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==Tier 1E: The "calcium carbonate" puzzle ==
{{Infobox EE Hunt Stage
|image = THE FINALS Wallpaper CB Up We Go 2880x1620.jpg
|name = Tier 1E
|start = March 2, 2023
|end = July 1, 2023
|solutions = cacoiii
|previous = [[Level 2: Tier 1D|Tier 1D]]
|next = [[Level 2: Tier 1F|Tier 1F]]
}}
'''Tier 1E''' was the fifth tier of [[Level 2 - The Promise|Level 2]] of [[THE FINALS Easter Egg Hunt]]. It started on March 2, 2023 and ended on July 1, 2023.
==History==
On March 2, 2023, hunter fishxw found that Embark Studios CCO Rob Runesson had updated the [[TFEE_T1D|Tier 1D]] page with the image “THE_FINALS_OSPUZE_AD_bonus_candy_02.” On March 3, a higher re'''s'''olution version of the image was uploaded to the #official-art Discord channel with the name “THE_FINALS_OSPUZE_AD_bonus_candy_02_higres_per_EE-hunters-request” and the hidden metadata message “Hi EE-hunters.! There is nothing hidden in this image (just the start date of the next tier) , you are on vacation.! From Embark with love.!”


===Tier Overview===
Along with the i'''m'''age was a timer, counting down to the start of Tier 1E.
On March 2nd, fishxw found that Rob updated the Tier 1D page with the image “THE_FINALS_OSPUZE_AD_bonus_candy_02.” On March 3rd a higher re'''s'''olution of the image was uploaded to the official-art channel with the name “THE_FINALS_OSPUZE_AD_bonus_candy_02_higres_per_EE-hunters-request” and the hidden metadata message “Hi EE-hunters.! There is nothing hidden in this image (just the start date of the next tier) , you are on vacation.! From Embark with love.!”


Along with the i'''m'''age was a timer, counting down until the end of the hunter's vacation and the start of T1E.
After a 21 day break, hunters were e'''a'''ger to start the tier. On March 23, Rob responded to the sentiment with "I thought you might say that…therefore I actually DID hide a couple of things in some of the assets I uploaded during your vacation… …so if you are bored and can’t really wait until Monday… there is one diamond and a primary clue out there, waiting to be found…"


After 21 days of rest, the hunters were e'''a'''ger to start T1E. On March 23rd, Rob said, "I thought you might say that…therefore I actually DID hide a couple of things in some of the assets I uploaded during your vacation…so if you are bored and can’t really wait until Monday… there is one diamond and a primary clue out there, waiting to be found…" After learning that there were, in fact, clues hidden in the image, the hunters started searching. All that has been found in this image is the countdown to the end of the EE-vacation.
On March 27, Rob took down the countdown on the Tier 1D page and po'''s'''ted the image "THE_FINALS_Wallpaper_CB_Up_We_Go_2880x1620” with the metadata message “Hi there EE-Hunters.! Good luck have fun... from embark with love.!” The image contained:


On March 27th, Rob took down the countdown on the T1D page and po'''s'''ted an official artwork called "THE_FINALS_Wallpaper_CB_Up_We_Go_2880x1620” with the hidden metadata message “Hi there EE-Hunters.! Good luck have fun... from embark with love.!”
# A standalone pixel with the hex value #206888. Converting this to chemical elements using their atomic number give '''Ca, C, O, O, O''' or '''CaCO3'''.
 
# Coordinates for [[wikipedia:Torslanda|Torslanda]], a town in Sweden.
# A single pixel in the top left corner stood out, and had a hexcode of #206888. Converting this to chemical elements using their atomic number give '''Ca, C, O, O, O or CaCO3'''.
# Coordinates for the [[wikipedia:River_Moriston|River Moriston]] in Scotland.
# The text on the sign in the background was coordinates for [[wikipedia:Torslanda|Torslanda]], a town in Sweden.
# An [[wikipedia:MD5|MD5 hash]] that decoded to the number "206888" again.
# More hidden numbers revealed coordinates for the [[wikipedia:River_Moriston|River Moriston]] in Scotland.
# A cross cipher that is still unsolved.
# An [[wikipedia:MD5|MD5 hash]] hidden at the bottom of the image was decoded to the number "206888" again.
# A snowflake.
# A cross cipher was discovered in the footer. This is still unsolved (as of 11/29/23).
# The character's weapon charm was confirmed to be a T-Rex.
# The character's weapon charm was confirmed to be a T-Rex.
# A snowflake was hidden in the left side of the image.


On March 31st, Rob posted the image "THE_FINALS_Kynezantama," a Byzantine-themed Nama Tama requested by [[User:Kyne|Kyne]]. It '''h'''as the metadata message "Hi there dear EE-hunters.! This is a very special Namatama, this one is dedicated to the winner who solved the EE-puzzle in the THE FINALS Brand Guide. From Embark with love.!"
On March 31, Rob posted the image "THE_FINALS_Kynezantama," a Byzantine-themed Nama Tama requested by [[User:Kyne|Kyne]]. It '''h'''ad the metadata message "Hi there dear EE-hunters.! This is a very special Namatama, this one is dedicated to the winner who solved the EE-puzzle in the THE FINALS Brand Guide. From Embark with love.!" The image contained:


# Nama Tama wore a crown with '''[[wikipedia:Pearl|pearls]]''' and jewels on it
# Nama Tama wore a crown with '''[[wikipedia:Pearl|pearls]]''' and jewels on it
# Another hidden snowflake was found in the image.
# Another snowflake.
# The letters T, U, R, A, H, and R were found in the jewel of the crown.
# The letters T, U, R, A, H, and R, and the letters T, O, R, S, N, O, and R.
# The letters T, O, R, S, N, O, and R were found near Nama Tama's earring.
#* The two series of letters were unscrambled to the name [[wikipedia:Arthur_Rostron|Arthur Rostron]], the captain of the RMS Carpathia.
# The two series of letters were unscrambled to the name [[wikipedia:Arthur_Rostron|Arthur Rostron]], the captain of the RMS Carpathia.
# The logo for the [[wikipedia:White_Star_Line|White Star Line]].
# The logo for the [[wikipedia:White_Star_Line|White Star Line]] was hidden near the bottom of Nama Tama.
# Images of [[wikipedia:Ammonoidea|Ammonoids]].
# Images of [[wikipedia:Ammonoidea|Ammonoids]] were hidden in Nama Tama's cheeks.
# Another standalone pixel with the hex value #206888.
# The #206888 pixel was found again in the image.
One w'''e'''ek later, on April 7th, Dusty posted the image "THE_FINALS_Robatama" which was a Nama Tama dressed as Rob himself. The metadata has been cleaned from this image, and there is no metadata message.
 
# Rune symbols in the eyes and cheeks spelled "KARI"
# A series of boxes was discovered that were converted into binary. It was decoded into "s/2006 s 2" which was the reference number for the moon [[wikipedia:Kari_(moon)|Kari]].
# The #206888 pixel was found again.
# Seemingly random scribbles in the dark parts of the image were pieced together to form a graph, similar to the graph of [[wikipedia:Effective_potential|effective potential]].
# The string "512006 5 2 120013130A171100" was found on the OSPUZE can, and was decoded into "s/2006 s 2" again.
 
At this point, there were many theories being thrown around in the Discord, but none of them seemed to have any so'''l'''id connection. On April 15th, Rob posted the image "THE_FINALS_Wallpaper_Iseult_Chill_2880x1620" with the metadata "Hi there de(r EE-'u€t=&^ This message has been compromised."
 
# Another snowflake was found in the image.
# A series of pink pixels on the edge of the ISEUL-T logo were decoded to the numbers 46, 11, and 94. These numbers correspond to [[wikipedia:HSL_and_HSV|HSV]] color values for an '''eggshell''' color.
# A hidden QR code was found that led to a special URL: [https://www.reachthefinals.com/rival-1 www.reachthefinals.com/rival-1]. This page shows a rotated image of a record. The name Raija Mannarla was removed compared to the original version.
# Warped text was discovered, reading "KARI"
# A partial image of a diamond and a sun was found. The diamond was discovered to be the [[wikipedia:Hope_Diamond|Hope Diamond]], and the sun was a part of the flag of [[wikipedia:Louis_XIV|Louis XIV]].
# A picture of an iceberg was found in the background of the image.
# The Greek word "ΠΕΝΘΕΣΙΔΕΙΔ" was found, and translated to [[wikipedia:Penthesilea|Penthesilea]], the queen of the Amazons.
# The code "L 24 239 MH19 64PLC 012971" was found, which is the corporate code for the company [[wikipedia:Procter_&_Gamble|Proctor and Gamble]].


After these clues '''w'''ere discovered, many theories were either solidified or thrown out the window, but the hunters still needed to find a strong connection. On April 22nd, Rob posted the image "A_Space_Friend" with metadata, "Hi there dear EE-Hunters.! Hope you a934娔/Ä*I=Y#RI? *** THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED ***"
One w'''e'''ek later, on April 7, Dusty posted the image "THE_FINALS_Robatama" which was a Nama Tama dressed as Rob himself. The image contained:
# Rune symbols that spelled "KARI"
# A series of boxes that converted into binary and decoded to "s/2006 s 2" which was the reference number for the moon [[wikipedia:Kari_(moon)|Kari]].
# The string "512006 5 2 120013130A171100" that was decoded to "s/2006 s 2" again.
# Another standalone pixel with the hex value #206888.
# Seemingly random scribbles that were pieced together to form a graph, simi'''l'''ar to the graph of [[wikipedia:Effective_potential|effective potential]].


# The green can in the image is the cleaning agent Comet, produced by Proctor and Gamble. The main ingredient in Comet is c'''alcium carbonate'''.
On April 15, Rob posted the image "THE_FINALS_Wallpaper_Iseult_Chill_2880x1620" with the metadata "Hi there de(r EE-'u€t=&^ This message has been compromised." The image contained:
# The small label on the camera device has "P.ID #9173" on it.
# Another snowflake.
# The latches on the bottom of Nama Tama's suit have the labels "325CC" and "275CC."
# A series of pink pixels that were decoded to the numbers 46, 11, and 94. These numbers correspond to [[wikipedia:HSL_and_HSV|HSV]] color values for an '''eggshell'''.
# A QR code that led to the URL: [https://www.reachthefinals.com/rival-1 reachthefinals.com/rival-1]. This page displayed a rotated image of a record. The name "Raija Mannarla" had been removed from the original version.
# Warped text that read: "KARI"
# A partial image of a diamond and a sun. The diamond was the [[wikipedia:Hope_Diamond|Hope Diamond]], and the sun was a part of the flag of [[wikipedia:Louis_XIV|Louis XIV]].
# A picture of an iceberg.
# The Greek word "ΠΕΝΘΕΣΙΔΕΙΔ" that translated to [[wikipedia:Penthesilea|Penthesilea]], the queen of the Amazons.
# The code "L 24 239 MH19 64PLC 012971", '''w'''hich is the corporate code for the company [[wikipedia:Procter_&_Gamble|Proctor and Gamble]].


The hunters knew that the Comet product must be important, because of the previous clue for Proctor and Gamble. The hunters thought th'''a'''t the name of the product, Comet, might be the main idea of this clue path, similar to 1064 Aethusa comet from [[TFEE T1A|T1A]]. It wasn't until later that the connection was made between the actual composition of the product rather than its name. On March 3rd, Rob posted "THE_FINALS_Namabatama," likely referencing Discord member, volunteer moderator, and bat-lover, Kunai. It has the metadata, "Hi th "#¤/0/! THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED"
On April 22, Rob posted the image "A_Space_Friend" with metadata, "Hi there dear EE-Hunters.! Hope you a934娔/Ä*I=Y#RI? *** THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED ***" The image contained:
# A green can representing the cleaning agent 'Comet', produced by Proctor and Gamble. The main ingredient in Comet is '''calcium carbonate'''.
# "P.ID #9173".
# "325CC" and "275CC".


# Two more snowflakes were hidden in the ears, one in each.
Hunters originally considered the n'''a'''me of the product, 'Comet', as the most relevant takeaway, similar to 1064 Aethusa comet from [[Level 2: Tier 1A|Tier 1A]]. It wasn't until later that connections were made based on the actual composition of the product rather than its name.
# [[wikipedia:Stalagmite|Stalagmite]]-like shapes were found in the top corners of the image.
# Pixels found around the border of the image were found, which were converted to the number sequence 2, 14, 16, 4, 2, 2.
# A swirl of numbers was revealed around the image, counting up from zero to 18.
# Three lines with varying width and height were found.


Clue'''s''' 3, 4, and 5 were never solved, and the two other clues didn't seem to form any connections. As the hunters struggled, Rob posted an unofficial supplementary image featuring [[Church Of The Holy Hunters|Saint Esbjorn and Saint Dusty]]. On May 11th, Rob posted "IMG_CDIV" with metadata, "&/¤”#(? C&/¤N)&S/#!"
On March 3, Rob posted the image "THE_FINALS_Namabatama," likely referencing Discord member, volunteer moderator, and bat-lover, Kunai. It had the metadata, "Hi th "#¤/0/! THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED". The image contained:
# Two more snowflakes.
# [[wikipedia:Stalagmite|Stalagmite]]-like shapes.
# Pixels around the border that converted to the number sequence: 2, 14, 16, 4, 2, 2.
# A swirl of numbers counting up from 0 to 18.
# Three lines with varying widths and heights.
Clue'''s''' 3, 4, and 5 were not solved, and hunters struggled to find strong connections with the other two.


# The name of the image, CDIV, is 404 in '''Roman/[[wikipedia:Latin_numerals|Latin numerals]]'''.
On May 11, Rob posted the photo "IMG_CDIV" with metadata, "&/¤”#(? C&/¤N)&S/#!" The photo was of [[Church Of The Holy Hunters|Saint Esbjorn and Saint Dusty]] in an Embark Studios office. The name of the image, CDIV, is 404 in '''Roman/[[wikipedia:Latin_numerals|Latin numerals]]'''. The image itself contained:
# Two paper snowflakes are hung on the wall.
# Two paper snowflakes hung on a wall.
# A 20 [[wikipedia:Swedish_krona|Krona]] note is crumpled on the desk.
# A crumpled 20 [[wikipedia:Swedish_krona|Krona]] note.
# A container of rock salt is on the desk.
# A container of rock salt.
# The desk has odd-looking coffee stains.
# Odd-looking coffee stains on the desk.
# The keys '''3, A, C,''' and '''O''' are missing from the keyboard.
# The keys '''3, A, C,''' and '''O''' missing from the keyboard.
# The keys D, H, L, and Space are being pressed.
# The keys D, H, L, and Space being pressed.
# The chemical structure for [[wikipedia:Protoporphyrin_IX|Protoporphyrin IX]] -a chemical found in '''eggshells'''- is written on the window.
# The chemical structure for [[wikipedia:Protoporphyrin_IX|Protoporphyrin IX]], a chemical found in '''eggshells'''.
# A periodic table is hung on the wall:
# Four pictures of THE FINALS concept art hung on the wall.
## The Letters P, T, and E are circles, and have arrows pointing to C, N, and S, respectively.
# A periodic table hung on the wall:
## The letters CNS are circled with the message, "<u>Remember</u>"
## The Letters P, T, and E are circled, and have arrows pointing to C, N, and S, respectively.
## The letters CNS are circled with the message: "<u>Remember</u>"
## The coordinates x=5 and y=6 are written on the right side, which point to the element [[wikipedia:Tantalum|Tantalum]].
## The coordinates x=5 and y=6 are written on the right side, which point to the element [[wikipedia:Tantalum|Tantalum]].
## The elements Caesium (Cs), Gold (Au), Lanthanum (La), and Xenon (Xe) are crossed out.
## The elements Caesium (Cs), Gold (Au), Lanthanum (La), and Xenon (Xe) are crossed out.
## The letters H, O, A, C, S, N, I, R, H, M, and E are underlined.
## The letters H, O, A, C, S, N, I, R, H, M, and E are underlined.
# Four pictures of THE FINALS art are hung on the wall
After reviewing this image, there were some clues that stuck out, like the rock salt, the snowflakes, and the letters missing from the keyboard. T'''h'''e hunters now had some decent footing, but were still unsure. On May 12th, Rob posted "THE_FINALS_NAMALAPIS" with the metadata, "CNS DONT TRUS*0( *** THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED ***"


Clues that stuck out in the image included the rock salt, snowflakes, and letters missing from the keyboard. Hunters now had better footing, but were still unsure. On May 12, Rob posted the image "THE_FINALS_NAMALAPIS" depicting a Nama Tama statue wit'''h''' the metadata, "CNS DONT TRUS*0( *** THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED ***".
# The term "lapis" in the image name means "stone" '''in Latin'''.
# The term "lapis" in the image name means "stone" '''in Latin'''.
# The '''Latin''' phrase "Veni Vidi Ludere" is carved into the base of the Nama Tama statue.
# The '''Latin''' phrase "Veni Vidi Ludere" is carved into the base of the Nama Tama statue.
# The statue appears to be made out of '''[[wikipedia:Marble|marble]]'''.
# The statue appears to be made out of '''[[wikipedia:Marble|marble]]'''.


Betwe'''e'''n the posting of this image and the start of [[Pre-Release#Playtests|CB2]], nearly no progress was made. During CB2 on June 15th, veteran EE hunter Serpenger spotted an [[Closed Beta In-Game Easter Eggs|in-game]] message on the [[Monaco]] map that read: "SR.!" This is a reference to [[Church Of The Holy Hunters|Saint Rob]], commonly abbreviated as SR.
On June 18, the [[Meet The Makersː Character and Concept Art|Character and Concept Art]] MTM episode aired. In the intro, Embark CX Lead Dusty says: "We're here in this hot little studio where it feels like it's about '''825 degrees Celsius''' today..." The next day, the [[Meet The Makersː Rob and Jonny|Rob and Jonny]] episode aired. In it, Rob says: "but I probably need to spend some time in the incubator on this one because '''I-I-I'''<nowiki/>'m cracking up." Neither of these clue were discovered by hunters until after Tier 1E had ended.
 
Afte'''r''' a screenshot of the message was posted in THE FINALS Discord by Serpenger, Rob replied to the image and posted "NICE.! If you find more graffiti with this style… well I guess you know who put them there.!" The hunters now knew that there would be more sprays hidden on the Monaco map, with messages from SR relating to the current tier of the hunt.
 
On June 18th, only thre'''e''' days after the first SR spray was found, hunter fishxw spotted another SR message: "825c". Since the style was the same as the first SR spray, the hunters knew that it must be a clue for the current tier of the hunt. Under an hour later, hunter Flex4d made a connection: 825 degrees Celsius was the melting point of Aragonite, a crystallized form of '''calcium carbonate'''. This breakthrough, confirmed by Rob, was the start of a cascade of connections and revitalization of the hunt.


The weeks following the "825c" message were a flurry of connections and confirmations, eventually leading to the password being cracked.
Little progress was made between "THE_FINALS_NAMALAPIS" and the start of [[Closed Beta 2]] (CB2). During the beta on June 15, hunter Serpenger spotted an [[Closed Beta In-Game Easter Eggs|in-game]] graffiti in [[Monaco]] that read: "SR.!" This was a reference to Rob's "SR" signatu'''r'''e and ".!" punctuation style. Rob responded to the finding with: "NICE.! If you find more graffiti with this style… well I guess you know who put them there.!"


After the tier was solved, additional clues in the MTM podcast were discovered. On June 18th, the [[Meet The Makersː Character and Concept Art|Character and Concept Art]] episode aired, and a subtle clue was dropped by the host, Dusty. In the intro to the episode, she says, "We're here in this hot little studio where it feels like it's about '''825 degrees Celsius''' today..." This was another reference to the melting point of Aragonite.
Thr'''e'''e days later on June 18, hunter fishxw found another graffiti that read: "825c". Since the style was the same as the first graffiti, hunters knew it was likely a clue for Tier 1E. 825 degrees Celsius is the melting point of Aragonite, a crystallized form of '''calcium carbonate'''. This finding, confirmed by Rob, was the start of a cascade of connections that led to the tier being solved.
 
On June 19th, the [[Meet The Makersː Rob and Jonny|Rob and Jonny]] MTM episode aired, with another clue mentioned, this time by Rob. He said, "but I probably need to spend some time in the incubator on this one because '''I-I-I'''<nowiki/>'m cracking up." This was a clue at the final form of the password and the fact that it had three <code>I</code>s.


===Solving===
===Solving===
On July 1st, DEV64! entered the correct password "cacoiii" and unlocked Tier 1E. This tier took a total of 96 days to solve.
On July 1, hunter DEV64! came up with the password: "cacoiii" and solved Tier 1E. In total, this tier took 96 days to solve.


===Summary===
==Solution Breakdown==
All the snowflakes, diamonds, and geology-related clues pointed towards the chemical compound calcium carbonate. Various clues pointed to Latin, including the passwords from previous tiers and Tier 1E image titles. Combining the two main clues of calcium carbonate and Latin yielded the final password: the chemical formula for calcium carbonate, CaCO<sub>3</sub>, but with the 3 replaced with Roman numerals, cacoiii.
All the snowflakes, diamonds, and geology-related clues pointed towards the chemical compound calcium carbonate. Various clues pointed to Latin, including the passwords from previous tiers and Tier 1E image names. Combining the two main clues of calcium carbonate and Latin yielded the password: the chemical formula for calcium carbonate, CaCO<sub>3</sub>, but with the 3 replaced by Roman numerals: cacoiii.


===Images===
==Gallery==
<gallery mode="nolines" class="scroll-gallery" widths="244" heights="126">
<gallery mode="nolines" class="scroll-gallery" widths="244" heights="126">
File:THE FINALS Wallpaper CB Up We Go 2880x1620.jpg|THE_FINALS_Wallpaper_CB_Up_We_Go_2880x1620
File:THE FINALS Wallpaper CB Up We Go 2880x1620.jpg|THE_FINALS_Wallpaper_CB_Up_We_Go_2880x1620
Line 114: Line 112:
File:THE FINALS NAMALAPIS.png|THE_FINALS_NAMALAPIS
File:THE FINALS NAMALAPIS.png|THE_FINALS_NAMALAPIS
</gallery>
</gallery>
===Credits===
'''Solver''' - DEV64!
'''Documentation'''  - Flex4d, Kyne, RockhoundBlack, Smashel
'''Various Contributions in Alphabetical Order''' - buunuu, DashGames, DEV64!, Duh, eoin, fishxw, Flex4d, Giriko,  joshnut, ka9N, Kyne, Oak, Povich, Resk, RockhoundBlack, Serpenger, Smashel, SPEAR, Swa, WIZARD
=== Further Reading ===
RockhoundBlack's Video: [https://youtu.be/NJHRrPF8as4 THE FINALS: Solving Tier 1E Of The Game's Pre-Release Easter Eggs]
[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CLzGtj2w2elVkqEdPV6NgqRiszNAxnwIANXHK-Pa1Bk/edit?usp=sharing Flex4d's Document]


[https://padlet.com/Kyne/the-promise-t1e-ohsl9b4w3ncqnvqe T1E Padlet]
==Credits==
* '''Solver''' - DEV64!
* '''Documentation'''  - Flex4d, Kyne, RockhoundBlack, Smashel
* '''Various Contributions in Alphabetical Order''' - buunuu, DashGames, DEV64!, Duh, eoin, fishxw, Flex4d, Giriko,  joshnut, ka9N, Kyne, Oak, Povich, Resk, RockhoundBlack, Serpenger, Smashel, SPEAR, Swa, WIZARD


< [[TFEE T1D|Previous Tier: T1D]] | [[TFEE T1F|Next Tier: T1F]] >
== Further Reading ==
* RockhoundBlack's video: [https://youtu.be/NJHRrPF8as4 THE FINALS: Solving Tier 1E Of The Game's Pre-Release Easter Eggs]
* [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CLzGtj2w2elVkqEdPV6NgqRiszNAxnwIANXHK-Pa1Bk/edit?usp=sharing Flex4d's document]
* [https://padlet.com/Kyne/the-promise-t1e-ohsl9b4w3ncqnvqe Tier 1E Padlet]

Latest revision as of 06:34, 18 February 2025

Tier 1E
StartMarch 2, 2023
EndJuly 1, 2023
Solution(s)cacoiii
PreviousTier 1D
NextTier 1F

Tier 1E was the fifth tier of Level 2 of THE FINALS Easter Egg Hunt. It started on March 2, 2023 and ended on July 1, 2023.

History

edit edit source

On March 2, 2023, hunter fishxw found that Embark Studios CCO Rob Runesson had updated the Tier 1D page with the image “THE_FINALS_OSPUZE_AD_bonus_candy_02.” On March 3, a higher resolution version of the image was uploaded to the #official-art Discord channel with the name “THE_FINALS_OSPUZE_AD_bonus_candy_02_higres_per_EE-hunters-request” and the hidden metadata message “Hi EE-hunters.! There is nothing hidden in this image (just the start date of the next tier) , you are on vacation.! From Embark with love.!”

Along with the image was a timer, counting down to the start of Tier 1E.

After a 21 day break, hunters were eager to start the tier. On March 23, Rob responded to the sentiment with "I thought you might say that…therefore I actually DID hide a couple of things in some of the assets I uploaded during your vacation… …so if you are bored and can’t really wait until Monday… there is one diamond and a primary clue out there, waiting to be found…"

On March 27, Rob took down the countdown on the Tier 1D page and posted the image "THE_FINALS_Wallpaper_CB_Up_We_Go_2880x1620” with the metadata message “Hi there EE-Hunters.! Good luck have fun... from embark with love.!” The image contained:

  1. A standalone pixel with the hex value #206888. Converting this to chemical elements using their atomic number give Ca, C, O, O, O or CaCO3.
  2. Coordinates for Torslanda, a town in Sweden.
  3. Coordinates for the River Moriston in Scotland.
  4. An MD5 hash that decoded to the number "206888" again.
  5. A cross cipher that is still unsolved.
  6. A snowflake.
  7. The character's weapon charm was confirmed to be a T-Rex.

On March 31, Rob posted the image "THE_FINALS_Kynezantama," a Byzantine-themed Nama Tama requested by Kyne. It had the metadata message "Hi there dear EE-hunters.! This is a very special Namatama, this one is dedicated to the winner who solved the EE-puzzle in the THE FINALS Brand Guide. From Embark with love.!" The image contained:

  1. Nama Tama wore a crown with pearls and jewels on it
  2. Another snowflake.
  3. The letters T, U, R, A, H, and R, and the letters T, O, R, S, N, O, and R.
    • The two series of letters were unscrambled to the name Arthur Rostron, the captain of the RMS Carpathia.
  4. The logo for the White Star Line.
  5. Images of Ammonoids.
  6. Another standalone pixel with the hex value #206888.

One week later, on April 7, Dusty posted the image "THE_FINALS_Robatama" which was a Nama Tama dressed as Rob himself. The image contained:

  1. Rune symbols that spelled "KARI"
  2. A series of boxes that converted into binary and decoded to "s/2006 s 2" which was the reference number for the moon Kari.
  3. The string "512006 5 2 120013130A171100" that was decoded to "s/2006 s 2" again.
  4. Another standalone pixel with the hex value #206888.
  5. Seemingly random scribbles that were pieced together to form a graph, similar to the graph of effective potential.

On April 15, Rob posted the image "THE_FINALS_Wallpaper_Iseult_Chill_2880x1620" with the metadata "Hi there de(r EE-'u€t=&^ This message has been compromised." The image contained:

  1. Another snowflake.
  2. A series of pink pixels that were decoded to the numbers 46, 11, and 94. These numbers correspond to HSV color values for an eggshell.
  3. A QR code that led to the URL: reachthefinals.com/rival-1. This page displayed a rotated image of a record. The name "Raija Mannarla" had been removed from the original version.
  4. Warped text that read: "KARI"
  5. A partial image of a diamond and a sun. The diamond was the Hope Diamond, and the sun was a part of the flag of Louis XIV.
  6. A picture of an iceberg.
  7. The Greek word "ΠΕΝΘΕΣΙΔΕΙΔ" that translated to Penthesilea, the queen of the Amazons.
  8. The code "L 24 239 MH19 64PLC 012971", which is the corporate code for the company Proctor and Gamble.

On April 22, Rob posted the image "A_Space_Friend" with metadata, "Hi there dear EE-Hunters.! Hope you a934娔/Ä*I=Y#RI? *** THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED ***" The image contained:

  1. A green can representing the cleaning agent 'Comet', produced by Proctor and Gamble. The main ingredient in Comet is calcium carbonate.
  2. "P.ID #9173".
  3. "325CC" and "275CC".

Hunters originally considered the name of the product, 'Comet', as the most relevant takeaway, similar to 1064 Aethusa comet from Tier 1A. It wasn't until later that connections were made based on the actual composition of the product rather than its name.

On March 3, Rob posted the image "THE_FINALS_Namabatama," likely referencing Discord member, volunteer moderator, and bat-lover, Kunai. It had the metadata, "Hi th "#¤/0/! THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED". The image contained:

  1. Two more snowflakes.
  2. Stalagmite-like shapes.
  3. Pixels around the border that converted to the number sequence: 2, 14, 16, 4, 2, 2.
  4. A swirl of numbers counting up from 0 to 18.
  5. Three lines with varying widths and heights.

Clues 3, 4, and 5 were not solved, and hunters struggled to find strong connections with the other two.

On May 11, Rob posted the photo "IMG_CDIV" with metadata, "&/¤”#(? C&/¤N)&S/#!" The photo was of Saint Esbjorn and Saint Dusty in an Embark Studios office. The name of the image, CDIV, is 404 in Roman/Latin numerals. The image itself contained:

  1. Two paper snowflakes hung on a wall.
  2. A crumpled 20 Krona note.
  3. A container of rock salt.
  4. Odd-looking coffee stains on the desk.
  5. The keys 3, A, C, and O missing from the keyboard.
  6. The keys D, H, L, and Space being pressed.
  7. The chemical structure for Protoporphyrin IX, a chemical found in eggshells.
  8. Four pictures of THE FINALS concept art hung on the wall.
  9. A periodic table hung on the wall:
    1. The Letters P, T, and E are circled, and have arrows pointing to C, N, and S, respectively.
    2. The letters CNS are circled with the message: "Remember"
    3. The coordinates x=5 and y=6 are written on the right side, which point to the element Tantalum.
    4. The elements Caesium (Cs), Gold (Au), Lanthanum (La), and Xenon (Xe) are crossed out.
    5. The letters H, O, A, C, S, N, I, R, H, M, and E are underlined.

Clues that stuck out in the image included the rock salt, snowflakes, and letters missing from the keyboard. Hunters now had better footing, but were still unsure. On May 12, Rob posted the image "THE_FINALS_NAMALAPIS" depicting a Nama Tama statue with the metadata, "CNS DONT TRUS*0( *** THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED ***".

  1. The term "lapis" in the image name means "stone" in Latin.
  2. The Latin phrase "Veni Vidi Ludere" is carved into the base of the Nama Tama statue.
  3. The statue appears to be made out of marble.

On June 18, the Character and Concept Art MTM episode aired. In the intro, Embark CX Lead Dusty says: "We're here in this hot little studio where it feels like it's about 825 degrees Celsius today..." The next day, the Rob and Jonny episode aired. In it, Rob says: "but I probably need to spend some time in the incubator on this one because I-I-I'm cracking up." Neither of these clue were discovered by hunters until after Tier 1E had ended.

Little progress was made between "THE_FINALS_NAMALAPIS" and the start of Closed Beta 2 (CB2). During the beta on June 15, hunter Serpenger spotted an in-game graffiti in Monaco that read: "SR.!" This was a reference to Rob's "SR" signature and ".!" punctuation style. Rob responded to the finding with: "NICE.! If you find more graffiti with this style… well I guess you know who put them there.!"

Three days later on June 18, hunter fishxw found another graffiti that read: "825c". Since the style was the same as the first graffiti, hunters knew it was likely a clue for Tier 1E. 825 degrees Celsius is the melting point of Aragonite, a crystallized form of calcium carbonate. This finding, confirmed by Rob, was the start of a cascade of connections that led to the tier being solved.

Solving

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On July 1, hunter DEV64! came up with the password: "cacoiii" and solved Tier 1E. In total, this tier took 96 days to solve.

Solution Breakdown

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All the snowflakes, diamonds, and geology-related clues pointed towards the chemical compound calcium carbonate. Various clues pointed to Latin, including the passwords from previous tiers and Tier 1E image names. Combining the two main clues of calcium carbonate and Latin yielded the password: the chemical formula for calcium carbonate, CaCO3, but with the 3 replaced by Roman numerals: cacoiii.

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  • THE_FINALS_Wallpaper_CB_Up_We_Go_2880x1620
    THE_FINALS_Wallpaper_CB_Up_We_Go_2880x1620
  • THE_FINALS_Kynezantama
    THE_FINALS_Kynezantama
  • THE_FINALS_Robatama
    THE_FINALS_Robatama
  • THE_FINALS_Wallpaper_Iseult_Chill_2880x1620
    THE_FINALS_Wallpaper_Iseult_Chill_2880x1620
  • A_Space_Friend
    A_Space_Friend
  • THE_FINALS_Namabatama
    THE_FINALS_Namabatama
  • IMG_CDIV
    IMG_CDIV
  • THE_FINALS_NAMALAPIS
    THE_FINALS_NAMALAPIS

Credits

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  • Solver - DEV64!
  • Documentation - Flex4d, Kyne, RockhoundBlack, Smashel
  • Various Contributions in Alphabetical Order - buunuu, DashGames, DEV64!, Duh, eoin, fishxw, Flex4d, Giriko, joshnut, ka9N, Kyne, Oak, Povich, Resk, RockhoundBlack, Serpenger, Smashel, SPEAR, Swa, WIZARD

Further Reading

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Last modified
This page was last edited on 18 February 2025, at 06:34.