Shroud Puzzle without a Solver.

[Pathwalker]

While the solvers nice to have, due to several people not able to use it I came up with a way to solve it quicker just using a few tricks and a small chart. For anyone new to the puzzle, each one you hit also swaps the ones next to it vertically and horizontally (and for the circle one, diagonally as well).

Each puzzle you want to "Solve up" first. Choose a side to start on and consider that the bottom row, (don't touch that row just yet). Hit the ones you need to on the next row up to light the entire bottom row. Then use the 3rd row up to light up the second, etc. When you finish using the top row to light up the next one down, see what's missing and on the top row and check the charts below. Hit what it says to in the top row. Then solve back down (eg using the 2nd row down to finish lighting up the top row, hit 3rd row to finish 2nd, etc). By the time you get back to the bottom row and light up the one above it, everything will be lit.

3x3
Mirrored , , or Don't hit top. Solve down.
Non-Mirrored , Hit both corners on the top row, then solve down.

4x4
Solved (Top row will always be completed by the time you finish using it to light the next row down).

5x5
This the only one that really needs a chart. Check what the top row looks like, and hit the ones listed after (1 is far left, 5 is far right).

Hit 4. Solve down.
Hit 1. Solve down.
Hit 1 and 2. Solve down.
Hit 3. solve down.
Hit 1, 2, and 3. Solve down.
(The last few possible combinations are mirrored versions of the ones above.)
Hit 2. Solve down.
Hit 5. Solve down.

Circle
Same general rules apply. Consider it 4 rows as far as solving up/down is concerned.
Hit 1. Solve down.
Hit 2. Solve down.
Hit 1 and 2. Solve down.

Quick copy of the chart if you want to print it out, Detailed instructions not included.
http://members.cox.net/spathwalker/shroud_chart.htm
or
http://members.cox.net/spathwalker/shroud_chart.jpg

[Draccus]

GREAT STUFF!

I solve 3x3, 4x4, and circles puzzles without a solver and always dread having to pull one up for a 5x5. With this simple chart, I'm solving 5x5 in 18-22 moves without a solver. Thanks a ton!

[Mhykke]

I may have missed it, but in the 5x5, what if the top row has (from left to right) none lit except for 3 and 4 (or conversely 1 and 2)? Or just one unlit? Seems like you're missing some patterns for the 5x5 (although I'm using the vale puzzle solver to check this system, and sometimes it returns unsolvable puzzles, so you might not get these combos in game)...

[Draccus]

I've run through about 50 puzzles on the DDO Crafting Planner tool and haven't had one come up that wasn't one of the five in the chart (or a mirror image) so maybe that's just not a possible combination for a solveable puzzle?

[rimble]

I've done something similar the couple times I've ended up with the big puzzle (the smaller ones I can figure out). In case it helps, got it from here long ago:

http://www.haar.clara.co.uk/Lights/solving.html

[krud]

here's another other useful link

practice puzzle

It will sometimes give you unsolvable puzzles.

[Aranticus]

there are only 4 possible 5x5 puzzles in shroud. what i so it to get the top 4 rows lighted up and see what is the combination of the last row

you can get

dark, lit, lit, lit, dark

dark, lit, dark, dark, lit

dark, dark, dark, lit, lit

dark, dark, lit, dark, dark

puzzle 2 and 3 can be changed into puzzle 4. so all you really have is 2 puzzles

[eyepuppy]

This is pretty much a double post man...

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=136833

Mine is pretty much the same, only you solve down twice instead of solving down.

[Cedrica-the-Bard]

Wow, thank you so much. Now I feel like a dunce, these aren't hard at all!

[LazarusPossum]

All I ask is that they don't start throwing in Soduku puzzles. Anything but that...

[Cedrica-the-Bard]

Again, thanks for this. Really, alot.

I printed that handy, dandy little chart and keep it very close by my computer. I am amazed at how easy this is! I practiced a few times on-line but now I've had a few occasions to put it to use in the Shroud. Your chart is a great little tool, particularly because it LOOKS like the Shroud puzzles in terms of the icons.

Plus I find your explanation very easy to follow and better explained and wanted to show you some love.

When I showed my husband how to do it (he is always one of those waiting at the door to be let out), he said, "You're joking, that's all there is to it?" hehehe

[DasLurch]

bump

[wemery73]

thanks

[Halaryel]

this deserve a bump great chart

[Valindria]

Can some one refresh the images please.

[Morosy]

Well in the meantime here's some low quality (complete with white borders from lazy cropper) reproductions of them. (Excluding 3 by 3 since it's just Mirrored: Solve down, Not mirrored: Hit corners, solve down. )


Hit 4. Solve down.
Hit 1. Solve down.
Hit 1 and 2. Solve down.
Hit 3. Solve down.
Hit 1,2 and 3. Solve down.
(The last few possible combinations are mirrored versions of the ones above.)
Hit 2. Solve down.
Hit 5. Solve down.



Hit 1. Solve down.
Hit 2. Solve down.
Hit 1 and 2. Solve down.

[AtomicMew]

I used this guide before, but I never could remember all the different combinations. There are 7 (2 for 3x3, 5 for 5x5). There was another guide floating around that required only 3 combinations total memorized. IMO, that one is better.

[Dexol]

I used to use this until it stopped working.

Just download Arkee's solver and problem sorted, adn you have solutions for reaver and monistery too

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?p=1923729

Direct: http://ddotrader.com/puzzler/Arkee'sPuzzler.exe

[AtomicMew]

Why use a solver? Vale puzzles are so much faster and easier to just know it.

[Jaid314]

my solution for the circle one is to get it to the point where only one lit is not lit (this should be fairly easy).

for the sake of argument, suppose you get the puzzle looking like this (x is lit, o is not):

 xx 
x  x
x  o
 xx

you would hit the x on the bottom row adjacent to the o:

 xx 
x  x
x  x
 xx

generating:

 xx
x  x
x  x
 oo

this means that in 2 moves, you can make it all blank:

 xx
x  x
x  x
 oo

which will result in:

 oo
o  o
o  o
 oo

run once on each light, and it will then be solved.

of course, looking at it now, i feel stupid: you can also do this in reverse by simply getting it down to one light on (as opposed to one light off), and then solve with the same moves. minus the part where you run a complete circle at the end.

i suppose it depends which you get to first. but yeah, i just use a method where i hit lights until i recognise a point from which i know a solution, so the two pattern one for the 5x5 will be a welcome change