Mastering the Upper City Mechanism Puzzle

The Upper City in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown houses one of the game’s most intricate challenges: a massive mechanism featuring three rotating rings adorned with colored gems. This puzzle is crucial for advancing the Celestial Guardians questline, granting access to key areas like the Simurgh Gate and rare rewards such as Amulet Holders. Success demands mastery of advanced abilities like the Dimensional Claw, Shadow of the Simurgh, and precise timing for teleports and jumps.

Understanding the Core Challenge

Located in the northern section of the Upper City, the puzzle revolves around a central dial resembling a celestial clock with sun and moon motifs. Three adjacent chambers feed into this main area, each requiring you to energize a specific ring by manipulating radiant purple batteries (often called crystals or power sources). Once powered, the rings spin independently, and your final task is to align their symbols—typically red, blue, and yellow—so they overlap matching colored segments simultaneously.

Prerequisites include the Chakram – Shadow of the Simurgh upgrade, which allows teleportation to your thrown chakram and creation of persistent shadow clones. These tools enable battery transport across heights and traps that would otherwise block progress. Without them, the puzzle remains unsolvable, emphasizing the metroidvania-style progression of the game.

Preparation and Navigation Tips

Before diving in, ensure Sargon (your protagonist) has unlocked wall jumps, double jumps, air dashes, and the aforementioned upgrades. Fast travel to the nearest statue if needed, and stock up on health via nearby fountains. The area’s waterfalls and verticality make falls deadly, so practice precise inputs.

• Key Abilities Needed: Dimensional Claw (grabs purple batteries), Shadow of the Simurgh (clones for teleport targets), Chakram teleport.
• Common Pitfalls: Purple glow zones neutralize Claw usage between chambers; batteries reset if not placed swiftly.
• Rewards: Passage to late-game chapters, chest with Amulet Holder.

Solving the Left Chamber: Precision Battery Relay

The left chamber introduces the battery relay mechanic. Start by locating the lower power port and inserting the available purple battery there. This activates an extending platform, allowing access to wall-climbable surfaces.

1. Climb the walls using jumps and bounces to reach the highest point.
2. Position a Shadow of the Simurgh clone directly beneath the upper trapdoor.
3. Drop down to the active lower port, Claw the battery, and immediately teleport to your high clone.
4. From the clone’s position, hurl the battery upward into the top port before the ceiling closes.

If timed correctly, the ring activates with a satisfying hum, its gem beginning to rotate. Practice the teleport-throw sequence, as a half-second delay triggers a reset.

Conquering the Right Chamber: High-Altitude Ghost Placement

Mirroring the left but with elevated risks, the right chamber requires maximal height for ghost placement. Begin by Clawing the purple element and tossing it into the overhead opening to extend the central platform.

Success seals the ceiling doors, powering the yellow ring segment. The neutral purple aura at entrances prevents cross-chamber battery smuggling, forcing self-contained solutions.

Tackling the Central or Bottom Chamber: Platform Synchronization

The bottom or central room often serves as the gateway puzzle. Throw your chakram to a crystal-adjacent ledge, teleport, and Claw the battery to form a stable platform.

• Stand on the new ledge, chakram-throw to the top nook, and create a shadow clone.
• Repeat for layered ascents, using clones to bridge gaps.
• Final battery placement syncs with adjacent rings.

This chamber tests combo chaining: grab, teleport, place, all mid-air.

Aligning the Spinning Rings: Final Synchronization

With all three rings powered, interact with the central dial’s buttons to control speeds. Stop each ring briefly to position symbols:

• Red symbol over red segment.
• Blue over blue.
• Yellow over yellow.

Release simultaneously for a brief overlap window. Visual cues like glowing edges confirm alignment, unlocking the barrier. A chest above holds progression items.

Advanced Strategies and Troubleshooting

For smoother execution:

Video breakdowns highlight muscle memory needs, especially for the high ghost throws.

Context Within the Game’s World

This puzzle ties into Mount Qaf’s lore, where Celestial Guardians guard cosmic secrets. Upper City’s clockwork theme evokes ancient Persian astronomy, blending platforming with puzzle-solving. Post-solution, explore for Soma resources and hidden paths.

Similar challenges appear elsewhere, like waterfall platforms requiring timed jumps between cascading waters. Mastering this prepares for endgame trials.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I lack Shadow of the Simurgh?

Backtrack for the Chakram upgrade via story progression; puzzle inaccessible otherwise.

How long does the puzzle take?

10-20 minutes with practice; newcomers may need 30+ for chamber retries.

Any collectibles nearby?

Yes, Amulet Holder chest post-puzzle; scan for time powers.

Can I skip it?

No, essential for Celestial Guardians and late chapters.

Game version differences?

Core mechanics unchanged in patches; confirm latest via official notes.

Why This Puzzle Stands Out

The Upper City mechanism exemplifies The Lost Crown‘s design philosophy: rewarding ability synergy over brute force. Its multi-phase structure builds tension, culminating in triumphant alignment. Players report satisfaction akin to classic Metroid puzzles, with replay value for speedruns.

Expand your arsenal post-puzzle for Hyrcanian Forest or Sunken Harbor challenges. Share your clears in communities for tips on permadeath modes.