Step 2: Solve all Edges
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Part 1: In this step you're going to finish making your scrambled 4x4x4 cube into a scrambled 3x3x3 cube. In this step you're going put all the edge pieces next to their corresponding edge pieces and make one solid edge group for each pair. Once you've solved all the edge groups you'll be able to solve your cube as if it were a normal rubik's cube (3x3x3), except for a few situations which I will tell you how to fix in step 3. This step will not take long to explain as it is basically the same idea done repeatedly. First you have to know what parts of the cube are going to do what.

Edge Groups
This diagram shows where all the edge groups are on your cube once it is solved

Although it may seem like this step is going to complicated it actually the easiest one in my opinion. First of all here is how you should "view" the cube when you look at it.


Any edge groups in the U or D faces you should think of as stored. In the first step when you set a center piece row in the u slice this is the same type thing for this step. Once you solve an edge group put it into the U or D face. Once an edge is in either the U or D face then make sure not to use it again. Once they are stored you can just leave them alone. The stored edges are represented by the medium dark gray in the diagram. All the dark gray edge groups are the working edges. These are the ones that you are going to do the actual work with. It is in this "middle section" of the d and u slices where you will solve the edge groups. Now on to the moves for solving the edges.

Part 2: Before we even start you need to store any solved edge groups that you have (put them in either the D or U faces). Now you need to solve all the other edge groups. Basically what you need to do is get two pieces, that are seperated, from the same edge group and put one in the u slice and one in the d slice and then solve them from there. The basic strategy for this step is to solve an edge group and store it in either the U or D face. Then just pick two more edge pieces, which belong in the same edge group, and solve them. Each time you solve an edge group and store it then just move on to another edge group. Once you've solved all the edges except for the four working edges you'll need to use another set of moves to solve the last four and then you'll be ready to move on to step 3.

1. To put a solved edge group into the D or U face there are two moves you need to know.

I. To put a solved edge into the U face hold your cube like this,

The darker gray edge pieces in this diagram and in the following diagrams represents an unsolved edge group

Make sure when doing this move that you have an unsolved edge group in the same position as the dark gray edge pieces in the diagram. Now from here do the move L ' U ' L. This will move the solved edge group to the U face and then replace it with an unsolved edge group.

II. To move a solved edge group to the D face hold your cube like this,


Make sure when doing this move that you have an unsolved edge group in the same position as the dark gray edge pieces in the diagram. Now from here do the move L D L '. This will move the solved edge group to the D face and then replace it with an unsolved edge group. The d slice is moved a lot during this step and at times your cube will not have the centers solved but in rows. Once you've solved all but the working edges will you solve the centers again. Just make sure to do the moves carefully or the rows will be split into their original pieces and then you have to solve the centers again.

2. Your cube may have two adjacent edges in the position in the diagrams. If they are switched (The edge piece on the d slice is on the right and the piece in the u slice is on the left) then just turn the d slice until your cube looks like the diagrams.

Front View
Right Face View

From here hold the cube as in the front view diagram. Now do the move d R U ' R ' d '. What this move does is to solve the edge group, then move it to the U face and replace it with an unsolved edge group. Finally the last moves restores the centers. Your cube should now look like this,

Front View
Back View

Now you're done with this edge group so don't even pay attention to it anymore and move on to the next group that needs to be solved.

3. If your cube has two edge pieces spread on the diagonals of the cube then get your cube to look like the diagrams,

Front View
Back View

While holding the cube as in the front view diagram do the move d ² R U ' R ' d ². This move does the same thing as the one above which is to first solve the edge group, then move it to the U face and replace it with an unsolved edge group. Then the last moves restores the centers.

4. Your cube may have two edge pieces in the same layer like this,


Your pieces may not look exactly like the diagram but if they are in the same layer, either the d or u face, then hold your cube so one of the edges is in the darker gray area on the diagram below (it will either be in the u or d face but make sure it is still in the position of the darker gray area),


Now do the move L ' F U ' L F '. This move will flip the edge group so that now the edge piece should be in the other layer. If it was in the d slice it should now be in the u slice and vice versa. Now just do the move above that corresponds to your cube.

5. If one of the pieces you need is in the U or D face then you need to move it to the middle section so you can solve it. If your cube has an edge piece that you need but it is in the D face instead of the U face then turn your whole cube over so that it looks like one of the diagrams below. There are two positions your cube can be in right here,

I. In this diagram say you wanted to solve the red-white edge group. To get the red-white piece from the top to the working area do this move R U ' R '. This will get the edge piece out of the U face and keep the two pieces seperated between the u and d slices. Now you can solve it normally.


II. In this diagram if I was solving the red-white piece and I did the move above it would end up putting the red-white piece from the U face in the u face. However the other red-white edge piece is already in the u face so you would have to flip one of the edges to be able to solve it. To save moves just do this move while holding the cube as in the diagram F R ' F ' R. This will put the piece in the way it needs to be to let you use the moves above to solve the edge group.


III. In the above two diagrams the edge piece that is not in the U face may be in the d face instead of the u face. If this should happen then use one of the two moves above to get the edge piece from the U face into the middle section. After a few times of doing these moves you'll learn which one works for which scenario. If for any reason when you move a piece from the top layer to the middle section and it is flipped from the way you need it to be then do the move from #4

6. Now you should have 8 edge groups solved and spread out in the U and D faces. These next moves will show you how to solve the working edges. The basic strategy is to solve two of the edges and then to use a certain move to solve the last two at the same time. Before you do any of these moves make sure that you've solved the centers back. Sometimes while solving the first 8 edge groups the centers will be split apart (but only in rows if you do it right). After you've solved the first 8 edge groups turn the d slice to fix them again. If for some reason the centers got mixed up and they aren't in rows anymore then you have to go back to step 1 and fix them all over again :-(

I. Your cube may have two edges in this position,

*NOTE* In the following diagrams the darker gray now symbolizes a solved edge group

Front View
Right Face View

Now hold your cube as in the front view diagram and do the move d R F ' U R ' F d '. This move will move the blue-yellow piece from the edge group on the left over to the right, then the next few moves flips the edge group on the right, once it is flipped the last move will restore the centers and it will solve both edges at the same time. Now you only have the last two edge groups to solve so go to #7.

Your cube may be in the same position as above except one of the edges is flipped like this,


From here do the move from #4 to flip the edge on the left then solve it with the move above.

II. Your cube may already have one of the last four edge groups solved so that now you only have three scrambled edge groups. First you need to pick one of the edge groups, any one of them, and choose one of the pieces (for the move to solve the edge group both pieces need to be in the u face so it helps to choose a piece already in the u face so you don't have to flip it). In the diagram say I chose the orange-blue piece. Now you need to find the other edge of the same color and put it in the u slice as well (if it is in the d face just do the move from #4 to flip it). Once you've done that hold your cube as in the front/left view diagram and do the move
d ' L ' F U ' L F ' d. This will move the bottom piece from the right side edge group over to the left and replace it with the other blue-orange piece. The last moves solves the edge groups and restores the centers.

Front/Right Face View
Front/Left Face View

Your cube may have both pieces you chose on opposite diagonals of the cube like this,

Front View
Back View

From here hold the cube as in the front view diagram and do the move d ² R F ' U R ' F d ². Don't worry if you don't see the solved edge group it is on the other diagonal of the cube now. What this move does is put the piece on the front right edge group and move it next to the one on the diagonal edge of the cube to solve it. Now you're about finished, go to #7.

7.Now you only have one move left and you'll be done with step 2. Your cube will now look something like this with only two edge groups left to solve (*NOTE* the colors on your cube may be different as you may have solved different edge groups in the process of this step but the move will still work). Your last two edges will either be adjacent to each other or on opposite edges of the cube.

I.If your cube has the last two edge groups adjacent to each other then using the move from #4 get the last two edges to look like this

Front/Left View
Front/Right View

From here hold the cube as in the Front/Right View diagram and do the move d R F ' U R ' F d '. This will move the white orange piece to edge group on the right then flip that edge group. The last move restores the centers and solves the edge groups.

II. If your cube had the last two edges on the opposite diagonals of the cube then using the move from #4 get the last two edges to look like this

Front View
Back View

From here hold the cube as in the Front view diagram and do the move d ² R F ' U R ' F d ². This will move the white orange piece to the other edge group, then flip that edge group, the last move restores the centers and solves the edge groups.

Overview

Your cube should now look something like this,

Front-Top View
Back-Bottom View


Your cube is now a scrambled 3x3x3 cube. There are a couple of positions that can't occur on a normal 3x3x3 that I will go over with in step 3. You've made it this far, only one more step to go!


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