The Witness
Achievement guide · roadmap · tracker
The Witness is Jonathan Blow's island of over 500 line-drawing puzzles - no text, no hand-holding, just panels that quietly teach you their own rules through observation. A dense, cerebral 20-40+ hours if you chase everything.
The 13 achievements are refreshingly focused: activate each of the 11 area lasers (each area teaches a distinct puzzle language, and you can tackle them in almost any order), reach the Endgame (aim at least 7 of the 11 lasers at the mountain, then descend the interior gauntlet), and complete the Challenge - a brutal, procedurally-generated timed run in the Caves against about six and a half minutes of music. The lasers and Endgame come with a thorough playthrough; the Challenge (roughly 3-4% of players) is the real wall.
Symmetry
UncommonActivate the Symmetry laser.
Activate the Symmetry laser in the Waterside / Boathouse peninsula - the area that teaches the mirrored dual-line mechanic.
Desert Ruin
RareActivate the Desert Ruin laser.
Activate the laser in the Temple of the Sun (Desert Ruins) - the light and reflection panels.
Keep
RareActivate the Keep laser.
Activate the Keep laser - the castle hedge mazes and their panels.
Shady Trees
RareActivate the Shady Trees laser.
Activate the laser in the autumn Forest / Shady Trees area.
Monastery
RareActivate the Monastery laser.
Activate the Monastery laser - the shadow and tree-line environmental panels.
Bunker
RareActivate the Bunker laser.
Activate the Bunker / Greenhouse laser - the colour-filter puzzles viewed through tinted glass.
Marsh
RareActivate the Marsh laser.
Activate the Swamp / Marsh laser - the tetromino panels that drive movable platforms.
Quarry
RareActivate the Quarry laser.
Activate the Quarry laser - the mill / sawmill and stone-cutting panels.
Treehouses
RareActivate the Treehouse laser.
Activate the Treehouse laser - the rotating-bridge and purple-star treetop panels.
Town
RareActivate the Town laser.
Activate the Town laser - the church, windmill and coloured-glass panels.
Jungle
LegendaryActivate the Jungle laser.
Activate the Jungle (bamboo) laser - the audio / pitch-based panels.
Endgame
LegendaryFinished.
Reach the end. With at least 7 of the 11 lasers aimed at the mountain, climb to the top, trace the box on top (three solutions from three angles around the statue), then descend the interior gauntlet of about 59 panels and activate the final lift.
Challenge
LegendaryComplete a certain challenge.
Complete the timed Challenge in the Caves. Turn on the record player at the back to start, then solve the procedurally-generated puzzle gauntlet before the roughly six and a half minutes of music (Grieg's "Anitra's Dance", then "In the Hall of the Mountain King") runs out. There's no fixed solution - it demands fast on-the-fly solving - and it's one of the hardest achievements (about 3-4%).
Breakdown
Editions (2)
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