You’re sailing through the Caribbean, the sun is hitting the water just right, and honestly, life as Nathan Drake feels pretty good. Then you hit the island. Specifically, you hit the "At Sea" chapter. Most people remember this part of the game for the sheer scale of the tropical environment, but everyone remembers the Uncharted 4 chapter 12 puzzle because it’s the moment the game stops being a climbing simulator and starts testing if you were actually paying attention to the lore.
It’s the Founder’s Wheel.
If you’re stuck here, don't feel bad. This isn't just a "turn the crank" situation. It’s a multi-stage logic gate that requires you to juggle Nate’s journal, some ancient pirate history, and a fair bit of spatial reasoning. Naughty Dog loves doing this. They give you a beautiful view and then make you stare at a dusty stone wall for twenty minutes.
The First Layer: Aligning the Founders
When you first walk into that hidden chamber beneath the island, you're faced with a massive circular mechanism. This is where the Uncharted 4 chapter 12 puzzle really begins. You’ve got these sigils—symbols representing the pirate lords who founded Libertalia.
First up? Avery and Tew.
You’ll see two circles on the floor. The prompt is simple enough: line up the symbols. But here’s the kicker—you have to rotate them so the patterns on the edges match the orientation in Nate’s journal. You’ll notice little dashes or "arms" on the side of the sigils. If they don't line up with the static icons on the wall, the door stays shut. Basically, you want the skull to face one way and the crossbones to face the other. It’s the game’s way of teaching you the mechanic before things get weird.
Why this works
Naughty Dog uses a "teach by doing" philosophy. By forcing you to match the symbols of Avery (the skull and crossbones) and Thomas Tew (the arm with a cutlass), they are setting the stage for the narrative payoff later. These guys weren't just pirates; they were architects of a utopia that went horribly wrong.
The Second Stage: Getting Messy with the Journal
Once you get through the first set, a door opens, and you’re in a room with three more sigils. This is where the difficulty spikes. You’re looking at symbols for Baldridge, Bonny, and Condent.
Now, look at your journal. You’ll see that the sketches of these pirates have been moved around. You aren't just matching the symbols anymore; you're matching their orientation based on the red marks in Nate's notes.
- The Monkey (Condent): Rotate this one so it’s upside down. It feels wrong, but it’s right.
- The Skeleton (Baldridge): He needs to be facing right.
- The Tiger (Bonny): Keep him upright, but slightly tilted.
The trick here is that the symbols on the wheel aren't just static images. They are parts of a larger gear system. If you turn one, it might affect the others depending on the difficulty setting, though on Crushing, the game is surprisingly fair about the logic. You just have to be precise. If you're a pixel off, the mechanism won't click. It’s finicky.
The Final Round: The Triple Threat
The last part of the Uncharted 4 chapter 12 puzzle is the real headache. You’ve got four symbols now. You’re dealing with Anne Bonny (again, sort of), Read, and a couple of others. The journal page for this one is a mess. There are ink stains, tears, and Nate’s frantic handwriting everywhere.
You have to look at the "borders" of the symbols.
In the journal, some of the pirate icons have red lines on the top, bottom, or sides. These correspond to the "notches" on the physical wheels in the room. You have to rotate them so the notches on the wheel match the position of the red lines in the book.
- For the first one, ensure the scales are facing right.
- The snake needs to be facing left.
- The unicorn (yes, a pirate unicorn) should be facing left as well.
- The final symbol, the bird, needs to be facing down.
If you hear a heavy thud and the floor starts moving, you did it. If Sam Drake makes a snarky comment about how long you’re taking, you’re likely overthinking the rotation.
Common Mistakes
Most people fail this because they try to match the symbols to the wall instead of the journal. The journal is your only source of truth here. Another thing: the lighting in this room is moody. It’s gorgeous, sure, but it makes seeing the tiny arrows on the wheels a nightmare if your brightness isn't turned up.
The Narrative Weight of Chapter 12
Why does this puzzle matter? Beyond just being a gameplay hurdle, the Uncharted 4 chapter 12 puzzle is a masterclass in environmental storytelling. As you align these symbols, you're literally aligning yourself with the history of the "Twelve Founders."
You see the names: Adam Baldridge, Christopher Condent, Edward England. These were real-life pirates, mostly. Naughty Dog took historical figures from the Golden Age of Piracy and turned them into the secret society of Libertalia. When you solve these puzzles, you aren't just opening a door; you're uncovering the ego of Henry Avery. He wanted people to prove they were "worthy" of his treasure by being as clever as he was.
It’s also a rare moment of calm. Chapter 12 is huge. You’ve been driving a boat, climbing cliffs, and dodging Shoreline mercenaries. This puzzle forces you to slow down. It’s you, Sam, and the ghosts of the 1700s.
Pro-Tips for Speedrunners or Perfectionists
If you’re trying to get the trophy for completing the game in under six hours, you cannot afford to dawdle here.
- Memorize the rotations: There are only a few variations.
- Skip the dialogue: As soon as you enter the room, open the journal. Don't wait for Nate and Sam to finish their "Wow, look at this place" conversation.
- Use the D-pad: It’s way more precise than the analog stick for fine-tuning the wheel rotations.
The Uncharted 4 chapter 12 puzzle isn't the hardest in the series—that honor probably goes to the shadow puzzle in the first game or the water bucket mess in Uncharted 3—but it is the most satisfying. It feels tactile. You can almost feel the weight of the stone turning.
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What to do next
Once you clear the wheels, the path forward leads to the massive statues of the founders. This is where the platforming picks back up.
- Check your journal again: Nate will have added new entries after the puzzle is solved. These are crucial for the "Gift of Gab" trophy if you're chasing the Platinum.
- Look for the Treasure: There’s a hidden collectible in the room immediately following the puzzle. Don't just run past it in your excitement to get back to the boat.
- Prepare for a fight: The calm doesn't last. Once you leave this interior complex, Shoreline is going to be waiting for you with more than just a few pistols.
If the wheels still aren't clicking, back out of the interaction entirely. Sometimes the "hitbox" for the rotation prompt gets buggy if you're standing at a weird angle. Step back, let the camera reset, and approach it again. It usually fixes the alignment issues.
Now, get back out there. Henry Avery's gold isn't going to find itself, and Rafe is definitely getting closer.