Randomized or fixed: check this first
Gamer Social Club's full walkthrough flags several puzzles that change between saves. That is why two videos can show different correct answers for the same room. Before you copy any number, check whether the puzzle is on the randomized list below.
| Puzzle | Answer type | Where the answer lives |
|---|---|---|
| Floor 2 TV symbols and pressure plates | Randomized | The TV, after powering the remote |
| Bar glass pitcher | Randomized | Match the bell's tone by ear |
| Floor 1 padlock | Read in-game | Old Book, after charging Ivan's phone |
| Elevator colour order | Randomized | Old Book, from the TV room |
| Desiderium fly tiles | Randomized | The path shown in the previous room |
| Poem room photographs | Fixed per poem | See the table further down |
The Old Book is the most important item in the game for puzzle work. It stores clues, colour patterns and codes as you discover them, so open it whenever a lock appears. If an answer does not match your save, the Old Book entry is the one to trust.
Early apartment puzzles
The Study door, the TV remote and the A.S. door form the opening chain on Floors 3 and 2. Each solution hands you the item for the next lock. The walkthrough covers the Study door's Auritsatio recipe in more detail.
- TV remote: wear the Glove from Ivan's office at the kitchen breaker, collect two Batteries and insert them into the remote.
- Pressure plates: step on the Floor 2 plates in the order the TV shows.
- A.S. Key: use the blue Triangular Stone on the blue-symbol door, then the X-Ray and a Scissor Blade on the A.S. door.
- Bathroom Key: combine two Scissor Blades, cut six Cardboard Pieces, assemble the Devora poster and burn it with the Lighter.
The bar puzzle is the first one that asks you to listen. Ring the bell, then fill or empty the glass pitcher with bottles until it rings at the same pitch. Strike the pitcher with the Wrench to shatter it and take the USB Cable.
Floor 1 padlock and the elevator colours
Combine the USB Cable and USB Adapter into the USB Charger and use it beside Ivan's phone in the Floor 3 Study. The Old Book then records the projector-room padlock code on Floor 1. Into Indie Games reported 2431 in its run, while Gamer Social Club treats the code as something you must read in-game.
The elevator is driven by candles and colours. Light a candle with the Lighter and place it in the elevator to move between floors. To reach Floor -1, follow the colour pattern that the TV room records in your Old Book.
| Elevator colour | Floor |
|---|---|
| Blue | 3rd Floor |
| Green | 2nd Floor |
| Red | 1st Floor |
| White | Ground Floor |
Into Indie Games logged the sequence Red, Blue, White, Green, Black in its save. Gamer Social Club lists the elevator pattern as randomized, so treat that order as one example rather than a universal answer. The Black Candle from the cinematography area is what finally takes you down.
Film School puzzles
The electrical room on Floor 0 is a timing puzzle. Use the bottom-left switch to electrify the cables, then move between switches while the blue cable is safe. Reaching the right switch in time opens a cabinet with the Piece of Cable, and the RCA Cable sits in the wooden box.
In the cinematography class, plug the RCA Cable into the camera and cycle through the TV scenes. The scenes point you to the Copper Seed in the bird, the flowers you grow in the vase, and the Copper Key on the chair. The Copper Key opens the green door on Floor 0.
- Use the White Light Bulb at the blood-soaked film set to turn it into the Red Light Bulb.
- Fit the Red Light Bulb into the photo developing room lamp.
- Use the Photo Roll to get the Negative, then the Photo Enlarger and Photo Paper for the Printed Photo.
- Finish it in the containers to get the Photo, and place it in Ivan's empty frame for the Hexagonal Stone.
The Silver Bottle and the cursed canister
Talk to Sanguis until his dialogue runs out to receive the Silver Key. It opens the bathroom cabinet on Floor 2, which holds the Silver Bottle. You then fill it with water that burns at three Save Points, and each one stops working afterward.
- Floor 2, Ivan's apartment bedroom Save Point.
- Floor 2, Director's Room Save Point.
- Floor 3, Ivan's Study Save Point.
Purify the water under moonlight at Julia's statue in the Floor 2 vacation room. Pour the Purified Water on the cursed film canister to obtain the third canister. Because three Save Points shut down, save your game first and plan your route back.
Poem room answers
In the Desiderium apartment rooms, the first poem you read decides which four photographs complete the puzzle. Match your poem's opening words to the row below. Gamer Social Club published these four combinations in its launch walkthrough.
| Poem opens with | Photographs to use |
|---|---|
| He nestles in her hand | Hand with ring, ear with earring, shiny dress, pearl necklace |
| You're dead | Cross necklace, feet, sunglasses, black veil |
| I'm dreaming | Mouth with lipstick, sunglasses, ear with earring, black dress |
| Adorned with the blue of silver | Feet, shiny dress, closed eyes with big eyelashes, black glove |
After the photographs, burn the vase with chemical and blood in the oven to continue. The VHS Tape, the Ivan Figure and the Glass Box follow, and Auritsatio on the Ivan statue yields the Lapis Fictus Knife. That knife starts the final chain.
The Aurifer knife chain
- Use the Lapis Fictus Knife on the kitchen fuse box to get the Melanosis Knife.
- Upgrade it into the Viridis Knife, then collect the Lead Key.
- Use the Lead Key and the Viridis Knife on the doors that lead to the Hotel.
- Save, then bathe the Viridis Knife in moonlight at the hotel door with the strange keyhole symbol to forge the Aurifer.
Holding the Aurifer changes the stakes of every fight that follows. Striking a single Relicta ghost with it locks in the bad ending, while sparing them all keeps the good ending open. Read the all endings guide before leaving that save, and use the boss guide for the two final fights.
How to get unstuck without spoiling everything
Shacknews singled out some obtuse puzzles with illogical steps, along with a lot of backtracking. Most dead ends come from a missed item rather than a wrong idea. A quick sweep of recently opened rooms usually fixes the problem faster than reading the next solution.
- Re-read the latest Old Book entry, since new clues are added silently.
- Check your inventory for items that can be combined, such as blades, cables and candles.
- Interact while facing objects directly, because the game is strict about position.
- Return to Save Points you have already used, as some puzzles change rooms behind you.
- Look for red wax, symbols on keyholes and coloured doors, which mark locks you can now open.
If a room still refuses to open, compare it with the floor-by-floor walkthrough. It lists the order in which keys and stones appear, which helps you see what you skipped. New players can also pick up general habits from the beginner guide.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the padlock code in Tenebris Somnia?
- One guide reported 2431, but check the Old Book after charging Ivan's phone, because codes can differ between saves.
- Why is my elevator order different from a video?
- The elevator colour pattern is randomized. Follow the order your Old Book recorded in the TV room.
- Which photos do I use in the poem room?
- It depends on the first poem you read. Match its opening words to the poem table on this page.