Helix: Descent N Ascent requires you to solve puzzles using five unique abilities, and by combining them, you can create an entirely different result. You’ll have to unlock the glyphs using different combinations of abilities. After the false ending, you’ll have to reload the save file to resume the game, and from there, you can follow this part of the walkthrough.
For more information about the game, please visit its official Steam page here.
Table of contents
Sandglass, Drone, And Hook
Most of the ability pairs will include Sandglass because it drastically changes the effects of all other abilities. When you exit the main hall after selecting the desired glyph, you’ll enter an area with a diamond-shaped glyph on the ground. You’ll enter this same area for all the ability pairs from now on.
Since your current abilities are Sandglass, Drone, and Hook, go up after exiting the main hall. You’ll have to use Sandglass to open a path ahead. After that, go left to arrive in the main quest area. You’ll find a circular device here. There are a total of three levers that you have to pull inside the entire quest area. Once you pull all three, the glyph will appear on this circular device.
Summon the drone, and use the Sandglass. The Hook ability will change into the Ball. Use the ball on the Drone to remove its life bar. Now, the drone can go to extreme distances with ease. Send it into the vent. There will be three switches inside the vents. Press all of them and go left of the circular device. There will be a lever on the wall. Use the Ball ability on the lever to pull it down.
After that, go right of the circular device. You’ll enter a dungeon-like area. You’ll have to use the ball on the switch and proceed to adjust the platforms accordingly so you can reach the next section.
In the next area, you’ll find an arcade machine to your left. There’s also a pipe in the area. Use the drone and the Hook to get to the pipe.
After that, you’ll find a statue. This can be quite tricky since you have to use the drone and hook together. Draw a path that lets you drop on the stairs on the left. You’ll find the next lever shortly ahead.
After that, you’ll have to use the hook and the drone ability to latch onto the lever. There will be a statue here. Use the Ball on the statue to push it onto the teleporting tile. There’s also another statue in the area. You can use the hook attached to the drone to pull the statue onto the teleporting tile. Once all of that is done, go to the right side of the lever. Use the balls to control the lever and to move the statues to the pressure plates. You’ll find the last lever ahead.
Block, Cage, And Drone
After exiting the main glyph room, go right. Follow the path ahead. You’ll need to feed the crab on the way to the machine. There will be three diamond-shaped pressure plates in the next room and one pressure plate with a circle on it. Drop one block in the water with the drone and put the other block on the pressure plate behind the bars. Step on the last diamond-shaped pressure plate near the gate to open the path ahead.
Keep going ahead. You’ll find a big crab. Put it on the big pressure plate to open the path ahead. In the next area, you’ll find a gigantic pressure plate with a big crab on it. Put the crab in a bottle and go up. There will be two big pressure plates in the area here. You’ll have to return and get the big crab that you encountered previously, alongside the one that you found on the giant pressure plate, and put them on the plates in the next room.
Doing so will open the gate below. Go there, and you’ll find a gigantic crab. Throw the maximum cage on it once it gets exhausted after smashing the ground a few times. Put the gigantic crab on the giant pressure plate. This will open the path to the first lever.
Return to the circular mechanism in the middle and go right. There will be a crab here. Put it in a bottle and feed it to the machine, and you’ll be able to move ahead. You’ll find a vent in the next area. Send the drone to press the switch inside the vent. The next machine will require the essence of flies, which can be found nearby. After that, you’ll find yourself in front of a vent. There’s a teleportation tile below. You can also find a lever here, but it is hidden.
Put the block on the teleport tile and pull the lever. Use the drone to drop the block on the pressure plate under the water. In the next area, you’ll need the essence of flies. However, there are only crabs nearby. Here, you’ll have to create a block. Pick the block up with a drone and drop it on the crab. Some flies will appear shortly, and you can put them in the machine. This will open the path to the second lever.
Return to the main area and go north this time. In the area, you’ll need to put the dragonfly inside the machine. The dragonfly isn’t easy to catch. You’ll first have to drop the block on a crab. Once it’s rotten, put it in a bottle and drop it near the dragonfly. The dragonfly will try to eat the flies, and you have to throw a fully enhanced cage on it while it’s busy to catch it. Once you’ve caught it, put its essence on the machine and you’ll be able to find the third and final lever.
Block, Drone, And Hook
From the main glyph hall, go south. You’ll have to use the drone to unlock the path ahead. You’ll have to teleport the block in front of the main gate and use the drone to put it on the pressure plate to unlock the main gate.
Go left from the circular mechanism. There’s a big gap here. Put the block on the other side with a drone and use the hook on it to get there. Use the drone and hook to pull the lever in the next area. This will open a vent. Send the drone inside the vent to unlock the gate.
Here, you’ll find multiple teleport tiles. There’s also a switch here. First, teleport the drone and let it wait on the side. Then, teleport the block. Use the drone to put the block on the pressure plate to the left. Go to the south section. Place the block on the teleport tile to the left. Next, stand on the teleportation tile and use the drone to press the switch. You’ll teleport to the room. Pull the lever here, and it will teleport the block inside the tiny room to the right. Leave the room by pressing the switch in the middle. Use the drone to press the block on the pressure plate.
As you move ahead, you’ll find the next entrance at some distance. Use the block and the drone and put it on the other side. Use the hook to swap places with the block. You’ll find the lever inside. You won’t be able to leave the area from the same path. There’s another path heading right from this room. Go there.
In the next few sections, you’ll find statues that are held firmly in place by the terrain. You’ll have to use the Hook and Drone creatively to reach the places that are hard to reach near these statues. There will be a room with a statue and three pressure plates. Use the hook and drone to reach the enclosed area and drop blocks on the two pressure plates at the bottom. This will open the path to the second lever here.
Go south from the second lever to reach the circular mechanism. Go right from here. Stand on the teleport tile and pull the lever using drone + hook. You’ll find a statue on the right side of the screen. Use the blocks + drone to drag the statue to the left and place it on the teleport tile. You’ll have to use the hook to give it a final push.
Go to the above section. Stand on the teleport tile here and have the drone press the switch. You’ll arrive on the right side of the area. As you push the statue through the water, you’ll have to stand on the pressure plate to lower the fence. Use the hook + drone to drag the statue to the left side and onto the teleport tile. Now, you’ll have to go on the left side as well. Drop a block on the pressure plate to keep the fence down. Use the other block + drone to drop the block on the left side. Use Hook on it to get to the left.
Press the button on the switch, and the statue will be teleported to the top-left section. Use the Drone + Hook on the statue to land in the middle ground. You’ll be able to find the lever here.
Sandglass, Block, And Drone
From the main hall, go left. Use the blocks to traverse the water. Keep going left. Once you reach the main gate, you’ll find two pressure plates on the left. Use the drone + block to drop the blocks on the two pressure plates and switch the sandglass.
In the next area, you’ll have to use the drone on the blocks, switch the sandglass to phase through thin walls with the drone, and then you’ll be able to drop the blocks on the pressure plates.
You’ll then enter a room. There’s a teleport tile on the other side of the thin wall to the right. Drop a block here using the drone in the sandglass mode. Send the drone to the right, and you’ll find a switch here. Press it. This will teleport the block to the left. Use the drone to drop the block on the nearby pressure plate. This will open the path ahead.
There will be a big crab here. Leave the drone near the big crab, and it will press the plate below, opening the path ahead. Have the drone eat the block and phase through the gate. Drop the block on the pressure plate right in front of the lever.
Go south from the room and go right after that. Drop the block on the pressure plate under the water using the drone. Return to the room with the switch and press it. This will teleport the block to the right. Send the drone through the vent, and it will open the path forward. You’ll find the second lever here. Press the switch on the teleport tile to arrive back at the circular mechanism.
From there, go up. You’ll enter a new section here. Stand on the teleport tile and use the drone to look for a switch in the room to the right. Here, you’ll have to move the blocks and the drones accordingly in such a way that you end up in the room to the left. If you exit the room, you’ll find yourself in the next section.
Here, you’ll have to stand on the teleport tile and send the drone to press the switches. It’s just one switch here that cycles through three teleport tiles. If you press the switch again, you’ll end up in a tight space. Here, you have to drop a block and use the drone to phase through the wall to the left and drop the block on the pressure plate.
If you do it right, you’ll find a path to the third lever. However, getting out of the area is another problem as well. Use the drone to drop the block on the teleport tile. After that, press the switch twice. Send the drone southeast and it will find the block. Drop the block on the pressure plate, and it will free your character. You’ll have to use the same teleport tile that cycles through three locations to get back.
Once you’re back to the previous section, you’ll have to use the same teleport tiles to return to the entrance. It can get a bit tricky here, but the drone will be doing most of the work by phasing through walls until you reach the glyph.
Sandglass, Block, And Hook
From the main hall, go to the southwest exit. The path will lead you to a room with two underwater pressure plates. Here, you’ll have to kick the blocks on them using the Sandglass version of the Block. This combination of abilities opens up a lot of options for you to solve the puzzles. There will be a big gap ahead. Kick the block and use the Hook to teleport to it.
From there, you have to go up. There will be a few sections here where you have to place the block on the pressure plates. Just kick the blocks and use the ball to drag the blocks. One of the sections has a statue on the other side, alongside three pressure plates. You have to adjust the statue first and then kick the blocks on the statue to stop them from falling. Use the ball to position the blocks correctly.
In the next section, you’ll find a statue on the left and three pressure plates on the right. However, the gap is too big for you to kick anything properly. You’ll first have to go right by kicking two blocks. Use the ball on the statue and drag it to the right. Keep placing blocks in front of it by kicking them into the statue.
Kick one block to the left. Then, place one block on a pressure plate and stand on the other. Use the hook to swap places with the block, and the path ahead will open. You’ll find the second lever here. The next few puzzles are easy. The challenging one features a tile to the left and a switch to the right. You’ll first have to reach the teleport tile on the left. Kick two blocks to the right. One of them will hit the wall on the right. Now, throw the ball on the switch to teleport yourself to the next room. Place a block on one of the pressure plates here.
Press the switch inside the room to return to the main area. Use the ball to drag the block on the right closer to you. Use Hook to swap places with the block. Throw a ball at the block and use the character to press the switch. Use the ball’s control to place the second block on the second pressure plate. You’ll find the third lever in the next room.
Sandglass, Hook, And Cage
Go right from the Glyph room. You’ll find a crab on the way. Feed it to the machine and keep going. You’ll encounter a main gate ahead, but you don’t have to go there. Go south instead, and you’ll find several floating platforms with an orb in the middle. You’ll have to use the Sandglass version of the Hook, the ball, to assume control of these platforms. Your goal here is to reach the bottom-right corner of the screen.
From the circular mechanism, go right. You’ll find a pond here. The Cage skill, when used with Sandglass, allows you to transform into a bug or a fish. The second transformation changes depending on the quest. Turn into a fish, jump into the water, and go up. Keep going right in the water until you find a place to turn back to normal. The first lever will be nearby. Now, throw a ball on the ground and use the hook on it. Then, use the hook again on a fish under the water. This will allow you to get the essence of a fish in a bottle for the machines ahead.
As you enter the dungeon area, you’ll find a bug nearby. Here, you have to keep throwing the bug forward as you proceed. You’re unable to transform while carrying a cage, so you’ll have to keep throwing it across the gaps.
There will be a device here that requires the bug’s essence. Feed it into the machine. Pull the lever, and it will open the hatch under the water. Go back to the water stream and turn into a fish. Go through the hatch. You’ll find the second lever here. Go south from the area. Keep progressing ahead. You’ll find a crab here and a machine that requires crab essence. Feed the crab to the machine, and a new path will open.
Here, you’ll find a pool of water to the right. There are also two floating platforms on the left. Here, you have to adjust the platforms on the left so that they make a straight path.
Before you go to the area on the left, don’t forget to catch one of the fish in a bottle for the machine. Go left once you’re ready. Adjust the platforms so that you can safely reach the ledge on the top-left corner of the screen. Feed the fish to the machine, and it will open the path south of it. Adjust the platforms again to create a path to the ledge on the south. You’ll find the third lever here.
Block, Cage, And Hook
From the glyph room, go left. Cross the water with blocks and keep going left. There’s a fish in the water. Use the cage on the ground and then use the hook on it. Then, use the cage on the fish to catch it and feed it to the machine. Next, you’ll find a crab guarding a machine that requires a fish.
However, the machine is locked. You’ll first have to summon a block and use the cage on it to enhance its power. Then, use the enhanced cage on the big crab. Feed the crab to the nearby machine. This will open the lock on the fish machine. There’s a fish in the pond. Catch it and feed it to the machine to open the next gate.
As you enter the dungeon area, you’ll find a crab near a pressure plate. Pull the fish out of the water and throw it on the pressure plate. Enhance the cage and catch the big crab. Feed the big crab to the machine. Pick up the fish using the hook + cage and proceed to the next room. Feed the fish to the machine here, and it will open the pond that has a big fish in it. Use blocks to create a path to reach the left side first. Once you’re there, enhance the cage and use it on the fish with the help of the hook. Feed the big fish to the second machine here.
In the next room, you’ll find a big crab. Turn the big crab into a bottle, and place a block on the pressure plate. Go to the room on the left. You’ll find the lever here. After pulling the lever, go to the room to the north. There’s another big fish in the pond to the left. Turn it into a bottle. Place the bottle on the ground and use the hook on it. Use the hook again on the pressure plate at a distance.
Keep going. You’ll encounter four pressure plates in the next room. Drop blocks on the two pressure plates under the water. Put the big crab on one of the two pressure plates to the right side of the room. Stand on the remaining one, and it will open the path ahead. Pick the crab back up again as you’ll need it again in the next room. Use the similar strategy in the next two rooms to proceed to the second lever.
In the final half, you’ll find the path blocked by a long eel. You can’t do anything to cross it yet. Go to the extreme left. You’ll find a few fish here in the water. Catch one fish at a time and throw it in front of the eel’s mouth. The eel will move ahead to eat the fish. Do it thrice and it will pass the movable platform. Once the eel is ahead, press the switch, and it will trigger the movable platform to build a path for you.
Sandglass, Drone, And Cage
Go south from the glyph room. You’ll have to use the drone to unlock the path. You’ll eventually reach a lever. Phase through the gate with the sandglass drone and use it to press the switch. After that, use the sandglass cage to turn into a bug to get into the sewers.
For this quest, the second form of the sandglass version of the cage ability is the flies. You can turn into a group of flies to cross vast distances easily. You can also use the flies transformation to go into vents yourself. The first section is easy. You just have to feed the machines the required type of essence and deliver a bug to the pressure plate to pull the lever and proceed to the next part of the section.
Exit from the left side of the dungeon and go south to return to the circular mechanism. From here, go right this time as a group of flies. Pull the lever and proceed ahead. Near the locked path, you’ll find an exit to the right. Here, you can find a bug. Turn the bug into a bottle. Use the teleporter tile in front of the locked gate with the help of the drone. You’ll teleport to another room. Place the bug on the pressure plate here. Now, bring another bug from the room. Let the drone pick up the bug bottle and place it on the pressure plate in the top-right room.
You’ll reach a ledge. Here, you have to turn into flies and go left. You’ll find a small opening here. Turn into a bug and get inside. You’ll find a long vent here. Go in the vent as flies and put the rotten crab in a bottle. Exit the vent and throw the rotten crab outside. Use the flies on the rotten crab to feed the machine. This will unlock the second lever. Turn into a bug and access the small room to the right. There will be a device here. Access the device, and you’ll be able to clear the fog in the next section.
Exit the area from the same small opening. Turn into flies and keep going left. You’ll find another area here. The initial puzzles in this new area are easy. Once you’ve fed the two machines in the main room the required type of essence, you’ll be able to access the small opening, which will lead you to a teleportation tile. Leave a drone outside before going into the opening as a bug. Use the drone to press the switches, and that will let you teleport to the area with a few small crabs. Turn the crab into a bottle and use the drone to deliver the essence. You’ll unlock the path to the third lever from here.
Sandglass, Block, And Cage
Go north from the glyph room. Use the sandglass to show you a path. There will be a big crab guarding the way. Turn it into a bottle and keep going. Place the big crab on the big pressure plate inside the room, and it will open the path for you.
Turn into a bug to enter the small opening to the north of the circular mechanism. In this quest, the second transformation is of a small crab. You can dig under the raw ground as a crab. An exclamation mark will appear on the crab’s head when you can dig under the ground. Inside the opening, you’ll find your path blocked by a trunk. Use the crab’s dig ability to go under the trunk and into the next area.
In the next room, you’ll find dirt marks on the wall. You can dig into the wall as a crab to reach the other side of the platforms. As you progress, you’ll find more dirt marks where you can dig under the ground. In the next area, you’ll find three pressure plates. Place two blocks on the two pressure plates. There will be a rotten crab nearby. Place it on the third pressure plate.
For the next hurdle, you’ll have to go right, near the locked gate. There are two pressure plates here. Create a block to the north of the locked gate and step on it. From here, activate sandflash and use the option to kick blocks. You’ll be able to press the two pressure plates easily. There will be a lever in the next room.
Now, you’ll find a pressure plate. To press the plate easily, you’ll have to kick a block towards the tiny crab. Once it turns into a rotten crab, put it in a cage and drop it on the pressure plate. You’ll eventually find yourself on a tower. Use the crab’s ability to climb up on the tower.
You’ll find the second lever on the top. Keep going inside the tower. You’ll find a full room full of big crabs here. Put one of the big crabs in a bottle to clear the path and keep going. In the next section, you have to place a crab in such a way that it blocks the blocks kicked by you right on top of the pressure plate. Progress to the next room. On the way forward, you’ll have to adjust the two movable pillars and feed the machine a big crab to unlock the next gate.
In the next chamber, you’ll find a gigantic crab. Use a fully enhanced cage on it and feed it to the nearby machine. You’ll be able to proceed to the third lever here.
Hook, Cage, And Drone
Easily one of the more challenging quests, you’ll have to head to the southwest exit from the glyph room. Turn the crab in the room into a bottle and have the drone deliver it to the machine to open the main gate. From the circular mechanism, go right. You’ll find a rotten crab here.
Feed its flies to the machine nearby. You’ll enter a room with a large vent. Here, you have to create a drone and attach the hook to it. This will eliminate the health bar, allowing it to survive longer. Eat up the flies on the way and deliver them to the machine on the other end.
The next section is the same as well. Once you clear it, you’ll find the first lever. Return to the circular mechanism and go north this time. You’ll find four devices here, each requiring a different type of essence. First, go right. You’ll find a statue here. Adjust the statue with the help of drone + hook skills so that it is pressing both of the pressure plates. Enter the vent, and you’ll find the essence of flies.
Go right. You’ll find a hut here. There are four levers inside the hut. You have to make sure the levers are set in this order from the left: left, right, left, right. There will be a crab here. Next, you’ll have to go up on the cliff. There will be a pole here that you can use the hook on. As you go ahead on the cliff, you’ll encounter a bug.
Only the fish remains. Keep going south. You’ll find a statue on a pressure plate here. Move the statue to the teleportation tile. Go left and step on the top pressure plate. Summon a drone and use it to activate the switch. This will teleport the statue next to you. Drag the statue onto one pressure plate and stand on the other one. This will retract the bridge, and a fish will be revealed under it. Catch the fish and feed it to the machine. To get back, you’ll have to return to the room on the left, stand on the teleport tile, and use the drone to press the switch.
Once you’ve fed all the essences to the machines, it will open a path to the second lever. Next, you’ll find a way into a giant pool. There will be fish here in the water. Catch the fish with the cage ability and feed them to the drone. Use the drone to locate the nearby machines that require the essence of fish. Doing so will unlock bridges.
After the bridge takes you to the area on the left, summon a drone and use the hook on it. There’s a hidden path under the mountain for another essence machine.
Go northwest ahead. You’ll find another essence machine here. However, it is locked. Pick up a fish and feed it to the drone. Send the drone in the northwest direction; you’ll find a pressure plate in the middle of nowhere. Drop the fish on the plate, and it will unlock the essence machine. Feed the machine a fish, and it will open the path forward. This will open the path leading to the final lever.
Secret Ending
To get the Secret Ending, you’ll first have to unlock all 25 glyphs. One of the collectible documents shows a map. From the glyph on the floor with all the glyphs, you have to follow a certain path to reach the gate.
From the glyph on the ground, go south first. This will unlock an infinite sequence. If you follow the steps provided in the map above, you’ll be able to find a way ahead. Exit the white section in the direction that is described on the map. You’ll eventually reach the gate. This will also unlock the Secret Ending achievement.
This concludes Part 3 of the walkthrough for Helix: Descent N Ascent.
If you’re looking for more walkthroughs of the game, please visit the game’s main hub here. You may also like the following pages:
- Into Indie Games Homepage
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Fahad Suleman is an avid fan of fighting games who spends most of his time writing walkthroughs and reviews for cozy indie titles or mashing around in Tekken. If he’s not writing or playing any games, you’ll often find him watching historical videos on YouTube for hours.
