Overview
If you have solved the mysteries of Myst you will understand the background to Riven. If not it is of no matter, the adventure is complete in itself. This walkthrough will get you to the end of the adventure but you should really take time to explore and discover all the clues yourself. I will be updateing this guide with videos on how to complete vareious tasks where words arent enough. Please rate this guide up, i hope it helps you. all comments welcome.
The Dome Island. (start).
In front of you is a telescope. Nothing seems to work =(. No matter, we can come back here later. Go round the rock and take your first proper look at the Riven Isles.
Go up the stairs on your left. At the top left is the entrance to a round rotating room, some stairs leading down and a bridge to the right.
To access the other doors in the Rotating room press the button four times. Once the button has 
Go through the door to find the steam valve switch the steam valve to activate the telescope that will be used later in the game. Once turned on before exiting the door you will notice a switch and a button. Move the switch to the up position and press the button to the right two times.
Another door will now be open with a locked door behind it. Enter the room and turn around to find another switch and button. Move the switch to the up position and press the button an additional two times.
The entrance should now be open go back to the original button and press it two more times. Now the door should be open leading to the bridge. Go through the room and follow the path to a steam valve. Turn the first valve to the left moving . Turn around and take a left until you find the other second valve. Turn this valve to the right. Now that these two valves have been activated the switch by the bridge will be able to be activated. You will not need the bridge in the up position until later in the game.
Exit back out of the rotating room across the first bridge and work your way down the tunnel until you find a closed door. In this room you will find a big chair. Sitting in this chair to the left you will notice a switch with a picture of the temple move this switch to the up position to open the door. Once this switch has been moved exit the room and continue to head left until you enter the temple. On the opposite side of the stained glass window you will find an exit to a tram.
Enter the tram. To move the tram move the switch to the left to the right position to turn around the tram and them press the downward switch to the upward position that moves the tram forward.
Weeeee!
Jungle Island
Once on the jungle island you will first notice an eye that is an important clue to a puzzle found later in the game. Clicking this eye will revel a number. Any time you locate an eye it is important to remember the number and attempt to locate an animal shape near the eye. In the case of this eye to locate the animal shape take a left and enter the cave entrance. Before going all the way up the stairs if you turn around you will notice that this eye represents a frog as the shape of the cave is a frog.
Continue up the stairs and begin to familiarize yourself with the island if you take a right from the entrance and work your way through the passage. You will find a Wahrk shrine. This shrine has a secret entrance that can be accsesed by pressing a button that is on top of the right light (found on the pathway (left when looking behind you). Pressing this button will open the fishes mouth that has a small elevator.
Going up the elevator and going down the pathway you will find a rotating dome on this dome is a character that is yellow it is important to remember this character for a puzzle found later in the game. Continuing down the path you will find the throne room. Sit in this chair and move the switch to your left, which will take you to a great view of the village looking down you will see the lake, now press the right switch will close a door that needs to be closed to allow you to have access to a room later in the game.
Next exit the fish where you will see a small girl who falls as she runs away. Continuing down that path and taking all rights you will come to the entrance of the village were if you look closely you see a man working on a submarine on the top left side of the screen in addition you will see a small child who is playing, scared the man will take this child and run away. Continue down the path until you get to one of the small houses in the village. Follow the path to the left of this house that will lead you to the submarine. Lower this submarine into the water. By pressing the switch to the left.
Exit the village head back to the entrance leading back to the tram. From this entrance head down the stairs and follow the path all the way down to the submarine. Remember to also look at the eye that you will find during the way to the submarine.
Once in the submarine familiarize yourself with the switches. There are a total of three switches the one to the far right makes the submarine move forward the switch in the middle will turn the submarine around and finally the switch in the bottom middle will allow the submarine to know to go left or right when at a cross section on the tracks.
To begin press the forward switch that takes you to a cross section, take the track to the right. This will take you to a location to that you can exit the submarine. Once you have exited the submarine follow the path until you reach 5 switches move the three switches in the down position to the up position. Once these switches have been moved return to the submarine. Back in the submarine turn it around and head forward until back at the cross road now take a left to head to the school. In the school play the hang man game to get an understanding on how the D’ni number system. Once you have familiarized yourself with this exit out of the school to return back to the submarine. Turn the submarine around and once back at the cross section on the tracks take a left to get to the trapeze. Before going up this ensure that you have gone to the school as once you have gone up this you will not be able to go back down to the submarine. To go up the trapeze pull the one chain to move down the other. Use this to go up to the top.
Once at the top you will find what appears to be a prison with a man inside sitting. To the right of this cage is a switch that can be used to open the prison wall. However, when entering this room you will notice that the man has disappeared. Looking at the floor you will notice a grate. Open the grate and pull the switch within the grate to open the secret door.
Through the secret door is a tunnel, which mostly black. However, continue down the tunnel you will find an opening to the water with a light switch on the left hand side of the tunnel. Turn this light switch on and turn around. Now you will see another switch turn it on and continue to turn each switch on as you walk down the tunnel. Once all the lights have been turned on if you turn around you will notice a door in the tunnel wall. Going through this door will lead you to the Moiety Gateway room. In this room you will find 25 stone slabs with animals on each of them.
To open the gate you need to click on the below stones in this order; fish, beetle, frog, sunner and finally the warhk. Once this has properly been done you will find a page that allows you to access to the Moiety Age. (Warhk is the one the the giant fin ontop and small on underneath, sunner has a long beack).
Once here you will notice a large structure (like the structure on the Riven box), however you will notice there is no other option but to turn around once you turn around and walk towards the book you will be shot by guards on their rounds. You will later wake up in a small cell that has no exit. After some time snooping around a female Moiety will give you Catherine’s journal and the trap book you’ll need to trap Gehn. This the same book that was given to you at the beginning of the game.
READ THIS BEFORE DOING THE ADBOVE!!!!
After reading Catherine’s book and then looking at the other (don’t enter the other book as it is a trap and the game will end) the lady will re-enter the room and give you the portal back to the Moiety Gateway.
Crater Island
Exit out of this room and get back to the trough the pathway (not the shut door). Once you are back out on the trail you should get to a location to where you can see a hole in the ground that has a cart. Get in this cart to get to the boiler.
Once at the boiler you will be faced with a puzzle, begin by going into the middle of the lake and changing the switch to be in the middle. Next head towards the boiler and follow the path to the left. Once at the main controls first turn off the heat, next use the switch to direct the power towards the bridge, then switch the switch to direct power towards the water control and finally move the wheel to empty the water.
In Gehn’s lab make sure to make a note of the six symbols on page nine (like the ones on the Fire Marble Domes) and the five-figure D’ni numeric code on page 13 (the code for getting to the linking books inside the Fire Marble Dome. You will also notice an eye that will reveal another number. Once you have Explored the lab exit back through the pipe and head to the Golden Globe
In the Golden Globe make your way around the area until you reach the wheel. Rotate this wheel to extend the bridge. Once this has been done locate the lever next to the bridge that goes to the rotating room and switch the lever to move the bridge back into its up position. Next turn around and go to the other doorway where there is a hole in the pathway. Next to the doorway is a small button that when pressed will move up a small section of the missing pathway. Once this has been completed you will be unable to do anything additional in this area. Return to Gehn’s lab again through the ventilation system.
Once back at Gehn’s lab go through the back door. Which is the door that does not have the blue-lit button in front of it. If the tram is not there return to the lab and press the blue button on the opposite door and then return back to the tram location. The tram will take you to the plateau island.
Plateau Island
Once out of the tram follow the pathway to the elevator and press the button to go up the elevator once at the top walk forward to the Map Table Puzzle. When looking down at the overview of the pathway you just walked through you will notice that its an overview of Riven and these are the five islands on Riven. The object of this puzzle is to find the location of the five Marble Domes located on each of the islands.
1 = Crater Island
2 = Temple Island
3 = Plateau Island
4 = Jungle Island
5 = Prison Island
Once one of these buttons is pressed the island will have a liquid substance above it. Once one is selected turn around and you will notice a pathway has now been extended to the building in front of you. In this building you will see another section of the Map Table Puzzle. This section will allow you to distinguish more exactly to where the Marble dome is located on the island.
As shown in the above picture the map is mapped by letters going across and numbers going down. This allows you to get a better sense of where each of Marble Domes are located. Keep in mind in the game you will not have these letters or numbers. Pressing the dot on one of the lit squares below the table will give a layout of the island as shown below. In the other example you can notice on the section that is circled that this the location of the Marble Dome. Now knowing the coordinates we can determine that this on B4.
Below is the solution for each of the islands.
Crater Island 1 B4
Plateau Island 4 A2
Temple Island 2 A1
Jungle Island 5 D2
Prison Island 1 B1
Once each of the locations have been discovered go back to the tram car. Get in the tram car and turn it around. Once it is facing the correct direction do not move the switch to cause the tram to move forward instead exit the car to get to the other side. Once on the other side enter the door and press the lever on the left hand side of the draw bridge to get to the elevator. Once you go down the elevator and begin going down the trail you will notice a man who sees you and runs off attempting to follow him you will see him get into the tram and shoot away.
Going back in and up the stairs you will find another puzzle the Underwater-viewing chamber. Pressing the lever on the right hand side will get the below illustration.
Each of the shapes found on this puzzle represents the yellow symbol on each of the Fire Marble Domes that was found on each of the islands. Pressing on the button surrounded in the red outline will turn on a light (one of these buttons as you may notice is broken however). Later you must match the color represented here with the symbol later on the Marble Puzzle.
Pressing the lever on the left-hand side will pull down another sphere with two pentagonal buttons. The left button will allow you to peer into a room and the right button gives you a view of the lake on jungle island . If you keep clicking the loops you should locate one more animal symbol corresponding to the D’ni number 1, you should locate the fish that will now allow you to know the number corresponding with the animal shape.
Ghen’s World
Once you have completed obtaining all the needed information off of Plateau head back to the golden globe at the top of the golden globe you will find the Marble puzzle knowing the information that you have gathered on the plateau island you should be able to complete the marble puzzle.
Marble Puzzle Solution
Once completed successfully this will restore the power to all the Fire Marble Domes around Riven. Open any of the Marble Domes and enter the 5 D’ni numbers you have obtained from Gehn’s book (these are always different therefore if you have not obtained these you will need to go back to his lab on Crater Island and get them). Once you have successfully entered the number the dome will begin to rotate and a book will be uncovered. Using this book you will be transported into a cage where you will meet Gehn who will discuss his and Catherine’s situation. When he asks you to go first through the trapped book accept the offer and go through the book as once he follows you will be switched with him in places making him the trapped individual.
First located the switch on the side of the wall to remove the cage for access to the books. Then go down the small man hole leading to Gehn’s chamber here you will find a small ordainment clicking it will make a unique notice as it opens and then closes, remember this noise. It is extremely important to solving Catherine’s Prison Door lock to free Catherine. This noise is unique each game therefore if you did not memorize this noise the first time you will need to restore an old saved game to hear the noise in Gehn’s room
Prison Island
Now head to Prison island by returning back upstairs from Gehn’s room if you are following the walkthrough or head back through one of the Marble Domes to Gehn’s World if you are elsewhere on Riven. Upstairs you will find an assortment of books, go through the book with a single box on it to get to Prison Island. Once at the Prison Island following the path you will reach a door. Hear is where you must play back the noise the ordainment made when listening to it earlier. This unique each time the game is played therefore there is not an easy solution you must have listened to the ordainment in order to pass this section of the map. If you did not listen to this noise earlier you will need to re-load a saved game. previous to going to Prison Island as returning to Gehn’s world you will be back in the cage.
Once you have opened the door you will meet Catherine, in a very quite voice (you may have to turn up the speakers) she will explain her situation and implore you to go back to the Telescope that you found at the beginning of the game and activate it using the code in her journal you should have obtained at The Moiety age.
Final Stage
To complete the game you must have completed all of the above steps to get to where you find out that you must activate the telescope using the code that Catherine explained was in her Journal.
Once back at the telescope that you first saw at the beginning of the game. First open the manhole at the bottom using the code in Catherine’s Journal. The code is in the D’ni format and should have a total of five numbers. In our case the number was 34545 keep in mind the number changes each time. To enter this number imagine the numbers 1 2 3 4 5 going across left to right to enter 34545 we pressed the 3 button, 4 button, 5 button, 4 button and then finally the 5 button. Once this completed you should be able to use the had to pull the man hole open.
Once the hole is open Lower the telescope as far down as possible using the lever to the right of the telescope. Once the telescope is close to the man hole you will notice it cannot move down any farther because of a small latch on the bottom left rail of the telescope. Looking down at this portion of the telescope you will notice the latch, remove the latch and them move the telescope down further to break the telescope and complete the game.