How to solve the Sacred Archives puzzle in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

You’ll find a puzzle in the Sacred Archives in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. You’ll find four doors in room — one in each quadrant — behind which you’ll find a series of progressively challenging time- and mind-warping puzzles.

Our Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown guide will walk you through all four solutions to the Sacred Archives puzzle so you can claim the power in the final chamber.

Sacred Archives location in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Image: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft via Polygon

After you receive the Shadow of Simurgh time power, a new path will be open for you to explore through the Sacred Archives. Eventually, this path will lead you to the puzzle.

Image: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft via Polygon

The room with the puzzles has five doors. The central blue door is blocked by glowing blue blocks. The other four orange doors are around it. When you first enter, only the bottom left door will be active.

Sacred Archives bottom left door puzzle solution

The first door you can enter is on the bottom left. It’s the simplest, and a gentle introduction to the concept of these puzzles.

Image: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft via Polygon

Stand on the trigger in front of the relief of three people to start your cycle of three shadow clones. Each one is timed, so you’ll have to be intentional with your movements — and you can always return to the switch and hit down on the left thumbstick to reset the puzzle if you screw up.

Jump onto one of the walls and then use Rush of the Simurgh to dash to the opposite wall. You’ll grab the switch and hold it down. Just wait out the timer without moving.

Image: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft via Polygon

On the next shadow clone, mirror your actions. Start on the other wall and dash to the opposite side to trigger the other switch. Stay there until the timer runs out. With both switches down, the gate will open.

Image: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft via Polygon

On the final shadow clone, wait for your past selves to trigger the switches and then run to the left to grab the first tablet.

Once you have it, two more doors will activate — the top left and the bottom right.

Sacred Archives bottom right door puzzle solution

The puzzle on the bottom right is a lot more demanding than the first one.

Image: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft via Polygon

For the first shadow, head right. Pass the floor switch and jump to the switch on the wall to the right. Hold it down for a few seconds, and then hop back to the left to stand on the floor switch. You want to land on the floor switch with about four seconds remaining.

Holding down the wall switch gives you a wall to jump off with your next two shadow clones, and the floor switch moves the platforms above so you can climb out. Wait out the timer while on the floor switch.

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Image: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft via Polygon

On your second shadow clone, wait for the first clone to pull down the wall switch, and then jump off of the wall, onto the lower platform, and then onto the wall switch to the left. Holding that down will slide out another wall to jump off of. Wait out the timer.

Image: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft via Polygon

On the final shadow clone, you will have to time your jumps to meet the walls the previous two shadow clones control.

Hop off the wall to the right and then wait on the horizontal platform. When the second shadow clone pulls down the switch, jump off the newly revealed vertical wall. If you’ve timed it right, your first shadow clone should be jumping on the floor switch at that point. That’ll give you a new horizontal platform to land on near the ceiling. Use it to reach the second tablet.

Sacred Archives top left door puzzle solution

For the top left door, you’ll have to use your Shadow of the Simurgh ability while being a Shadow from the puzzle. It’s a bit mind-bending.

Image: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft via Polygon

Trigger the puzzle, and then rush through the rooms — climb up and to the right, switch directions to continue up and to the left, and then drop into the U-shaped stretch on the left wall. You should make it about halfway up the wall before time runs out. Right before the clock hits zero, trigger the Shadow of the Simurgh ability with the left shoulder button (L1/LB).

Image: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft via Polygon

As soon as the second shadow clone starts, hit the Shadow of the Simurgh ability again. This will warp you to the end of the first run. Finish climbing up, and then cross to the right. There’s a floor switch near the ceiling on the right side of the room. Wait out the timer on the switch.

Image: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft via Polygon

For the final run, climb up to the main room and wait on the wooden platform. When your second shadow clone lands on the switch, jump up to grab the tablet on the right.

Sacred Archives top right door puzzle solution

The final puzzle requires some careful timing and use of the Shadow of the Simurgh ability. It’s going to take you a few tries to get both the positioning and the timing right.

Before you start, head right and drop down to the floor below so you can get a look at where the puzzle is actually happening. There’s a switch in the middle of the floor that both triggers a wide horizontal platform and opens a gate. The problem is that the gate blocks your path to the tablet. You’re going to have to place a Shadow of the Simurgh to the right of the gate and (mostly) above the horizontal platform.

Image: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft via Polygon

On the first shadow clone, run right and then slide down the left wall of the chute. At the very bottom of the wall, jump off and then dash to the right. Just past where you saw the gate open, drop your Shadow of the Simurgh. As soon as you land, stand on the switch and wait out the timer. Try to take note of the time left when you hit the switch.

Image: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft via Polygon

For the second shadow clone, you need to wait at the top to give the first shadow clone time to get to the switch. When you have about 8 seconds left, drop down and dash over to land on the platform. Climb up through the gate and hit the switch at the top.

Image: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft via Polygon

On the final run, you have to wait again, but this time you’re warping to your previous Shadow of the Simurgh, so you can wait anywhere. Once you see or hear the platform trigger, hit L1/LB to warp back to the Shadow of the Simurgh you dropped on the first run. Wait there until your second shadow hits the switch at the top and then use the new vertical wall to climb up. The tablet is in the top right corner of the room.

Sacred Archives puzzle reward

Image: Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft via Polygon

Solving the fourth puzzle will open the path to the fifth door in the center of the room — this one is blue. Head inside and follow the path to the right to find another feather. This one gives you the Clairvoyance ability. With it, you can switch between two different dimensions, which allows you to get past those glowing blue obstacles (and the Jailer).

For more Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown guides, see our list of amulet locations and fast travel locations.