Cheesing the Challenge

This guide will show you how to cheese the whole memorization part of the challenge using nothing but Steam.

The Outline

One of the most difficult parts of the challenge is remembering your way through the invisible maze, which changes every time you run the challenge. It gets increasingly hard to remember the path and locations of two puzzles, especially if you retry challenge for prolonged periods of time.

This guide will show you how to cheese the whole memorization part of the challenge using nothing but Steam.

Rundown: We use steam screenshots to remember state of the maze puzzle. One screenshot before you solve puzzle (shows triangle puzzle locations in maze), one after you do (shows path through maze).

Preparation

It is preferable that you have more than one monitor, however that's not a hard requirement.

Launch game, but don't start the challenge run yet.
Alt-Tab out and Right Click on Steam icon in the tray. Select Screenshots in the menu.
This will open game screenshot browser, with The Witness already selected.
Click the 'Show on Disk' button. Note: in-game screenshot browser that you can open in Steam Overlay does not have that button!
This will open the folder with screenshots.
Place it so that you can see it on your second monitor. If you don't have a second monitor, just maximize the folder, you'll be able to Alt-Tab out of the game.
Now right click in the folder and put it in the thumbnail mode with largest possible thumbnails and make sure you can make out what is going on on the screenshots.

Here's the tricky part: you'll see your screenshots divided into rows. Make sure you have enough place for two screenshots on the bottom row, as if you don't then they're going to go offscreen when you make them!

Back to the game, don't forget to set up your screenshot key. Forget any key combinations, use single key that's easily accessible yet out of the way. I personally use F12.

Make sure your screenshot key works as intended and you have free space in bottom row.

Execution

Proceed with challenge as normal until the maze puzzle (right after first three puzzles).

Approach the puzzle so it takes majority of your screen. I prefer standing at the corner so it's easier to distinguish directions in maze, but it also makes the puzzle smaller on screenshot.
Take a screenshot. Screenshot with dots should appear in the folder.
Without moving your camera, complete the puzzle and take another screenshot. This will be your path through maze.

Continue with the puzzles as normal.

Use both screenshots to navigate through the maze and search for triangle puzzles.

If you only have one monitor you can Alt-Tab out of the game window with no consequences, as long as you don't touch that Esc button, but be aware: not only the clock is ticking in background, but the music will stop until you Alt-Tab back in, so the music no longer indicates proper time left. You'll run out of time faster than you'll run out of music. Keep it in mind.

If you fail, Alt-Tab out and delete these two screenshots you made.

Afterword

While the idea is trivial, it helps a lot.
Using this approach I was able to complete the challenge on my fourth run, no joke.

You still have to get lucky with puzzle layouts, though, but it's much easier when you don't have to memorize new maze every 10 minutes.

I hope this guide helps, and good luck with the challenge!

[chococake2024]

yes my memory was not that good >_< and i was rushing but i found my way thru on try 2 and won :DD

[Berahlen]

It's really easier to just reset the challenge until you get a simple maze. Usually only takes a couple resets to see a simple zigzag, and then you just remember the intervals of that zigzag.

[FriedYeast]

to be entirely honest, I find it much easier to just memorize the maze than trying to do extra stuff to work around it. maybe that's just because I have done the challenge hundreds of times though

[Regolith]

the best way to cheese the maze is by not playing this dogshit game. there's no reason to because there's only 2 achievements lmao

[RadauKakao]

Oh wow. Why didn't I think of that it's so obvious. I KNEW there must be an easier way to navigate the maze. I wasted like 3-4 min on my runs searching for those panels...

Thanks mate this makes it hilariously more easy

[Little Bobby Tables]

I've just taken pen and paper lol

[Nilex]

Since my first playthrough 3 years ago I had forgotten the puzzle and following maze were connected. Luckily not too forgetful to rely on extra monitor or A+T technique hehe. Btw maze puzzles are in same exact places yellow dots in the preceding puzzle are so there is no need to search for them.
Before your guide I miserably failed maze 5 times, only managing to solve 1 puzzle twice by semi-randomly stumbling around. After reading this it only took 3 more tries, including fucky dot-pillar right after, to complete the whole thing. So thanks for making this! And for the record I hate speedrunning challenges of any and all kinds. Wish there was a way to speedrun that eclipse movie the challenge unlocked, which I am waiting to pass now... geez

[Adam Gaffney]

To add to my previous comment, some people just have bad memories. The challenge isn't "can you remember a line" it's "can you figure out and solve the puzzles provided". You shouldn't be considered a bad player just because you have memory trouble. This is a fair tactic.

[Adam Gaffney]

I managed the maze by memory, but I don't really feel like taking screenshots is cheating. It's a game, where the goal is to solve the puzzles however you can. You still solve the puzzle you just use all the tools at your disposal. It's different to something like just following a guide and claiming you did the whole thing yourself. Plenty of puzzles benefit from note-taking, screenshots are just a form of note-taking.

[Ssp40]

Thanks, zip! That worked a treat.