Step into the thrilling world of Rise of the Golden Idol with the “Going Once!” case – a complex auction mystery that challenges your detective skills like never before. Unravel the secrets behind five enigmatic items, decipher cryptic dialogues, and piece together a deadly conspiracy involving stolen artifacts, cunning distractions, and a shocking murder. Whether you’re on Nintendo, PC, PlayStation, or Xbox, our detailed walkthrough, hints, and full solution will guide you through every twist and turn of this captivating chapter. Ready to outsmart the masterminds and solve the case before the final gavel falls? Your investigation starts now!
As with all of our Rise of the Golden Idol case guides, our goal here is to provide a hint-based experience that will lead you to the solution without automatically showing you how to solve it. We’ll start out with small hints for the puzzle, escalate to bigger ones, and eventually just spell out the answer if it’s still not clicking for you. We’ve separated our tiered hints and answers with in-game art, but be wary of scrolling farther than you intend.
In this Rise of the Golden Idol guide, we’ll walk you through the “Going Once!” case, including hints and the full solution for the names, conference, victim, and events puzzles.
Going Once! Names
In the “Going Once!” case of Rise of the Golden Idol, players must identify eight key characters involved in the auction house mystery. These names, which include Oriel Toussaint, Tesa Nevari, Summer Knightly, Aurelia Winston, Moumaati Dasilva, Nils Wilmington, Robbie Froberg, and Erwin Bogart, are uncovered through careful analysis of dialogue, character silhouettes, and items such as drink orders and notes found throughout the scenes. Some names are revealed directly on objects like the auction sign or personalized envelopes, while others become clear by observing interactions and motives during the event timeline.
There are eight names to discover in “Going Once!”
First hint
- You know the name of one of these characters from long before this chapter.
- Look at how each character plans to pay and then examine other props later in the story.
- Pay attention to each character’s silhouettes and dialogue in the later timeline.
- At least two names are hiding in plain sight.

Second hint
- Look at the sign announcing the auction to learn the auctioneer’s name.
- Read the paper in the waiter’s pocket to learn his name.
- The security guard’s last name appears in multiple places, but you can find his first name on a personalized envelope.
- The drink order will tell you three of the buyer’s names, and the check in the safe will tell another.

Solution
Listed left to right, top to bottom, here are the names of the “Going Once!” characters:
- Oriel Toussaint
- Tesa Nevari
- Summer Knightly
- Aurelia Winston
- Moumaati Dasilva
- Nils Wilmington
- Robbie Froberg
- Erwin Bogart
Going Once! Lots
In the “Going Once!” case of Rise of the Golden Idol, five unique items are auctioned, each with distinct origins and buyers. Players must identify these items, their provenance, and the purchasers by carefully analyzing timelines, character dialogues, and clues found in the auction ledger. The lots include a Lemurian seal and statue, a creature from Lanka, a mask from Albion, and a totem from Adria, purchased by characters Aurelia Winston, Summer Knightly, and Moumaati Dasilva. The case also involves uncovering the events surrounding a murder during the auction, where a distraction and a theft lead to a fatal confrontation involving a cane and a circuit box. Solving this case requires piecing together motives, alliances, and the sequence of events to reveal the mastermind and the circumstances of the crime.
There are five items being sold at this auction, and you’ll need to figure out what they are, where they are from, and who purchased them.
First hint
- Use the earlier timeline to tell where each item sits in the lot order.
- Listen to the character dialogue to see who has won what.

Second hint
- Clicking on each object in the later timeline will just tell you what kind of item it is.
- Once you know the character’s names, you can use the ledger on the victim in the later timeline to tell who purchased what via the code.
- Figure out which piece Summer bought and then read her dialogue to tell its origin.
- Listen to Moumaati’s dialogue and look at her ticket to see where lot 1 and 4 are from.
- Aurelia’s dialogue will tell you where lot 3 and 5 are from.

Solution
- Lot 1: Seal, Lemuria, Aurelia Winston
- Lot 2: Creature, Lanka, Summer Knightly
- Lot 3: Mask, Albion, Summer Knightly
- Lot 4: Statue, Lemuria, Moumaati Dasilva
- Lot 5: Totem, Adria, Aurelia Winston
Going Once! Events
The “Going Once! Events” in Rise of the Golden Idol unfold over three segments and 29 entries, detailing the complex interactions and motives behind the crime at the auction. Key characters include Tesa Navari, who masterminds a distraction to facilitate a theft, and Robbie Froberg, who steals a valuable Lemurian statue. The event escalates when Nils Wilmington catches Robbie in the act, leading to a confrontation where Robbie uses a cane to push Nils into an electrified circuit box, causing his death. The timeline and character dialogues reveal alliances, spending habits, and item transfers, all crucial to piecing together the sequence of events and identifying the culprit.
The event for this case is separated into three paragraphs and 29 entries.
First hint
- Pay close attention to the dialogue of the characters in the before timeline, as it’ll give you motive for who set the crime in motion.
- Pay close attention to what item each character wants, or if they want anything specific.
- Find out who is working together and who is just there to bid on items.
- Do the math to see who is spending money where and on what, including drinks and items.
- Take note when items move from one character’s pocket to another.

Second hint
- The first name is the “mastermind” behind this entire chapter, and the second is the person who won the item they’re looking for.
- The second paragraph focuses on the mastermind distracting another character while their accomplice prepares for the crime by doing something.
- The final paragraph focuses on the murder.
- The weapon being used to push the victim into the circuit box is a tell to the identity of either the killer or the victim.

Solution
At the Seven Seas Auction, Tesa Nevari was outbid by Moumaati Dasilva for the statue from Lemuria, and so decided to steal it instead.
Tesa Nevari distracted Erwin Bogart while Robbie Frobergstole their keys.
Nils Wilmington discovered Robbie Frobergstealing the statue upstairs and a fight ensued. Robbie Frobergpushed Nils Wilmington into a circuit box with a cane, causing instant death.
What hidden clues reveal the true identity of the mastermind in ‘Going Once’
In the “Going Once!” case of Rise of the Golden Idol, the true mastermind’s identity is revealed through subtle but critical hidden clues embedded in the investigation. Key hints include inconsistencies in alibis, the strategic use of distractions during the auction, and the manipulation of other characters to cover up their involvement. The mastermind cleverly exploits the chaos of the auction to divert suspicion, while their connection to the stolen artifacts and the motive behind the murder gradually come to light through careful examination of evidence and dialogue. These clues collectively expose the mastermind as the person orchestrating the entire scheme from behind the scenes, using others as pawns to mask their role in the crime. This layered revelation underscores the importance of scrutinizing every detail and suspect interaction to uncover the true culprit in the case.
What clues in ‘Going Once’ suggest the mastermind’s true motives
In the “Going Once!” case of Rise of the Golden Idol, clues suggesting the mastermind’s true motives revolve around their desire to manipulate others into committing crimes, rather than directly committing acts themselves. The mastermind’s goal is to orchestrate a scenario where others are forced into moral dilemmas and conflicts, thereby exposing deeper themes of despair versus hope and control. This is reflected in their strict adherence to self-imposed rules to maintain the illusion of a “game,” ensuring that the mastermind never directly kills but instead compels others to do so, highlighting a twisted philosophy about human nature and power. The mastermind’s motive is ultimately to prove a point about dominance and despair, using the chaos of the auction and the stolen artifacts as a backdrop to demonstrate their control and influence over others’ fates.
