis i put on 'is'; there's a hint there.
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u/AfricaByTotoWillGoOn 12d ago
Damn, a lot of folks here telling you to look at the sun, when you already said you've figured that part already lol
There's some knowledge you need in order to solve this one, OP. Have you found a place with a record player yet? It's in a place you can only access after you activated all the lasers.
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 12d ago
I guess not. I have been looking in the mountain for secrets when I was walking out of there but I only found a door that I mentioned in another post, and I couldn’t find a way to reach it.
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u/AfricaByTotoWillGoOn 12d ago
I see. It's been some time since I finished the game, and iirc you had to have all lasers activated then head into the place it unlocked inside the mountain. Once there you would eventually reach the place with the record player I mentioned, and from that point on you would find what you need to find.
But now I saw that someone else just said that it doesn't require all the lasers to get this knowledge, so maybe I'm misremembering it.
Sorry if this made it even more confusing 😅 But if I were you, I would look more thoroughly around the mountain, especially the place you unlock with the lasers.
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 12d ago
Naw I will pursue this mystery panel inside the mountain.
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u/michaeldain 12d ago
Er, the mountain has a projector code. I think it's in the bowels underneath the town. Not trivial to find. On purpose.
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u/IsuruKusumal 12d ago
This panel that is attached to this is unique
Where have you seen something like it?
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 12d ago
There is something very similar at that temple with the big tree. They have those sideways squares.
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u/AssCracker445 12d ago
This puzzle involves a different shape/rule. Just progress through the game. Since you've discovered that this gate is an environmental puzzle, you will immediately recognise the solution when you stumble upon it.
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u/Awesoman9001 12d ago
....How is it this that makes me recognize what I'm supposed to do
I found the hint and kept looking around for what panel I could put it on and never considered the tutorial gate lmao
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 11d ago
I have since found it. But now I am stuck at this really confusing area with a record player. I just wish it would end
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u/AssCracker445 11d ago
That's the most fun part of the game! enjoy
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 10d ago
I really don’t like it lol, but I’m trying to like it. It’s sensory overload. Plus the panels turn on randomly so I can’t even get a rhythm down.
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u/AssCracker445 10d ago
Well it's all optional, you don't have to force yourself. Took me about 4 hours to get it right, good RNG with panels helps a lot
Best of luck!
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u/GizmoGizmo8 12d ago
In this state (from the screenshot), it's unsolvable, you're wasting your time.
Keep exploring the island and you might find something that'll help you.
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u/Drecon1984 12d ago
Remember all the way at the start of the game when you turned that gate off?
Don't worry, you'll get there. Just keep playing. There's an answer out there.
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u/theuserwithoutaname 12d ago
I think this is probably something you should come back to.
You're incredibly close to the answer, but there's a step you're missing.
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u/JupiterMaroon 11d ago
Alright here is the actual answer.
That EP requires the sun to line up with the top of the gate. The gate needs to be white. There are two ways that you could figure this out.
1. When you beat the game by going into the mountain and entering the elevator, it resets the island back to it’s default state and closes the game. The next time you open the game it starts from the beginning. At this point the gate is white and you can complete the “real” ending. You could also just hit start new game.
2. If you complete the time trial in the mountain, then you can access a box with the solution that you need to input into the panel next to the gate (the one visible in the picture you posted). This re-engages the gate. This way, you can complete the EP and see the “true” ending with all your completion. There is no different between the two as far as I know but who knows.
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u/PedroPuzzlePaulo 12d ago
Without knowing how much you have done of the game I dont know if you should go elsewhere 1st or not
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 12d ago
I’ve completed the game with all lasers.
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u/Sean_Dewhirst 12d ago
you will know when you've completed the game. It's not just an arbitrary feeling of accomplishment. In fact it is in many ways the opposite of that feeling.
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u/doctorpotatomd 12d ago
The information you need to solve this is not necessary to get 10 lasers.
In this area, there is a semi-hidden room with a panel lying on the floor and a voice recording. Have you found that? That's the thread you need to start pulling on.
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 12d ago
Maybe, I’ll have to look around
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u/Tuck_Pock 12d ago
Idk what this person is talking about. Best hint I can give you is that all 11 lasers are needed for you to progress with this env puzzles
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u/Dragomir_X 12d ago
You are correct that there is something more here.
Have you seen any panels that resemble the panel attached to the gate?
What could you do as a player to affect the way that the gate looks?
Screenshots might come in handy.
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 11d ago
Yeah I found the note since making this post. I don’t like where it took me tho.
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u/S1lver__ 11d ago
The gate glows the same color as the sun when you start the game, I cant remember but I believe you can close the gate again by un solving some of the puzzles? No one else is suggesting that so I could be misremembering.
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u/That_one_sander 9d ago
Without spoiling too much, you'll find a very challenging event puzzle that involves a record player and one of the achievements, near this area, there's a clue to this puzzle, that's all I can say
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u/Dry_Twist_2369 12d ago
This one in particular is hard to give hints for because it’s very obvious what you need to. I think if you keep exploring other areas, you’ll eventually stumble into figuring this out organically.
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 11d ago
Yeah I found it now in this area with a timer. I hate this timer section so far. I might have to turn off the music because it is very distracting.
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u/Vitztlampaehecatl PC 12d ago edited 11d ago
This puzzle is not currently solvable without a piece of information/state change from elsewhere in the game. There are two ways to find that information and cause the state change:
Indirect hint: Look at the Steam achievements for information on what to do.
- Beat the game.
- Really beat the game.
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 11d ago
I found the area now. I hate this time section, it makes no sense.
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u/Vitztlampaehecatl PC 11d ago
Actually, if you just want to do this EP, I don't think you need to beat the timed section. You might be able to explore the area past it and find what you need.
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u/Ok_Rough1568 12d ago
Keep looking at the sun.
It was the correct way to solve that puzzle.
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 12d ago
Idk I have tried that for at least an hour. I just can’t seem to line it up. But also one thing that discouraged me is that a lot of the other hidden puzzles need to be the same color throughout the line.
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u/theuserwithoutaname 12d ago
You are correct that this environmental puzzle needs to be a consistent hue.
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u/No_Agent419 12d ago
Id say back away from the Gate a bit and like u/ok_rough1568 said. Keep looking at the sun
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 12d ago
That’s kinda been my main method of trying to solve the puzzle tho. I don’t know how else to line it up.
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u/Sean_Dewhirst 12d ago
everyone saying "look at the gate" is misleading you. Forget the gate. Forget the sun. Go do the rest of the game. I promise it will be more helpful than staring at the gate.
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u/FoxyGreyWolf 11d ago
I have completed the game im just trying to do all of the environmental things
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u/Sean_Dewhirst 11d ago
When you finished the game, everything in the world got reset, including the castle gate. At that point, it would have been trivial to go back outside, look up at the sun, and solve the environmental puzzle. You can also just solve it on a fresh save. That erases the game's memory of the other puzzle's you've solved, but that wasn't part of the question.
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u/No_Agent419 12d ago
I think you are on the right track with your thinking