Batman: Arkham Knight Riddler Missions Guide – How to Beat Intro to Physics

Early on in Batman: Arkham Knight, the Riddler will reveal himself to be in the middle of a dastardly endeavor (as he does in every Batman Arkham game). This time, the Riddler has taken Catwoman hostage and he would like for Batman to come play a game in order to free her. Upon arrival, it is discovered that she has been fitted with an explosive collar, one that will need to be unlocked by finding a series of keys to count down her 9 lives (Riddler is so clever). Of course, in order to obtain these keys you will have to complete a serious of difficult challenges, both with Catwoman, and alone.

One such challenge is the Intro to Physics room at Pinkney Orphanage. It is the second of the Riddler’s “test rooms” where you will be asked to both think and act as a team alongside Catwoman. While you won’t need any special gadgets in order to complete this challenging puzzle, you will need coordination and timing to make sure that both playable characters are exactly where they need to be at all times.

When you enter the room, you will notice that it’s split into two levels. The lower level has the box which houses the key needed to bring Catwoman closer to freedom, and a floor switch. The upper level has a question mark switch, three floor switches, and a series of tubes with moving parts. The Riddler tasks Batman with nothing more than moving a jolt of electricity from one point to another. It may sound easy, but unless your timing is on point, this can prove to be pretty frustrating.

What you need to do is stand on the the floor switches and swap between them in a specific order with specific characters. They are weight sensitive, so it’s important to make sure you’re controlling the right character when you need to in order to avoid restarts. The three floor switches each move the green tube through which the electricity can travel. You just have to make sure the tube is at the right height for each pass. In order to guide you through this, we’ll list where you should stand for each part of the electricity’s journey. For clarity, we will refer to the switches as first, second, and third, in order from left to right.

1. Have Batman stand on the first switch and Catwoman on the second switch. Now trigger the question mark switch using your Batarang. Once the electricity completely passes through the first green tube, rush Batman to the third switch and wait. After it passes through the second tube, move Catwoman to the third switch as well.
2. Make sure you have control of Batman. Once the electricity completely passes through the green tube, move Batman to the second plate. When he’s in place quickly switch over to Catwoman and move her over to the first plate. Now regain control over Batman and prepare for the last move.
3. When the electricity passes back through the second green tube you’re going to have to have to quickly rush Batman to the first switch so he can stand with Catwoman. It travels the shortest distance at this point so any hesitation will lead to a restart, and nobody wants that.
4. If you followed the first three steps, then the electricity will have reached its destination allowing you to head back to the lower level.

Some Riddler Bots will appear, but these are a bit different than the ones you may have encountered before. They are color-coded (red for Catwoman, blue for Batman), and hitting the wrong one with the wrong fighter will lead to serious harm. Make sure to switch between the two fighters when needed and use those dual takedowns since they ignore the color coding.

Afterwards, go and collect your key, you’ve earned it. This was one of the trickier puzzles in the game, so you should feel proud of yourself. You have earned even more of the Riddler’s ire, but who cares? He’s a jerk who kidnaps your friends and builds deathtraps. So there you have it, another Riddler challenge complete.

Be sure to check out our Batman: Arkham Knight wiki for guides, tips, tricks, and more.