Non-overlapping Magisteria

Template:PuzzleInfobox Non-overlapping Magisteria is the Gold Puzzle in the Eastern Wetlands area of The Talos Principle 2.

Overview

As you enter the puzzle, you find a connector and an inverter in the main area. There are three pressure plates that all need to be pushed in order to unlock the progress wheel. Off to the side is a room that is accessible through a purple barrier. In that room is another inverter and a red energy source. The red energy source is not directly accessible from the main area, there are two plasma walls in front of each other blocking it off. One of them can be turned off using a blue receptacle inside the room, another using a red receptacle in the main area.

Hints

A basic hint:

[ hint ]

Since the name of the puzzle is Non-overlapping Magisteria, you have to deal with multiple lasers and you have to position the instruments so that they don't overlap and cancel each other.

If you are having trouble getting started:

[ hint ]

Don't use the Connector to begin with. Can you turn off both the blue Plasma Walls with just the two inverters?

If you opened the blue walls, but can't make further progress:

[ hint ]

You should be able to open the blue plasma walls with just the two inverters. This allows you to take the connecter inside. When placing these inverters, leave plenty of space on all sides. Now, play with the connector. Can you place it in such a way that allows you to reposition the inner inverter closer to the open blue door?

If you are unsure what is the point of moving around the lasers:

[ hint ]

You have to bring out all three instruments to the main area so you can put them on the pressure plates. It is impossible to move the instruments through the purple wall. Therefore, the only way to move them would be through the open blue doors. To be able to move the items, you have to create redundancy in how you position your instruments, so that the doors remain open as you move one of the instruments.

Solution

[ solution ]

• 
  Grab the Inverter that is behind the purple gate. Connect it to the red Emitter, the blue Receiver and place it down as far back as possible, so that it is visible through the purple gate.
• 
  Grab the other Inverter, connect it to the first Inverter and the red Receiver.
• 
  Grab the Connector and bring it inside, where the first Inverter is. Grab the first Inverter while keeping connections, and place it on the other side of the Emitter, so that it sees the other Inverter through the Plasma Doors.
• 
  Take the Connector, connect it to both Inverters, and place it where the first Inverter used to be.
• 
  Take the Connector again, bring it outside through the open Plasma Doors, connect it to the red Emitter and Receiver and place it so that it does not intersect with the second Inverter.
• 
  Take the second Inverter, connect it to the red Emitter and the blue Receiver, and place it down where it used to be.

Story

Solving the puzzle plays another voiced line from Cornelius:

Creating Miranda was an act of defiance, in a way. To bring a new life into existence and say this is good, this is fundamentally good, because human beings are unique and valuable and every single one of them enriches the universe just by existing. We wanted to celebrate that, and to have a personal connection to the life we created. To be invested in each other, the way it was in the beginning. To be parents.

—Cornelius (3)