This is an update of 'How to Solve Wyfio' first posted in February 2024. It sets out general pointers and does not intentionally contain specific hints. At the time of writing 100 from a possible 101 puzzles have been solved.
Intro
If you've played online riddles before, you'll likely be familiar with changing URLs to progress, inspecting source code, unravelling codes and ciphers and journeying through an endless succession of unpredictable internet rabbit holes.
And whilst wyfio is quite different to the Notpron 'lineage' of riddles (check out enigmatics.org or nordinho.net for examples) you'll benefit from a similar kind of resourcefulness, tenacity, logic and, occasionally, an ability to perform a sort of lateral mental gymnastics.
But what if you've never played an online riddle before, or never even heard of such a thing? Not to worry, here are some general pointers that will assist when playing wyfio:
1. 'Toolless' Solutions...
Wyfio doesn't have much of a technical focus - every puzzle should be solvable without any specialist tools. Sure, you can use a stereogram viewer, or a tool to help you solve a code – but it will be useful to remember that wyfio puzzles have been designed to be 'toolless'. And whilst there was a stegged image on the Facebook page, this was a one-off 'Easter egg' that has now been removed.
So if you think the solution involves something super technical – it probably doesn't.
2. URL Changes
Sometimes, the puzzle design will imply a URL change is required e.g. if there's no visible 'submit' button, then perhaps the only other place you can input further information is in the address bar?
In another situation there might be a password box, but you'll need to change a URL to find some information you need to solve the puzzle. Remember, these are only general pointers. You'll need to figure out when they apply.
3. Source Code
Inspecting the source code is a staple of most online riddles. Typically, comments within the source will provide a hint. It's not something that's commonly used in wyfio, but it might occasionally be worth taking a look to see if there are any comments, or maybe some other information that tells you something about the puzzle you are trying to solve.
4. Search
Whilst some puzzles are 'self-contained', you'll often need to use a search engine to help you. And whilst search algorithms change, and the results that are served up are highly variable, I think it's worth disclosing that I typically use Google UK to 'verify' any puzzles that 'require' search. Wikipedia is often helpful too – just not exclusively.
5. Hints
The primary hint is often the puzzle title itself. It's worth thinking about the title carefully.
Wyfio also has an unlockable hints system via the 'Seer' at the Jellyfish Attractor. Extra hints are provided for specific puzzles after 10, 20, 30 and 40 solves. Some additional hints are also provided as part of the Seer's quest reward.
All of these hints are supplemental. I.e. they're a post-puzzle adjustment - something that came after the original design. And they're often a mini-puzzle in themselves. They should not contain any information that's 'essential' to solving a puzzle – but hopefully they provide something additional to think about if you're looking for fresh ideas.
6. Make Your Own Path
As of v2.8 there are 101 puzzles, and most of them will be unlocked to you if you're logged in on a registered account. Visible solve rates provide a useful proxy for difficulty, and you can also see when a puzzle was last solved. Are you ready for the challenge of an unsolved puzzle, or a puzzle that's been evading most other players for several months? If you are, great. Perhaps there's another path you'd like to take though for time-being. It's your choice.
As of v2.24 you can choose to work your way through the solved puzzles table in order of most to least solved. If you prefer this approach, please take note of its limitations. For example, potentially overlooking the context provided within the group of puzzles at an attractor, or not being able to see 'unsolved' puzzles.
7. Reach Out
If you get really stuck, try reaching out to other players, or drop a DM on Discord. Occasionally, we'll make changes to the puzzle design or add additional hints to the Seer.
8. Create Your Own Puzzles
OK so this one is a little different, but if you've made really good progress and have reached the public leaderboard then we can talk about implementing some puzzle ideas that you might have. There are currently 9 player puzzles, all of which can be found at the luminescence attractor. And whilst you can solve your own puzzles, it might be a good idea to let other players try them first :)
9. Support Us
Finally, if you enjoy our puzzles and you’d like to help out, then please tell a friend, share a social post (most active on Twitter/X), or visit our buy me a coffee page.
P.S. A word on current Large Language Models (LLM) / AI. Whilst they might have some utility in an 'enhanced search' type capacity, or to throw-up ideas for consideration, I don't know of any wyfio player that has seriously and consistently used any LLM with positive puzzle solving results. That's not to say it can't be done, but the type of high-quality inputs that current LLMs seem need to solve more complex puzzles, probably means that if you're in a position to coach it towards an answer, you didn't need it in the first place...