So far, this is mainly a guide to make acquiring the achievement “Deaf” easier and way less luck based. I am working on updating this guide to help those seeking 100% achievement completion, but for now I cannot call this a 100% achievement guide yet. Achievements are in sections, finished sections are labeled as such.
Preface
The goal of this guide is not to explain the mechanics every mode in detail but rather to provide useful tips for acquiring 100% achievements.
My assumption of anyone reading this is that they either have beaten all modes and are trying to 100% the game, or they are perhaps stuck on a particular mode or challenge and are seeking advice on how to overcome said mode or challenge.
So, my assumption is that readers already understand the basics of how each mode works. Also, I believe that attempting things without first looking at a guide is more fun and compelling.
You’ve Not Seen The End Of Me
For this achievement you must: “Beat Classic Mode”
Honestly, I would recommend just playing the game and figuring it out because that is the point.
However, many of my tips for the achievement of “Bold” still apply here.
You Will Miss Me
TBD
Won’t You Play?
TBD
Join Us
For this achievement you must: “Beat Living Halls”
This mode can be a little frustrating in my opinion.
First I will start with two aspects of this mode that caused me problems personally and how I dealt with them.
1. The enemies have a tendency to body block paths which can absolutely screw you over. Note that they function like Weeping Angels when not chasing you in rage mode, which means they do not move when you are looking at them. I find that you are less likely to be boxed into a bad spot if you try to keep them at a distance by looking at them as much as possible. Other than that, due to time constraints, I feel that if your path gets completely blocked you may just be doomed.
2. In my opinion, the beeping wrist apparatus ruins everything and there is a better way to locate enemies. It is so damn loud and is completely useless in my opinion, except that it shows how much time you have remaining before you must find a vault. In my experience I find that relying on the beeping to locate enemies is a VERY bad idea. Enemies will emit noise and you can sometimes see their weird tentacle mouths flash for a second when they are hiding. If you look carefully you can recognize the difference between a “normal” wall and an enemy. The enemies will not follow the organized geometry of the maze (i.e. can be rotated so they are not perpendicular to a wall) and honestly stand out quite a bit. In my experience, often the beeping will be very loud and it will sound as if the enemy is right in front of me, but when I back up I end up walking right into the enemy (which was actually somewhere behind me). I find the pointing mechanic to be a waste of time. My tip is to not rely on the beeping to pinpoint the enemies, but rather to only use it as a measure of the enemies being somewhere nearby. I find it much easier to locate the enemy’s exact position by other means (the way they look and the sound they make). The beeping makes it very difficult to hear the sound the orbs make and the sound the vault makes (which caused me a lot of frustration). This is another reason to try to keep your distance from the enemies in general so that the beeping is less annoying.
Tips:
- You can see enemies and hear them making sounds without relying on the wrist apparatus.
- Do not sprint if the beeping is getting very loud because you may sprint right into/by an enemy.
- Use the radar to plan. Try to collect all or most of the orbs near each vault, then hide in that vault. Usually, you will not be allowed to use the radar after exiting a vault until you collect one orb without it. So, while in the vault you should face the door then study the radar and note the location of the nearest orb so you can head in the general direction and use the sound of the orb to find it and get your radar back.
- Planning to get all orbs near each vault makes it easier to finish the last stretch when you are down to about 4-6 orbs because they will all be fairly close. You do not want random orbs spread out all over the map.
- Don’t be afraid to enter a vault early if you can’t achieve anything else in the time remaining.
- You are going to have to get used to the maze layout on some level. Personally, I mainly note how to get to each vault from the area around it. I died very close to a vault because I cannot find the entrance. You will eventually recognize certain areas (because the maze stays the same to my understanding), and you can more consistently make it to each vault from landmarks.
- You do not need to get a huge amount of orbs between each vault but it is possible to get down to 4-7 in just one vault.
The End
For this achievement you must: “Beat The Phantom”
All the tips I provided for the “Deaf” achievement apply to acquiring this achievement because it is the exact same mode. The sole difference is that you have volume set to 0 for the “Deaf” achievement but for this achievement you can also use audio cues.
Honestly, I feel like while the audio is useful, it can spook the player and cause them to play worse. Also once the furniture moves around enough, the Phantom can silently move through some areas and randomly catch you off guard. Again, my tips for “Deaf” apply here and I think that method makes this mode so much easier.
Close Call
For this achievement you must: “Replenish your batteries after running out of batteries in Shutter Mode”
This achievement is a piece of cake.
You do not need to actually beat the Shutter Mode attempt in order to get this achievement as a result of that particular attempt.
The fastest and easiest way to get this achievement is to walk up near to an orb in Shutter Mode without collecting it, then you simply use all your battery and grab the orb right after the last use of your camera flash. Be careful because if Legs is too close you may just die. Also you may need to scare him away once or twice before you run out of battery.
Once you do this you can just perish and you will get the achievement.
Bold
For this achievement you must: “Beat Classic Mode without walking forward. (Hint: Collect 1 orb without pressing W, and then the game will notify you if you fail.)”
First of all, note the directions provided by the achievement description.
You do NOT want to find Legs (obviously) ideally you avoid that for as long as possible.
In Broad Daylight
TBD
Deaf
For this achievement you must: “Beat The Phantom with the in-game volume set to 0. (Tip: listen to a funny song.)”
I think beating the Phantom in general can feel sort of tedious, but I actually got the “Deaf” achievement in about 3 attempts. Although, it actually took me quite a lot of tries to beat the phantom the first time I did it (with audio).
Tips:
Radar is super strong in this mode
The VERY powerful tip I have for you is that the radar automatically closes when the Phantom is near. So you can literally sit in the radar and relax if you need to. If the Phantom comes close your radar will close itself and you can react by immediately pressing your Space bar key to hold your breath, allowing him to pass through you without issue. Usually this means he is zooming through the room you are in and you will be able to see where he is going based on where objects are thrown/pushed. Even if a room has little or no objects you can just hold your breath for a while and see if some distant object moves which will indicate where the Phantom went. You can also use this radar trick as an opportunity to study the map and plan what you want to do. I am not sure exactly how all the mechanics work but I know that the game will sometimes lock you out of using the radar until you find an orb without it. Once you find one orb you are able to use your radar again. So a powerful strategy is to go from orb to orb whilst checking your radar frequently in between. Usually, if you have a good sense of direction, you can find an orb by looking at the map even if you do not understand exactly what the path will look like.
Dealing with paths blocked by objects (furniture in the way)
One of the more annoying situations is when the Phantom has walked through an area multiple times and he has piled up a mountain of furniture in a doorway, hallway, or on top of you. There are a few things you can do to remedy this situation if you need to move through a certain path. Sometimes you can slip through a gap if there is one. If the objects are few in quantity or light enough to push easily you can simply walk through them (making noise) then either hold your breath and wait for the Phantom or you can open your radar and wait for the Phantom. If there are enough objects nearby that you can see him coming, then it is best to wait for the objects to start moving then hold your breath until he leaves. If you use the radar trick then you simply hold your breath when the radar automatically closes and you can wait for him to leave. If the mountain of furniture is impassible you can intentionally make noise then wait for the Phantom to run through and push everything away (safest when you use the radar trick) you can also just wait in your radar until he naturally shows up if you don’t want to risk making noise (works better once he speeds up and is more aggressive when you are close to winning).
Look around frequently especially behind you
Look around frequently checking for any moving objects around you. This seems really obvious but it helps to stay vigilant and check behind yourself frequently. Even with the other tips, this vigilance is required to beat this mode more easily.
Devices are very useful but don’t rely on them too much
Honestly, I did not find the devices (traps) to be a main focus because if you play well, you won’t need them much unless you get unlucky. However, it was by goal to have at least one remaining once I am at around 4 orbs left. I would recommend trying to collect 5-10 orbs before placing your first device because it encourages you to play better and I found I get caught less early when I do this. Ideally place your devices in areas that are accessible from multiple sides so that it is easier to see them from a distance and reach them when needed. Try to place them in the center of a group of orbs so you can try to collect many orbs while remaining relatively close to your device. Ideally you can have a device placed somewhere near the last 5 or 6 orbs so you have a lifeline if you mess up or get unlucky near the end of your attempt. As you stray away from the safety of a device make sure you understand what direction and path you would have to run to get back to it if you suddenly have to. You can use the tip about radar to give yourself an advantage. You usually stop randomly and check your radar to see where the device is, if the Phantom comes near the radar will close and you can hold your breath in response.
Moving around and Holding Breath
Apply the tips I provided regarding taking advantage of the radar when moving around. Move relative to devices the way I described. I recommend walking about 3 steps or “paces” then hold your breath for about a second and quickly look around. Then repeat. By 3 steps I basically mean a medium short distance. I think it is easier to judge what I mean by this when playing with sound because your footsteps make a noise. Do not be afraid to hold your breath until it runs out when it is needed. However, conserve breath when moving around because if the Phantom shows up you may need to hold it for a while. Move 3 paces, stop and hold your breath while looking around for about a second or two, then repeat. One last movement tip I have is to not be afraid of following the Phantom sometimes. Often he cycles around halls in a path that loops. I don’t recall ever seeing him turn back and move in the direction he just came from. This means that if you see him turn a corner and continue moving, you can usually follow him. I found that moving in the direction he came from (away from where he is going) more often resulted in me running into him again, while following him actually resulted in avoiding him for longer.
People often say this is the hardest achievement but I actually think it can be boiled down to a method that works almost like an algorithm. Move in a specific and methodical way. Optimize the use of your devices to the best of your ability (though I believe the devices are more of a fail-save then a requirement). Use your radar and don’t be afraid to sit still with it open for a long time. React to the radar closing and react to seeing movement. Try to clear all orbs in an area before leaving so the last few orbs will all be in the same area.
The Junkyard
TBD
The Labyrinth
TBD
