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    The Witness

    Game » consists of 7 releases. Released Jan 26, 2016

    An exploration-focused puzzle-adventure game led by the creator of the 2008 indie game Braid. While exploring a quiet but colorful island, players must solve a series of maze-like puzzles on numerous electronic puzzle consoles.

    The Witness Puzzle Help Thread (Spoilers)

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    LawGamer

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    @terach said:

    I've been stuck for a bit on a puzzle under the Desert Ruin area:

    I'm stuck on the third puzzle in the area where you raise/lower the water levels to find the glare on the panels. I've been all over that room as the water was rising and falling so either I missed a spot or there's something else in the environment to solve it. There's also 2 other panels (one floating in the water and one on the far wall) but I don't think those are connected.

    I just did that area yesterday. Everything you need is in the area.

    Some of the reflections only appear for a short while at specific water levels.

    Also, you can only see part of the line on some panels from a single position. You may need to move around the room a bit and put the segments together.

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    mike

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    ian280291

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    @mike: i think thats the next puzzle. I'm stuck on the one before

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    Ares42

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    @mike: The idea behind the solution is that the panel is breaking down. Examine the whole thing and you'll probably realize what's going on.

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    terach

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    @lawgamer: Thanks! Turns out that I did miss a spot and I was making it more complicated than it needed it to be.

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    gkhan

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    @gunslingerpanda: See the two tetrominoes in the bottom row, the J and L tetrominoes (in Tetris parlance)? Imagine them sitting "back to back" and what shape that makes. Now subtract a 2x2 square. You see how the solution works?

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    DeathTrap

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    #57  Edited By DeathTrap

    Man, this game is infuriating. Either I'm just not finding any tutorial puzzles or there aren't any after the ones shown in the Quick Look. I have no idea what the mechanic is behind these.

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    Sessh

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    @deathtrap: I'm sure you'll figure the left one out (except if I'm missing something there, that one should be simple enough).

    The two on the right have tutorials in the quarry and the swamp respectively.

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    Ares42

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    @deathtrap: It should've probably be posted as a PSA or something at this point, but don't go to the village. All the other areas are themed and have a difficulty curve, while the village is where everything gets thrown at you at full force.

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    SubliminalKitteh

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    #60  Edited By SubliminalKitteh

    @barrabas: Ready for a hint?

    Turn up your speakers

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    GValo

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    @deathtrap: Where is the bottom image from?! That's the one I posted that I couldn't find!

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    Icemo

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    GValo

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    #63  Edited By GValo

    @icemo: Weird I could have sworn I was over the wood bridge and near the castle when I saw it... no wonder I couldn't find it again last night I didn't go anywhere near the location.

    Thanks!

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    Dew

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    #64  Edited By Dew

    Alright I must just be looking at this the wrong way. I know how all the mechanics of this puzzle works (I think), but I can't figure out how to get the shape right on this Tree-Top puzzle.

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    The only way to encompass the bottom left star is to have the horizontal tetromino shape for the bottom 3 left-most squares. I just can't figure out how to make the shape combining the 3 tetriminos. Any hints or am I on the wrong track completely? How the hell do I group that purple tetromino with a star?

    Edit: Never mind, turned it off for a couple of hours, came back and solved it in 2 minutes.

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    Barrabas

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    @barrabas: Ready for a hint?

    Turn up your speakers

    Ok, I eventually gave up and looked. Thanks, I never would have ever figured that out.

    I've been playing the game with the sound real low while listening to podcasts.

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    Talon64

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    #66  Edited By Talon64

    I think I might've gotten myself stuck in a spot in the swamp.

    I solved the first big row of tutorial puzzles, but missed the 2nd row and solved the moving platform puzzle to move on to the next section. Except now I feel like I still don't 100% this puzzle concept and I have no clue how to leave where I am. :/

    I can't figure out a way to take the platform back, and what I assume to be a shortcut door has two (red) puzzles on it and I'm stumped on the 2nd one.

    So is there any way to take that platform back? Or another way to leave that I'm missing? If not, then I either need help or just the solution the 2nd door puzzle so I can leave and do the puzzles I missed to better understand it.

    EDIT: Ok I managed to solve it thanks to the other thread talking about the Swamp puzzles! Now I'm taking the boat around to circle around to the start lol.

    EDIT 2: and i even learned how to move the platform back and forth, which should've been obvious to me. :(

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    fatalbanana

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    #67  Edited By fatalbanana

    Stuck on the last puzzle on the shaded trees area. Please just nudge me try not to be too explicit.

    Edit: Figured it out right after I posted this. That was a weird one.

    So i did all the other puzzles in this area and opened both doors on the leaf gate.

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    So it seams this last puzzle combines the elements of the last two areas... I'm just not sure how. I love to figure this stuff out myself but I've been banging my head trying to figure out how this works and it's driving me nuts. Slight nudges (if possible) is all I'm looking for. Thanks!

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    Quantris

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    @fatalbanana: you are right that this combines elements leading up to it. Recall that each of the two previous parts opened part of the door to this puzzle.

    Sorry if that's a bit obtuse but trying not to just give it away. TBH this might be one that if you step away for 10 minutes and come back you'll see it immediately.

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    Ares42

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    @talon64: Your solution of the moving platform is a representation of the nearby yellow squares.

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    katpottz

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    So I'm stuck on one of the later botanical lab puzzles.

    I have been on this one for a while but it just seems impossible with the logic I have going about these puzzles with.

    No Caption Provided

    So my understanding is for these puzzles you have to separate all your colors with a single line and make it to the "exit". However while working this puzzle out I identified several areas (circled in the image to the left) that would require an intersection to separate, which is against the rules.

    I'm stumped so any hints would be appreciated.

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    fatalbanana

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    @quantris: Yeah that's pretty much what happened. I figured it out right after I posted and felt dumb. lol such is this game though. Thanks for the help anyway.

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    fatalbanana

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    OK, now I need help with figuring out the tetris piece type puzzles.

    I get the general concept but how do I make rectangles if I cant overlap?

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    Ares42

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    @katpottz: Your looking at it from the wrong perspective.

    The panel that is, not your solution.

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    DeathTrap

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    #76  Edited By DeathTrap

    @gvalo: Wish I could remember. I'll have to see if I can find it again next time I launch Witness.

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    deactivated-5e851fc84effd

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    OK, now I need help with figuring out the tetris piece type puzzles.

    I get the general concept but how do I make rectangles if I cant overlap?

    A good method for learning each ruleset is once you get the puzzle right, get it wrong a few more times and think about why it's wrong. Failure can be a huge asset in moving forward. Aside from that if you need more detailed hints just let me know.

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    katpottz

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    @ares42: does it have to do with the colored leaves behind the monitor?

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    Ares42

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    #79  Edited By Ares42

    @katpottz: Take a few steps back and look at it from a distance. If you're not seeing anything, go further.

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    katpottz

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    #80  Edited By katpottz

    @ares42: holy shit, man this game is crazy.

    thank you

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    deactivated-5e851fc84effd

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    @katpottz said:

    @ares42: does it have to do with the colored leaves behind the monitor?

    Try taking a few steps back to see things in a new light.

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    FCDRandy

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    Will the solution to the Lonely Rock near the pottery house become apparent at some point? The two previous puzzles were pretty self-explanatory, outlining the profile and reflections of rocks in the frame, but the Lonely Rock breaches a maze line and it doesn't seem like drawing the outline of it or any other "invisible" characters next to it does anything. I'm not asking for a solution or a hint here, just wondering if I should be able to solve the puzzle in its default state or if I'm waiting for something else to happen. I assume there's an environmental change that occurs that allows me to progress in this line, but it's weird having progress halted so quickly within that theme.

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    Blommer4

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    @fcdrandy: The puzzle is solvable from the get-go, no reason to wait for something to happen.

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    Zella

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    #86  Edited By Zella

    Don't think I should need to spoiler this but better safe than sorry I guess

    In the red marsh with the tetris blocks and mostly getting it so far but I can not understand how the block which has two vertical stacks of two separated by a space is supposed to work. I've tried every combination I can think of on it by itself and I can't get it be valid. Is it like the single square one where in order to work in many cases it needs other types attached to it?

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    StarvingGamer

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    @zella: Yes and if it's the one I'm thinking of you may need to look closer

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    Ares42

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    @zella: It's probably one of the more unclear puzzles, but ye, as @starvinggamer said you're misreading a part of the puzzle.

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    mrblobby64

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    @fcdrandy: I don't quite get what you mean by the Lonely Rock sorry, tho judging from the puzzles you're describing is this in the area with all the symmetrical line puzzles?

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    thomasnash

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    #90  Edited By thomasnash

    The monastery is doing my head in. I've done the outside panels where you have to copy the lines on the windows but the next panel is just a 3x6 rectangle, and I can't see anything in the environment that seems to look like a hint.

    Is there a tutorial for this type of puzzle that I've missed, or am I just being dense

    EDIT: Nm, figured it out. Was overcomplicating things!

    EDIT2: NOPE! I've got the method but the rules of how to execute it are fuzzy, if that makes sense?

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    Ravelle

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    Can somebody help me explain what the logic is behind the tetris puzzles? Even when they ease you in to them with small starter ones, it doesn't teach you what the trick is.

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    ian280291

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    @thomasnash: you have to line up objects that show you the path. Similar to what you've already done outside the windows already

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    CouldbeRolf

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    @ravelle: You need to make the shape of the tetris piece, but you don't need to make the shape at the tetris piece if you have several pieces within the same "outline". If for example you have an L piece and a straight piece you can make the straight shape so that it touches the L piece and the L shape so that it touches the straight piece as long as you're making one singe figure out of the the two shapes. They can not share squares. If there is a blue tetris piece that's something you subtract from one of the tertis pieces, so if you have a 1 dot blue piece and a standard L piece you can make an I piece or a shorter L piece for example.

    I'm bad at explaining things, but hope it helps somewhat at least...

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    jagenheim

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    #94  Edited By jagenheim

    Edit: Never mind. Just solved all my problems. :)

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    JayPB08

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    This isn't so much a specific puzzle, but I've played for a few hours and have yet to find the collectibles Brad was talking about. Will they be obvious, or is it possible I've passed some of them?

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    mike

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    @jaypb08: It's easy to miss them, you have to look around carefully.

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    GValo

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    @deathtrap: Icemo posted the location. I was able to solve the left but not the right.

    This game is so frustratingly awesome. I can clear a whole area in like 20 minutes and feel like a genius... walk 20 feet to a random panel and be stuck for an hour

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    RickRockmann

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    #98  Edited By RickRockmann

    Might be getting into real spoiler territory with this one: orange triangles. I don't want hints, but I would like to know if I'm missing anything I might need to figure out the rule. I have:

    11 examples from around the map

    5 half-finished examples from the credits area

    the puzzle I'm trying to solve, in the second-to-last room of the game

    Is that everything?

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    Knurrunkulus

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    @kommandercevin: If I hadn't read that, I would probably still be banging my head against that puzzle in 2017. Thank you! :)

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    mrblobby64

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    #100  Edited By mrblobby64

    Currently stuck at this puzzle. Can't see what I'm missing. I know the one on the left is like the audio puzzles in the jungle but I'm not hearing anything?

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