For everyone to survive Until Dawn, it’s best not to make these choices, as they can have disastrous consequences.
Life is all about choices, some of which have no real impact on the future, but in Until Dawn, making the wrong ones can have catastrophic results. Until Dawn allows players to decide the fate of the eight playable characters by employing a choice-based mechanic inspired by a branch of scientific study known as chaos theory, whereby certain events have a direct influence on others at a later date.
In Until Dawn, the worst obtainable ending requires all eight characters to be dead before the game’s climax. As a result, a helicopter will descend upon the burning lodge and report no signs of survivors. In the best-case scenario, however, everyone lives. Making certain choices in earlier chapters can lock someone out of the game’s best ending by dooming another character, so it’s important to know what not to do. Here are some choices to avoid in order to guarantee the best ending (everyone lives) in Until Dawn.9 Opening The Trap Door (As Ashley)
Chapter 9
In Chapter 9, after Mike leaves for the Sanitorium, he leaves Sam, Ashley, Chris (determinant), and Emily (determinant) behind in the «safe room» of the lodge’s basement. Sam takes charge and suggests they go after Mike, so the group uses the sewage tunnel as a passageway to the mines. Ashley trails behind after hearing Jessica’s voice calling to her and comes to a crossroads where she can either investigate the voice or rejoin the group. In order to collect all the totems in Until Dawn, Ashley needs to investigate.
However, Ashley does not need to interact with the trap door that’s rattling in the large opening. She can simply walk past it. In fact, players shouldn’t even unlatch it — it should be ignored altogether. On this route, completionists should make sure to go around the corner to find the totem sitting there for a chance at finding all the collectibles. If Ashley opens the trap door, the Wendigo will jump out and decapitate her.8 Shooting Emily (As Mike)
Chapter 8
It sounds fairly self-explanatory that for everyone to survive in Until Dawn, it probably isn’t helpful to have an itchy trigger finger. However, the game cleverly deceives players by making them believe that Emily is infected if she gets bitten by the Wendigo in Chapter 8. It’s a tricky decision to make, as the truth isn’t revealed until after the fact, so players can be led to think that sacrificing the one for the sake of the many is the way to go.
Not only is it horrific to imagine Mike shooting his ex-girlfriend, but it’s also entirely unnecessary. As Ashley discovers shortly after via the Stranger’s journal, Wendigo bites are harmless, meaning that Emily’s bite mark is nothing more than a flesh wound. As such, not shooting Emily will allow her to live to see another day.
