The Orange Box: Portal Hints

Chamber 13 with Least Steps

  • 1 of 15: When you start, use the Floor-Portal Routine to get yourself to a spot right next to the big button in the starting room. (Since you can't see the button from the elevator, make the orange portal appear as far to the left as you can, and use the line of blue dots on the floor as a guideline. The dot line should evenly bisect the portal's oval.)
  • 2 of 15: Put a blue portal on the wall directly behind the storage cube, then put an orange portal on the floor as close to yourself as you can without it being close enough to fall into.
  • 3 of 15: That way, you can reach through the orange portal and pick up the storage cube without taking any steps. You should also be able to set the cube on the button without taking any steps.
  • 4 of 15: Look through the open upper-floor door and fire a blue portal onto the ceiling past it so that you can see the upper button platform clearly through the orange portal on the floor.
  • 5 of 15: You now want to pick up the storage cube and drop it gently through the orange portal so that it'll land on the upper button platform without falling off.
  • 6 of 15: You're going to want to drop yourself down so that you land on the button as close as you can to the back corner of the platform, while still pressing down the button. (The "back corner" is the one near the wall at a spot between the security camera and the frosted window.)
  • 7 of 15: Due to that, you'll need to make sure you drop the cube so that it lands somewhere else on the platform. If you land on the cube when you fall through, it would take a lot of extra steps to correct things, and you'd want to try again.
  • 8 of 15: Once the cube is in what you judge to be a good position, open an orange portal directly underneath yourself so you'll fall onto the button platform. To end up landing exactly where you want to, and not on the cube, you'll have to lean on a movement key a bit while falling. This can take many tries to get right.
  • 9 of 15: Once you and the cube are in position on the upper button platform, use portals to redirect the energy orb into its receptacle.
  • 10 of 15: Then open an orange portal on the ceiling directly above the lower button platform (using the white tile as a guide), and a blue portal on the nearest wall.
  • 11 of 15: Pick up the cube and carefully drop it through the blue portal so that it lands on the lower platform's button and stays there. If you're not to where you're pressing down your platform's button, you'll have to use an extra step or two to get there.
  • 12 of 15: Once both buttons are pressed, you can fire an orange portal onto the floor of the room past the button-opened door.
  • 13 of 15: Turn to the nearest edge on your platform and run-jump over it, firing a blue portal at the floor right below you before you hit it.
  • 14 of 15: As soon as you shoot up out of the orange portal, fire an orange portal onto the ceiling or a wall, allowing you to land in the exit room without using an extra step.
  • 15 of 15: Use the floor-portal routine to get as close to the elevator as you can, then run-jump into it to finish the challenge.