- On Thin Ice chapter 1 begins with the crime scene at Kate’s desk and a ransomware clue.
- First codes are 63849 for the computer, 40827 for the cabin, and 9416 for the safe.
- Key items include the snowblower parts, hacksaw, lockpick gun, crowbar, wrench, and screwdriver.
- Final objective is to unlock Hacksaw’s phone, retrieve the mailbox clues, and open the secret evidence safe.
On Thin Ice chapter 1 Opening Route
On Thin Ice chapter 1 starts with Kate and Murphy responding to a dangerous case during a blizzard. The opening route takes you from the sealed police desk to the snowy cabin, so collect every visible item before moving between locations.
Video Highlights:
- The opening computer code is found on the chip reader.
- The snowblower requires three separate parts before it can clear the path.
- The cabin keypad code comes from the metal-number board outside.
Do not leave the desk area before examining the chip reader. The computer code is shown directly on the reader, and entering it advances the opening investigation.
Desk Investigation
- Find the chip reader
- Place it on the desk
- Record 63849
Snowblower Repair
- Collect the wheel
- Find the nozzle
- Add fuel before clearing snow
Cabin Access
- Recover the metal numbers
- Arrange 40827
- Enter the code at the cabin door
| Area | Required action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Kate’s desk | Place the chip reader on the desk | Computer displays five highlighted numbers |
| Desk computer | Enter 63849 | Opens the investigation route |
| Snowy exterior | Combine wheel, nozzle, and fuel with the snowblower | Clears the snow |
| Number board | Arrange the metal numbers as 40827 | Reveals the cabin keypad code |
| Cabin entrance | Enter 40827 | Opens the cabin |
The first puzzle sequence is short, but the item order matters. At the desk, pick up the chip reader from the box and place it on the desk. Inspect the reader closely to identify the five emphasized digits: 63849. Enter that number into the computer.
After Kate and Murphy move outside, search the snow for the snowblower components. Collect the wheel, nozzle, and fuel, then use all three items on the snowblower. Once it is operational, clear the snow to reveal the metal numbers and the nearby board.
Arrange the numbers to form 40827. Use this code on the cabin door and enter the next investigation area.
Cabin Search and Safe Code
Inside the cabin, inspect the room methodically. Open the window, move the rug and mattress, search the cabinets, and examine the body. These interactions reveal the tools and visual clues needed for the safe combination.
The body contains more than one clue. Examine the tattoos, the symbol strip near the hand, the phone compartment, and the hidden leg compartment before attempting the safe.
Light the Cabin
Open the window to improve visibility. Move the rug and mattress, then inspect the cabinets. Collect the curtains and hacksaw when they become available.
Inspect the Body
Examine the body at each available point. Check the shoulder, tattoos, hand symbol strip, empty phone case, and the hidden compartment on the leg.
Reach the Safe
Use the hacksaw on the loose floorboards. Pull out the safe, then return outside and wet the cloth in the puddle.
Clean the Evidence
Bring the wet cloth back inside and wipe the blood from the safe. Reopen the symbol strip to identify the four symbols to count.
| Clue type | What to inspect | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Room access | Window, rug, mattress, cabinets | Reveals tools and interactive objects |
| Body evidence | Shoulder, tattoos, hand, leg | Provides the symbol-counting clue |
| Floor area | Loose floorboards | Hides the locked safe |
| Exterior puddle | Cloth and water | Cleans the blood from the safe |
| Symbol strip | Arrow, skull, heart, wave | Defines the safe-code categories |
The symbol strip shows four symbols: arrow, skull, heart, and wave. Count each symbol across the body’s visible tattoos and record the totals in that order.
| Symbol | Count | Safe-code position |
|---|---|---|
| Arrow | 9 | First digit |
| Skull | 4 | Second digit |
| Heart | 1 | Third digit |
| Wave | 6 | Fourth digit |
The resulting safe code is 9416. Enter it after cleaning the safe. Inside, collect the letter triangles and lockpick gun. The lockpick gun opens the nearby door and gives access to the next exterior puzzle area.
Fire, Bodies, and the Locked Box
The next area contains a damaged vehicle, ice blocks, a locked box, and evidence connected to Hacksaw. The correct route is to prepare the area first, solve the ice puzzle, then use the recovered tools to access the phone components.
Use the cleaning oil on the rusty box immediately, but save the box for later. The key needed to open it comes from repairing the wheelchair inside the cabin.
| Location | Item or action | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| Right-side door | Use the lockpick gun | Reach the burning-car area |
| Grill area | Move the tarp | Collect cleaning oil and fire extinguisher |
| Snow beside the car | Clear the snow | Reveal the rusty locked box |
| Rusty box | Apply cleaning oil | Prepare it for the small key |
| Ice blocks | Start the Ice Stairway puzzle | Arrange numbers into their slots |
| Burning car | Use fire extinguisher | Safely inspect the bodies |
First, use the lockpick gun on the door to the right of the cabin. Outside, pull the tarp away from the grill and collect the cleaning oil and fire extinguisher. Brush the snow aside to reveal the locked box, then apply the cleaning oil to remove its rust.
The Ice Stairway puzzle requires sliding the ice blocks until the numbered pieces reach their matching slots. There are extra blocks, so plan each movement before closing off a passage. Once the numbers are correctly positioned, return to the fire and use the extinguisher.
Inspect the bodies after the flames are out. Collect the crowbar and wrench. Use the crowbar on the car door to obtain the phone cord.
The wrench is not only used as a general tool. Take it back inside and use it on the wheelchair to obtain the small key required for the exterior locked box.
Return to the cabin, plug in the phone cord, and use the wrench on the wheelchair. Take the small key, return outside, and use it on the cleaned locked box. Collect the screwdriver and another set of letter triangles.
Phone, Mailbox, and Triangle Puzzles
The final puzzle chain begins inside the cabin and ends with the evidence safe. The dead phone must be recovered, charged, and unlocked before the mailbox and triangle clues become available.
If you have the screwdriver, phone cord, small key, chart, and all triangle pieces, you are ready for the final sequence.
Recover the Phone
Use the screwdriver on the compartment in the body’s leg. Take the dead phone and place it on the wireless charger.
Unlock the Phone
Pick up the charged phone and use it on Hacksaw’s face to pass the facial recognition lock.
Read the Messages
Review the text messages. They reveal that Hacksaw received a threatening message and a delivery connected to the mailbox.
Open the Mailbox
Go outside and use the phone on the mailbox. Collect the remaining triangles and the chart.
Solve Triangulate
Place all triangle pieces in the cabinet puzzle. Guide the electrical dot to the yellow triangle, then take the photo.
| Puzzle | Required items | Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Leg compartment | Screwdriver | Recover the dead phone |
| Wireless charger | Dead phone | Charge the phone |
| Facial ID | Charged phone and body | Unlock Hacksaw’s phone |
| Mailbox | Unlocked phone | Collect triangles and chart |
| Triangulate | All triangle pieces | Guide the electrical dot to the yellow triangle |
The Triangulate puzzle is controlled by selecting highlighted triangles. Each time the electrical dot moves onto a triangle, that triangle rotates clockwise. Use the available routes to guide the dot toward the yellow triangle on the far right.
The important mechanic is rotation: a path that appears correct at the beginning may change after the dot lands on a piece. Work from the destination backward when possible, and check the orientation of each triangle after every move.
After completing the puzzle, collect the photo. You should now have the three objects needed for the wall frame: the letter, chart, and photo.
Evidence Safe and Chapter Completion
Place the letter, chart, and photo on the frame inside the cabin. The completed arrangement opens a secret safe containing Hacksaw’s evidence, including the hard drive. This marks the end of the chapter and completes the main investigation objective.
Before placing the wall clues, confirm that the letter, chart, and photo are all in your inventory. The hidden safe will not open until the complete set is installed.
Chapter 1 Completion Checklist:
- Enter 63849 on the desk computer
- Use the snowblower and enter 40827 at the cabin
- Open the body safe with code 9416
- Recover and unlock Hacksaw’s phone
- Use the letter, chart, and photo to open the evidence safe
| Final item | Where to use it | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Letter | Cabin wall frame | Activates the evidence mechanism |
| Chart | Cabin wall frame | Completes the clue arrangement |
| Photo | Cabin wall frame | Opens the hidden safe |
| Hard drive | Secret evidence safe | Completes the chapter objective |
Follow this final order:
- Return inside after obtaining the photo from the triangle puzzle.
- Locate the wall frame near the cabinet puzzle.
- Place the letter, chart, and photo into the available spaces.
- Watch the frame mechanism reveal the secret safe.
- Collect the hard drive containing Hacksaw’s evidence.
For an additional reference, the On Thin Ice walkthrough guide provides the same chapter route, item progression, puzzle codes, and final evidence objective. The chapter ends after the hard drive is recovered, allowing the story to continue into Chapter 2.
Q: What is the first code in On Thin Ice chapter 1?
The first code is 63849. Find it by placing the chip reader on the desk and inspecting the five emphasized numbers.
Q: What is the cabin door code?
The cabin door code is 40827. Clear the snow with the repaired snowblower, arrange the metal numbers on the board, and enter the resulting number.
Q: How do I open the safe in the cabin?
Use the hacksaw to expose the safe, clean it with the wet cloth, then count the arrow, skull, heart, and wave symbols. Enter 9416.
Q: What ends Chapter 1?
After unlocking Hacksaw’s phone and collecting the mailbox clues, solve the triangle puzzle. Place the letter, chart, and photo on the wall frame to open the secret evidence safe.
The chapter is complete when the hidden safe opens and you collect the hard drive. Keep the recovered evidence ready for the investigation that follows.