Quick Answer
Match your partner's symbols, then set the dial lights. For the 423 dials example, the successful settings are 4, 2, 3, matched through your partner's numbered layout. In We Were Here Tomorrow, the Exotic Matter Laboratory symbols and dials require you to compare clues across both sides of the room.
The Exotic Matter Laboratory 4x4 symbol panel, Exotic Matter Laboratory minotaur symbols and Exotic Matter Laboratory 423 dials are names for parts of the same puzzle.
You reach this puzzle in the Exotic Matter Laboratory chapter. To solve it, you need one player reading the four symbol clues and the other operating the symbol buttons. If you are still trying to enter the area, see Laboratory Access.
How do you solve the Exotic Matter Laboratory 4x4 symbol panel?
Have your partner describe each of their four symbols, then press the matching buttons on your 4x4 panel in the order they call them out.
Your side has a four-by-four grid of symbols, each with a button.
Shown at 126:51 in ZedaphPlays’s video.- Let the clue reader describe one symbol at a time.
- Compare its details before pressing: rotation, the center mark and the direction of arrows or horns matter.
- Press the matching button, then ask for the next symbol.
- When new clues appear, read the new set rather than repeating the previous sequence.
Your partner's side has four symbol clues to describe to the player at the button grid.
Shown at 124:56 in Tango Tek2’s video.One successful opening sequence used these descriptions. Match them to your own clues as you go.
| Order | Symbol details |
|---|---|
| First | Counterclockwise vortex, solid center circle |
| Second | Z with a seven through its base and arrows |
| Third | Sun with straight spokes and a center dot |
| Fourth | 3x3 hollow circles, center circle slashed |
After that sequence, the symbols switch off and a door unlocks. New symbols then appear for the next round.
How do you distinguish the Exotic Matter Laboratory minotaur symbols?
Check whether the horns curl upward or downward; the successful retry used the minotaur with downward horns.
The human-shaped symbols also need more than a quick “little guy” description. Compare the eyes, mouth and lines above the head. This retry led to the numbers appearing:
| Order | Symbol details |
|---|---|
| First | One eye, one leg, three head lines, opposite arm arrows |
| Second | Counterclockwise vortex with a center dot |
| Third | Two eyes, mouth, one leg, six head lines |
| Fourth | Minotaur with downward horns |
Call out the distinguishing feature before pressing. One player hit the wrong button during a round and had to start over with a new set of descriptions.
How do you set the Exotic Matter Laboratory 423 dials?
Turn each dial to activate the light corresponding to the number your partner gives you; the successful example uses 4, 2, 3.
Turn the laboratory dials to select an active light.
Shown at 130:17 in Tango Tek2’s video.The dials become interactive after the symbol stage reveals numbers. One side has numbers from 1 to 5 in a mixed order; the other has five lights on each dial.
- Have the player with the numbered layout call out the required light for the first dial.
- Turn that dial until the corresponding light is active.
- Repeat for the middle and third dials, comparing each against its own numbered layout.
| Dial | Successful example |
|---|---|
| First | 4 |
| Middle | 2 |
| Third | 3 |
The numbers are mixed around the dials. Match each light to your partner's layout rather than counting clockwise positions. If a dial is already correct, leave it there; the third dial was already in place in the successful example.
Why is this puzzle called the symbol panel, minotaur symbols or 423 dials?
Each name points to a different part of the same laboratory puzzle:
- Exotic Matter Laboratory 4x4 symbol panel: you see a grid of symbol buttons to match against your partner's clues.
- Exotic Matter Laboratory minotaur symbols: you need to distinguish a horned symbol by the direction of its horns.
- Exotic Matter Laboratory 423 dials: you reach the numbered dial stage, where one successful solution uses 4, 2, 3.
Correct dial settings trigger success music and open the way through the door. Continue with the Magnetic Stabilizer pressure plate puzzle.