Threads of Mystery Walkthrough

Threads of Mystery, the beautifully illustrated hidden object game developed by Playdom, will challenge your speed and reflexes as well as enhance your creativity as you design functional items to place in your very own fashion house. You and Great Aunt Rose share the gift of clairvoyance, and together you will help Rose remember the clues needed to solve the mystery of her death. Gamezebo’s quick start strategy guide will provide you with detailed images, tips, information, and hints on how to play your best game.

Game Introduction – Threads of Mystery

Getting Started

Getting Started

Threads of Mystery can be found by clicking on the “Play Now!” button at the top of this page.

Brief tutorial – There is a brief introductory tutorial seen only when you start the game the first time. It will help guide you through a basic hidden object scene, show you how to place items in and expand your fashion house, locate quests for rewards, and unlock new hidden object scenes. Follow the blue arrows and clouds as you learn the basic game moves. This guide will get you started by giving you a more detailed look at the game and will help you earn higher overall scores.
Messages – If you have any messages from other players such as invitations or gifts you will see this screen (see image above) when you load the game or you can access it anytime at the top right of the game screen. You can accept the gifts from other players which go directly into your inventory until you are ready to use them and/or you may choose to immediately return the favor to the other player right from the inbox menu.

Game Controls

Game setting controls -To access the game settings menu click on the gear icon at the top right of the game screen and a menu will appear. Here you can control the volume of sound effects and background music, change the image quality and zoom in or out of a scene.

Full screen feature – To the right of the gear icon for settings you will find the full screen icon. (Four arrows in a square pattern) It is much easier to play the game in full screen mode and is highly recommended for the hidden object scenes. You can hit the “Esc” key anytime to exit this mode.

Game Currency

Silver coins -This is the basic game currency used to unlock hidden object scenes, purchase decorative items and materials for your fashion house, and items to complete quests. You will start the game with 1,500 silver coins and you can exchange gold bars for more silver coins by clicking on the “+” symbol next to either currency indicator at the top of the game screen and follow the menu prompts.
Note – You can exchange gold bars for silver coins but you cannot exchange silver coins for gold bars.
Gold Bars – This is the premium virtual currency that allows you to purchase privileges in the game such as hints, extra energy, and the ability to purchase the tasks within a quest if you do not want to take the time to complete them. Items purchased with gold bars are premium decorative items and will earn you a higher level of spirit and XP than those purchased with silver coins. When you start the game you are given ten gold bars. You can earn more by completing high level quests, special offers and surveys, or you may purchase more in the market using real currency.
Purchasing additional currency – You have the ability to purchase additional gold bars which can be used for many premium items that allow you to level up much faster. Gold bars can be exchanged for silver coins, used to purchase more energy, charms, premium decorative items for your fashion house, and the ability to unlock premium hidden object scenes you can play as often as you like.
Be sure to carefully read the options when you purchase premium currency as there are many methods available to do so. Check back frequently as options to earn free premium currency are sometimes available along the bottom of the purchase menu.

Spirit

Along the top right of the game screen you will see a cameo icon which represents your overall amount of spirit in the game. Spirit points can only be earned by purchasing items from the Parisian Market and placing them in your fashion house. You may also earn spirit points by constructing craft items with your machines as you add them to or find them within your fashion house. These items can be purchased with either silver coins or gold bars with the latter earning you a much higher number of spirit points.
When you reach designated spirit levels you will unlock new hidden object scenes in the game. If you see a “?” behind the blue smoke this means you need more spirit points to access that hidden object location. Purchase and place items in your fashion house and if you do not have enough funds keep playing earlier hidden object scenes until you have enough coins saved up to add more items.
Note – You can add more than one type of item to your fashion house. Only items that are actually placed in the house count toward spirit points. If you decide to move an item to inventory storage or opt to sell it the points will be deducted.
Each time you place a new item in the fashion house you will briefly see the cameo icon next to the item. You can click on it or just wait a few seconds and it will add to your total. Many quests are associated with earning a specific number of spirit points or purchasing a specific item to place in your fashion house so be sure to read through all your active quests before making any purchases as this will save you a lot of steps down the line.

Energy

Energy – Energy is critical to the game as you must use ten energy points each time you play a hidden object scene no matter what level you are in the game.
Your energy indicator is located along the top of the screen and is shown with the lightning bolt icon. The maximum amount of energy you can hold in your meter is sixty unless you redeem energy points gifted to you by friends or you level up while your meter is full then you may see the number go above sixty for a while.
How to get more energy – There are a few ways to get more energy once you run out if you wish to continue playing.
Ask friends to send you more – Click on the “+” symbol then on the “Ask friends for energy” button along the bottom of the menu. You will need to choose who to ask and this will place a request in their inbox they will need to respond to. Once they do you will need to accept the gift and the energy will be placed in your inventory. You will have to redeem it in order to have it added to your overall total.
You are gifted one energy point at a time and must go into your inventory screen to redeem it one point at a time. You can hold a maximum of 99 energy points in your inventory at a time and you are only allowed to redeem up to forty every twenty four hours at this time.
Purchase more energy – You can click on the “+” symbol and purchase energy starting at a rate of three gold bars per ten energy points (one hidden object session) The more you purchase the better deal you will be given. (17 gold bars for 100 energy points)
Let it accumulate over time – Energy regenerates at a rate of one point every three minutes.

XP (Experience Points)

Experience points or (XP) are points earned as you play hidden object scenes, purchase items for your fashion house and place them, visit neighbors, and complete quests. These points accumulate and help you to level up in the game. Look for the green star at the top right side of the game screen and you will see your current level. As this meter fills up you reach the next level and will be rewarded with silver coins, XP and you will unlock several items in the market for purchase. Most important, your energy meter will be instantly refilled to maximum capacity each time you level up in the game.

Hidden object scenes

Unlocking hidden object scenes – Once you unlock (or wish to replay) a hidden object scene click on the “Play” or “Show Me” buttons and you will be taken to the menu of this scene location. If you see a padlock over this location is not yet unlocked and if you see an arrow pointing upward it means you can click on this icon to enter this area as often as you would like. It will cost you ten energy points each time you play a scene and once unlocked you can play it as many times as you like even after you have complete star mastery of the scene. (See “Star Mastery of a Scene” below for more information) If you see a “?” you do not yet have enough spirit points to unlock this location. Simply placing your cursor over this area will tell you how many spirit points you need. If you have enough cash you can return to your fashion house and purchase more decorative items to place there. Note that only items placed in the house count in your spirit total. If you take an item out of the house to sell it (once selling items is permitted in the game) or place it in inventory those points will be deducted from your spirit total.
Objective – Your objective is to locate all of the hidden objects listed along the bottom of the screen as fast as possible.
If you click on an incorrect object you will hear a tone and your chaining bonus will end instantly. If you click all over the screen quickly the game will lock you out for a few seconds which will lower your score.
Hints – At this time there is only one type of hint available and this is the magnifying glass hint. If you get stuck click on the magnifying glass in the lower right corner and you will be shown the location of one item on the list. You will have to wait for the hint to recharge fully before you can use it again and it will not count in your chaining score.

Game scoring/Summary screen

As you click on items you find you will notice you get credit for every item you find in a row without any mistakes. If you take too long to find an item you will see this number start to count down. You want to keep moving as fast as possible to keep this number as high as possible which is a chaining bonus of 12.
The faster you find items and make no mistakes the higher your score.
Summary screen – Once you have completed a hidden object scene you will be taken to a screen that shows your ranking among other Threads of Mystery players on the same scene. (Note – You can invite these players to be your neighbors by clicking on the little blue man “+” symbol if you wish directly from this menu. )
Your final score is divided into three categories and your personal best is always shown in small print underneath.
Time – This shows how long in seconds it took you to find all the hidden objects in the scene.
Precision – This is your accuracy during the puzzle. If you made no mistakes you will see a precision score of 100 percent.
Combo – Each hidden object you find has a point value assigned to it and this is multiplied by the number at the top of the screen when you find it. If you have made no mistakes the points will be multiplied by 12 which is the best you can score.

Star mastery/Hidden object scene

Note at the end of every hidden object scene you will see there are four stars and you fill up a little portion of these stars each time you play a particular scene in the game.
The higher your star mastery for a scene the more XP and coins you will be rewarded each time you play it.
Once you reach the maximum star mastery for a scene (each scene has its own rating not each location) you will always earn the maximum allowed for that scene and this is a great way to make extra silver coins when you need them.
Final overall score – Your final score will be shown at the bottom of the screen with your other categories along the top then you will see it again on a summary screen comparing you to other players of the game and where you rank among them. You will earn XP and silver coins for each hidden object scene you complete.

Unlocking new hidden object scenes/Purchasing premium hidden object scenes

To unlock new locations and hidden object scenes within them many variables are in place.
You may need to simply earn enough XP or be at the required level to unlock a scene.
You may need to complete a quest.
You may need to complete a quest requiring you craft items or collect items from your neighbors over time before you can unlock a scene.
You may want to pay gold bars to unlock a location instantly or to unlock a premium location.
When you are ready to unlock a scene you will see the blue smoke and great Aunt Rose’s face will appear over it. When you place your cursor over the smoke her hands will appear. Click when you see her hands to unlock this location.
Note – If you purchase a premium location this is for enjoyment of the game only. It is not required that you purchase these locations to level up. These locations will earn you larger XP and silver coins bonuses when you complete them.

Quests

Quests – Icons are located along the left side of the game screen. Click on an icon to read a quest. Note – You must click on a quest to activate it. Your progress will not be applied until you open the quest by clicking on it.
Quests guide your game progress and it is wise to follow the quests in the game. Some have only one requirement and some have multiple tasks you must complete to finish them.
All quests have a reward at the end of silver coins, XP, unlocked items and sometimes all in higher levels.
You will be notified once you complete a quest and you have the option to share this reward with your neighbors if you wish by clicking on the link provided. This will place a link on your Facebook page.

Clues and Materials in Hidden object scenes

Nearly all the hidden object locations in the game will require you to locate one or several clues which are needed to complete the location and aid with the storyline.
Clues are shown in the list of a hidden object scene with an inventory icon shown next to it. Try to find these right away if you see them. You may see more than one or none as finding clues is a random occurrence in the game and as you level up it becomes more difficult to find them.
Sometimes you will play a hidden object scene and will not earn the clue and this will require you to spend energy again to keep trying for the clue.
Once you find a clue for a given scene you will not need to find it again to complete the location.
The summary screen at the end has a location for clues and you should keep an eye on this area as you may need to complete this location to finish a quest or to unlock something else.
Keep playing the location until you find all needed clues.
Once you complete the location you can keep playing it to earn coins and XP as needed as well as complete star mastery of the scene if needed.

Note – All clues once found will be placed in your inventory until they are needed for a quest or other purpose. You have a clue category which is shown in the image above.
Materials – Materials are very similar to clues except they are only needed when you want to craft items with the machines in your fashion house. These items can either be found in various hidden object scenes or they can be gifted to you by neighbors once you request them. They are also shown on the summary menu if you find a material during a hidden object session.

Parisian Market/Inventory

How to access game store – The game store also known as the “Parisian Market” is where you can purchase decorative or functional items to place in your fashion house. You will earn XP and spirit points for each item you purchase and place. Items purchased with gold bars earn you much larger amounts of XP and spirit points and help you to level up faster and to unlock hidden object scenes faster than those purchased with silver coins alone.
Click on the shopping bag at the bottom right to access the game store menu.
Note along the top there are several categories you can click on to shop from.
Décor – These are the items you use to decorate your house.
Machines – Here you will purchase machines that once placed in your fashion house will be used to craft other items used to complete quests in the game. These would include sewing machine, drafting table. (Note – some of these machines can’t be purchased but will appear in your house once you expand it using charms) You will have to find materials in hidden object scenes or have them gifted to you in order to craft items with your machines.

Inventory – Note the suitcase icon is your inventory. This is where all items gifted to you by neighbors will be placed until you redeem them such as energy points and charms. When you visit neighbor’s patterns and other items are also found here. Whenever you need an item look in your inventory and click on “redeem”
You can only redeem one item at a time for use in the game and some items have a daily maximum as to how many you can redeem. It appears each item has a limit of 99 in your inventory.

Fashion House/Placing items to increase spirit levels

How to place items in your fashion house – Click on the market icon which is the shopping bag at lower right corner of game screen and open the shopping menu.
Choose the tab along the top to pick the category you wish to shop from.
Note that each item will cost either silver coins or gold bars to purchase.
Each item will also earn you spirit points which unlock hidden object locations once you reach the required amount.
Click on the “buy” button and you will see the item appear in the house stuck to your cursor. You can place it anywhere in the house as long as you see a green border at the bottom. If you see red it will not fit. Once you have an item in the desired location click to lock it in then the funds will be deducted.
You may purchase more than one of an item with the exception of machines.
Moving – You can rotate items by clicking on the tool icons at the bottom right then on the item you wish to move. A small menu will appear. Once you have the changes you desire click on the item to lock in the changes.
Selling items – At this time you cannot sell items back to the market. This may change with future game updates. It is likely you will only be able to sell back for a percentage of the original purchase price once selling is allowed in the game.

Crafting items/Using Machines

Adding machines to your fashion house – Click on the large shopping bag at the bottom right of the game screen to access the market then click on the machines tab along the top of the menu.
Your first machine will be a sewing machine which you will place anywhere in your house you choose. As you level up and expand your house more machines will be available to you and it is best to keep them working for you at all times if you have the funds and materials.
Crafting items – Quests will likely guide your choices of craft items and once you have an item of clothing you need your quest will require you to have a specific machine and certain materials. Once you have the machine placed in your house click on it to bring up the menu.
Repair Machines – Most machines after you place them will need immediate repair. This will require that you hire two friends to repair them. You can do this one of two ways. You can either send out a friend request until two of your neighbors respond, or you can spend one gold bar each to immediately fill the positions so your machines can work for you right away. The requirements may be a higher cost as you reach higher levels in the game.
Choose the item you wish to craft and along the bottom you will see the requirements.
Most items will require materials such as a pattern and these are given to you from neighbors each time you visit them once every twenty four hours. You will also be able to request inspiration stones, pencils, and many other items as you play the game.
Once you have all the materials you need click on the “start” button at the far right. Each project has a time associated with it. Some is as short as fifteen minutes and some can take several hours to days to complete. You will likely have to pay in silver as well.

Once the project is underway a countdown clock will show over your machine in your house. You can check the progress at any time.
Once the item is completed it will add to your inventory and you will have it available to complete certain quests which will likely unlock new hidden object scenes for you and earn you large rewards.
Be sure to keep an eye on your quests and be sure you are expanding your house and adding machines whenever you can afford to.

Inviting and Visiting Neighbors

Your neighbors are shown along the bottom of the game screen in the neighbor menu.
Inviting neighbors – Click on the invite button and send an invitation to another player. They must accept the invitation before they will appear on your neighbor list. You must also accept neighbor requests from your inbox daily to appear on another player’s neighbor list.
Click on their picture to visit your neighbor’s fashion house. You will be able to see how he or she has chosen to decorate their house.
You can visit a neighbor as many times a day as you like, but you will only earn a reward once every twenty four hours.
At this time the reward consists of 15 silver coins, one energy point, and one pattern (found in your inventory and must be redeemed by you) This reward may change with future game updates and as you reach higher levels.
You can simply collect the daily reward and go to the next neighbor or you can choose an additional bonus by clicking on the “hidden object challenge” icon to the far right where the quest icons are normally located.

Hidden Object Challenge – Neighbor Challenge

Click on the “Challenge” icon to the far left while in your neighbor’s fashion house. You can only do this challenge once every twenty four hours per neighbor.
Objective – You and your neighbor will be shown the same screen and you will be give sixty seconds to find as many hidden objects in the scene as you can. There are a maximum of eighty items to be found in the scene. As soon as you find one item in the list it is replaced with another.
You are not scored in the traditional manner it is simply whoever finds the most out of eighty items in sixty seconds wins the challenge. You will earn fifty silver coins and fifty XP for each challenge you participate in. The winner of the challenge will earn a bonus as well once both players have completed it.
This is a great way to earn a lot of coins and become more adept at a particular hidden object scene – Note – you do not know which scene you will be searching and usually it changes every two neighbors so you are not given an unfair advantage of always playing the same scene even though you may see the same scene frequently if you have a large number of neighbors.

Fashion house expansions/Charms

While in your fashion house you will see smoky blue areas near the back of the first room. If you place your cursor over these areas you will see you can expand your house here by clearing away the smoke one square at a time. (These are also known as “Cursed areas”)
Charms are required to expand your fashion house (or break the curse). You will need to expand in order to fit the items needed to increase your spirit point totals thus unlocking new hidden object scenes and you will need space to put machines as well as unlock new machines when you begin to craft objects for certain quests.
Note – The drafting table cannot be purchased with silver. You can purchase it early with gold bars if you like but if you just wait until you expand your house a few times it will eventually be found in your house and you will be able to use it without spending your gold bars.

You will need to pay a minimum of 300 silver coins and have five charms to do an early expansion. (These requirements will likely change and increase as you reach higher levels in the game) You can either purchase the requirements with gold bars or request the charms from your neighbors or look for them in various hidden object scenes. (This requires playing scenes many times for a random charm at a cost of ten energy points each time you play)
Note that once you do all the expansions for a room in the house the door will unlock and a new room with new scenes will be unlocked. These may represent chapters in the game.

Sending Daily Free Gifts

You may send your neighbors one free gift once every twenty four hours.
Click on the “Send free gifts” button along the top or bottom of game screen.
The higher your game level the more gifts that are available to send to your neighbors and it is a great idea to send out gifts daily as many will return the favor helping you out in your game.
Be sure to send items that you need as that is usually what neighbors will send back to you.

Game Tips

Be sure to check your game quests frequently. Your game play does not apply to a quest until you open the quest by reading it.
Try not to purchase items ahead of the quest. It is best to wait until a quest requires it of you in order to spend your money wisely and stay with the requirements.
If you are out of energy check your coins to see if you have enough to purchase décor items for your fashion house. If you can level up soon, your energy meter will completely refill for free.
Neighbors are the most valuable asset you can have in this game. The more neighbors the more free gifts you will have in your inventory and this can help you level up very fast.
Visit neighbors daily and do the hidden object challenges for maximum bonuses.
Send out free gifts daily and if you really need an item be sure that is what you gift to others as they tend to send back what you gift to them.
While playing your hidden object scenes move as fast as you can without a mistake. Once you make a mistake the chaining bonus starts again at one.
Try not to use your hint button unless absolutely necessary if you want a high score. Its use will always stop your chaining bonus.
Before you make any purchases with real currency be sure to check your inventory for gifts first. You will have to redeem energy one point at a time from your inventory.
The more energy or charms you purchase the cheaper the overall cost.
If you are going to purchase energy or charms be sure to check out the specials or “Bundles” offered which will give you large numbers of these items at a greatly reduced rate.
At this time you are not able to sell items back to the market but watch for this game update as it is expected to change.

Congratulations! You have completed the basic game play guide for Threads of Mystery by Playdom. Be sure to check back often for game updates, staff and user reviews, user tips, forum comments and much more here at Gamezebo!