Hint Guide

Beginning

• How do these slates work?
  

  First, you may want to wait a bit until you've progressed through the first couple of ages before reading on. As you start visiting additional places, you'll learn more about the slates in the context of the game.

• What is the purpose of the pedestals in each of the ages?
  

  First, in the Great Shaft, you may find some pedestals that hold linking books, with pictures on their right-hand side. I've covered those in a separate set of hints -- the pedestals I'm talking about are the ones you'll see in Direbo and the ages that follow from there.

• I lost my slate. Where did it go?
  

  Esher probably gave you a warning here.

• What are the numbers I see in the various ages?
  

  There are actually several different numbering systems that you may see, some of them specific to particular puzzles. I'll cover those different kinds of numbers in the appropriate sections of the hints. However, there is one common numbering system used in several places, where each number is drawn in a sort of box. That's what I'm referring to in the hints you're reading now.

• I'm in one of the main ages. Can I leave and return to Direbo?
  

  Yes.

• How can I finish an age?
  

  First, you need to solve all of the available puzzles in that age. See the hints for whichever age you're in to figure out what puzzles you have left. If any question within a particular age's section looks unfamiliar, read those hints to see what you may be missing, because virtually every puzzle in the game has a purpose.

• What should I do when I'm finished with an age?
  

  If you still haven't completed all four main ages, now would be a good time to move on and finish a different age.

• Do I have to play the ages in any specific order?
  

  At the start of the game, you will, but that's just because you'll need to solve a few puzzles before you'll have the means to travel to other ages.

K'veer

• Where am I at the start of the game, and what's my purpose?
  

  The start of every Myst game is intended to be a bit of a mystery -- so you may just want to focus on exploring. The plot will become clearer to you as you do more.

• How do I get out of the room where I first arrived?
  

  You've probably noticed that there are lots of doors out of this room.

• How can I open the Myst book?
  

  It seems to be locked up pretty tightly.

• What should I do with the large globe or "soap bubble" here?
  

  The globe doesn't look particularly solid.

The Great Shaft

• I'm starting this age, and someone named Esher wants me to look for a hole.
  

  Does he seem particularly threatening to you?

• I'm in a round room, and Esher is sending me through a door. How do I follow?
  

  He pretty much points at the door when he tells you about it. (If he hasn't pointed you here yet, go down the hall to the left when you are first coming from the above-ground area.)

• I saw Esher again in the Great Shaft itself. Where did he go?
  

  He told you to travel to the room at the end of the first elevator.

• When will I meet Esher again in this age?
  

  After you've found the linking book to Todelmer in the Great Shaft, go outside the room where the linking book is and take another look.

• How I get across the Great Shaft near the second elevator?
  

  Esher will tell you that you need to raise the floor after you find him at the bottom of the second elevator.

• Where is the fan that Esher was talking about, and how do I turn it on?
  

  Esher gave you two tasks in a specific order, so it may help to do those in the same order, by raising the floor and getting across the Great Shaft first.

• I've found the fan, but how do I get back to the rest of the shaft?
  

  In much the same was as you got to the fan in the first place.

• What is the purpose of the books on pedestals that I see around this age?
  

  They may look familiar to you if you've played any of the previous Myst games.

• Where are all of those books?
  

  You'll probably find them as you solve the puzzles, but if you want specific locations, read ahead.
  
  Note that some of these hints may tell you a bit about other puzzles, so I recommend you try to finish this age on your own before reading ahead.

• What are these journal pages for, and where can I find them all?
  

  If you read the manual, you may know that these journal entries were left by Yeesha, one of the main "characters" in this story.
  
  Some of the journals -- particularly some of those that you're most likely to find early in the game -- are basically just recaps of earlier Myst games.

Direbo

• How do I cross the bridges here?
  

  You should notice gates on both sides of every bridge.

• What should I do with the pedestals in Direbo?
  

  Esher explains the purpose of the pedestals fairly well on your first time through Direbo.

• How can I return to the Great Shaft?
  

  The same way that you got here.

Tahgira

• I'm trapped in a cave at the start of the age. How do I get out?
  

  You can't climb out the opening you see at one end of the cave -- it appears to be too steep to climb.

• Is there any way back in that cave once I've left?
  

  Yes.
  
  There's a ladder that I can't climb just outside the cave.
  
  If you're not able to climb the ladder, notice what else you see when you do try to climb it.

• Where do I go after I've climbed the ladder?
  

  First, you might want to make sure you also managed to bring your slate with you. It's not essential that you have it just yet, but it will make your life easier.

• I got across the lake, but how do I reach the Keep that Esher told me about?
  

  The Keep is that soap-bubble like structure with the pedestals that you'll probably see straight ahead of you as soon as you get across the lake and into the tombs.

Todelmer

• How do I turn on the devices in the red room near the start of this age?
  

  You may need to explore this room a little more thoroughly.

• How do I work the four similar consoles in the red control room?
  

  If you've already supplied power to them, you may be able to figure how the consoles work just by experimenting with them.

• I've gotten power to the red room, but one machine is still broken.
  

  At least the screen part of the far-right console seems to be broken. If another device seems broken instead, you may not have turned the devices on after all.

• There's a cable blocking my way at the top of a staircase.
  

  Yes, and you'll need to move it to proceed.

• I'm past that cable, but what else is there to do on this first island?
  

  You may notice that there are actually several islands that you can see.

• How can I ride the tram?
  

  You won't be able to ride it when you find the first tram station on the island where you initially arrive. Instead, you're going to have to find another way to get to the other side.

• I've gotten to the second island, but where do I go next?
  

  There isn't a whole lot to do here -- just a manual telescope and the pedestal that holds your slate.

• How do I get into the tram station on the third island?
  

  If you've made your way over to the third island, you may realize there's a tram station on this island as well -- just like there was on the first one. Look in the center of the roof area, and you'll see the room that leads down to the station. The only problem is that the door down to the station seems to be locked from the inside.

• I've gotten into the station, but how do I get out?
  

  You could just go back the way you came in -- by climbing back the ladder. But that won't help you get any closer to the end of this age.

• Where will I find the Keep in this age?
  

  You first need to make it all the way to the third island, get into the tram station, and find a way back out.

Noloben

• What is there to do when I first get here?
  

  There are a few different places that you may want to look when you first arrive.

• One of the passageways through the cliff is blocked off.
  

  Yes, and you'll probably need to solve a puzzle to get through that passageway.

• How do I climb up to the top of the cliff?
  

  If you turn down the beach to the right as you're first coming to this age (i.e., from the pedestal in the "soap bubble"), you should see a relatively flat section of cliff face.

• What is the purpose of the display with the four bowls?
  

  You might have noticed something on the ground in front of that display.

• What can I do at the large hut on the plateau?
  

  Well, there are lots of windows, but no doors. So, it doesn't look like you can get in quite yet.
  (If you don't know which hut I'm referring to, you need to climb the cliff first.)

• How can I get up to the roof of Esher's lab?
  

  Go to the upper level and explore some of the drawings there.

• How do I go through the door on the smaller island?
  

  There's a tree-like symbol carved into its face. (If you don't know where the island is, take another look at the initial orientation for this age -- that will give you directions to the island among other places.)

• How do I get the slate into the Keep this time?
  

  In some ages, you may see the Keep from a distance and need to find a way in. This age is a little different, in that you'll probably enter the Keep first and then need to bring the slate with you later.

Laki'ahn

• Esher tells me I need to enter through the jeweler door. How can I?
  

  When you first enter this age, you'll see a building called the trade house more or less in front of you. Walk up the stairs there, and Esher will indicate that you can't enter through the front door, but that you can enter through the jeweler door on the other side.

• How do I get through the canal, which seems to be blocked just after I enter?
  

  You will be able to pass under the first set of triangular gates as you're coming from the beach, but you'll notice some metal bars blocking your way only a few steps after you've entered. (If you haven't found the canal yet, the following hints will help.)

• I've reached the arena, but what is there to do here?
  

  There's only one area where you can interact with anything at first -- go up a set of stairs that lead down to water level, and walk up to a platform where you'll see a stone column and a bunch of buttons and rings.

• I got through the jeweler door, but what's next?
  

  There's a part of the arena that Esher didn't quite tell you about.

• What can I do with the red canister that's in a hallway off the arena?
  

  First, if you haven't found the canister, see the following question.

• How do I navigate the maze where every wall has a colored button?
  

  First, if you haven't found this puzzle, you will be there just after you successfully figure out what to do the red canister in the hallway below the arena.

• How do I solve the puzzle with the seven rocks?
  

  First, if you haven't found this puzzle, you need to solve the colored-button "maze" in the arena. Once you're through that door, turn right and walk down the beach a bit -- this is the only structure along the shoreline in that direction.

• Where will I find the Keep in Laki'ahn?
  

  First, you need to have gone through all of the other puzzles listed for this age, including the one about the seven rocks on a structure along the beach.

Endgame

• When do I get here?
  

  Only after you've solved all four of the main ages, Tahgira, Todelmer, Noloben, and Laki'ahn.

• What choice should I make?
  

  First, if you've been relying on the autosave feature of the game, now is *ABSOLUTELY* the one time you need to save your game manually using the menus. You may want to see how different choices go, but once you've made a decision, the only way to try something else is to restore a saved game.