How to Solve Miss Jackson's Talisman Puzzle – Alone in the Dark

When exploring the French Quarter at the end of Chapter 1 of Alone in the Dark, you’ll be told to visit Miss Jackson’s séance parlor in order to learn more about Jeremy’s talisman. When you get there, you’ll encounter your first talisman puzzle. This guide will help you solve it, and leave you with some general tips for the other talisman puzzles you’ll face while playing Alone in the Dark.

Starting the Puzzle

Once you reach Miss Jackson’s place in the French Quarter, step right up to her cluttered table and grab the talisman sitting there (Image 1). It will be your primary tool for accessing the many worlds and memories you’ll have to visit in order to beat the game (Image 2). With the talisman in hand, you won’t have to go far – simply activate the circular wooden board right there on the table (Image 3). Your character will insert the talisman into the appropriate slot and the puzzle will begin.

alone in the dark miss jackson talisman location — (1)

alone in the dark miss jackson talisman description — (1)

Solving the Puzzle

The solution to this puzzle is fairly simple. And in fact, you already have it with you. If you’d like to know how you’re supposed to figure it out – simply access The Commonplace Book (Image 4) or the Talisman Schematics (Image 5) items from your Investigation screen and you’ll get the correct numbers for the puzzle:

3 – 5 – 8, from outer to inner

The Commonplace Book even shows you which section of the talisman needs to show which number, and holds solutions for several other puzzles you’ll find later on in the game.

alone in the dark miss jackson talisman commonplace book — (4)

alone in the dark miss jackson talisman schematics — (4)

This brings us to the actual mechanics of the puzzle. The talisman has 3 separate circular sections with numbers 0-9 written on them (the empty spot is 5 on the outer and middle sections, and 0 on the inner section). When solving the puzzle, you press up or down to select a section. Then, you’ll need to press left or right to actually rotate them. If you’re playing with the Modern or specific Custom guidance method you’ll see a row of numbers on the right side of your screen showing you which numbers the talisman’s sections are set to (Image 6). If you’re going Old-School, you’ll have to actually look at the board (Image 7).

alone in the dark miss jackson talisman modern — (6)

alone in the dark miss jackson talisman old school — (6)

For the outer section, the correct number is indicated by an easy-to-miss arrow on the bottom of the talisman’s outer rim. For the middle section, you should watch for the arrow going from the outer section’s 5. And for the inner section, watch for the 5-arrow of the middle section.

alone in the dark miss jackson talisman legend

Using either the numbers on the right side of the screen or the visual method, rotate the talisman so that the outer section is set at 3, the middle section is set at 5, and the inner section is set at 8.

alone in the dark miss jackson talisman solution

Doing so will unlock the door in the back of Miss Jackson’s apartment and allow you to leave the French Quarter and complete Chapter 1.

alone in the dark miss jackson talisman exit

With this, you can be on your way. We hope our guide was helpful. If you have trouble with any other part of the game, do consult our complete walkthrough.