So, you’re stuck. You’ve been running around the map for forty-five minutes, your character’s stamina bar is screaming, and you still haven't found going loco puzzle piece 3. It’s frustrating. It’s that specific brand of gaming "insanity" where you start doubting whether the item even exists or if your game has just hit a catastrophic glitch.
Honestly, the "Going Loco" series of challenges has become a bit of a meme in the community because of how inconsistently the pieces are hidden. While pieces one and two are practically handed to you during the introductory phase, the third one is a total curveball. It’s not just sitting in a chest. It’s not glowing with a bright "pick me up" aura.
Gaming today usually holds your hand. This doesn't.
Where the Logic Breaks Down
Most players expect a linear progression. You find piece one in the north, piece two in the center, so piece three must be in the south, right? Wrong. The developers behind this level design clearly wanted to mess with the completionists. To find going loco puzzle piece 3, you have to stop looking at the horizon and start looking at the mechanics of the environment itself.
Specifically, look at the verticality.
A lot of the chatter on Discord and Reddit suggests that people are overshooting the location by looking for a "hidden room." In reality, it’s tucked behind a breakable environmental asset that doesn't look breakable. You know that one crate near the rusted locomotive—the one that doesn't highlight when you use your "vision" or "pulse" ability? That’s the one. It’s a classic case of old-school design philosophy: if it looks like background art, it’s probably a secret.
The Mechanics of the Search
You’ve got to be methodical. If you’re just sprinting through the zone, you’re going to miss the visual cues. The lighting in this specific sector is intentionally dim, which hides the seam of the "secret" area where going loco puzzle piece 3 is lodged.
The physics engine is your best friend here.
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If you throw a projectile or swing a heavy melee weapon near the junction of the third rail, listen for the sound profile. A metallic "thud" means it's a wall. A hollow "clink" means there’s space behind it. This is where the game gets its name—it expects you to go a little crazy testing every square inch of the terrain.
I remember talking to a speedrunner who spent three hours trying to clip through the geometry because they couldn't find this piece. They eventually realized that the trigger for the piece to even spawn is tied to a specific sequence of events earlier in the level. If you skipped the dialogue at the station platform, the interaction prompt for the piece sometimes fails to initialize. It’s a weird bit of coding, but it’s a reality we have to deal with in modern patch-heavy titles.
Why This Specific Piece Matters
Why do we care? Why spend two hours looking for a digital scrap of cardboard?
Well, going loco puzzle piece 3 is the gatekeeper. Without it, the "Crazy Train" achievement stays locked, and more importantly, you can't access the secret engine room upgrade. This upgrade drastically reduces your cooldowns for the final boss fight. If you’re playing on a higher difficulty, trying to beat that boss without the bonus from the completed puzzle is basically a suicide mission.
It’s about the "Full Completion" badge.
There is a psychological itch that only goes away when that progress bar hits 100%. Seeing 2/3 on your inventory screen is a taunt. It’s the game telling you that you aren't as observant as you think you are.
Common Misconceptions and False Leads
You’ll see a lot of "guides" online that tell you to wait for a specific time of day in-game. Ignore them. That’s a carryover from a different quest line involving the "Midnight Express." For going loco puzzle piece 3, time of day doesn't matter. Weather doesn't matter.
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What does matter is your inventory state.
Some players have reported that if your inventory is full when you trigger the discovery, the piece "disappears." It doesn't actually vanish; it just resets to its spawn point. If you thought you found it and it’s not in your bag, go back to the rusted crate near the engine. It’ll be sitting there, waiting for you to make space.
The Community's Collective Headache
The developers haven't officially commented on the difficulty of this specific find. However, looking at the Steam global achievement stats, only about 14% of players who started the quest have actually completed it. That’s a massive drop-off. Most people get pieces one and two, spend twenty minutes looking for the third, and then just give up and move on with the main story.
Don't be that person.
The reward for the full set includes a cosmetic skin that’s actually pretty rare—a weathered engineer’s jacket that has unique particle effects when you’re in combat. It’s a status symbol. When other players see you wearing that in the hub area, they know you had the patience to hunt down going loco puzzle piece 3.
Step-by-Step Recovery Logic
If you’re still staring at a blank spot in your collection, follow this logic.
First, clear the immediate area of any enemies. You can't interact with the environmental objects while in "combat mode." Second, head to the western edge of the shipyard, specifically near the crane that’s stuck in the "down" position. Walk past the crane and look for a small gap between the shipping containers.
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The piece isn't in the gap.
It’s actually on top of the blue container. You have to use the crane’s arm as a ramp. This is the part that trips people up. Most players are looking on the ground, thinking "it’s a puzzle piece, it fell." No, the wind (or the level designer) put it up high.
- Reach the crane junction.
- Jump onto the hydraulic lift.
- Walk the length of the crane arm.
- Drop onto the blue container.
- Bash the wooden pallet.
There it is. Going loco puzzle piece 3 in all its glory.
Final Practical Advice
Before you head out to find it, make sure your game version is 1.04 or higher. There was a known bug in the launch version where the pallet wouldn't break, making the piece literally unobtainable. If you’re playing an unpatched physical copy, you might be out of luck until you connect to the servers.
Once you have it, don't forget to actually equip the reward. The game doesn't automatically apply the engine room upgrade. You have to go into your "Collectibles" menu, select the completed "Going Loco" set, and hit the "Claim Reward" button. It’s a manual process that a lot of people overlook, leading them to complain that the quest was "pointless."
Go get that piece. Your completion percentage depends on it.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check your current version: Ensure your game is fully updated to avoid the "unbreakable pallet" bug that plagued earlier builds.
- Clear your inventory: Free up at least two slots to ensure the item registers correctly upon pickup.
- Navigate to the Western Shipyard: Look for the stationary yellow crane near the rusted engine block; this is the primary landmark.
- Use the "Ramp" Method: Don't look on the ground; climb the crane arm to access the top of the shipping containers where the piece is actually hidden.
- Manual Claim: Open your "Quest Log" or "Collectibles" tab after picking it up to manually trigger the engine room reward.