In Atomic Heart, you’ll encounter a variety of obstacles. To save yourself the trouble of frustrating trial-and-error attempts, let’s break down the mechanics of the most common locks.

1. Master Key (Classic)

The first castle you will encounter in the Vavilov complex.

  • How to open: Use the mouse or stylus to adjust the position of the Major P-3 glove. Your goal is to find the angle at which the wellbore rotates all the way.
  • Secret: Unlike in Skyrim or Fallout, the lockpick in Atomic Heart doesn’t break. Don’t be afraid to turn it in all directions. The smoother the rotation, the closer you are to the correct position.
2. Piston Lock (Finger Snaps)

One of the most dynamic locks, operating on a reaction mechanism.

  • Mechanics: As soon as you start, the timer will begin. A red light will move in a circle. Your task is to snap your fingers the moment the light is directly opposite the extended piston.
  • Secret: After each successful click, the light changes direction and speeds up. If you make a mistake and click while the piston is already retracted, it will pop out again.
  • Life hack: If you’re running out of time, keep in mind that the game slightly slows down the light’s movement after failed attempts, giving you a head start.
3. Lock with colored circles

Pure logic without time constraints.

  • How to open: You need to align the colored dots on the inner disc with the corresponding indicators on the outer ring.
  • Mechanics: You can rotate the disc itself and swap the positions of the three circles in the bottom position.
  • Secret: First, place one color in its correct position. Then calculate how many positions you need to move the second color, rotate the disc toward it, swap them, and rotate the disc back. If there are three colors, you may sometimes need to temporarily remove a correctly placed disc to make room for the maneuver.