One of the first challenges you’ll face in Blue Prince is the Billiard Room, which, interestingly enough, requires solving straightforward problems using a dartboard as your guide. While this puzzle may seem simple, it demands a fair amount of game knowledge, much like the rest of the game. If you’re just starting out in Blue Prince, the Billiard Room is likely to leave you scratching your head at first. The instructions can be obscure and perplexing, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll find it as straightforward as a basic second-grade math problem – at least initially.
But before I reveal the solution, here’s a tip: Blue Prince is far more enjoyable when you figure things out on your own. To crack the Billiard Room puzzle, you’ll need to explore a few other rooms ahead of time, collecting specific clues and items (including a magnifying glass) before you revisit the dartboard. Blue Prince is serious about taking notes. However, I understand that hitting dead ends can be disheartening. So, I suggest going through this guide step by step, attempting to piece together the answers with each clue offered.
How to Locate a Magnifying Glass
An Essential Tool
Before tackling the dartboard puzzle in Blue Prince, you’ll need a magnifying glass to understand its mechanics. The following rooms are your best bets for finding one, though whether you’ll be able to access these rooms during any particular playthrough is uncertain, and there’s no guarantee they’ll actually contain a magnifying glass:
- Archive
- Observatory
- Nook
- Security Room
- Parlor
You could also purchase a magnifying glass at the Commissary or trade for one at the Trading Post. If luck is on your side and you find one, I recommend storing it in a Coat Closet for the next day before quitting; magnifying glasses are quite versatile. Once you have one, you’ll need to use it on a document titled "Noteworthy," which you can find elsewhere in the mansion to learn the full rules related to the dartboard puzzle.
How to Solve the Dartboard Puzzle Without a Magnifying Glass
Interpreting the Board
If you choose not to find a magnifying glass or missed the chance to jot down the clues when they were accessible, here’s the information you’ll glean from the note:
- Green = Addition
- Yellow = Subtraction
- Pink = Multiplication
- Purple = Division
Whenever you view the dartboard, there will be various spaces colored in these shades. Your objective is to carry out the correct mathematical operation on the number, and then click the corresponding answer along the outer edge of the dartboard to progress.
Performing the Calculations
The dartboard puzzle is one of the few truly random challenges in Blue Prince. I can’t provide you with the exact answer for your particular session since each time you encounter the Billiard Room, you’ll tackle different math problems with varying outcomes. Fortunately, since the numbers max out at 20, the challenges won’t be overly complex, but a basic grasp of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division is essential.
You don’t need to know the game’s dart rules to solve the Billiard Room puzzle. You’ll always start at the center of the board and work outward. The bullseye equals zero, and your journey begins with a single green square representing a straightforward addition problem. For example, starting from zero, if we add five, our total becomes five. You’ll then select the seven on the board’s perimeter to move on.
For the second problem, there are two green squares: five and six. Starting from zero, you add five, then six, for a total of 11. That’s your answer.
Now, let’s consider a slightly complex example from an earlier image. This time, we have a green five, a yellow one, and a pink two. The calculations would go as follows: 0 + 5 = 5, 5 – 1 = 4, and 4 × 2 = 8, so eight is the final answer.
As you navigate several equations, each growing in complexity, the board’s face will eventually reveal a variety of keys: you might encounter standard keys, keycards, silver keys, or unique keys that unlock special rooms featuring permanent upgrades.
Advanced Dart Board Puzzle
Certain puzzles in Blue Prince inevitably become harder as you progress. After you’ve solved the dartboard multiple times, you’ll begin to see new symbols and color combinations, leading to additional rules. Here’s a quick reference for those new symbols:
Symbol | Meaning |
---|---|
One square | After completing the operation matching the bullseye’s color, multiply the result by itself. |
Two squares | After finishing the corresponding operation, square the result and then square it again. |
Diamond | After executing the operation, switch the digits of the result. |
Red dots | Repeat the operation matching the color the number of times indicated by the dots. |
Red slash | Divide the result by two. |
Red X | Skip the operation with the given color. |
Partially colored | Divide the result by three. |
≈ | Round to the nearest whole number. |
≈ ≈ | Round to the nearest ten. |
≈ ≈ ≈ | Round to the nearest hundred. |
Equipped with this knowledge (and maybe even a calculator), you should be set to solve any dartboard challenge the game throws at you. Thankfully, once you’ve noted the rules down, you won’t have to hunt for another magnifying glass each time you tackle the Billiard Room. While the rewards generally aren’t earth-shattering, having more keys is always advantageous in Blue Prince, so it’s worthwhile to solve the dartboard whenever you encounter it.