Tools

There are 6 tools available to use when investigating pictures and puzzles. Each tool's function remains the same for every picture in every available mode, but some do vary in puzzles.

Tools may be available to win after a successful investigation of certain pictures. Tools can also be won as a reward for combining certain collections. If you are stuck, tools can be bought in the shop for either crystals or coins.

Types of Tools
There are currently 6 tools available in the game: Some tools, such as the Torch and Lantern can only be used in certain Picture Modes. Other tools, such as the Explorer's Eye, may have different functions in Puzzles than in Pictures.
 * 1) Explorer's Eye
 * 2) Compass
 * 3) Dynamite
 * 4) Torch
 * 5) Lantern
 * 6) Time Machine

Tools can be won for successful investigations of Pictures and Puzzle games. They can also be rewards for combining collections, and for achieving certain awards. Tools can also be bought in the shop for both coins and crystals.

Explorer's Eye
In all game modes, the Explorer's Eye tool will point out 1 object when used. The object will light up for a few seconds after the Explorer's Eye finds it.

In Night Mode the Explorer's Eye will point to an object even it is in a darkened portion of the picture. The object will light up revealing its location, and you can tap the object to find it without moving the light circle to its location.

The Explorer's Eye tool will simultaneously point out and light up both objects in the pair if used in Pairs mode.

Compass
In all Picture modes, the Compass tool will point to an object on the list of items to be found for 30 seconds.

You can move the compass around the picture. As the compass gets close to the object it is pointing at that object will light up. When the compass is on top of the object, the compass needle will spin around.

In Night mode, if you place the compass within the light circle, the light circle will move with the compass as you move it around the picture. Note: The Spring 2015 update has removed this feature from the game, and you can now no longer move the light circle and the compass at the same time. You must move them separately.

In Pairs mode, the compass tool will light up both pairs when you drag it close to one object in a pair. When you press one of the pairs the other will stop being illuminated, so it is better to press the second object in the pair, not the one the compass is pointing to first to save time when looking for pairs. If you press the first object in the pair being pointed at by the compass first, the compass will then point towards the second pair until you miss tap or find it.

Torch
The torch can only be used in Night mode. The Torch lights the entire picture for 35 seconds

Lantern
The Lantern can only be used in Night mode. The lantern doubles the light circle radius for 30 seconds.

Dynamite
In all Picture modes, the dynamite tool will remove up to 3 objects from the picture at a time.

In Pieces mode the dynamite will only remove pieces of the object you are currently looking for, so if you only have 1 or 2 pieces of that object remaining, the dynamite will only remove those pieces and not any pieces of the next object you must find. This is also true for researching a picture with the scroll-eater anomaly. The dynamite will only remove the current item listed, as only one item is listed at a time.

Time Machine
In all Picture modes, the Time Machine tool will add 45 extra seconds to your time limit.

Tools during Puzzles
Some tools will have slightly different functions in Puzzle games than they do in Picture investigations, and not all tools are available to use during Puzzle games:

Blocks
There are two tools available to use while playing Blocks.


 * Using a Time Machine in Blocks will add 45 seconds to the timer.


 * Using an Explorer's Eye in Blocks will remove a random brown block from the game board.

Pipes
There are two tools available in to use in Pipes.


 * The Time Machine adds 45 seconds to the game timer.


 * The Explorer's Eye will randomly rotate either one or two blocks into its correct position.

Memory Match
There are two tools available to use in Memory Match.
 * The Time Machine adds 45 seconds to the game's timer.


 * The Explorer's Eye overturns all cards revealing their images for 3 seconds.

Gem Match
There are two tools available to use in Gem Match.


 * The Time Machine will add 45 seconds to the game timer.


 * The Explorer's Eye will randomly remove one yellow border from the game board.

Finding Tools
Some tools can be given as rewards for successful investigations of pictures. All tools can be won as rewards for combining collections or achieving certain awards in the game. Occasionally, you will receive a tool as a random thank you gift from a friend. Below is a list of collections that reward tools, the item created, number of tools rewarded, coins and Artefact association. See the individual collection pages, List of Collections, List of Collection Items, and List of Combining Element Requirements for more information. For full award information see the List of Award Levels.

Pictures and Awards that reward Tools
In addition to individual tools, it may also be possible to win chests containing sets of tools in the game. Three chests containing tools are available, the 'Tool Case', which contains 3 of each tool and the 'Tool Box', which contains 10 of each tool and 'Night Detective's Chest, which contains 5 torches and 2 Lanterns:

Buying Tools in the Shop
Some tools only require coins to be bought in the shop. This can be a good use of coins won in the game once all new pictures are unlocked. Below is a table of the prices of tools in the shop, in order of affordability:

The Tooling Around Desktop Award
Three tools - the compass, Lantern and Time Machine, can be bought for coins in the shop. Compasses and Lanterns are cheaper than Time Machines. However, if you are working towards the higher level desktop tools award, which requires using thousands of tools to achieve, the Time Machines are worth the extra coins as many more can be used at a time during a single picture investigation or puzzle game. For example, Lanterns can only be used in Night mode, and last 30 seconds. The most Lanterns you can use in a single picture investigation (which must be in night mode) is 10. Compasses can be used in all picture modes, but again last for 30 seconds. The most Compasses that can be used in Text and Silhouette mode is 6, and the most that can be used in all other Picture modes is 10. Time Machines can be used in a Picture investigation or Puzzle game. There is no limit to how much extra time you can add to a timer other than your own patience and amount of Time Machines in your inventory. This means you can use 100s of Time Machines in one single picture investigation or puzzle game, helping you reach the Tools award objective faster.

Seeker's Eye renamed Explorer's Eye
The Harvest and Halloween Update (September 2016) brought a number of name changes to the game, centered around removing the word "Seeker" from the game and replacing it with the word "Explorer". This may have been related to the game developer's (MyTona) second Hidden Object game, which was named Seeker's Notes: Hidden Mystery (previously titled Seeker's Notes: Mysteries of Darkwood), although the change in the Secret Society game was only implemented a year after Seeker's Notes was released.

During this change, the 5th Picture Level "High Seeker" was renamed "High Explorer", the tool "Seeker's Eye" was renamed "Explorer's Eye" and the "Seekers" category (number of Quests completed) of the Top 1000 list was renamed "Explorers".

Note that older images on the wiki will still show the old name "Seeker's Eye" but other than the name, the tool remains the same (function hasn't changed), so the information in the image is still accurate, just with an older name for the tool displayed.

Related
Werkzeuge
 * SS Home
 * Picture Modes
 * List of Pictures
 * List of Puzzles
 * Collections
 * List of Collections
 * List of Collection Items
 * Shop