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General Tips
Mostly in Derek’s route you have 2 main focuses: Keeping yourself alive by avoiding the hunters, and saving the other survivors. You have to juggle both of these to get many of the endings (Though of course most of them come from failing miserably). Plus, if you die from heatstroke you won’t even make it to the whole “being brutally murdered” part either.
Not dying immediately:
- The fissure is a good place to be early on because you’re rarely in danger, and it will cool you down even during the day. During day 1 this is the only way to cool down besides getting water from Derek. You’re also going to need the water here later anyway.
- For the same reasons, once you have access to the cave it’s the best place to be. You can never get killed here once it’s cleared out, and it also cools you down. Unlike the fissure, this is a 100% safe place to sleep at all times.
- If you run into a bad situation, usually it’s enough to rollback to before the choice and wait things out. The area is likely to become safe again.
- Under no circumstances should you let yourself pass out from exhaustion anywhere besides the cave, it’s pretty likely to kill you.
Avoiding The Hunters
- Jack is the most dangerous one, because 99% of the time he will instantly murder you. He shows up at the fissure (rarely) and at the camp during the day (often).
- Derek isn’t dangerous the first time you meet him in the open desert (unless you piss him off really bad), but from then on running into him is also usually guaranteed death. Meeting him at the camp will always kill you, while you can avoid your fate in the second open desert encounter if you have a weapon.
- Machete won’t bother you unless you drink the water in the fissure, so he’s not really an issue
- Komodo and Dragon will kill you for drinking water too, but their main threat is from the cave. That doesn’t mean avoid the cave, but avoid entering the cave if they’re in there all alone.
Saving Other Survivors
Tom: Saving him is the easiest, because all you need to do is enter the cave (which you can find by searching the hill at night) on night 1. Be careful not to go in too early, or he won’t be there yet and you’ll die. You’ll also die if you choose to “intervene” or fail to grab Komodo.
Jaqueline: To save her, you’ll need to first meet Derek in the open desert. Comply with his ridiculous demands so he gives you a canteen of water. You can immediately drink it and go fill it up at the fissure. You do need to do this somewhat quickly because your only chance to plant it at the camp is on night 1, and for most endings you still need time to go save Tom. After you plant it, you will be able to find Jaqueline at the fissure the next day and you’ll automatically save her.
Richard: Richard is also easy to save even if I don’t recommend doing it. Fairly late in night 2, if you are inside the cave you can choose “stay here” and hear a noise outside. Now you can go save Richard.
Endings
Probably the reason you’re reading this, but I know some people don’t want such direct spoilers so I put that stuff first. Without further ado:
- You volunteered for first blood – Pick “Try to distract them” when given the option.
- You refused to cry – Completely resist Derek in his first meeting in the open desert.
- He didn’t let you run – Meet Derek a second time in the open desert (on day 2) without the knife.
- You played with fireworks – Get caught by Derek at the camp.
- You wandered into the camp – Get caught by Jack at the camp (easier if Derek is already dead because you can only run into Jack now.)
- You gave your life in exchange – Don’t get caught by Jack early, but hang around the fissure without doing anything else until you find Jaqueline being attacked. Try to save her.
- You were caught by Jack – Hang around at the fissure too much, Jack will show up eventually.
- You tried to be a hero – Choose to intervene with Komodo and Dragon’s sacrifice of Tom in the cave instead of waiting.
- You paved the way for sacrifice – Enter the cave immediately on night 1.
- The heat got to you – Let the temperature meter max out (just sitting in the desert is easiest.)
- You were sacrificed – Drink the water at the fissure right away.
- You drank the water – Drink the water at the fissure after night 1 (you can do it as soon as Tom would be in the cave.)
- You wandered the desert – Run out of sanity. Follow the sanity reducing section below for how to do this. When you meet Derek for the first time, accept his offer and save the canteen until your screen starts shaking in the ending, then drink it for an achievement.
- You went down in the escape – Save Tom and Jaqueline, but don’t give Jaqueline the knife and don’t save Richard, say yes to attacking the camp.
- Your fight is over – Don’t save Tom or Richard, but make sure to save Jaqueline (You can still direct her to the cave. Just find it but don’t enter during the night, and then enter it when morning comes). Wait until Jaqueline asks to attack the camp and agree.
- You were betrayed – Save Richard, Jaqueline, and Tom, and say yes to attacking the camp. It does not matter whether you give Jaqueline the knife or not (though the events will change a bit.)
- You bled out – Resist Derek during his first meeting, but beg him when he tells you to. Then walk around until you die.
- You succumbed to thirst – Let hunger meter sit at 0 for too long (it takes a pretty long time, just be patient.)
- You escaped with friends – Don’t save Richard, but save Tom and Jaqueline and give Jaqueline the knife. Say yes to attacking the camp.
- He took you home – Get your sanity below 50 (at any point before heading to the camp). Get the knife by following the steps for saving Tom listed above. Meet Derek twice in the open desert during the day, and choose to “Beg” during the second meeting. Stab Derek but don’t kill him, then head to the camp at night once sanity is low and choose to stop Machete.
- The machete was laid to rest – Save Tom and Jaqueline. Encounter Derek in the open desert during the day twice, choose to beg for your life when you meet him the second time (thanks again svltryclown, you’re my MVP) and then stab him, but don’t kill him. Go watch Machete kill him at night in the camp. Do not give Jaqueline the knife and agree to attack the camp.
Please let me know if anything is inaccurate or confusing! I double-checked most of these, but for the last ending Steam user brit helped me find it, so there are definitely some things I missed when playing.
Lowering Sanity
Just in case you’re having some trouble getting sanity low for the 2 endings related to it, I’ll list a few good ways to do so:
- Don’t look away at the very beginning
- When given the option to directly murder someone, do (although for the “He took you home” ending, you obviously cannot kill Derek)
- Don’t drink Derek’s water, because when your hunger is low you can sometimes lose sanity
- Don’t talk to Tom, he raises your sanity
- DO talk to Richard if you save him, he sucks and will lower your sanity
- As noted by svltryclown, if you let Tom die you can rapidly drain your sanity by repeatedly re-entering the cave. I never let Tom die except for in the routes where he was required to, so I actually never noticed this!