The Witness - Spoiler Thread (plot related/large secrets/no-puzzle solutions)
- Thread starter Archurro
- Start date
I finally finished the game with 523 +71. Only had to get area hints for 2 things, and then this thread for the final 2 main puzzles I missed (early spoiler:
).
I'm proud I figured out the puzzles myself, though some things were obscure and it probably took me 6-8 hours before a friend spurred me into examining the mountain yet again to unlock another area.
Overall I liked the game, though I thought some things were unnecessarily frustrating, and some things were a bit long and slow and unnecessary. I can understand some of what they were going for, I think.
Those of you mentioning angels, you might like these easter eggs I found:
http://abload.de/img/shadow1qrrwe.png
http://abload.de/img/shadow277q1n.png
About the ending itself, I took it to be the game studio, but after reading earlier comments, I suppose a future VR game is the simplest answer.
the hidden pillar + floor at the start
I'm proud I figured out the puzzles myself, though some things were obscure and it probably took me 6-8 hours before a friend spurred me into examining the mountain yet again to unlock another area.
I missed that box, sadly.
Overall I liked the game, though I thought some things were unnecessarily frustrating, and some things were a bit long and slow and unnecessary. I can understand some of what they were going for, I think.
Those of you mentioning angels, you might like these easter eggs I found:
http://abload.de/img/shadow1qrrwe.png
http://abload.de/img/shadow277q1n.png
About the ending itself, I took it to be the game studio, but after reading earlier comments, I suppose a future VR game is the simplest answer.
Wok
Member
I have read a bit the best rated guide on Steam and there are two things than I cannot see, but it is supposed to contain hidden figures. Can you guys tell me what we are supposed to see?
Edit: Maybe the fact that we see her dress underwater. I had another shot in which the nenuphar looked like her crown.
Wow, this is super cool!
The Witness already supports VR!
Edit: Maybe the fact that we see her dress underwater. I had another shot in which the nenuphar looked like her crown.
Wow, this is super cool!
The Witness already supports VR!
In the post-game area you can find audio logs that confirm it's just a virtual construct, like a game. There is no hidden meaning. The people on the logs even talk about shit like not being able to get the rights to use Carl Sagan quotes.
You can get there from another area. I don't remember there being anything. The bridge is just broken.
You can get there from another area. I don't remember there being anything. The bridge is just broken.
Wok
Member
Got trolled there, there is no crocodile on your picture!
I found it! Thanks!
Wok
Member
Update post
The 4th video was really awe-some, well worth beating the game and the "Challenge".
After checking the Wikipedia page of what is discussed in the video, I get to this paragraph:
I think the 4th video is meant to end the game. I would be very surprised if The Witness had more secret puzzle panels.
The only strange things may be the obelisk counter in the save file, or the X-marks formed by flowers, which remind us of treasure hunts, but this is it.
Edit: Also, I do not know whether it is a visual glitch or something important but I see a 12th unlit lantern on the lake.
The 4th video was really awe-some, well worth beating the game and the "Challenge".
After checking the Wikipedia page of what is discussed in the video, I get to this paragraph:
"Tens of thousands of letters from Masqueraders have convinced me that the human mind has an equal capacity for pattern-matching and self-deception. While some addicts were busy cooking the riddle, others were more single-mindedly continuing their own pursuit of the hare quite regardless of the news that it had been found. Their own theories had come to seem so convincing that no exterior evidence could refute them. These most determined of Masqueraders may grudgingly have accepted that a hare of some sort was dug up at Ampthill, but they believed there would be another hare, or a better solution, awaiting them at their favourite spot. Kit would expect them to continue undismayed by the much publicised diversion at Ampthill and would be looking forward to the day when he would greet them as the real discoverers of the real puzzle of Masquerade. Optimistic expeditions were still setting out, with shovels and maps, throughout the summer of 1982."
I think the 4th video is meant to end the game. I would be very surprised if The Witness had more secret puzzle panels.
The only strange things may be the obelisk counter in the save file, or the X-marks formed by flowers, which remind us of treasure hunts, but this is it.
Edit: Also, I do not know whether it is a visual glitch or something important but I see a 12th unlit lantern on the lake.
Since this is the spoiler thread, I suppose I should quote my screenshots instead of linking them.
About loose ends, I didn't finish the +1 pillars, and I didn't really pay attention to odd white flower patterns. However, two things did seem to stand out as others have mentioned:
1. The secret floor puzzle near the start has multiple exits and makes heavy, mechanical noises if I recall correctly.
2. Likewise, there are 4 floor puzzles with multiple exits (and only one with a corner exit) in the final puzzle area. Nothing seems to happen when you finish these puzzles, but they also make heavy, mechanical noises.
It just seems odd since the game tends to be very meticulously designed for things to be meaningful.
About loose ends, I didn't finish the +1 pillars, and I didn't really pay attention to odd white flower patterns. However, two things did seem to stand out as others have mentioned:
1. The secret floor puzzle near the start has multiple exits and makes heavy, mechanical noises if I recall correctly.
2. Likewise, there are 4 floor puzzles with multiple exits (and only one with a corner exit) in the final puzzle area. Nothing seems to happen when you finish these puzzles, but they also make heavy, mechanical noises.
It just seems odd since the game tends to be very meticulously designed for things to be meaningful.
Remembrance
Member
This finally clicked for me. Of course the statue in the lake is just a stand-in for the giant statue on the mountain. It's to help you use the lake as a map more effectively.
Of course, the poses are different...
Edit: After counting up all the lanterns, I realized that there are only 10 of them. She's holding the Jungle laser. Why?
And I'm missing a whole 12 audio logs.
The best giveaway for the lake being a minimap for me was the thick orange sheet metal with the beached seashell, which indicates the shipwreck.
Some if it doesn't feel super accurate, like the lantern near the middle of the lake lights up when you beat the Quarry (if I remember correctly).
See a lot of different stuff about the number of lanterns. There are 11 for each of the laser areas, and the 12th flickering one that the statue holds for the mountain. The one that appears on her chest (13th) may be a graphical glitch, but I'm not sure... It could've appeared there after accessing the final underground area.
I'd really like to find the last of the underground/story audio logs, can't find a good guide though. According to the yellow flowers it looks like I'm missing two.
I'd really like to find the last of the underground/story audio logs, can't find a good guide though. According to the yellow flowers it looks like I'm missing two.
Remembrance
Member
I only count 11 lanterns, including the one she's holding, and I definitely don't see one on her chest. Hmm.
Have you beaten all panels, the underground area & completed the challenge?
It does kinda look like it's clipping through her, but I can't get a good angle (no noclip, I'm on PS4). It's part of the lake's reflection as well.
Also I'll recount the lanterns and try and put some pictures up here.
Remembrance
Member
I have beaten the challenge, and I just checked this tonight right after beating the last panel in the underground area. However, I am missing 5 panels overall.
Wok
Member
I did not see it mentioned here, so I will write it down now.
You can activate noclip by:
- first, pressing Shift + . to enter dev mode
- then, turn on CAPS-LOCK
- finally, pressing M
On AZERTY keyboards, it gives:
- first, press Shift + : to enter dev mode
- then, turn on CAPS-LOCK
- finally, press ,
You can now fly and go through walls. To move faster, press Shift as usual.
To disable noclip, use the left-click button of your mousse.
You can activate noclip by:
- first, pressing Shift + . to enter dev mode
- then, turn on CAPS-LOCK
- finally, pressing M
On AZERTY keyboards, it gives:
- first, press Shift + : to enter dev mode
- then, turn on CAPS-LOCK
- finally, press ,
You can now fly and go through walls. To move faster, press Shift as usual.
To disable noclip, use the left-click button of your mousse.
callahan09
Neo Member
Well, it's not entirely redundant to have both the environment puzzle count and the obelisks completed count. The difference between "450, +65, +2" and just "450, +65" is that, well, in the former, you've completed no obelisks, in the latter, you've completed 2 obelisks. This can happen because the 65 environment solutions you've found aren't necessarily the same from one save file to someone else's. You can find 65 environment solutions and still complete NO obelisks. Technically, you could complete 129 environment solutions and still have no obelisks completed, by solving all puzzles for a given obelisk except one, for each obelisk. The only time when guaranteed redundancy is introduced would be the following two cases:
+134, +5 (the only way to get 134 solutions is to solve all but 1, which means you must by definition have completed all but 1 obelisk)
and
+135, +6 (the only way to get 135 solutions is to also complete all obelisks)
But +133, for instance, could be coupled with either 2 obelisks missing 1 each, or 1 obelisk missing 2, which means it could be followed by either a +4 or a +5, respectively.
Now, here's some thoughts/questions I had:
1) How does the game decide when it's going to create a new save file? Has anybody figured this out yet? Maybe it has something to do with the numbers in your save file name, when they fulfill a certain pattern or whatever, perhaps it saves the file for you so that you can have a record of that pattern?
2) A side question related to my first one... I should experiment with this, but haven't yet... if you load up one of the auto-generated backup save files it kept for you, and continue from that point, will it create ANOTHER save file after solve another puzzle? Or will it just save over the one you loaded, updating its filename, etc? My theory is that if it DOES create a new save file and still keeps the old one, that is further evidence that the name of the file is somehow important and the game wants you to notice it. On another note, if you start a fresh game and continue through it so that your filename would match up exactly with one that the game previously saved, will it keep a copy again at that point, or not necessarily?
and that leads me to:
3) Is it possible that the filename is a cipher of some sort, a code that can be interpreted? Does it have some meaning? The highest count I've seen is 523 + 135 + 6. I just wonder if there is some meaning to that. The easiest thing to do with those is add them together, where we get 664 (almost devilishly close to 666, makes you wonder if maybe there's 2 more puzzle panels to solve somewhere that no-one has found yet haha, but probably not... random apocalyptic or satanic themes would seem incongruous with the rest of what the game has presented us with).
Wok
Member
Nope, not entirely incongruous, this would be in line with video #4.
Actually, S+A+N+T+A+C+L+A+U+S = 666 or so I heard.
January 22, 2015: Jonathan Blow says on Twitter, "Current puzzle count: 677. Current puzzle status: All puzzles accounted for."
October 8, 2015: Jonathan Blow says on Twitter, "Current puzzle count: 650. That is probably very close to final ... probably."
So who knows where he actually ended up.
October 8, 2015: Jonathan Blow says on Twitter, "Current puzzle count: 650. That is probably very close to final ... probably."
So who knows where he actually ended up.
Wok
Member
If we take B+L+O+W, which is the sum of Blow in Jonathan Blow, by assigning 1 to the first letter (B), 6 to the second (L), 12 to the third (O) and 18 to the fourth letter (W), we get:
B*1+L*6+O*12+W*18 = 2*1+12*6+15*12+23*18 = 668
which is coincidentally very close to the number of currently known "puzzles":
523 + 135 + 6 = 664
Also, interestingly, the sum of the letter values of the word JONATHANBLOW is exactly 135, which is the number of "+" puzzles.
Okay, video #4 is getting me mad.
Edit: I have read there are 49 audio logs. Are there considered puzzles?
Remembrance
Member
Blow said that it was by puzzle count, about every 100 puzzles solved. In practice, it seems to be more like 110.
Haven't even tested diverging saves...
That has to be counting credits audio logs. I have 27, and the lake tells me I'm missing 11.
TheVisualizer
Banned
Ive finished the game, got to The Challenge but havent attempted it yet. Ive read thru this thread and quite a few pages of marked spoilers in the OT and didnt see much mentioned about the elevated path above the AV room that is found underneath the windmill building.
Has anyone found out how to get there yet?
Has anyone found out how to get there yet?
It's connected to part of the Challenge area.
I think yellow flowers are audio log but with Blow text, not historic quote
mullet2000
Member
Remembrance
Member
I'm thinking the yellow flowers have got to be the behind-the-scenes conversations. The one directly above the starting point, which is original text, is definitely a white flower.
I just got caught up on some of the optical illusions I never spotted, like the eyes through the window in the quarry and the shadow of a sitting girl in the autumn trees created by a random piece of cloth draped on a branch. This game.
Also, doesn't it look like the bottom of the boat should somehow open up?
Okay, mystery solved: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheWitness...lake_statue_figure_possible_endgame_spoilers/
The statue moves through three poses with the lantern as you progress through the game. The "extra" lantern is the result of multiple poses existing at the same time - it's a bug.
BrightLightLava
Unconfirmed Member
The top one is koi fish. They're really tree roots, but pers[ective is everything.
Can someone help me track down my last triangle puzzle?
I've got:
1. One in the treehouse
2. The other in the treehouse
3. One on the broken log over in the bamboo jungle
4. On the glass blowing place in symmetry
5. One in the secret place near the entry
6. One in the theater room
7. One on the beach by the ruins
8. One on the waterfall near the mountain
9. One in the elevator shaft in the mountain.
10. Challenge unlock
11. One on the pillar in the tutorial area (does this count?)
And maybe others I've forgotten. Still have the one orange leaf in the lake though.
2. The other in the treehouse
3. One on the broken log over in the bamboo jungle
4. On the glass blowing place in symmetry
5. One in the secret place near the entry
6. One in the theater room
7. One on the beach by the ruins
8. One on the waterfall near the mountain
9. One in the elevator shaft in the mountain.
10. Challenge unlock
11. One on the pillar in the tutorial area (does this count?)
And maybe others I've forgotten. Still have the one orange leaf in the lake though.
D
Deleted member 30609
Unconfirmed Member
You can just look up the solution and enter it, I believe.Can I no-clip through the "The Challenge" door and get the last video without completing it?
Remembrance
Member
Looks like you're missing
the one in the Keep, attached to the side of a pillar in a maze.
And I officially don't understand the color of the voice recorders. Just found the (long) Eddington one on the beach, and it's colored orange. But it opened a white flower.
Edit: I can't find these remaining voice recorders even when I know where they are.
You're missing more than one:
one in the Keep, one in the city, one in the shipwreck, and one in the quarry.
opticalmace
Member
Explore past the record player in the challlenge area.
BrightLightLava
Unconfirmed Member
Thanks, it was the one in the
quarry. I didn't ever try to walk over that duct.
Down to my last three puzzles. I know one of them is the
psychedelic mess in the cave. Orange flowers tell me the other two are cave exits. Off to scour.
Remembrance
Member
So am I.
First, go to the lake and count the number of bright orange triangle-shaped leaves on the surface. Those are the grey triangle panels you're missing.
Then use all three panels attached to the secret cave elevator.
Those are the first stops.
Thank you, 520 with the elevator panels. I can't see any orange leaves left but I guess I'll look again for triangle panels.
In the starting area there's a part of the floor that seems....puzzly...but I don't know what to do with it. Is it something I should look into? Can't seem to use it as an environmental puzzle
BrightLightLava
Unconfirmed Member
I think I know which two you're missing. You're close.
Hint:
Look around more in the starting tutorial area. There's something that isn't like the others.
Giving it away:
There's a pillar in the starting areas that's also a triangle puzzle. That turns on the floor right after exiting the starting cave.
Found them just before reading your post, 522 puzzle completed. So am I done? I thought they were 523. There's another one in the
credit room
Is there a way to "disable" the credit room once activated and return to the white grid?
Nope, that's not it. I assume you have:
all 6 videos entered, and you've done all the boat panels around the island, and you've found all the isolated triangle puzzles, and you've done all the puzzles in the secret area?
And just to make sure, did you enter the "normal ending" elevator and do 2 out of the 3 panels before exiting it again?
Make sure you check the purple area of the swamp. I think there's 1 underwater panel and at least 1 door exiting the area around there.
And just to make sure, did you enter the "normal ending" elevator and do 2 out of the 3 panels before exiting it again?
Make sure you check the purple area of the swamp. I think there's 1 underwater panel and at least 1 door exiting the area around there.
So I've finished the challenge and was thinking about looking around to solve those pillar in-world perspective lines but don't have the will to really meticulously walk around the island looking for the right spot and right angle. That said, there are a few things nagging at me.
1) Since I'm done I've just spoiled myself on the number of puzzles and it seems like I'm missing 3 of the panel puzzles. What are the chances those are actually substantial instead of throwaway like activating a machine? I'm almost positive I've done everything in the challenge area, certainly enough to think I wouldn't miss three whole puzzles in there unless they were all isolated together.
2) (about the challenge area)
3) Is there a way to lower the floor panel that raises when you're doing the jungle area laser? It's a pain having to walk around what was a direct path.
4) Are the behind the scenes/dev audio logs worth seeking out in the challenge area and worth going through or are they mostly fluff like the rest?
1) Since I'm done I've just spoiled myself on the number of puzzles and it seems like I'm missing 3 of the panel puzzles. What are the chances those are actually substantial instead of throwaway like activating a machine? I'm almost positive I've done everything in the challenge area, certainly enough to think I wouldn't miss three whole puzzles in there unless they were all isolated together.
2) (about the challenge area)
The 3 groups of 3 gray puzzles hanging above the challenge area, what are those for? Even if the starting point wasn't hollow they can't be solved and I seem to remember that they would rapidly change while the challenge was active. Since I'm seemingly only 3 away from the current assumed total of panel puzzles, are those just there to prime you into recognizing unsolvable puzzles?
3) Is there a way to lower the floor panel that raises when you're doing the jungle area laser? It's a pain having to walk around what was a direct path.
4) Are the behind the scenes/dev audio logs worth seeking out in the challenge area and worth going through or are they mostly fluff like the rest?
I have 11 lasers unlocked, and I wanted to know a few things before I proceed:
Is there any reason I should hold off on going into the mountain if I want to get everything?
How many
are there?
How many
are there?
Is there a point to getting all the
beyond unlocking the
?
Is there any other secret type that I have yet to discover?
Is there any reason I should hold off on going into the mountain if I want to get everything?
How many
environmental puzzles
How many
triangle puzzles
Is there a point to getting all the
hexagons
FMVs
Is there any other secret type that I have yet to discover?
Remembrance
Member
1) There is a good chance that you're missing some of the grey panels with triangles. Check the lake for bright orange triangular leaves floating on the water to pinpoint their location. (Brown leaves represent ones you completed)
2) Those are
a clock rigged together from the panel system that counts how much time has passed in the challenge.
3) If reactivating the control panel doesn't work, I really can't think of how you would do that. At least there's the Monastery shortcut.
4) They don't reveal much except the in-story explanation of what the island is supposed to be.
Remembrance
Member
There is no point of no return. If you want to keep things fresh, just do it when you get tired of hunting for stuff outside.
First page tells me there are 135.
Use the orange leaves on the lake to track those.
See anything suspicious in the movie theater itself, when you're watching the videos?
I can't think of anything else as far as anybody knows.
Ah okay thanks. 2 was the biggest thing nagging at me.
I think I'm done with actually playing the game but I am interested to see what other people can wring out of it since there still seem to be puzzles left if Blow wasn't lying.
All 6 videos
All boat panels
All the triangle puzzles
All the puzzles in the secret area as far as I know, I even checked with some guides
Final elevator checked
If you mean underwater panel as in underwater rooms I completed those, if you mean the actual panel is underwater then that might be it but I couldn't find anything
All boat panels
All the triangle puzzles
All the puzzles in the secret area as far as I know, I even checked with some guides
Final elevator checked
If you mean underwater panel as in underwater rooms I completed those, if you mean the actual panel is underwater then that might be it but I couldn't find anything
I've still some environmental puzzle to do so maybe one of them will lead me to the final puzzle, I don't know. 522, so close
Well the thing I spoiled was speculation about the nature of a puzzle itself which isn't really about meta stuff this thread seems to be focused on.
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