Quick Answer
Restore power, set both time machine handles from the screen code, then hold the chains to travel. In We Were Here Tomorrow, Time Atrium's controls are in Manual Override off the main hall: the digit sets the left handle to digit minus one, and the letter sets the right handle from A = 0 to E = 4. The Hook Gun player holds the dedicated chain first, then either player holds the machine's main chain.
How do you reach the Time Atrium in We Were Here Tomorrow?
Open the docking bridge, ride the lift together, and use the walkway keycard at the main hall door to reach the Time Atrium.
- Press either docking button. This opens the bridge and the door below.
- Step into the lift with your partner. It only goes up when both players are inside.
- On the walkway, have the Hook Gun player pull the dedicated chain to open the small vent hatch.
- Have the Goop Gun player apply goop to the target beside the glass door. The door stays open while the goop remains on that target.
- Take the walkway keycard. The Hook Gun player can pull it over rather than collecting it by hand.
- Insert the keycard into the machine beside the main hall door, then enter together.
The atrium is the Temporal Research Centre's main hall. For the surrounding chapter route, follow TRC and Symbol Synthesis.
How do you restore power before using the Time Atrium machine?
Go from the main hall into Utilities and restart the generator before trying to set the time machine's handles.
The Utilities lift door is open when you arrive. Have the Hook Gun player stand inside while the Goop Gun player holds the chain outside the lift. This lowers the Hook Gun player. Once below, press the button to open the doors on both levels so your partner can follow.
Work through the power route in this order:
- The chains at the entry.
- The backup generator room.
- The split rooms.
- The generator.
With the generator running, both players step into the exit lift. This completes the power-restoration checkpoint.
A missing-power screen means the machine still needs electricity. Restore power first; changing the handles does not solve that screen.
How do you set the Time Atrium time machine code?
Read the screen in Manual Override, set the left handle to the digit minus one, and set the right handle using A = 0, B = 1, C = 2, D = 3, E = 4.
Manual Override is off the main hall. Inside, you will find the code screen and the two handles. Each handle has five positions, with five lights arranged in an arc. Position 0 lights the leftmost light; position 4 lights the rightmost.
Match the current screen code to these settings.
| Screen code | Left handle position |
|---|---|
| 1E | 0 |
| 2D | 1 |
| 3B | 2 |
| 4A | 3 |
| 5C | 4 |
| Screen code | Right handle position |
|---|---|
| 1E | 4 |
| 2D | 3 |
| 3B | 1 |
| 4A | 0 |
| 5C | 2 |
For example, 3B means left 2 and right 1. Say the code as two separate parts, such as “three, B,” so your partner can distinguish the number from the letter.
The machine chooses a code at random and does not repeat the same code on consecutive activations. Read the screen again when you use it; your previous settings are not the next answer.
Count the handle positions from zero. For 1E, use left 0 and right 4. Starting at one shifts both settings away from the required positions.
What do both players do after setting the Time Atrium handles?
The Hook Gun player pulls the dedicated chain fully and holds it, then either player holds the time machine's main chain while it runs.
Keep those actions in order:
- Finish setting both handles from the current code.
- Have the Hook Gun player pull the hook-only chain all the way and keep holding it.
- Have either player hold the machine's main chain while the machine operates.
The first chain requires the Hook Gun. The main chain is a separate interaction that either player can perform.
After activation, the Hook Gun player stays in the present and the Goop Gun player travels to the construction era. Continue into the foyer; the main hall door closes behind you to end the Fully Powered checkpoint.
The instruction here is to find a time crystal. Continue that objective with the Time Crystal walkthrough.
How do you place the battery bulb when you return to the Time Atrium?
Bring the battery bulb back through decontamination and place it by hand into the slot beside the time machine.
This return happens after the greenhouse plants are complete. The Hook Gun player takes the bulb and leaves through the greenhouse exit. That exit opens with the plants finished and the bulb in hand, so collect the bulb before heading out.
- Take the battery bulb. You can pull it over with the Hook Gun.
- Leave through the greenhouse exit.
- Follow decontamination back into the main hall.
- Carry the bulb to the slot beside the time machine.
- Insert it by hand to finish the return checkpoint.
The Hook Gun can retrieve the battery bulb, but it cannot place the bulb in its slot. Switch to placing it by hand once you reach the machine.
For the next area reached from the atrium, the Hook Gun player goes through the DECONTAMINATION ZONE into the greenhouse while the Goop Gun player is in Rockbury's main hall. Follow the Xenobotany walkthrough for the greenhouse route and the time-glass swaps.
FAQ
Power the main hall, enter Manual Override, and match both handles to the displayed code. The Hook Gun player then holds the dedicated chain fully pulled, followed by either player holding the machine's main chain.
The settings are 1E: left 0, right 4; 2D: left 1, right 3; 3B: left 2, right 1; 4A: left 3, right 0; and 5C: left 4, right 2. Count positions from the leftmost light as zero and read the current code before activating.
Insert the battery bulb manually into the slot next to the time machine in the main hall. After completing the greenhouse plants, collect the bulb and return through decontamination; the Hook Gun can collect it but cannot insert it.