You just beat Leshy. You finally escaped that claustrophobic cabin, watched a low-res cinematic of a floppy disk being unearthed, and now? Now everything looks like a Game Boy Color game. It’s a jarring shift. But the real headache isn't the change from 3D to 2D; it’s the sudden influx of Inscryption Act 2 puzzles that guard your progress in the pixelated world of GBC-era aesthetics.
Most people stumble into the second act expecting more of the same rogue-like card battling. Instead, Daniel Mullins throws you into a world where you have to understand circuit logic, grave markers, and the weirdly specific desires of a mechanical inspector. It's a lot. If you're stuck, it's probably because Act 2 asks you to think less like a card player and more like a detective.
The Pillar Puzzles in the Temple of Magicks
Magicus is arguably the most annoying zone if you aren't paying attention to the environment. To even reach Magnificus, you have to get past those three floating pillars. Each one requires a three-icon code. You won't find these codes written on a wall in plain sight.
For the first pillar, you've gotta look at the literal notes. There’s a prompt about the "apprentice" who saw the code. Check the room to the left. You’ll see a series of symbols on the floor or hidden in the background scenery. It's easy to miss if you're just rushing to the next fight. The second pillar is trickier. You have to interact with the dummy in the practice room. Hit it. Fight it. If you deal enough damage or manipulate the board correctly, the dummy reveals the symbols you need. Honestly, it’s a bit of a "hidden in plain sight" moment that trolls players who hate the combat-dummy mechanics.
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The third pillar is where most people give up and Google the answer. You have to go into the room with the sensory deprivation. It’s dark. You can’t see much. But if you pay attention to the audio cues and the slight visual flickers, the symbols are there. Specifically, check the top-left corner of the room when the lights "flicker."
Why Magnificus is a Jerk
Magnificus isn't just a wizard; he's a visual artist with a cruel streak. His puzzles aren't just logic gates; they are perspective shifts. In his tower, you'll encounter a mirror. Don't just look at yourself. Look at what's behind you in the reflection. Often, the solution to the floor puzzles in the Mage tower involves looking at the world from the perspective of the cards themselves. It’s meta. It’s weird. It’s classic Inscryption.
Decoding the Grave Markers in the Temple of the Dead
Grimora’s area is a graveyard, obviously. To progress, you need to talk to the ghosts. They won't just tell you their names or how they died; they give you fragments of information. This is basically a logic puzzle reminiscent of those old "who lives in the blue house" riddles.
You have three tombstones. You have three ghosts. You have three causes of death and three "epitaph" descriptors.
- Ghost 1 (Kaycee): She’s the one most fans remember because of the Kaycee’s Mod expansion. Her clue involves the ice. She died of a falling piece of ice.
- Ghost 2: This one usually mentions something about a lack of cure or a lingering illness.
- Ghost 3: Usually involves a more violent end, often involving a dog or a specific "crunch."
You have to drag and drop these descriptors onto the headstones in the correct order. If you get it wrong, nothing happens. If you get it right, the path to Grimora opens. But wait—there’s a secret here. If you look at the well in the graveyard, keep clicking it. Eventually, you get a piece of a "Great Kraken" card. It’s not strictly a puzzle you need to solve to finish the game, but if you want the best deck in Act 2, you need that tentacle.
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The Factory Logic: P03’s Circuit Puzzles
If you hated the cabin puzzles, you’re going to find P03’s factory either brilliant or infuriating. These are pure logic gates. You have a starting power source and an end goal. You need to move blocks to ensure the current reaches the end without being blocked or diverted into a dead end.
Here is the thing: the game doesn't explain the symbols.
- The Plus/Minus symbols add or subtract power levels.
- The Arrows redirect the flow.
- The Shields protect certain nodes.
The difficulty spikes when you reach the bridge repair section. You’ll see a console that looks like a circuit board. You have to align the sliders so that the total power output matches the required number on the right side of the screen. It’s math. Simple math, sure, but when you're stressed because you just lost a card game to a robot, it feels like calculus.
The Ouroboros Trick
While not a "puzzle" in the traditional sense, managing your deck in P03’s area is a puzzle of efficiency. If you find the Ouroboros card (it’s in the trader’s shop in the bottom-left area of the map), the game is basically over. Every time Ouroboros dies, it gains +1/+1 permanently. This persists through Act 2 and into Act 3. If you spend twenty minutes "farming" its stats by sacrificing it over and over in a dummy fight, you can walk into any boss fight with a 100/100 card. It breaks the game. It’s the "intended" way to bypass the harder combat puzzles.
The Myconists and the Secret Keys
Deep in the woods, you’ll find the Myconists (the mushroom doctors). They want pairs. They’ll ask for two of the same card. This is a recurring puzzle. First, it’s two Grave Diggers. Then it’s two Field Mice.
Every time you give them a pair, they "fuse" them. It looks gross. It is gross. But they are building something. If you complete all their requests, you get a key. This key does absolutely nothing in Act 2. Seriously. You’ll finish the act and wonder why you wasted your time.
Keep that key. It’s for Act 3. It unlocks a secret boss that provides the most significant lore dump in the entire franchise. Without it, you’re missing about 30% of the actual story behind the "OLD_DATA."
Hidden Interactions You Probably Missed
There is a secret room in the forest area. You see a weird glitching patch of pixels? Walk into it. It’s not a bug. It’s a hidden path. Inside, you’ll find a character who looks like a woodcarver but isn't. They give you hints about the nature of the disk you're playing on.
Also, check the safe in the factory. It’s the same safe from Act 1, but the code is different. You can find the code by looking at the clock in the Mage tower. Wait, no—the clock is in the cabin. In Act 2, the clock is in the back of the room where you fight the robot boss. Set the hands to the same time you used in the cabin (11:00) and see what happens.
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Actually, the real pro tip for Inscryption Act 2 puzzles is to stop looking at the cards and start looking at the UI. The "menu" buttons sometimes have symbols on them. The "save" icons might flicker. Daniel Mullins loves breaking the fourth wall, so if a puzzle seems impossible, the answer is probably in the game's settings menu or a glitch in the corner of the screen.
Dealing with the Bosses
The puzzles don't stop when the battle starts. Each Scrybe has a "gimmick" that functions as a real-time puzzle.
- Leshy: He takes photos of your cards. If you don't play around the "camera," he’ll use your own powerful cards against you in the second phase.
- Grimora: She plays with the "Stink" sigil and bone economy. The puzzle here is managing your graveyard. Don't over-sacrifice, or you’ll run out of resources before she hits her second phase.
- P03: This is a "conveyor belt" fight. Your cards move. You have to predict where your heavy hitters will be in two turns, not just one.
- Magnificus: He paints over your cards. He literally changes their sigils mid-fight. The "puzzle" is staying flexible. Don't rely on one strategy because he will paint it out of existence.
What to Do Next
Once you've cleared the four temples and solved the circuit boards, you'll be prompted to choose a Scrybe to replace. This choice feels heavy. It feels like it changes everything.
It doesn't. No matter who you pick, the game is going to funnel you toward the same conclusion. However, before you step into the final circle to end Act 2, make sure you have done the following:
- Visit the Myconists one last time to ensure you have the fused card and the secret key.
- Buy the Ouroboros from the trader if you haven't. Your future self will thank you.
- Find the Kraken. Go to the docks, click the tentacle in the water, and then find the second tentacle in the bathtub in the Mage tower. This unlocks the Great Kraken card, which is a total powerhouse.
Act 2 is short, but it's dense. It’s the bridge between the horror of the cabin and the cold, mechanical reality of the final act. Don't rush it. The puzzles are there to slow you down so you actually look at the world, because once you leave this pixelated version of Inscryption, you aren't coming back.
The most effective way to handle the logic jumps is to keep a literal notepad next to you. Write down the ghost clues. Sketch the circuit paths. The game wants you to feel like a hacker unearthing a cursed file—embrace that. If you find yourself banging your head against a specific pillar or gate, back out, change your deck to a "Scribe of the Dead" build (those bone piles are broken), and explore the corners of the map you ignored. The answer is usually tucked behind a tree or hidden in a dialogue box you skipped.