How to solve Otto's lock puzzle in The Outer Worlds 2

(Image credit: Obsidian)

Solving Otto's lock puzzle in Free Market Station is one of the first real brain ticklers you'll find in The Outer Worlds 2. After playing around with the switches and reading the note beside them, you'll likely conclude that it's basically impossible—you're lacking in vital information as to what the switches actually do.

All you know is that there's mysterious unclaimed loot behind the door you want to pilfer. The reason the Free Market Station lock puzzle is seemingly impossible is because that's actually kind of true. You need a special gadget in order to be able to interact with the puzzle properly at all: the N-Ray.

Below, I've included info about where to find said N-Ray, but also I've added a video of me solving the puzzle without it—if you follow my switch-flipping order, it should open the door for you either way.

Free Market Station lock puzzle solution in The Outer Worlds 2

Now, the proper way you're supposed to solve this puzzle is to acquire the N-Ray gadget at the N-Ray Range in northwest Golden Ridge. You head here as part of the main story quest, but this device essentially lets you see wires through walls, which is necessary for solving this puzzle.

The puzzle itself is almost identical to the brain puzzle in Baldur's Gate 3, though less complex since it's two-dimensional. One at a time, you have to create three non-intersecting paths for the power lines on the right, to the door on the left, which you do by flipping the switches. It's impossible to do this puzzle yourself without the N-Ray, but if you watch the video above, I memorized the switch order so I could show it to you regardless.

Outer Worlds 2 Otto's lock puzzle solution — The solution with the N-Ray vision gadget enabled, showing each of the three purple lines you have to build from right to left (Image credit: Obsidian)

Just in case you can't see the video or the image:

Flip the switch on the top right, the switch to the left of it, and then, one after another, the two switches diagonally down and to the left of that one.
Flip the switch on the middle right, the switch to the left of it, and then the switch diagonally up and to the left of that one.
Flip the switch on the bottom right, the two switches, one after another, to the left of it, and then the switch diagonally up and to the left.

Even without the gadget, if you pull the switches in the same order as above (shown in the video), the door should open. I can't guarantee that the puzzle isn't different for each player, but you'll know soon enough. If it is, come back when you have the N-Ray gadget. Below I've shared a screen of the layout to show how to create each path, starting from the top—there are at least two solutions, so it's not too tricky. If you're not one for step-by-step instructions, simply recreate my paths shown in the image.

As a reward, you'll get an Advanced Decryption Key, 440 bits, a Triple Barrel Shotgun, as well as a text log which will make you feel nice and guilty about your thievery.

Sean's first PC games were Full Throttle and Total Annihilation and his taste has stayed much the same since. When not scouring games for secrets or bashing his head against puzzles, you'll find him revisiting old Total War campaigns, agonizing over his Destiny 2 fit, or still trying to finish the Horus Heresy. Sean has also written for EDGE, Eurogamer, PCGamesN, Wireframe, EGMNOW, and Inverse.

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