Shadow of the Tomb Raider: How to Solve the White Queen Puzzle (Young Lara)

How to Solve the Mystery of the White Queen Puzzle in Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Shadow of the Tomb Raider continues the storyline established in the previous two games, which rounds out the rebooted franchise as a trilogy. The story rather brilliantly depicts Lara Croft’s coming of age as an adventurer, explorer, and of course, Tomb Raider. In the first game, we got to see Lara’s first ever experience fighting for survival after a research-mission-gone-wrong forced her to grit her teeth together and kick some serious ass. Rise introduced the Order of the Trinity properly, and now Lara’s up against them again in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. We’re really seeing her evolve into a hardened adventurer in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, but that doesn’t mean we don’t see a glimpse of her childhood to remind us of where she’s come from. In fact, one of the game’s first puzzles, the Mystery of the White Queen, is played from the perspective of young Lara. It tasks you with solving the mystery of the White Queen, and it’s quite challenging. Here’s how to solve the White Queen puzzle in Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

First, as you work your way toward your goal from the garden, up and over the roof, and then into the showroom full of trinkets (where the moveable pieces and globe are), make sure you pick up letters and clues about the white queen along the way. What you’ll want to do is open your artifacts inventory and look at the Enigmatic Clues. You’ll notice the coordinates, 90E 30N, and these are what you’ll need to wind the globe to match: 90 degrees East and 30 degrees North.

After you’ve done that, a ladder will appear. Go up to a mezzanine that has now been unlocked by the dropping ladder, walk around exploring the clues until you come around to the wheel on the far side, interact with it and unfurl the bat’s wings. You’ll see a red light that has now been reflected downward, you’ll want to then arrange the knight’s shields to reflect that light.

Basically, one knight on either side facing the painting. Voila, the white queen appears! But she’s trapped behind a cage. To free the white queen, go back to the globe and change to the coordinates so that ladder draws upward and you can interact with her. From there simply drag the white queen backward between the two shield-bearing knights and the door will open. That’s it, you’ve solved one of the many puzzles in Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

That’s how to solve the Mystery of the White Queen puzzle in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. For more guides on Shadow of the Tomb Raider, check out our wiki page.