Vantage Point

Template:PuzzleInfobox Vantage Point is the gold puzzle in the Desolate Island area of The Talos Principle 2.

Overview

On entering the puzzle, you see that there are two large areas, the front of the puzzle and the back, separated by grates. On the front side, you see a pressure plate that activates an angled fan, and to the left is a blocked-off area with a hexahedron. On the back side is a clone, a blocked off area with a red energy emitter, a connector, and another area that leads to the progress wheel. There is a blue emitter to the side. Activating the blue receptacle opens the door to a little lobby in front of the progress wheel, where another blue receptacle needs to be activated to get to the wheel proper. The blocked-off areas on the left feature wide windows through which lasers can pass.

Solution

A basic hint:

[ hint ]

Since the name of the puzzle is Vantage Point, you have think about the best position for yourself and your tools so that you can solve the puzzle. Unlike the common English use of the word, here vantage does not refer to height or elevation at all, but rather the right angle for things.

If you're having trouble getting started:

[ hint ]

Focus on getting hold of all the tools. Don't worry about the red energy emitter to begin with because the red energy receptacle is the last step of the puzzle. How do you make sure all the tools are accessible to you?

If you can't figure out how to activate the blue receptacle:

[ hint ]

Look at all the areas of the puzzle, even the ones you may have already retrieved items from. Do any of them have windows that provide a great view of things?

If you activated the blue receptacle but can't figure out what to do next:

[ hint ]

Notice that there is only one connector in the entire puzzle. So only the blue receptacle or the red one can be active at a time. How can you best prepare for the blue receptacle to be deactivated, and then the red receptacle activated?

Story

Solving the puzzle plays a couple of voiced line from Cornelius:

After Miranda died, Athena started crumbling. It wasn't just the death of our daughter, it was everything - the burden of century after century of trying to keep the flame alive. Trying to make Alexandra Drennan's sacrifice worth it while everyone else got caught up in their petty personal problems. Even with me there, she was lonely. She felt responsible for everyone, as if she could change the tides of history by will alone. And I can understand why, because ... she kind of did.

—Cornelius (3)