Loom
First posted on 01 April 2010. Last updated on 01 April 2010.
You play the 17-year-old Bobbin Threadbare from the Guild of Weavers. Much of the back story is included in an audio drama at the beginning of the game, but it is not necessary to listen through it before you start playing the game.
- Spoiler alert! The following cheat contains spoilers in the form of hints, walkthroughs, guides, or solutions to the game. Viewer discretion is advised.
General tips
Loom has 3 skill or proficiency levels: Standard, Practice, and Expert. To understand the difference (Figure 1), you need to understand how the interface in the game works. Loom is unique in that it has no inventory or action verbs with which you interact. Instead, you use a magical distaff to play a tune (or "spin a draft") that performs an action. Each draft consists of 4 notes (or "threads"). The drafts are collected from various objects and people you encounter in the game. Most of these drafts are randomized at the start of the game, so that if they are missed or forgotten, you will need to start over again. It is advised that you write down the threads of the drafts as they are being learned, if you cannot memorize them.
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In Expert mode, only the sounds of the threads are played. In Standard mode, a scale is present below the distaff and the distaff lights up with each thread. In Practice mode, the letter of the threads are displayed with the scale. The game uses a standard musical scale in C major (CDEFGABC'). You can spin a draft either by pressing 12345678, CDEFGABC' (with shift C for C'), or QWERTYUI. In the EGA version, a minor bonus scene is included as a reward when the Expert mode is played. In the VGA version, the scene is included in all modes.
In some versions of Loom, a copy protection screen (Figure 2) appears at the beginning of the game. If the player enters the incorrect code 3 times, the game will start in demo mode. In demo mode, you will never learn the F thread, making it impossible for you to leave the Loom island.
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Loom island
Go down from the cliff, and head right until you reach the village. Go into the village and enter the tent to the left. Go right until you reach the Great Loom and watch the cut scene. Pick up the distaff on the ground. If you try to either exit the scene or double click on the egg, you will learn your first draft: OPENING. The threads for the this draft are always ECED. By spinning the draft in reverse, the action will also reverse. This means that you can close an object by playing the threads DECE. Choose the egg and spin the OPENING draft. Watch the cut scene.
Double click on the Loom to find the next draft: TRANSCENDENCE. The threads for this draft are always C'FGC. However, several of these threads are too high for you to play yet. As you only know 3 of the possible 7 threads for now, you need to find more and practice before you can spin this draft.
Exit the tent and leave the village. Go to the forest on the left (Figure 3). There are several trees with 4 holes in them. Click on all of them. For 3 of the 4 holes, you will find an owl living in the hole. The last owl is missing, and you need to find it. Go left to the graveyard. The owl is sleeping on a tombstone. To wake up the owl, click on the bushes to the left. Take a look at the grave to get a hint. Go back to the owls to the right. Click the last hole to gain a new draft: NIGHT VISION.
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Go back to the cliff. Go all the way up to the tree. Click the sky and spin the OPENING draft on the sky. Go back down and return to the village. Go into the first tent on the right. It is dark in there. Click on the darkness to the left side of the tent. Spin the NIGHT VISION draft to brighten up the room. Click on the spinning wheel to reveal another draft: STRAW INTO GOLD. Try to spin this draft on the straw nearby. You can also spin the draft in reverse to get the opposite effect.
Exit the tent, and enter the rightmost tent. Click the green dye-pot to get a new draft: DYEING. Spin the draft on any of the white clothing nearby. You can also spin the draft in reverse to bleach the clothing in green back to white. In the same tent, you see a flask that will fall down to reveal the next draft: EMPTYING, but it is out of your reach for now.
By now, you should have learned the F thread. If not, make sure that you spin all of the following drafts: OPENING on the egg, the sky, and/or the clam at the shore; OPENING in reverse to close the clam at the shore (when the seagull has left after you exit and reenter the area); NIGHT VISION in the dark tent; STRAW INTO GOLD and its reverse on the straw or gold in the same tent; DYEING and its reverse on the wool, heap, cloth rack in the tent where the dye-pot is and on the Long Tapestry in the large tent where the Loom is. You can also observe TRANSCENDECE from the Loom and EMPTYING from the flask, but you cannot spin them yet. If the note is still not available, it may be because you are playing in the demo mode or have failed the copy protection test.
Now it is time to leave the island. Go to the shore and jump into the water and ride the floating tree. You will soon reach a waterspout. The twisted waterspout reveals the next draft: TWISTING. To get past the waterspout you simply spin the draft in reverse to untwist it. Sail onto the main land to the left and to the Guild of Glassmakers.
Guild of Glassmakers
By now, you should have learned the G thread. Go into the forest, and continue up the left path until some shepherds appear. They will reveal a new draft, but you really just need its reverse. No draft you currently know will work on them. Leave and learn the reversed draft: INVISIBILITY.
Go down the path to reach Crystalgard. Explore the several entrances and exits there. You will find some tiny glass bells which can trigger a teleport. You will find a chalice, which you can fill by spinning the EMPTYING draft in reverse, but this is optional.
There is a crystal ball called the Scrying Sphere that is out of your reach for now. Use the bell teleport to teleport to some workers, but they will throw you out. Go outside and spin the INVISIBILITY draft on them. You now appear invisible to them and can walk past them and use the bell on the other side to reach the Scrying Sphere. Look at it to find out how to get past the shepherds and reveal a new draft: TERROR. You can gaze into the crystal ball 2 more times for other glimpses into the future. The TRANSCENDENCE draft is revealed once again, but it is still out of your reach. After 3 visions, the Scrying Sphere will simply cycle through previous visions. Teleport back up. Look at the Great Scythe to reveal another draft: SHARPENING, although it is also out of your reach. You can spin the INVISIBILITY draft in reverse on the workers, but it is optional.
Go back into the forest. Spin the TERROR draft on the shepherds as shown in the Scrying Sphere to scare them away. Go left to the Guild of Shepherds.
Guild of Shepherds
Watch the shepherd sleeping. If you click on the sheep, they will wake him up. This in turn will lead the shepherd to reveal a new draft: SLEEP, which he spins on the sheep. Continue down to the meadows to the left, and enter the nearby hut. Look at the lamb. Fleece will arrive. She will teach you a new draft: HEALING, which fails for her, but which you will later master when your skills are higher. Go outside and make the sheep less visible by spinning the DYEING draft on them to turn them green.
Whoops, the dragon kidnaps you instead of the sheep! Luckily for you, the dragon is kind. Spin the STRAW INTO GOLD draft in reverse on the stolen gold in the dragon's lair to turn it into straw. By now, you should have learned the A note. You need to set the straw on fire. You can do this by either spinning the SLEEP draft on the dragon or, if you have missed that draft, the TERROR draft on the dragon. Both drafts will cause a fire which forces the dragon to escape, after which an exit will appear (Figure 4).
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Since the tunnels are dark, spin the NIGHT VISION draft on the darkness. Follow the map (Figures 5) to explore around. Sometimes you can enter the same cave and come out of a different cave each time. You begin at A (which is blue in some versions of the game), and you need to reach N (which is red in some versions of the game). Go through B to reach C. Continue to the right to D.
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Continue down the stairs from E to F (Figure 6). You will then be at G, Continue to the left until you reach H. Continue to I and to the left until you fall down from J to K.
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You will now find a pool where you can see your reflection. It will reveal a new draft: REFLECTING. You can also spin the EMPTYING draft to drain the pool to reveal another Scrying Sphere, but this is optional. Gaze into it to see 3 new visions. Continue to the right around the corner to L and then from M to N and exit the cave.
You will find that the path is blocked. Spin the TWISTING draft in reverse on the stairway to untwist it. Continue down to reach the Guild of Blacksmiths.
Guild of Blacksmiths
Look at the boy sleeping. His name is Rusty. Wake him up by spinning the SLEEP draft in reverse. He will also wake up if you try to spin any other draft on him. He will show you around. You can try to get into the Forge by spinning the OPENING draft on the gate, but you will be thrown out. You will not get into the Forge without being a member of the Guild of Blacksmiths. Spin the REFLECTING draft on Rusty. You now look like him and him like you. You can wake him up if you want to do so after the switch. Go right and down to the Forge. You will now be let in.
Continue around the Forge to the right. Unfortunately, your distaff is mistaken as firewood and is taken away from you. You will also be thrown into a locked cell. There is not much you can do without your distaff, so just sleep on the straw, and watch the cut scene. Meanwhile, the dragon seeks revenge and kills poor Rusty, mistaking him for you.
When Hetchel gives you back your distaff, open the cell door. If you want to be kind, you may spin the STRAW INTO GOLD draft on the straw in the cell. Exit the cell. Again, if you want to be kind, you can fill up the firewood bin by spinning the EMPTYING draft in reverse on it. Go down the stairs, and listen to the conversation.
From time to time, the blacksmith will hold his sword in the air. Spin the SHARPENING draft in reverse to unsharpen the blade of his sword. If you have missed that draft, you can instead spin the TWISTING draft on it. Either way, you will be caught and taken to the Guild of Clerics.
Guild of Clerics
You will be locked in a cage. Spin the OPENING draft on the door. You will lose your distaff again, as Mandible wants it to open the graveyard to make an army of the dead. Try to gaze into the Scrying Sphere. Cob will die by gazing on an uncloaked weaver. Again, you may gaze into the Scrying Sphere 3 times. Go outside to see what Mandible is doing to the graveyard. Go inside again and find that the beast has escaped from the cage. Go outside once more and fall out of the Pattern to the outside.
The dead, with Chaos in command, has already done a lot of mischief. Every hole in the Pattern must be closed, but you must visit each hole first to heal the dead people in it. Start by spinning the OPENING draft in reverse to close the hole from where you have just arrived. Now, enter the hole to the Blacksmiths. You will find an angry Rusty (after all, you are responsible for his untimely demise). Spinning the HEALING draft on him, and exit. Now, enter the hole to the Shepherds. Spinning the HEALING draft on the shepherds, and exit. Now, enter the hole to the Glassmakers. You can try to heal Goodmold, but he refuses and will rather die than be revived. Exit, and continue to the left. Before leaving, be sure to spin the OPENING draft in reverse to close all the holes.
You will now find yourself at the Shore of Wonders. Talk to the swan to learn the truth about your life. Go left to confront Chaos at the Great Loom. Go through the hole and to the right at the graveyard. Continue to the right until you reach the Great Loom, where you will find Hetchel and Chaos.
Chaos
Now, you have to undo all of Chaos' magic. The last draft spun by Chaos will echo in the Great Loom if you miss it the first time. First learn the new draft: SILENCE. Spin the SILENCE draft in reverse on Hetchel. Chaos will then spin another new draft: SHAPING. Get Hetchel back by spinning the SHAPING draft in reverse. Now Chaos will kill Hetchel with a new draft: UNMAKING. There is no reverse draft for this. Instead, spin the UNMAKING draft to destroy the Great Loom. Go outside the Pattern and join the swans by spinning the TRANSCENDENCE draft on yourself. Watch the final cut scene as the game ends.
Drafts
Except for OPENING and TRANSCENDENCE, the threads of the drafts are randomized at the start of each game. It is also possible to still complete the game without getting the EMPTYING, SHARPENING, and SLEEP drafts.
The following is a sample list of the drafts (which is incomplete by nature). If these drafts do not work for you, and you have forgotten to record your own drafts, you will have to start over.
| Draft | Thread |
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| OPENING | ECED |
| TRANSCENDENCE | C'FGC |
| NIGHT VISION | CDDC, CCCC, DCCD |
| STRAW INTO GOLD | DEDC, DDDE, CCCE |
| DYEING | DDCD, CCCD, CDCD |
| EMPTYING | GFFE, GEED, GDDE |
| TWISTING | CFCC, DEFC, FDDE |
| INVISIBILITY | GCGC, GEEC, GCCD |
| TERROR | EFFE, FCCF, DFFD |
| SHARPENING | AAAG, DFAF, CDDA |
| SLEEP | AFED, AEDC, AGFE |
| HEALING | CAAC, ACCA, AGGA |
| REFLECTING | FAAF, AFFA, ADDA |
| SILENCE | BAGF, BCCC, BFFC |
| SHAPING | BFBF, BABA, BCBC |
| UNMAKING | BCCB, BAAB, ABBA |
The game manual refers to other drafts as well, but they are not actually found in the game.