Walkthrough | Tree house in The Witness The Witness Guide

Last update: 06 March 2019

The Treehouse is the most complex location in The Witness. In this chapter, you can find information about the locations of all the puzzles and their rules. Their solutions are in chapters relating to the specific colors.

To get to this location, you need to use the boat. You cannot access it over the land, until a shortcut had been established.

On this isle, there is a new type of puzzles. It is quite counter-intuitive and can be problematic. It employs eight-pointed stars and there is one basic rule to it - pairing up. All of the elements on the panel need to be paired up. If elements have more than one color, all of the colors need to be put into groups of two. In other words, if there are six red stars and six green ones, you need to lead the beam to create three areas with two red and two green stars each. If there are four yellow, red and green stars, you need to create two areas with two yellow, two red and two green stars in each.

You need to remember that there is no requirement to form groups that would include all of the available colors. If there are four red stars and four green ones on a panel, you have the option to form:

• Two groups of two green and two red stars;
• One group of two green stars, one group of two red stars, and one consisting of two green and two red ones.

In theory, both of the above solutions agree with rules and they should be recognized as correct. In practice, however, everything depends on the individual panel. Sometimes it accepts forming several big groups, and sometimes it requires forming multiple smaller groups. It is for this reason that this type of puzzles is counter-intuitive and it can be problematic.

After you solve the puzzle in front of the entrance, go left. You will notice the first compound bridge in this location. There are several bridges, and they require you to solve various puzzles, but all have eight-pointed stars in them. Your task is to use them to build passages to higher levels, and then to the laser. On each bridge there are between five and a dozen-or-so panels of increasing difficulty, so you should keep in mind that you can get stuck with one of them.

After you build the first bridge, go left. Apart from pairing up stars, you will also have to lead a path over predefined points.

Go straight ahead. The next set of puzzles requires you pair up stars and separate colorful fields from each other. In the next ones, you will gave to join stars of the same color and separate fields of only two colors.

On the next bridge, you will have to do the same. However, this one introduces a new rule. If there is an odd number of stars on the panel, one of them needs to be paired up with a field of the appropriate color. In other words, if there are three white fields on the panel, three black fields and a white star, you need to pair the star up with one of the white fields. Only one of the white fields, because the rule of pairing up stars still applies. For the purposes of the puzzle, white field should be treated as a white star.

The ninth panel in the series is unique. There is one starting point, but three finishing ones. The bridge ahead will be built towards the finishing point. The puzzle still requires you to observe the standard set of rules, but you have a choice here.

Direction in which the bridge is being built can be changed at any moment. If you do this, the rest of the elements move back and then move in the appropriate direction. Only those of the puzzles are rearranged that you have already solved. If you have built a bridge up ahead, solved two puzzles and then moved it to the right, only two panels change their positions. The remaining ones still require you to solve them.

First, lead bridge ahead. At the end, you run into arrow puzzle. Backtrack after you solve it.

Move the bridge so it turns to the right. You are going to need it soon.

Backtrack to the entrance to the location and take the passage to the right. After a longer walk, you will reach another fork. Take the path to the left. You will reach a puzzle that requires you to pair up stars and ones that have elements that you have discovered in Marsh. Some of them are simple and some need rotating. Note the colors of the bricks, because you won't always have an even number of stars.

 

At the end, you find an arrow puzzle.

Get back to the fork. This time, you have to separate pairs of stars of two and more colors. Fortunately, this is the only handicap.

After you reach the first fork, direct the bridge up ahead.

At the second fork, direct it to the right.

This way, you will reach a simple puzzle that opens the mainland shortcut. There are two solutions to this puzzle, but it is the second one that unlocks the bridge. You need to solve it in the way that lights up both of the cables.

After you open the shortcut, change directions of both forks, so that the bridge directs itself twice to the left. Walk over it into the building with the panel.

 

Moving the switch opens the door in the opposite building. The door will remain open temporarily. This is why both of the bridges have been re-positioned so that you can get to the door as quickly as possible. Otherwise, you would probably have to take the way around and probably, you would not make it in time.

Inside, start the laser. If the door closes, open it with the button on the left. After you activate the laser, return to the first button. Climb down the stairs and you will get to the entrance.