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Act 1
Welcome to Act 1 of Scorn! This walkthrough will give you all the tips, tricks and puzzle solutions needed to ace your introduction to this world of HR-Giger-inspired machinery, parasitic monsters and labyrinthian tunnel systems. This includes the solution to the game's first puzzle and the location of a very special weapon we'll be using throughout the rest of the campaign.
Scorn's opening prologue section will introduce you to its subterranean setting, fiendish puzzles and nightmarish foes. So, when you're ready, hit that "New Game" button and let's get started. If you're looking for a specific section of Act 1, you can jump between the main parts of the level via the links below:
Act 1 | The Mine Cart Puzzle | The Crane Puzzle |
The Bolt Rifle and The Meat Tree |
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With Scorn being a mysterious experience that purposefully avoids defining its world, a lot of the terminology we're using for this guide has been invented by us. With that in mind, it can be easy to get lost if you're jumping in midway through the game. If you're confused about any item we're referring to in the walkthrough below, head over to our terminology key for a rundown of the main terms we're using for every key item, weapon, enemy and machine in the game.
Act 1
The beginning of Scorn will open with a cinematic cutscene, showing a nameless man stumbling through a vast desert before falling into a labyrinthian cave system below the sands. When he comes to, it’s time to begin our adventure.
Once you're on your feet, walk towards the mysterious door ahead of you. The entrance is currently locked, so we can’t interact with it. Instead, let’s take the path to the left of the door and follow it. After passing some notably grotesque architecture, you’ll emerge on an elevated walkway in a large room.
There’s another door to our left but it's also locked, so let’s instead take a right and descend the path ahead of us. At the bottom of the tunnel, you’ll see a broken door. It'll glow white, confirming you can Interact with it. Do so and, once the short cutscene's finished, turn around. The protagonist will be in a large room filled with various machinery.
Head over to the long, cylindrical contraption on your left (it's pictured above). The protagonist will be able to insert his hand into the machine, having a creepy key implant stapled to his arm. These machines will reoccur frequently throughout the game, so we'll call them "Key Implant Machines" going forward.
Once your arm is free, head to the opposite side of the room and interact with the control panel in front of the large door. The device is pictured above.
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The protagonist will slot his hands into it, allowing him to control the locking mechanisms on either side of the sliding door. When you’re able, switch to the locking mechanism on the left and activate the latch, then switch back to the locking mechanism on the right and activate it to open the sliding door.
Wait for it fully open and then remove your arms from the control panel. The sliding door will gradually begin to close once you've left the terminal, so sprint through it. You’ll arrive in the large room we saw from the elevated platform earlier.
The Mine Cart Puzzle (First Puzzle)
This next area is filled with various creepy machines and contraptions. Our goal is to use them all in the right order to proceed. To begin with, head towards the large door on the east side of the room. We'll need to get through here to continue our mission, but right now, we can’t do anything with the door.
You will, however, notice an archway directly to the right of it. Head through it and you’ll arrive in an area we’re going to label the "scoop room". We haven’t got anything to scoop yet though, so head for the elevator opposite the scooper.
Press the button to ascend to the next level, then head north. You’ll find yourself on an extended platform in front of a large wall. There are two control panels here. Use the one on the right.
The Crane Puzzle
Accessing the panel will give you control of a crane that can move the pods on the wall. How this puzzle works is that we want to get the correct pod to the top left-hand corner of the wall using the crane. We'll call this corner "The Grab Slot".
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The crane can only move pods via empty pod slots, so you’ll want to carve out a path of empty slots leading to the grab slot. Once you’ve moved the correct pod to the grab slot, you can use the panel to your left to break the pod, revealing what’s inside. The only problem is that there are other pods stuck to the wall, so we’ll need to move them out of the way so the correct pod can reach its destination. Think of it like a sliding puzzle but with grotesque slimy egg sacks… or don’t to be honest, it’s not a particularly pleasant idea…
The pod we want to break is the one with the yellow light on the back. Unfortunately, it’s attached to another pod below it, meaning you'll need two horizontal pod slots to move the correct pod around. The general aim here should be to move every empty pod to the right-hand side of the screen while moving the correct pod to the left. Don’t focus on the correct pod as much as you’re focusing on moving the empty pods, as we’ll need the left-hand side of the pod wall to be empty if we want to reach our destination.
You’ll also notice a fleshy pod on the puzzle's top row which can be broken when moved to the grab slot, freeing up a pod slot. Make sure to do this as early as possible to ensure some space. if you're struggling to figure out the puzzle, check out the video above for one solution.
Once the pod’s in position, back out of the mechanism and use the contraption to the left of it. A crane will grab the pod and break it, revealing an immobile humanoid creature. It’ll then lower the entity to the floor below. When you’re ready, head back to the central room.
Once you’re back, look in the central circle for a crimson cart with a control panel beside it. It’s pictured above. Use the mechanism behind it and you’ll gain access to the crane in front of you. Position the crane upwards and activate it. It’ll grab the creature we freed earlier from above. Manoeuvre it back down and activate it again to place the creature in the seat.
From this point onwards, we'll actually have two ways to complete the puzzle. Both will unlock unique achievements, so let's cover each route and how to unlock both achievements. You can jump between both solutions using the table below:
Route 1: The Creature Survives | Route 2: The Creature Dies |
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Route 1: The Creature Survives
Before we take our new friend on a stroll, let’s head up the central pillar. There should be a spiral path wrapping around it which leads to the top. When you reach the top, look for a mechanism you can interact with. You’ll warp to a bird's eye view of the area. Here, you can switch the various rails found in the circle.
We’re going to refer to the rails as west rail, north rail and east rail based on their positions (as shown in the key above). If I say connect to the circle, you want to make sure it’s lined up with the rail running around the central pillar we’re standing on. If I say connect to the outside, you’ll want to line it up with the tunnel leading away from the central circle.
Trigger the east rail so it connects to the circle. Trigger the north rail so it connects to the circle and trigger the west rail so it connects to the outside. Back out of the mechanism and then return to our little buddy in the cart. Push it around until you lock it into another contraption.
Head to the panel behind the cart and activate it. It’ll drill something into the creature's back. Once the process is done, return to the cart and continue pushing it. Eventually, you’ll reach the saw room. Push the cart into the contraption until it locks, then activate the crane using the nearby mechanism.
It’ll pick the creature up. Move the crane to the opposite side of the room and then activate it again to drop the creature into the seat. Activate the panel next to the seat. It’ll rev up a drill that cuts off the creature's shell, exposing it. When the drill is finished, head over to the chair and remove the debris.
The monster will flop out of the chair and onto the floor. It will take a decent amount of time, but we’re taking our goopy pal for a little walk. When they’re eventually on their feet (it takes a good minute), they’ll follow you VERY slowly. Walk them up the tunnel behind you.
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About midway up the tunnel, you’ll see a doorway to your right. Head through it and you’ll find a Key Implant Machine. Stand next to it and wait for our new buddy to join us. Just as the creature’s about to reach the key contraption, they’ll fall over. When prompted, interact with them and our protagonist will pick them up and force their hand into the contraption, giving them a wrist key.
Return to the previous tunnel and head towards the giant locked door we saw earlier. As our buddy reaches it, they’ll fall over again. Pick them up once more and the protagonist will force them to activate the nearby mechanism. Head to the panel to the right of the creature’s panel and activate it to open the door fully.
Go through the door and it will lock behind you. In front of you, you'll see an elevator. Ascend to the next floor and push into the room ahead. Completing the puzzle this way will net you the 003 Achievement.
Route 2: The Creature Doesn't Survive
Before we take our new friend on a stroll, let’s head up the central pillar. There should be a spiral path wrapping around it which leads to the top. When you reach the top, look for a mechanism you can interact with. You’ll warp to a bird's eye view of the area. Here, you can switch the various rails found in the circle.
We’re going to refer to the rails as west rail, north rail and east rail based on their positions (as shown in the key above). If I say connect to the circle, you want to make sure it’s lined up with the rail running around the central pillar we’re standing on. If I say connect to the outside, you’ll want to line it up with the tunnel leading away from the central circle.
Trigger the east rail so it connects to the circle. Trigger the north rail so it connects to the outside and don't bother with the west rail. Back out of the mechanism and then return to our little buddy in the cart. Push it around until you lock it into another contraption.
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Head to the panel behind the cart and activate it. It’ll drill something into the creature's back. Once the process is done, return to the cart and continue pushing it. Eventually, you'll arrive in the scooping room we found earlier. Once the cart has clicked into place, access the control panel nearby to use the crane above you. Use the crane to move the creature into the scooper.
When it's positioned in the scooper, use the device in front of the control panel. It'll scoop the creature out of the shell, leaving its detached arm behind. Grab the arm and then head towards the big door on the east side of the room.
While facing the door, head down the tunnel to your left and look for a key implant machine like the one we found earlier in the mission. Use it to implant a key into the disembodied arm and then return to the door.
Place the arm in the control panel on the left-hand side and then activate the control panel on the right. The door will open, allowing you to enter. This will net you the 002 Achievement. Go through the door and it will lock behind you. In front of you, you'll see an elevator. Ascend to the next floor and push into the room ahead.
The Bolt Rifle and The Meat Tree Puzzle
Regardless of which solution you picked, you'll now find yourself in a large auditorium with two exits on the left and the right. Ignore both doorways for now and head north to the back of the room.
You’ll find a pod in the ground ahead that rises as you get near it. Inside this pod is our first weapon. Seeing as it has no name and definitely no grounding in anything I’ve ever seen before (except maybe a very big snail), let’s just call this the "bolt rifle".
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With the rifle in hand, head through either the east or west doorways and follow the winding path ahead. Both paths will circle around and arrive at a grotesque organism shaped like a tree. Look for a control panel in front of this "meat tree" and activate it. A small flying device will erupt from the ground that you can control. Move the device so it’s directly in front of you and then activate it. It’ll merge with an obelisk that rises from the floor.
With the newly merged obelisk device in front of you, move it to the now-open slot in the meat tree. The slot is hard to miss as it'll emit white light. Once the device is in front of the slot, activate it. It'll conjure a control panel directly below where the device slotted into the tree. Activate the control panel and a nearby shutter will open.
Now, head back down either of the corridors you used to reach the meat tree and look for a control panel close to the archway back to the room with the gun. There are two of these control panels, one on the east path and one on the west path. With the bolt rifle equipped, you can activate them. Switch on both control panels. Two new obelisks will be picked up and moved towards the meat tree.
With both activated, we'll need to get back to the meat tree, although it'll be slightly harder this time. Hovering in the air are a bunch of drone-like organisms spraying white steam. We’ll call these foes "Drones". This steam will inflict damage, so you'll want to stay away from the front of the drone.
The rifle doesn't work like a normal gun, however, and instead fires a retracting bolt that kills enemies that are within melee range of the player. Essentially, this means you're going to have to get up close and personal if you want to take the drones down. The best way to kill a drone is to position yourself behind them. From here, you'll avoid the steam and kill them in a single hit with the bolt rifle.
Take down the drones ahead and push on until you reach the meat tree again. Thanks to the two consoles we just activated, there will now be two more obelisks in the nearby area. Repeat the process from earlier, using the flying device to plant the obelisks in the tree.
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When you go to activate the final control panel beneath the last planted obelisk, the veins connecting the panel will explode, knocking the protagonist unconscious.