Planning to solve the Mechanarium Puzzle in Blue Prince? The goal is to ensure that the last door can be accessed, and that can only be done if you place down the correct rooms all over the house. There's also a neat workaround in case you're having trouble with this task.
The Mechanarium is a special room since it's not available by default. Instead, it comes from a Floorplan, which you can only obtain in the Underground. Once you've acquired this blueprint, it has a chance of appearing as an option during your runs.
As for the Mechanarium Puzzle in Blue Prince, it's actually fairly tough challenge due to the strict requirements. Basically, the Mechanarium has eight doors (including the entrance where you came in). You need to ensure that you have access to all these doors, as the last one nets you a cool reward.
Here's the kicker: The Mechanarium's extra doors will only appear if you have enough gear-type rooms--i.e. those with gear icons on their portraits--before it's even drafted. The gear-type rooms include the Workshop, Security, Utility Closet, Laboratory, Pump Room, Boiler Room, and the Aquarium (provided that it has the Electric Eel upgrade).
Note: You can craft the Powered Electromagnet item via the Workshop. This increases the chance that gear-type rooms appear in the selection pool.
You need to draft several rooms with the gear icon.
By default, you need to have seven gear-type rooms early on just to ensure that the Mechanarium's doors are all accessible. That's a difficult task since you're not always guaranteed to see all the aforementioned rooms.
One "trick" that you can do is to draft the Chamber of Mirrors, which is quite rare in and of itself. The Chamber of Mirrors' effect allows for duplicates of rooms to reappear in the selection pool. So, technically, you can draft two Workshops, two Utility Closets, and so on. Once you have seven gear-type rooms placed down, pray to the RNG gods that the Mechanarium also shows up as an option so you can draft it.
You can draw duplicates of rooms you've already drafted if you have the Chamber of Mirrors.
The other option is a bit "gamey" but it's also lets you partially circumvent the requirements. Here's the gist:
In a way, if you can block off the remaining three cardinal directions, and if you can place the Mechanarium in the center of that section, then you'll only need four gear-type rooms.
The last extra door that you open has a Sanctum Key.
The extra doors in the Mechanarium have random rewards, though one nook will always have an alternate lever for the Antechamber. Likewise, if you manage to complete the Blue Prince Mechanarium Puzzle--i.e. all four diagonal section doors are accessible--then the last door that you open will automatically contain a Sanctum Key.
You can learn about these unique items in our Sanctum Key locations guide. Also, you might want to take a look at another tricky puzzle in the Closed Exhibit.
A surreal adventure filled with wonders and mysteries await you in Blue Prince. If ever you feel stuck or lost at any point in time in your playthrough, don't forget to check our Blue Prince guides hub.
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How to complete the Mechanarium Puzzle in Blue Prince - Mechanarium Eight Doors guide
The Mechanarium is a special room since it's not available by default. Instead, it comes from a Floorplan, which you can only obtain in the Underground. Once you've acquired this blueprint, it has a chance of appearing as an option during your runs.
As for the Mechanarium Puzzle in Blue Prince, it's actually fairly tough challenge due to the strict requirements. Basically, the Mechanarium has eight doors (including the entrance where you came in). You need to ensure that you have access to all these doors, as the last one nets you a cool reward.
Here's the kicker: The Mechanarium's extra doors will only appear if you have enough gear-type rooms--i.e. those with gear icons on their portraits--before it's even drafted. The gear-type rooms include the Workshop, Security, Utility Closet, Laboratory, Pump Room, Boiler Room, and the Aquarium (provided that it has the Electric Eel upgrade).
Note: You can craft the Powered Electromagnet item via the Workshop. This increases the chance that gear-type rooms appear in the selection pool.
You need to draft several rooms with the gear icon.
Solution 1: Chamber of Mirrors
By default, you need to have seven gear-type rooms early on just to ensure that the Mechanarium's doors are all accessible. That's a difficult task since you're not always guaranteed to see all the aforementioned rooms.
One "trick" that you can do is to draft the Chamber of Mirrors, which is quite rare in and of itself. The Chamber of Mirrors' effect allows for duplicates of rooms to reappear in the selection pool. So, technically, you can draft two Workshops, two Utility Closets, and so on. Once you have seven gear-type rooms placed down, pray to the RNG gods that the Mechanarium also shows up as an option so you can draft it.
You can draw duplicates of rooms you've already drafted if you have the Chamber of Mirrors.
Solution 2: Sealed-off pathways
The other option is a bit "gamey" but it's also lets you partially circumvent the requirements. Here's the gist:
- Before you place down the Mechanarium, the game detects how many open pathways there are in each slot in the manor grid.
- If we don't count the entrance where you came in, you need seven gear-type rooms because:
- There are three remaining cardinal directions.
- There are four diagonal segments--i.e. the extra rooms.
- However, if you block off the remaining cardinal directions, you also decrease the number of required gear-type rooms since there's no way for those doors to be created.
- Basically, you can create a path around the slot where you'd want the Mechanarium to appear. If these paths are blocked off by default--i.e. you place rooms with walls adjacent to the Mechanarium's eventual slot--then they won't count toward the overall tally.
In a way, if you can block off the remaining three cardinal directions, and if you can place the Mechanarium in the center of that section, then you'll only need four gear-type rooms.
The last extra door that you open has a Sanctum Key.
Mechanarium Puzzle rewards
The extra doors in the Mechanarium have random rewards, though one nook will always have an alternate lever for the Antechamber. Likewise, if you manage to complete the Blue Prince Mechanarium Puzzle--i.e. all four diagonal section doors are accessible--then the last door that you open will automatically contain a Sanctum Key.
You can learn about these unique items in our Sanctum Key locations guide. Also, you might want to take a look at another tricky puzzle in the Closed Exhibit.
A surreal adventure filled with wonders and mysteries await you in Blue Prince. If ever you feel stuck or lost at any point in time in your playthrough, don't forget to check our Blue Prince guides hub.
Source