The Long Dark: Donner Walkthrough

The Long Dark: Episode 4 – Chapter 4: Donner Walkthrough & Guide.

The Long Dark: Donner Walkthrough

Ugh, what a fine pickle Will is in right now. And while it’s sad that poor Franklin is dead, I am a little annoyed that he ratted use out to Mathis. Oh well.

Head on out of your cell and go left. You’ll see Mathis, and getting close enough will trigger a cutscene. Gotta say, not looking forward to seeing how Mathis gets revenge on Will in Episode 5.

So, here’s the part of the chapter I was dreading. Remember that suffocation mechanic? Yeah, it’s back. And there are no air pockets here. Instead, we have to navigate a prison, on a timer, while it’s on fire. Fun. The main positive is that we have a little more time on the meter since it’s fire smoke instead of toxic gas.

Honestly, it’s actually not that bad, but only if you know where you’re going. Making this run blind, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have at least one death since the vision blurring can really screw you in trying to find the correct path. Because of this, I have made a video of this section showing the way out.

The main thing that I want to stress is that you NEED to pick up the prybar on the way out. It’s very important as the convicts have stripped you of all gear and there are a couple of wolves between you and the maintenance yard, especially on Hardened Survivor mode.

Once you make it through the emergency door, you have a little breathing room. Go to the warden’s office, and you’ll see the hardcase. Don’t grab it just yet. Instead, head for the kitchenette/bathroom and pick up all the supplies around. There are insulated boots which you might want, although I would recommend not putting them on just yet.

When you’re ready, grab the hardcase. The phone will immediately start ringing. It’s Jace. Unfortunately, while she started the lockdown, she doesn’t seem to have much control over it. It’s only a matter of minutes before Mathis and his goons find Will. And just on time, here they come.

You need to book it! Any stalling at this point will lead to Will’s capture by the convicts and a game over. Below is another video of the path you need to take.

Once you hit the ground, you can slow down a bit. There’s no risk of the convicts catching you if go a little slow (obviously don’t take the time to sleep or anything like that). But you do need to avoid the spotlights. If one catches you, the convicts will start shooting at Will, and you could die that way.

After you loop around to the maintenance yard (watch out for wolves), grab your clothes. The game actually deletes anything that’s not clothing at this point. I had stored all my gear here earlier, and as you can see, the drawers are empty of anything that’s not clothing.

Anyways, the goal is the maintenance door that leads to the steam tunnels. After all, we need to meet Jace by the Power Plant. Be sure to click that door as soon as you can. It’s scripted for Will to be seen and shot at as he approaches, and if you take too long you will die.

So like everything else at Blackrock, the steam tunnels are also on fire. I’ve got another video for you, although I don’t think this is as confusing as the prison escape portion.

I suspect that you might be able to find some goodies in those lockers that I passed by, but I was a little concerned about the suffocation. If you want, just backtrack after reaching the fresh air since the suffocation timer will have restarted.

Anyways, just exit the tunnels and enter the power plant for the final cutscene(s) of this chapter.