Mass Effect: Andromeda
55 Achievements
1,000
Missable
Single Player
Offline
Cryptographer
Complete 20 Remnant puzzles in a single playthrough.
10
1.09%
How to unlock the Cryptographer achievement in Mass Effect: Andromeda - Definitive Guide
This is the count:
Total: 22 Missable: 6
There is one MISSABLE puzzle in the main vault of each planet except for H-047C (which has no vault).
Even though the acheivement itself does not progress, you can check this in-game. Go to Menu - Skills - Press - Select Accomplishments - Scroll to the bottom. (credit: elKamikazeSquid)
Some players have reported that certain puzzles haven't been counting for them. I would advise saving before completing each puzzle and then checking the in-game tracker afterwords to make sure it counted. If not, reload and try it again. Also, there's debate about whether using Remnant Keys will count or not so I would also advise not using them.
PowerPyx has put together a great guide for locations/solutions of Remnant Puzzles. All credit is his.
http://www.powerpyx.com/mass-effect-andromeda-glyph-puzzle-s...
Below I'll list a very general description of the planet/quest location to use for keeping track of which you've solved:
Eos
1- Story related, can't miss it.
2- In vault, MISSABLE!
3- Additional Task: Data Trail (or Free Roam)
4- Additional Task: The Ghost of Promise (or Free Roam)
Voeld
1- Ally Quest: Peebee's Secret Project
2- Heleus Quest: Restoring a World (1st monolith)
3- 2nd monolith
4- 3rd monolith
5- In vault, MISSABLE!
6- Additional Task: Subjugation (or Free Roam)
Havarl
1- Story related, can't miss it. (Helping Havarl's Scientists)
2- In vault, MISSABLE!
3- Free roam. (Only available after Havarl vault is completed)
Kadara
1- A vault monolith
2- In vault, MISSABLE!
Elaaden
1- Northernmost monolith
2- In vault, MISSABLE!
3- Heleus Quest: Investigate the Remnant Derelict
4- Additional Task: Cache Flow (or Free Roam)
5- Free roam
H-047C
1- Heleus Quest: The Remnant Tiller
Khi Tasira
1- Priority Ops: The Journey to Meridian, MISSABLE!
Remnant puzzles are basically the game's version of Sudoku. You need to create blocks of glyphs but can only use one character in each grid's row and column. There are only 22 of these in the game, and 6 of them are missable (marked in red text below). The list below has all their locations and the respective quests they will be found in (as well as which can be done outside of quests, aka Free Roam). You can find a text and picture guide for all of them here (with solutions), or if you prefer a video walkthrough you can use the one found here.
Eos (4)
- Quest: A Better Beginning (to open vault)
- Quest: A Better Beginning (inside vault)
- Quest: Data Trail (or in Free Roam)
- Quest: The Ghost of Promise (or in Free Roam)
Voeld (6)
- Quest: Peebee: Secret Project
- Quest: Restoring a World (takes three to open vault)
- Quest: Restoring a World (inside vault)
- Quest: Subjugation (or in Free Roam)
Havarl (3)
- Quest: Helping Havarl's Scientists
- Quest: A Dying Planet (inside vault)
- [Free Roam]
Kadara (2)
- Quest: Healing Kadara's Heart (to open vault)
- Quest: Healing Kadara's Heart (inside vault)
Elaaden (5)
- Quest: Taming a Desert (to open vault)
- Quest: Taming a Desert (inside vault)
- Quest: Investigate the Remnant Derelict
- Quest: Cache Flow (or in Free Roam)
- [Free Roam]
H-047C (1)
- Quest: The Remnant Tiller
Khi Tasira (1)
- Quest: The Journey to Meridian (inside vault)
NOTE: This achievement is not tracked by the console's Achievements app, but you can find it in your Statistics. Pause the game, tab over to Skills and then hit , then scroll down to "Accomplishments" to see it.
NOTE 2: It doesn't matter how you solve these, be it manually or with a bypass key, so long as you get the "Success!" screen, you'll get credit toward the achievement.
In order to unlock this trophy, you'll need to solve 20 different remnant puzzles located throughout main missions, side missions, and free roam.
This is a missable trophy as many of them are locked to side quests, and some are located in tricky locations. Also some areas can only be accessed once, so if you miss your chance to finish a remnant puzzle, you're going to have to do an additional playthrough, so make sure to keep track of which puzzles are missable. The puzzles in Remnant Vaults you access after activating Monolith towers in all the planets are all missable, because the vault gets closed and you won't be able to go back inside.
Most of these puzzles are located in Monolith remnant consoles, and chest/consoles in vaults. These puzzles are similar to Sudoku puzzles, and you'll need to scan 2-4 glyphs in order to the puzzle at times. You'll have to scan these glyphs in order to be used for the puzzles.
If you don't want to do the puzzles, you can purchase Remnant Decryption Keys to bypass the puzzles. They are however quite expensive.
Cryptographer Video Guide (All 20 Remnant Puzzle Locations and Solutions):
Timeline:
Planet: EOS
1. Main Mission: A Better Beginning - Monolith (Remnant Console) - 0:01
2. Main Mission - A Better Beginning - Inside Remnant Vault (Chest) (MISSABLE) - 1:00
3. Free Roam or in Task: The Ghost of Promise - Inside Remnant Vault (Chest) - 2:03
4. Free Roam or in Task: Data Trail - Inside Remnant Vault (Chest) - 2:51
Planet: Havarl
5. Main Mission: Helping Havarl's Scientists - Monolith (Remnant Console) - 4:21
6. Heleus Assignment (Havarl): A Dying Planet - Inside Remnant Vault (Remnant Console) (MISSABLE) - 5:03
7. Free Roam - Remnant Console - 5:48
Planet: Voeld
8. Heleus Assignment (Voeld): Restoring a World - Monolith #1 (Remnant Console) - 7:19
9. Heleus Assignment (Voeld): Restoring a World - Monolith #2 (Remnant Console) - 8:29
10. Heleus Assignment (Voeld): Restoring a World - Monolith #3 (Remnant Console) - 9:34
11. Heleus Assignment (Voeld): Restoring a World - Inside Remnant Vault (Remnant Console) (MISSABLE) - 10:53
12. Relationship Mission: Peebee: Secret Project - Remnant Console - 11:29
Asteroid: H-047c
13. Heleus Assignment (H-047c): The Remnant Tiller - Inside Remnant Vault (Remnant Console) - 12:03
Planet: Kadara
14. Heleus Assignment (Kadara): Healing Kadara's Heart - Monolith (Remnant Console) - 12:46
15. Heleus Assignment (Kadara): Healing Kadara's Heart - Inside Remnant Vault (Remnant Console) (MISSABLE) - 13:32
Planet: Elaaden
16. Heleus Assignment (Elaaden): Taming a Desert - Monolith (Remnant Console) - 14:22
17. Heleus Assignment (Elaaden): Taming a Desert - Inside Remnant Vault (Remnant Console) (MISSABLE) - 15:27
18. Heleus Assignment (Elaaden): Investigate the Remnant Derelict - Door (Remnant Console) - 16:23
19. Free Roam or Task: Cache Flow - Inside Remnant Vault (Chest) - 17:08
Main Mission Location - Khi Tasira
20. Main Mission: The Journey to Meridian - Door (Remnant Puzzle) (MISSABLE) - 18:21
UPDATE: There are a total of 22 known Remnant Puzzles that have been found so far. The video above only features 20, so you can check PowerPyx's written guide for all 22 Remnant Puzzle locations and solutions.
The two extra locations are:
21. Free Roam or Task: Subjugation - On Planet Voeld ?(3rd entry for Planet Voeld in PowerPyx's written guide)???
?22. ???Free Roam - On Planet Elaaden ?(4th entry for Planet Elaaden in PowerPyx's written guide)???
Thanks to SorryWeAre0_o for informing me about this!
If you prefer a written guide, you can check out The Mass Effect Andromeda Glyph Puzzle Locations and Solutions, created by PowerPyx.
Thanks to PowerPyx for allowing the inclusion of his guide on this trophy guide.
Text guide .
On the first 5 planets there is 1 skippable one, in the storage facilities themselves
Eos - 4 codes
[by mission] "A better beginning" : https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=11s
[missable] "Vault": https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=1m16s
[free] "Blackrock tande": https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=3m40s
[free] "The golden wastes": https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=5m38s
Hawal - 3 codes
[by mission] "Helping havar's scientists" : https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=7m1s
[missable] "Vault": https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=7m39s
[free ] "Planet surface" : https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=9m5s
Voeld - 6 codes
[by mission] "Peebee: secretproject" : https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=10m51s
[free ] "Restoring world" : https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=11m17s
[free ] "Restoring world" : https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=12m11s
[free ] "Restoring world" : https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=13m15s
[missable] "Vault": https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=14m44s
[free] "Surface": https://youtu.be/xFrCo-WF_6E?t=17m36s
Kadara - 2 codes
[free ] "Healing kadara's heart" : https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=15m11s
[missable] "Vault": https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=15m56s
Asteroid H047 - 1 code
[by mission] "" : https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=16m38s
Elaaden - 5 codes
[free ] "Taming desert" : https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=17m16s
[missable] "Vault": https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=18m
[by mission] "Investigate the remanant derectly" : https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=18m38s
[free] "Sea of Ataraxia": https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=19m53s
[free] "Sands of Eden": https://youtu.be/xFrCo-WF_6E?t=18m8s
Khi Tasirah - 1 code
[missable] "Journey to Meredian": https://youtu.be/Xe5hIh-B7fg?t=20m55s
And at the moment I know of 22 puzzles in total.
Two fast containers are missing in PowerPyx's video
1)
2)
Options - Skills - press the triangle to open View statistics - select Successes, and go to the very bottom Hacked Relic remotes, this is the line we need