If you are trapped in the claustrophobic corridors of the HMS Domherren, you are likely searching for the exact Heavy Metal Death Can boat puzzle solution. To crack the model ship puzzle in Captain Olof's quarters, you need to insert the Sextant Dial into the brass slot, set the navigational coordinates to 64°N and 08°E, and place the three Wooden Crew Figures on the deck in the specific order of Captain, Navigator, and Engineer. Completing this exact sequence unlocks the hidden compartment containing the Armory Key, giving you the firepower necessary to survive the Sludge-infected lower decks.
Heavy Metal Death Can is an unforgiving love letter to the PS1 survival horror era. KRUFS Productions didn't just bring back fixed camera angles and brutal inventory limits; they resurrected the obscure, multi-layered puzzle logic that made the late 90s so notoriously difficult. The boat puzzle is the game's first true roadblock, effectively acting as a skill check before the training wheels come off. Here is everything you need to know to solve it without wasting precious ammunition or healing supplies.
Why the Heavy Metal Death Can Boat Puzzle Solution is Tripping Up Players
Modern gaming has conditioned us to expect glowing waypoints and protagonist dialogue that spoils the answer after thirty seconds of pacing. Heavy Metal Death Can offers none of that. Set aboard an alternate-history 1970s Swedish submarine, the game forces you to rely on environmental storytelling, cryptic notes, and spatial awareness.
The primary reason players fail the boat puzzle is the game's strict inventory economy. You begin with a mere six inventory slots. The puzzle requires five distinct items: the Sextant Dial, the Rusted Anchor Key, and three Wooden Crew Figures. If you attempt to carry all of these at once, you will have exactly one slot left for a weapon, leaving zero room for ammunition or medicinal kits. Because the HMS Domherren is crawling with reanimated crew members possessed by the insidious Sludge, running back and forth between the Secure Lockers (the game's version of item boxes) is a lethal gamble. Every time you backtrack through Deck B, you risk encountering respawning Sludge Walkers.
Furthermore, the fixed camera angles actively hide the puzzle components. Unlike over-the-shoulder action horror where you can freely pan the camera to spot a glinting item, you must physically run your character into the blind spots of the camera's frame to find what you need. The boat puzzle demands not just logical deduction, but a mastery of the game's exploration mechanics.
Preparation: Items Required for the Heavy Metal Death Can Boat Puzzle Solution
Before you even step foot inside Captain Olof's quarters, you must scour the upper decks of the submarine. Attempting to solve the puzzle without the complete set of items will only result in an ambush, as the game spawns a Barnacle Hulk in the adjacent hallway after your first failed attempt.
Here is the precise breakdown of what you need and where the fixed cameras are hiding them.
1. The Sextant Dial
- Location: Torpedo Bay (Deck A)
- Guardians: Two Sludge Walkers
- Details: The Sextant Dial is the easiest item to miss. When you enter the Torpedo Bay, the camera angle focuses heavily on the massive launch tubes in the center of the room. You must navigate your character to the extreme bottom-left corner of the screen, behind the rusted pressure valves. The dial is resting on a clipboard. Do not fire your weapon here; the tight quarters make dodging easier than shooting, saving you valuable bullets.
2. The Rusted Anchor Key
- Location: Mess Hall Pantry (Deck B)
- Guardians: None (Environmental Hazard)
- Details: You will find the Rusted Anchor Key submerged in a vat of boiling, corrupted rations. To retrieve it without taking damage, you must first use the Valve Handle (found in the Engine Room) to shut off the steam pipe feeding the vat. Once the boiling stops, interact with the vat to claim the key.
3. The Three Wooden Crew Figures
- Location 1 (The Captain): Inside the Medical Bay, hidden behind the X-ray light box. You must solve a brief sliding puzzle to unlock the box.
- Location 2 (The Navigator): Found in Milton's Stash. The enigmatic survivor Milton will trade you this figure in exchange for a pack of Swedish snus you can find in the Crew Quarters.
- Location 3 (The Engineer): Dropped by the first Barnacle Hulk you defeat in the flooded Shower Room.
Step-by-Step Heavy Metal Death Can Boat Puzzle Solution
Once you have secured all five items in your Secure Locker, transfer them into your active inventory. Equip your shotgun—you will need it the moment this puzzle is over. Head to Captain Olof's quarters at the end of the starboard corridor on Deck B.
Inside, you will find a pristine, glass-encased model of a traditional Swedish fishing boat resting on a mahogany desk. This is a stark contrast to the metallic callousness and industrial brutality of the rest of the submarine.
Step 1: Unlocking the Glass Case
Approach the mahogany desk. Open your inventory and select the Rusted Anchor Key. Use it on the brass padlock securing the glass case. The glass will retract, allowing you to interact directly with the model boat. Discard the key immediately to free up an inventory slot.
Step 2: Setting the Navigational Coordinates
Examine the bow of the model boat. You will see a circular indentation. Insert the Sextant Dial. This activates two spinning brass rings on the base of the model, representing latitude and longitude.
If you read the "Torn Logbook Page" found in the Mess Hall, you know that the HMS Domherren's fateful, classified dive took place deep in the Norwegian Sea. The exact coordinates mentioned in the lore document are 64°N and 08°E.
- Turn the left dial to 64.
- Turn the right dial to 08. You will hear a distinct mechanical click, and three small wooden pegs will rise from the deck of the model boat.
Step 3: Placing the Crew Figures
This is the final and most crucial step of the Heavy Metal Death Can boat puzzle solution. You must place the three Wooden Crew Figures onto the pegs in the correct hierarchy.
The game subtly hints at this hierarchy through Captain Olof's nihilistic audio logs. He constantly complains that "the mind must lead, the map must guide, and the machine must follow."
- The Mind: Place the Captain Figure on the front peg (closest to the bow).
- The Map: Place the Navigator Figure on the middle peg.
- The Machine: Place the Engineer Figure on the rear peg (closest to the stern).
The moment the Engineer figure clicks into place, the hull of the model boat will slide open, revealing the Armory Key. Grab it immediately.
Surviving the Aftermath of the Puzzle
In true classic survival horror fashion, your moment of triumph is immediately punished. The second you add the Armory Key to your inventory, the distorted guitar soundtrack will cut out, replaced by an unsettling silence.
A scripted event triggers: a massive Sludge mutation shatters the reinforced porthole window of Captain Olof's cabin, flooding the room with knee-deep water and dragging a grotesque, possessed crewmate inside. Because the room is incredibly cramped, you cannot rely on tank-control maneuvering to dodge this enemy. This is why you equipped the shotgun earlier. Aim high, wait for the creature to lunge, and fire to stagger it. Do not waste ammo trying to kill it; use the stagger animation to run past the creature, exit the cabin, and sprint straight to the Armory down the hall.
Lore Implications: What the Boat Puzzle Reveals
KRUFS Productions uses puzzles not just as progression gates, but as narrative devices. The boat puzzle is deeply tied to the overarching mystery of the HMS Domherren.
Why does a Cold War submarine captain have a puzzle-locked model of a wooden fishing boat in his quarters? As you progress further into the game, you discover that Captain Olof was not a military man by trade. He was a commercial fisherman whose vessel was commandeered by the Swedish government after he accidentally dredged up the first sample of the Sludge from the ocean floor. The coordinates—64°N and 08°E—are not the location of the submarine's current mission, but the exact spot where Olof's original crew was infected. The puzzle is his morbid monument to the incident that doomed them all.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I input the wrong coordinates in the boat puzzle? If you enter any coordinates other than 64°N and 08°E, the dials will reset, and the game will spawn a Sludge Walker in the corridor outside the cabin. Repeated failures will drain your ammunition quickly, so ensure you have the numbers right the first time.
Can I drop the wooden figures to save inventory space? No. Heavy Metal Death Can does not feature a drop mechanic. Once an item is in your inventory, it stays there until you place it in a Secure Locker or use it to solve a puzzle. Plan your routes carefully.
Is the boat puzzle randomized in different playthroughs? The coordinates (64°N and 08°E) and the order of the figures (Captain, Navigator, Engineer) are static across all standard playthroughs. However, if you unlock the "Nordic Nightmare" difficulty after beating the game, the coordinates randomize based on the clock in the submarine's Engine Room.
Where is Milton during the boat puzzle sequence? Milton relocates to the Torpedo Bay after you trade him the snus for the Navigator figure. If you return to him after solving the boat puzzle, he will provide you with three shotgun shells and a cryptic warning about the Armory.
Can I skip the boat puzzle and go straight to the lower decks? No. The Armory Key obtained from this puzzle is required to unlock the heavy blast doors leading to Deck C. Attempting to bypass the puzzle will leave you soft-locked in the upper sections of the submarine.
Sources
- KRUFS Productions: Heavy Metal Death Can (PC Release, Steam 2026)
- Rely on Horror: Heavy Metal Death Can Blends 90s Survival Horror with Alt-history Cold War Paranoia
- Survival Horrors: Heavy Death Metal Can Review