The Talos Principle Beginner Guide: Jammer Basics and Four A-1 Puzzles
Edition: A-1 in the original 2014 PC game (Steam app 257510). Layouts and features from Reawakened, The Talos Principle 2 and Road to Gehenna are outside this guide's scope. Sources checked: October 14, 2026. The instructions have not been retested through in-game play.
Distinguish objects disabled only while a Jammer remains in place from those disabled by a switch. Before picking up a Jammer, check which enemies will reactivate and which gates will close. Open the four puzzles below only when you want to see their solutions.
Check picking up, placing and resetting
| Action | Default input example for the original PC game | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Use / pick up | Left click | Pick up a device or place it facing a target. Use your configured controls if you have changed them. |
| Move / jump | WASD・Space | Avoid enemy paths and find a position where you can aim through a window. |
| Reset the puzzle to its initial state | Hold X | When trapped. Do not look for Reawakened's rewind feature among the original game's controls. |
Check the target before picking up a device
| Target / state | What happens | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| A turret, mine or energy gate disabled by a Jammer | Picking up the Jammer ends the disabling effect. | Do not retrieve it in front of an enemy or within its proximity range. |
| A switch connected to a turret or another device | Switching it off sometimes lets you use the Jammer elsewhere. | Confirm the target is disabled before retrieving the Jammer. |
| Purple puzzle gate | You can pass through, but cannot carry a Jammer or other tools through it. | Look for a view of the target through a window or gate. Do not try to force a tool into another room. |
Show A-1 walkthrough 1 (puzzle name and solution)
A-1：A Switch Out of Reach
- Find the Jammer on the left without entering the turret's line of fire. First place it facing the turret to make the route safe.
- Follow the newly safe route and turn off the turret's switch on the left. Confirm that the turret has stopped.
- Return to the original Jammer and retrieve it. Picking it up before turning off the switch will reactivate the turret, so keep this order.
- Head right and use the Jammer to disable the mine this time. Keep your distance from the mine and collect the Sigil along its now-safe route.
Show A-1 walkthrough 2 (puzzle name and solution)
A-1：Outnumbered
- Take the Jammer on the left and place it facing the energy gate. Open the gate first.
- Wait for the moving mine to pass through the gate. Do not approach the mine to try to hurry it through.
- Once it has passed through, pick up the Jammer to close the gate and trap the mine on the far side. Immediately retarget that Jammer at the turret.
- Confirm that the turret is disabled and the mine cannot return to your path, then proceed to the Sigil. Disabling only the turret first leaves the mine problem unresolved.
Show A-1 walkthrough 3 (puzzle name and solution)
A-1：Only the Two of Us
To make the following steps easier to follow, the first Jammer you take is called A and the next one B. These are labels used in this guide, not in-game names.
- Take A on the left-hand path, disable the first energy gate and go inside. Pick up B inside.
- Place B facing the same gate from inside. While B holds it open, retrieve A from outside and bring it in.
- Retrieve B after you have brought A inside. Do not pick up both before crossing the gate and close off your route.
- Move both Jammers beyond the next gate in the same order: open it with one, carry the other through, reopen it from that side, then retrieve the remaining Jammer.
- Finally, leave one Jammer facing the turret to keep it disabled, then collect the Sigil. Do not retrieve that Jammer while standing in front of the disabled turret.
- After collecting it, retrace your route. If you cannot return, check which side of each gate you are holding open, then repeat the same handoff in reverse.
Show A-1 walkthrough 4 (puzzle name and solution)
A-1：Peephole
- Aim the first Jammer through the narrow window to disable the energy gate on the other side. Do not try to carry the device through the purple gate.
- Pass through the purple gate yourself, take the other Jammer in the room and carry it outside. Leave the first Jammer where it is for now.
- Return to the first Jammer and retarget it at the mine moving along the passage. This secures a route for carrying the other Jammer.
- Aim the Jammer you carried outside at the second mine. Proceed to the Sigil while both mines are disabled.
Troubleshoot a blocked route
| Problem | What to check | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| You are shot when you pick up a device. | The target that device was disabling | Disable it with a switch or have another device take over before picking this one up. |
| The Jammer is stuck at a gate. | Whether it is an energy gate or a purple puzzle gate | Do not carry it through a purple gate. Check whether you can aim through a window or use another device inside the room. |
| A mine returns to your path. | The mine's position when you closed the gate | Wait for it to pass through first and decide which side to trap it on. |
| The starting layout does not match this guide. | The game title, edition and area label | Check that you are in the original game's A-1. Do not force these steps onto another edition's layout. |
Frequently asked questions
Is it a bug if a device reactivates when I retrieve a Jammer?
A Jammer disables its target only while it remains in place. Before retrieving it, check whether a switch or another Jammer can take over.
Do these four puzzles cover all of A-1?
This guide does not cover every puzzle, star or detour in A-1. It covers four puzzles that teach which targets Jammers disable and how to hand off between several Jammers.