Order of the Sinking Star Skipping Stones Puzzle Guide

Plan the crossing before throwing a stone

Open the map, identify the shore you need to reach, then separate the problem into three parts: where the stone lands, how the current carries the lily pad, and when the character boards. The official launch description calls out route planning, river redirection, skipping stones, and rideable lily pads for the South world (official Steam news).

The release-day design-study subtitles support the same low-spoiler order: get the map first, set a lily pad in motion, test a rock against the current, and use reset tools while experimenting (map-first cue, lily pad and rock interaction, undo and current).

1. Read both maps. Press Tab to open the world map and identify the destination shore or region; press Q to open the local map and mark the water lane on the current screen. The supplied footage uses the two views to orient toward the southern destination (map controls and south destination).
2. Observe the pad and current. Note the lily pad’s position and the current direction before throwing.
3. Test one change. Try moving the lily pad first and note where the current carries it. If it moves away from the target, undo. Next test one stone against the current, then wait until both the water and pad stop moving before deciding on another throw.
4. Check a water crossing. When the target shore is separated by water, test whether a stone can skip across to create the next stepping position; confirm its landing visually before changing the current again.
5. Separate placement from timing. Once the pad is on a useful route, solve the boarding moment without changing the stone arrangement at the same time.
6. Reset early. Undo when a stone or pad becomes inaccessible. Restart when the arrangement is no longer readable, then change only one variable in the next attempt.

Use the two-pad idea as a board-specific test

If a screen gives you two lily pads, test whether putting both into the current opens the crossing, but treat that as a hypothesis for that board. In the supplied footage, the narrator says that both pads might flow down and allow a crossing before restarting to test the idea (two-pad hypothesis). The wording describes an experiment, so use the board’s actual movement as the success check.

When the two-pad test fails, check whether both pads entered the current and whether each stopped at a boardable shore. Undo to the last arrangement where both are reachable, then change only the stone landing, current direction, or boarding timing. If either pad cannot reach the target, return to the previous layout where both could still be moved.

Patch boundary for exact routes

Use release-day walkthrough footage as a visual reference and re-check every exact screen sequence on the current build. Steam’s October 9 notes mention fixes to bad checkpointing in Skipping Stones levels, while the October 12 notes mention a bad checkpoint in the third Skipping Stones level, an exploit fix in Skipping Stones to Lonely Homes, stone landing behavior, river dropping, and a camera adjustment (Steam update notes).

Use the patch notes as a symptom-to-action check:

What changed	What to do
Checkpoint differs	Stop copying inputs and reread the current map.
Stone lands in a new place	Undo and test the landing again.
River or current behavior differs	Recheck how the current carries the pad.
Camera shows a different boundary	Identify the destination from the current view.
Lonely Homes checkpoint or exploit changed	Use old footage to identify the room, not as the current input sequence.

These changes do not provide a replacement move list. Stop at the first mismatch and solve from the current layout.

When a screen does not match

Confirm the level or room identity, open the local map, and compare the starting positions of the stones, pads, and destination shore. The progressive walkthrough and hints guide gives the escalation order; the heroes, mirrors, and light guide covers mixed mechanics when another character or reflection is on the board.

The titled Skipping Stones 1 walkthrough is useful when the visible board matches its route, but the supplied subtitle file contains story context rather than the complete move sequence. Use the video picture and room identity together, then stop at the first post-patch mismatch.

When you need an exact screen route

Use the map-first method, the stone-to-pad/current relationship, and undo/restart workflow on the current board. A single current move list for every Skipping Stones screen is not available here. For a gem or dragon obstruction in a mixed room, use the dragon and gem puzzle guide and keep its room name attached to the answer.