The Witness: Shady Trees Laser Puzzle Walkthrough

Getting the Shady Trees Laser trophy will require you activate the laser hidden behind the orange-bathed gates seen in the game’s own PS4 title screen. Heading to the large orange grove, you’ll find the locked gates and a pathway heading away. Follow this until you reach a logging house near a stream, across from the rock quarry. Make your way to the first puzzle, a simple trace panel on a wooden door.

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Completing this will open the door and lead you to your first shade puzzles, pictured below. Here, you have to navigate to the end, avoiding the shade. If you notice, the completed door puzzle begins counting down once opened. It will close when the countdown ends.

The third puzzle, below, will be partially blocked by the door you entered through if the countdown completed. Head back over and open the door, then solve this puzzle before it closes again.

Now puzzles will be obscured by various things that aren’t trees. Only mind the shadows of branches to complete them. This is the Shady Trees laser, not the Shady wooden beams laser.

After the puzzle above, follow the activated green pathway and you’ll reach a fork. Head right, and you’ll begin the on-shadow puzzles

Shady Trees Laser Trophy Puzzles Part 2

For this portion of panels, you’ll want to follow the shady trees, taking the path of the shadow to the end.

After this last one above, you’ll hear a mechanical noise. If you were to head back over to the orangey gates, you’ll see the left side has opened. Though you’re inside, you’ll need the other side of the gate open to complete the puzzle. To this effect, head back to the fork in the road and follow it to the right. There you’ll find the off-shade puzzles.

Shady Trees Laser Puzzles Part 3

For this half, you’re once again avoiding the tree shade. Most of the puzzles are blocked in some way, and you’ll have to learn the paths by observing the light patterns on other objects. Below, you can see half of the puzzle’s light is on this orange… something.

This next puzzle is also covered by orange somethings. You can see the maze patterns on the coverings before you zoom in to complete the puzzle.

This one below has half its maze on the orange cover to the right.

This next one actually has a panel that’s leaning more rightwards than usual. Observe the pattern on the orange board to the left, then complete the puzzle shifted two blocks to the right.

Half of the light for the puzzle below is on this tree. Memorize it, and then head downwards to complete the maze.

This puzzle is a mess. The light pattern can be found sprawling across this rock.

None of the appropriate light made it onto this panel below.

The last puzzle is also spread across wooden beams.

Complete the last puzzle above to open the gate fully. Head back over to the orange woods and you’ll see this puzzle. Each half of the puzzle follows the rules of the puzzles used to unlock it. On the right side of the board, you’ll need to avoid shade, and when crossing over to the left side of the board, you’ll have to follow shade.