Pillars of Ascension

Template:PuzzleInfobox Pillars of Ascension is the gold puzzle in the Southern Coast area of The Talos Principle 2.

Overview

As you enter the puzzle, you are standing on the first of six circular platforms, each progressively higher, and surrounded by shallow water.

Hints

A basic hint:

[ hint ]

In this puzzle, you will have to figure out how to move from platform to platform, while carrying as much equipment from the previous platform as possible, because the next platform needs them.

If you're having trouble reaching the second platform:

[ hint ]

You don't need to jump. There is a teleporter.

If you're having trouble reaching the third platform:

[ hint ]

This time, you can use the angled fans to reach that platform. The main question is, how much equipment can you move from the second to the third platform in the process?

If you're having trouble reaching the fourth platform:

[ hint ]

You haven't gotten enough equipment to the third platform. By the time you're ready to go to the fourth platform, there should be absolutely nothing left on the second platform, not even a single fan.

If you're having trouble reaching the fifth platform:

[ hint ]

You need to get every piece of equipment off the third platform to make progress. Nothing, not even a single detachable fan must be left behind.

If you're having trouble getting enough equipment to the fourth platform:

[ hint ]

It is possible to activate the pressure plate without interrupting the laser, but you got to do it yourself. It is possible to move two pieces of equipment at once that way.

If you're having trouble getting to the sixth platform:

[ hint ]

You need a hexahedron, and only a hexahedron on the fifth platform to make progress. You can leave everything else behind.

Story

On solving this puzzle, we are rewarded with a line of spoken dialog:

At some point, Athena and I were so consumed by our obsessions that we stopped being able to communicate. We loved each other, but Miranda's ghost hovered over every conversation. That kind of grief, it ... it annihilates you. You can't ever be the same person again. That's when I decided to go back.

—Cornelius (3)