4166 / 1899 Puzzle

Spoiler warning: this page goes from light hints to a full step-by-step answer. Stop at the level of detail you want.

Where you find this puzzle

Early on, near the beach, you'll find a small structure holding a prize item inside a frosted glass container, with a sign hanging above it showing two four-digit numbers: 4166 and 1899. Containers like this only open when a teammate is holding down a button somewhere else on the map — the puzzle is figuring out where that button is.

Light hint (no spoilers)

If you find this right after finishing the tutorial puzzles, you're not missing anything — it's not solvable yet. Leave it and come back after you've solved five other puzzles and completed the red tower.

Medium hint

Keep the format of those two numbers in mind — two separate four-digit values — as you explore the rest of the island. You'll eventually come across an item (actually, two different items) that make sense of them.

Full solution

4166 and 1899 are latitude and longitude coordinates pointing to the button's location. There are two different tools that can help you use them — you only need one.

Method 1: the map

Place five nubbins (the game's term for its collectible prize items) on the red tower's roof to unlock the map room next to the starting hub. Inside is a large floor map, plus a portable folding map and compass you can carry with you.

On the map, longitude runs along the top/bottom edge and latitude along the sides. Use 41 and 18 (the first two digits of each number) to find the general grid square — it's to the south-east of the starting hub. The trailing digits refine the position within that square: 66 puts you roughly two-thirds of the way down from the top of the square, and 99 puts you as far east as the square goes, right along its edge. At that spot, look for a small button hidden behind a rock.

Solving it needs two players: one holds the button down while the other returns to the puzzle building to grab the prize once the glass container opens. Bring walkie-talkies so you can coordinate between the two locations.

Method 2: the GPS device

This one takes longer to find. Head to the green tower — it's in the same general area as the button — and look just outside it for a red frame holding a GPS device, next to another sign with a different set of numbers.

The GPS shows your current coordinates and can be held up to show teammates or attached to someone's backpack. With one player wearing it, a second player can direct them by watching whether the readout is getting closer to or further from the button's coordinates as they move — no map-reading required, just following the numbers down to zero.

After you solve it

Once the button is held and the container opens, the prize is yours. If you want to save this puzzle for a specific play session, remember it genuinely can't be solved until you've cleared five other puzzles and the red tower — there's no shortcut around that gate.