Puzzle 096 is Arach-attack!, a 30-picarat Select puzzle on Ruins B6 in Chapter 6. Young Hershel, on his own after a rockfall splits him from Randall, drops the shovel into a deep pit. Eight poles lean in around the pit with ropes strung between them, and five poisonous spiders are climbing up out of the hole. Your job is to pick the one marked spot, out of A to E, where Hershel can stand without a spider running into him.
This page covers story Puzzle 096 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, the 3DS game (US and UK English). The pit and the answer are the same in the US and UK English versions; quotes use the North American text. If you're after Daily Puzzle 096 or Puzzle 96 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 096? below.
What Puzzle 096 is
| Name | Arach-attack! (US and UK) |
|---|---|
| Type | Select |
| Picarats | 30 |
| Location | Ruins B6, Akbadain |
| Chapter | Chapter 6 |
| How you start it | Enter the small room at the top right of the B6 map |
| Required? | Yes |
| Previous puzzle number | Puzzle 095, Snakes and Keys (Ruins B5) |
| Next puzzle number | Puzzle 097, Tilt to Traverse (Ruins B6) |
The puzzle reads: "The shovel's fallen in a pit! Hershel needs to retrieve it, but there are poisonous spiders coming up the poles. The spiders change direction any chance they get while still moving upward. They somehow manage to never bump into each other, but if they bump into Hershel, he'll be in trouble!" Then it asks: "Which of the marked spots is the only safe place for Hershel to avoid the spiders as they climb out of the hole?" The objective bar says "Avoid the spiders!"
The top screen looks straight down into the pit. Each spider sits at the bottom of a pole and climbs toward the top. Whenever it reaches a rope tied to its pole, it crosses that rope to the next pole and carries on climbing. The touch screen shows the same pit, with five ropes coloured in and marked A to E. Touch the letter of the spot you pick to give your answer.
Puzzle names
| Version | Puzzle name |
|---|---|
| North America | Arach-attack! |
| UK | Arach-attack! |
| Japanese | 毒グモのはしご (Doku Gumo no Hashigo, "the poisonous spiders' ladder") |
The name is the same in the US and UK versions. The UK text has a few wording differences: the question says "upwards", Hint 1 drops a comma, Hint 2 is reworded and spells "colour", Hint 3 is a different hint altogether, and the answer message says "Looks as though" and "creepy-crawlies". The pit and the answer are the same in the US and UK English versions.
Wrong Puzzle 096?
- Daily Puzzle 096 is Tortoises 03, from the Sun, Sand, and Turtles set.
- Puzzle 095, Snakes and Keys, is the puzzle before this one, at a locked door on Ruins B5. If yours has five keys, that's the one you've got.
- Puzzle 097, Tilt to Traverse, is the next puzzle, also on Ruins B6. If yours is a maze you tilt, that's the one you've got.
- Puzzle 96 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If yours doesn't show spiders climbing poles in a pit, you're in the wrong game.
Where you find it
Chapter 6 is the long flashback in the Akbadain ruins, where you play as young Hershel exploring with Randall. When you reach B6, Randall asks, "I'm wondering if your hundred-floors theory might be right after all. What floor is this?" Hershel answers, "By my count, this is the sixth level." Ruins B6 starts in the room at the bottom left of the floor map.
Soon after you leave the first room, the path forks. Randall says, "Uh-oh. A fork in the road. Odd that we haven't run into one before now..." Then Hershel shouts, "Randall, the ceiling! Watch out!" and falling rocks block the way. Randall decides, "No! It's OK. I'll go down this way. You go the other way. Let's see if the paths meet." Hershel answers, "All right. Be careful, Randall." From here Hershel goes on alone.
Head up through the rooms in the middle of the map to the room at the top left, then follow the corridor across the top of the map to the small room at the top right. As you walk in, Hershel says, "Good grief! This pit is enormous! Was it part of the original structure, I wonder...?" Then he cries, "The shovel!" as it falls in, and adds, "Well, that certainly wasn't the most clever thing I've ever done..." Then the puzzle starts.
You have to solve it to move on. Hershel needs the shovel back before he can carry on through B6.
When the spiders get confusing
- You lose track of a spider. Follow just one spider at a time, from the bottom of its pole to the top, the way Hint 1 suggests.
- The lines get tangled. Open the Memo Function and trace each spider in a different colour, as Hint 2 suggests.
- You're not sure when a spider changes pole. Every time a spider climbing up its pole meets a rope, it crosses that rope to the next pole. It never climbs back down.
- The game says "Too bad." The wrong-answer message is "Too bad. One of these spots is definitely safe. Stay calm and find the right one!" You can try again, and the Super Hint tells you how to rule out the other spots.
- You can't find the puzzle. It starts as soon as you walk into the small room at the top right of the Ruins B6 map.
Hints, one at a time
These are the game's own hints, word for word from the North American version and in the same order. Open only the next one you need. In the game, Hints 1 to 3 cost one hint coin each and the Super Hint costs two.
Hint 1: one spider at a time
Take one spider at a time, and trace the route it will take out of the hole.
Hint 2: use the Memo Function
If you're finding it tricky, try using the Memo Function. If you use a different color to trace each spider's route, the answer should become clear.
Hint 3: which side of the hole
There are more spiders on the right-hand side of the hole than on the left. The safe spot is likely to be on the left.
Super Hint: rule out the ropes
If you trace all the ropes that a spider will cross on its way out of the hole, you'll be left with the only safe rope to stand on.
Answer and full solution
The answer below names the safe spot, shows every spider's route out of the pit, and shows the finished puzzle. Open it when you're ready.
Show the answer
Answer: A. Touch the red A tile, on the rope between the pole on the left and the pole at the lower left.
Number the spiders by the pole they start on: 1 on the pole at the top, 2 on the upper right, 3 on the lower right, 4 on the lower left and 5 on the left. Follow each one up its pole, and every time it reaches a rope, send it across that rope to the next pole. Spider 1 ends up leaving the pit at the top of the left pole, spider 2 at the right pole, spider 3 at the bottom pole, spider 4 at the lower-left pole and spider 5 at the top pole.
Along the way, the spiders cross every marked rope except one:
- B, the blue rope at the bottom, is crossed by spider 3.
- C, the orange rope at the upper right, is crossed by spider 2.
- D, the olive-green rope at the top left, is crossed by spiders 1 and 5.
- E, the tan rope on the left, is crossed by spider 5.
- A, the red rope at the lower left, isn't crossed by any spider. In fact, it's the only rope in the whole pit that no spider uses.
The game confirms it: "The answer is A! Phew. Looks like Hershel is safe! He'd better get out of that hole before those creepy crawlies come back!"
If it still doesn't work out:
- You picked E. It's on the left, as Hint 3 says, but spider 5 crosses it on its way up.
- You picked D. Two spiders use that rope, 1 and 5.
- You picked B or C. Those are on the busy side of the pit. Spider 3 crosses B and spider 2 crosses C.
Picarats, hints and hint coins
Arach-attack! shows 30 picarats when it starts. The puzzle can award 30, 23 or 15 picarats. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value. A wrong answer brings the message "Too bad. One of these spots is definitely safe. Stay calm and find the right one!" When you come back to try again, Hershel says, "I need to find a moment when I can grab the shovel."
Hints cost hint coins, not picarats. Hints 1 to 3 cost one hint coin each and the Super Hint costs two, five in total. Ruins B6 has four hint coins: one in the room with the pit and three in the room with the red arrow on the right of the map. Those four coins cover Hints 1 to 3 with one coin left over, one short of the Super Hint, so you'll need a coin saved from earlier for that one, or you can use the free hints on this page.
Does it unlock anything?
It doesn't give you an item, but Hershel gets the shovel back, and you need it to carry on. You also get the picarats, and the puzzle counts toward your total.
Versions
- Nintendo 3DS family: this page covers the 3DS game. The pit is on the top screen, and you pick your spot on the touch screen.
- US and UK English versions: the pit and the answer are the same. The UK text differs in some wording, and its Hint 3 is a different hint.
The scene around the puzzle
If you quit the puzzle, Hershel tells himself, "I'll get it. I'll have to think fast to avoid becoming spider food."
When it's solved, Hershel says, "Whew! I got the shovel, and the spiders didn't seem to notice me. I hope I never have to do that again!"
FAQ
Where is the answer to Puzzle 096?
It's in the Answer and full solution section above, hidden until you open it. If you only want a push, open the hints one at a time first.
What is Puzzle 096 called?
Arach-attack!, in both the North American and UK versions. In Japanese it's 毒グモのはしご.
Where is Puzzle 096?
On Ruins B6, in Chapter 6. It starts when you walk into the small room at the top right of the floor map.
Do I have to solve Puzzle 096?
Yes. Hershel needs the shovel back before he can go on.
Can I fail Puzzle 096?
Yes. A wrong spot brings "Too bad.", and you can try again as many times as you need. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value.
How many picarats is Puzzle 096 worth?
It shows 30 picarats when it starts. The puzzle can award 30, 23 or 15 picarats. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value.
Is Daily Puzzle 096 the same as Puzzle 096?
No. It's a different puzzle, listed under Wrong Puzzle 096?. Story Puzzle 096 is the spider puzzle on Ruins B6.
More Miracle Mask puzzles
- Puzzle 095: Snakes and Keys
- Puzzle 097: Tilt to Traverse
- Puzzle 094: Cursed Case
- Puzzle 093: Hershel vs. Mummies!
- Puzzle 092: Ancient Artistry
- Puzzle 091: Totem Tumbler
- Puzzle 090: Loose Connection
- Puzzle 089: Pumpkin Spinners
- Puzzle 088: Glass Arrows
- Puzzle 60: Dangerous Holes
- Puzzle 100: Gate to the Ruins!
- Puzzle 113: Chip Champions
- Puzzle 118: Evenly Matched 3
- Puzzle 122: Kitty Solitaire 3
For the rest of the game's puzzles, see the Miracle Mask puzzle index.