Has anyone REALLY solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

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tomchen1989
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Has anyone REALLY solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby tomchen1989 » 20 Jul 2017, 10:09

At the center of the main hall, there are four doors, each with a sign holding the puzzle.

North door:
"A wooden sign reads: As the winds blow, the seasons change, and only at the end of all can the doors be opened."

East door:
"A silver sign reads: As the winds blow, the seasons change, and only at the end of all can the doors be opened."

South door:
"A copper sign reads: As the winds blow, the seasons change, and only at the end of all can the doors be opened."

West door:
"A lapis sign reads: As the winds blow, the seasons change, and only at the end of all can the doors be opened."

It's easy to find the the solution by trial and error, which requires at most 3+2+1=6 failed tries in this case. The correct solution is that the player should open north (wood), east (silver), west (lapis) and south (copper) doors one by one in this order, whose initials spell "NEWS".

But why?

The word "news" seems to have nothing to do with the puzzle.

There are some forum topics about this matter:
https://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/41610-m ... n/61730951
https://www.gog.com/forum/might_and_mag ... ions/page2
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?di ... jmd&page=3
http://addictedgamewise.com/might-and-m ... le-of-baa/
But no one has come up with a good answer.

The tip "the seasons change" and the four materials of the signs are likely to be the key to solve the puzzle, I have a seemingly reasonable solution:
Normally we put the four seasons in this order: spring, summer, autumn and winter:
  • Spring is where little plants (wood) start growing
  • Summer usually links to sea and the blue color (lapis)
  • Autumn is considered yellow - golden - red (which may resemble copper color)
  • Winter is white (which may resemble silver)
So the answer should be: north (wood), west (lapis), south (copper) and east (silver).
But it's not the correct answer.

So, any idea?

It's been almost 20 years since MM6's release. If no one has really solved the puzzle, then there's a problem with the puzzle itself, maybe the developers mistook the order, maybe wood-lapis-copper-silver is the correct answer.
Last edited by tomchen1989 on 17 Aug 2021, 17:40, edited 4 times in total.

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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby Anubis » 20 Jul 2017, 21:58

Now that you mention it, I never understood this puzzle at all. During one of my playthroughs, I spent an hour trying to make meaning of this puzzle without coming to any reasonable solution. Hopefully the logic isn't something silly like that "binary number" puzzle in MMX, lol.

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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby Anubis » 22 Jul 2017, 17:56

Started a new MM6 game. Looked everywhere for clues. Closest I got was this:

Harp - A beautifully carved wooden harp.
Flute - A simple wood flute rimmed with silver.
Chime of Harmony - A set of wind chimes made of brass with copper chains. Etched along the surface of the chimes are symbols of Baa.

To be honest, I think the puzzle is just trial and error.
Last edited by Anubis on 22 Jul 2017, 17:57, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby Pitsu » 23 Jul 2017, 07:32

Although incorrect, my initial understanding of this "winds" and "seasons" and "only at the end" was that the doors can only be opened after completing the rest of the dungeon or even later in the game. With this not being the case, I simply bet on the value of the sign materials, which again is misleading. Lapis as material does not exist in later MM games, but is in earlier MM titles (worse, but more expensive than silver), however, there is no copper (but bronze and just slightly better than wood) material in older MM. Third thought was that it could be a reference to some older puzzle, for instance temple of Moo in MM3, but AFAIK no puzzle in previous MM feral sounding temples combines these materials in any way.
In conclusion, I have to agree that there either is a bug with this quest or it is intentionally made for trial and error.
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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby Avonu » 23 Jul 2017, 08:58

I didn't play MM6 a long time so I don't remember right now, but didn't Temple of Baa have a scroll with clues?
I find one with description which would sound like answer to this puzzle but I really don't remember, if it was from Temple of Baa or maybe from other location:
"Look to nature where civilization fails- the rocks and trees, the sky and earth all hold a power greater than man."
Last edited by Avonu on 23 Jul 2017, 08:59, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby Pitsu » 23 Jul 2017, 09:02

"Look to nature where civilization fails- the rocks and trees, the sky and earth all hold a power greater than man."
Monolith in Silver Cove, where indeed one needed to touch rocks and trees in order to progress.
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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby Avonu » 23 Jul 2017, 09:04

OK, thanks.

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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby Anubis » 02 Apr 2019, 20:00

Bump. I came up with something. Materials that decay.

Looking at your character's stat sheet, we have the seer's shrines: January as Might, Feburary as Intellect...all the way to the elements of Fire (August), Electricity (September), Cold (October), and Poison (November).

Wood burns (August > Fire > Fire Magic). Silver oxidizes in air (September > Elec > Air Magic). Lapis decays in water (October > Cold > Water Magic). Copper corrodes in acid (November > Poison)

Only logic I could come up with that fits (even though this absolutely isn't the intended solution).
Last edited by Anubis on 19 Jul 2022, 07:54, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby Erisian » 03 Apr 2019, 12:02

Maybe we are reading too much into this. The clue was probably just to say that you have to click on the doors in the right order before they will open and the rest is left to trial and error. I think it would have been better if the clue was more precise but I can't fathom anything without stretching meaning to near absurd.
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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby rachmaelbenapplebaum » 10 Jun 2019, 23:27

Open them on January 1st, Wood, silver, lapis, copper. Chest with mediocre gear and a key that reads "Bathhouse Key" not sure where it goes to. beware, enemies spawn after the chest explodes in your face.

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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby Anubis » 10 Jun 2019, 23:54

That isn't what this topic is about. The solution's already known. Some of us were just curious whether there was any logical reasoning behind the solution. Also, welcome to the CelestialHeavens forums.

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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby Roticet » 11 Jun 2019, 12:51

Btw, the date doesn't matter. And I think the clues have to do with the various rooms in the Temple of Baa. Cause you have to go through a specific cycle to get all the keys to open all the rooms in the temple. But I've never actually tried to check my hypothesis. So I don't know.

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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby raekuul » 05 Jul 2019, 17:58

(lol necropost)

The solution has to do with which wind is associated with each season (but these wind associations are based on the mediterranean winds). The North Wind of the Winter brings ice and snow, the East Wind of Spring brings rain, the West Wind of Summer blows from across the Asian deserts, and the South Wind of Autumn is the only one left.
Last edited by raekuul on 05 Jul 2019, 17:58, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby eilacomeva » 14 Jul 2019, 23:11

I've always just assumed it was a small way to annoy people who pirated the game and so didn't have the small strategic guide that comes with it (at least it came with my edition)

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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby raekuul » 16 Jul 2019, 18:41

Nah, the anti-piracy check was "The Third Eye Is In The Well"

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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby idanyo » 05 May 2021, 09:37

Bump.

the signs are Wood, Lapis, Silver and Copper
the order in which the words appear in the message is: as the WindS bLows, so does the seasons Change ...
The same order you need to press the doors - WSLC

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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby tomchen1989 » 05 May 2021, 18:52

@idanyo

No there're too many w s c l in that sentence:

"As the winds blow, the seasons change, and only at the end of all can the doors be opened."

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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby DaveHer » 30 Jul 2021, 15:18

As you walk into the temple click the door on the left, then the one on the back, then the front, then the one on the right. The four doors will open. There is a chest in the center. When you close it, a lot of skeletons will appear to attack you. Have fun.

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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby Eksekk » 31 Jul 2021, 15:39

DaveHer wrote:As you walk into the temple click the door on the left, then the one on the back, then the front, then the one on the right. The four doors will open. There is a chest in the center. When you close it, a lot of skeletons will appear to attack you. Have fun.
I think the other posters meant WHY this door order is the solution to the riddle, and not that they have problem with solving it.
Last edited by Eksekk on 31 Jul 2021, 15:39, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Has anyone really solved the Temple of Baa puzzle in MM6?

Unread postby DaveHer » 31 Jul 2021, 19:17

[/quote]
I think the other posters meant WHY this door order is the solution to the riddle, and not that they have problem with solving it.[/quote]Oh. My Mistake.


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