Level 2: Tier 2ABC

Tier 2ABC
Start	September 17, 2023
End	November 17, 2023
Solution(s)	viold
Previous	Tier 1F
Next	Tier 2DEF

Tier 2ABC was the seventh tier of Level 2 of THE FINALS Easter Egg Hunt. It started on September 17, 2023 and ended on November 17, 2023. It opened at the same time as Tier 2DEF and the two tiers were closely connected. The primary themes of this tier were gold, Latin, and Roman numerals.

History

After solving Tier 1F on September 17, 2023, the next two tiers became available at the same time, Tier 2ABC and Tier 2DEF. Hunters suspected that these two tiers would follow a common theme from the tiers after which they were named. For Tier 2ABC, that theme was gold. Tier 1A's password was 1064, which is the melting point of gold in Celsius. Tier 1B's password was LXXIX, and 79 is the atomic number of gold. Tier 1C's password was 5f137s2, and 137.5 degrees is the golden angle.

The Tier 1F was updated with a "LOADING" GIF, depicting a computer cursor blinking to the right of the word. The hunters assumed that this meant that Tier 2ABC was being prepared, and to wait for further instruction.

On September 22, hunters discovered that the "LOADING" GIF had been replaced by a similar "READY" GIF, in the same font and style. It became apparent that the password was ready to be entered, and the hunters did not need any new images or information in order to solve this tier.

On September 24, Embark Studios CCO Rob Runesson posted the GIF "NonDesistasNonExieris", a smaller version of the "READY" GIF with a similar style to the Commodore 64 command line. The name of this GIF was in Latin, hinting at Latin numerals.

On September 28, Rob posted an edited version of the "Never Give Up" meme, with the diamonds replaced by gold nuggets. This confirmed suspicions that the tier related to gold.

On October 3, Rob responded to messages from hunter Kyne:

1. Kyne: "Rob, you might need to give the yolks a final nudge"
2. Rob: "Final..? I said it before… you ain’t seen nothing yet…"
3. Kyne: "Well, perhaps a little nudge then"
4. Rob: "OKi, I get your point, I really do… 18/3"

18/3 was a clue for the number 6.

On October 8, Rob replied to a message from hunter Lulz:

1. Lulz: "If only we could get Rob to react!"'
2. Rob: "You can, you just need to write something correct... (I'm just a simple gamemaker, so small things like for example 1779, 34.76, 5.95 would make me react...)"

These three numbers were related to data for the star system Eta Cassiopeiae, which had the density of gold (19.32) as one of its data values for distance.

On October 11, Rob responded to another message from Lulz:

1. Lulz: "I looked at this [number of grams in a Troy ounce] earlier but it was before rob gave us the numbers... I was just working with 'exactly one'"
2. Rob: "If you really like numbers, here is another interesting number if you ask me: 6000666"

This series of numbers can be used as binary by swapping the 6's to 1's. The binary 1000111 converts to the letter G, suggesting that 6 = G or vice versa.

On October 25, the day the Open Beta was announced, two more images were posted. "THE_FINALS_Screenshot_015_3840x2160_F" had a scrambled message hidden within the footer, which was never solved. "THE_FINALS_Screenshot_019_3840x2160_F" had a few small dots hidden that resembled a G6 guitar chord.

During the Open Beta, hunters found two whiteboards in the newly introduced area Skyway Stadium. Both of these whiteboards had a partial red grid with circles on it, and when combined they formed the G6 guitar chord. Also, various dimensions found on the whiteboards were found to be the exact dimensions of the Samsung Galaxy G6 smartphone.

On October 31, during the Open Beta, Rob posted an image taken in an Embark Studios office. It was a picture of a computer screen that displayed the location of the first white rabbit that the hunters discovered in Closed Beta 1, confirming that rabbits were still present in the Open Beta. The main clue in this image was the keyboard, as the G and 6 keys had been swapped.

Solving

On November 17, hunters fanclubfm and R.Cade found the password: "viold" and solved Tier 2ABC. In total, this tier took 56 days to solve.

Solution Breakdown

Tier 2ABC connected the passwords and themes of Tier 1A, Tier 1B, and Tier 1C which were all related to gold. The cipher G = 6 was hinted at multiple times, and a few clues were given in Latin, hinting at Roman numerals. This suggested that the G in "gold" could be replaced by a 6 in Roman numerals, which is VI, therefore forming the password: "viold". Leetspeak and Roman numerals were also present in previous tiers.

Gallery

• 
  Loading.gif
• 
  Ready.gif
• 
  NonDesistasNonExieris.gif
• 
  Rob's edited image
• 
  THE FINALS Screenshot 015 3840x2160 F.jpg
• 
  THE FINALS Screenshot 019 3840x2160 F.jpg
• 
  Whiteboard 1 in Skyway Stadium
• 
  Whiteboard 2 in Skyway Stadium
• 
  Photo of the first WR

Credits

• Solver(s) - fanclubfm, R.Cade
• Documentation - Kyne, Lulz, Smashel
• Various Contributions in Alphabetical Order - Annetteqc, aspentheavali, b0kb, BernieBoy, Brubru, Carl, Duh, eoin, fanclubfm, fishxw, Flex4d, Gattsta, HollowMooth, iTk, Janst1000, joshnut, KACZIII, Kyne, Lime, Lulz, Merv, Miiike, R.Cade, RockhoundBlack, Serpenger, Smashel, Wig, 김스윙

Further Reading

• Tier 2ABC Padlet