The Witness walkthrough & puzzle guide
Solve every puzzle in The Witness and uncover the mysteries of the island with our complete walkthrough guide
Treehouses
Initially the Treehouses area can only be access by boat.
Hint: You need to enclose two stars in the same section.
Through the door you'll find several paths - take the purple bridge first.
Hint: Combine the rules for stars with separating blocks.
Hint: You can combine one star with one block of the same colour rather than a second star.
This panel can send the bridge in three different directions. To the left is an empty platform.
Straight on is another platform with a stray panel on it.
To the right is the direction you want to leave this bridge in to solve this area later.
This stray panel is found if you configure the bridge to go straight ahead. Head back along the orange and purple bridges to the initial treehouse then take the opposite path to find new orange and green bridges. Focus on the orange one first.
Hint: Different coloured stars can be enclosed in the same section, as long as there's two of each
This first direction panel can send the bridge three ways. Straight on and right both lead to a platform with an exit from the area.
To the left is the direction you need to send the bridge to complete this area.
This second direction panel can also send the bridge three ways - depending which way you sent the first one, it should be obvious which way this one needs to go.
Reach this platform on the right and you can open a shortcut back to the Head Maze (Keep) area.
Hint: The pink panel on the central platform runs a timer, so you need to configure your bridges to reach the open door in time.
Set your bridges up like this to complete the area.
Activate the pink panel then sprint over your bridges through the door before it closes.
Swipe the lock to activate the laser, unlocking the Treehouses trophy. Now head back to the green panels we left earlier.
Hint: Combine the previous rules for stars and shapes.
It's another one of those multi-directional panels! Straight ahead leads you to a platform with another stray panel on it.
To the right leads nowhere.
To the left leads to another platform which takes you to the other side of a broken yellow bridge.
Find this stray panel by taking the bridge straight ahead.
Jump to Section:
Opening Garden
Blue & Green Panels
Pink Trees
Pottery (Symmetry)
Orange Trees (Shady Trees)
Sun Temple (Desert Ruin)
Hedge Maze (Keep)
Pressure Pad Maze
Red Tree Temple (Monastery)
Greenhouse (Bunker)
Marsh
Treehouses
Quarry
Bamboo Forest (Jungle)
Town
Mountain
Mountain Challenge
Secret Rooms
Windmill & Video Player
Secret Ending
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Iain originally joined Future in 2012 to write guides for CVG, PSM3, and Xbox World, before moving on to join GamesRadar in 2013 as Guides Editor. His words have also appeared in OPM, OXM, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, and SFX. He is better known to many as ‘Mr Trophy’, due to his slightly unhealthy obsession with amassing intangible PlayStation silverware, and he now has over 600 Platinum pots weighing down the shelves of his virtual award cabinet. He does not care for Xbox Achievements.