Control Room

Walkthrough for the Control Room in Amnesia: The Dark Descent, including solutions for the Chain and Weights puzzle and the Big Machine puzzle.

As soon as you move forward, you'll have another flashback. It's just about Daniel asking Professor Herbert how they found the site and why the guy who had the map wasn't with them. Professor Herbert seemingly didn't want to scare Daniel and told him that plans just didn't go well.

Anyway move forward and you'll find one door to your left, one door to your right, and a door at the front with a valve to its right. First thing's first. The door can only be opened when you turn the valve, but it closes on its own after a while. So that we don't waste our time, just get two nearby boxes. Open the door so that it will be raised as high as possible, then stack two boxes on top of each other directly under the door. This will stop the door from going down and closing. All you have to do is crouch to go in, but before we go through that door, let's visit the other rooms nearby.

Let's go to the room to our right. It's a room with a control panel with valves and chains with weights attached to them. There's also a pipe on the ground. Move forward and go to the corner with the boxes. There's a tinderbox there.

Grab the pipe on the floor and exit the room. Just drop the pipe in the main room, we'll need it later on. From the room where we just came from, enter the room directly in front of us.

We're now in a similar room to the last, except that the weights and chains have not been positioned just like in the last room, and the control panel with valves can be adjusted. To the left of the room is a lit candle with a tinderbox.

Chain and Weights Solution:

On the control panel are three valves representing the three chains and weights. Our objective is to make the chains and weights be raised in the same way just like in the other room.

From left to right, we'll start adjusting the valves.

Important thing to take note of is that the valves have orange handles located on its top, bottom, right, and left sections. We turn the valves by always grabbing the Top orange part.

The solution here relies on listening to a clicking sound, which signals that we have turned the valve and it's already in the right position. We will be doing Valves 1, 3, and then 2 respectively.

1. Valve 1: Grab the Top orange part and turn it three times so that the Top part ends up on the Left part.
2. Valve 3: Grab the Top orange part and turn it two times so that the Top part ends up on the Bottom part.
3. Valve 2: Grab the Top orange part and turn it around three times. Since we already got Valve 1 and Valve 3 at the right position, Valve 2 will just snap into place automatically when we turn it.

Congratulations! We just got through one of the least appreciated puzzles in the game!

Now that we're done with this Chain and Weights puzzle, from the control panel, turn around. There is another pipe that we can grab from the ground. Take it and exit the room.

We now have two pipes. Grab one of them and then put them in the room accessed by a door with a valve. Since we already put boxes under the door, all we have to worry about is grabbing the pipes and transporting them to the other side.

Now that we're on the other side, notice how the room is very messy! Lots of rocks and stuff. There are three rooms that we can visit, one to the left, one to the right, and another one directly in front of us.

Let's get rid of the two pipes we're carrying around first. We can use these two pipes in the room directly in front of us, so take them there and enter the room.

On the right wall are pipes already attached, while on the left wall are holes where you can attach pipes. Take your two pipes there and attach them. When you're done exit the room.

We still have two rooms to visit. From the room we just exited, let's go in the room to our left.

Wow it's a big machine room! Go down the stairs and turn right, look behind the stairs and you'll find a bottle of oil. The control panel can't be adjusted so leave it be. To the left of the room is a table with a tinderbox and a note. Read the note.

It's just about some guy who thinks his machine is not efficiently made because it's too huge. Anyway, grab the pipe on the ground, we're going back to the pipe room where we can attach the pipe. Exit the room you are in now. To the right is the pipe room, so go there and attach the pipe.

We're now done with the pipes, even if there's still one more place for a pipe to be put. No need to worry. Exit the pipe room and now we'll go into the last room we haven't visited yet. Upon exiting the pipe room, it's on our right side. Go there and enter the room.

It's another big machine room! As soon as you go in, Alexander speaks to you, seemingly by telepathy, asking what you're doing. Don't mind him. Proceed down the stairs.

To your right is a table with an important tool, while to your left is the control panel for the giant machine. Check the table first and grab the Wooden Crank.

Big Machine Solution:

Look at the control panel. There are four levers that we can pull down.

1. First Lever: Pull Down
2. Fourth Lever: Pull Down

After pulling these two down, the giant thing in the middle of the room will be fully inserted to whatever it is.

Now we can exit the Control Room! Just get out of the room where we just solved the Big Machine puzzle, turn right, head forward, crouch to get through the door, then continue forward to reach the door to the main Cistern.