How to read the map
There is no morality meter and no hidden score. Three levers decide your ending, and the map is laid out in the order you meet them:
- The final-quest dialogue. Your ending is committed in the finale quest (A Deal with the Devil) — which line you take is what actually sets it. Clearing the vassal arcs (Ambrus, Bakir, Xanthe) is what opens the finale, but which side you held across them is not the ending lever.
- Which ally chain you completed. The Lacra and Crake chains are not mutually exclusive — you can do both in one run. Completing the full Lacra chain resolves to Patricide; completing the full Crake chain resolves to Knyazmaker; doing neither leaves Turncoat and Folk Hero open. How far you go with Anca shapes her personal epilogue near the finale, not which ending you get.
- Time. The 30-day window is a separate mechanism — it is the only thing that can trigger the bad ending (Time Runs Out) by expiring before the rescue is done. It is not a fail state: going past 30 days does not end the run by itself, and it is not caused by switching sides.
Two routes leave the trunk early: the valley exit in the prologue (a shorter epilogue that closes off every other ending on that save) and the Silts Tower dream. Everything else converges on the castle, whose entry sequence carries the ending warning — the point of no return. The [key choice timeline](/choices-and-endings/key-choice-timeline/) walks through each decision in detail, and the [all endings guide](/choices-and-endings/all-endings/) has the run-by-run plan for seeing all seven.
Frequently asked questions
Is there one choice that locks an ending? +
The main endings are picked in one place: the final-quest dialogue (A Deal with the Devil). What you did before it shapes which lines are available — completing the Lacra or Crake chain opens Patricide or Knyazmaker, and the prologue Bad Blood branch opens Folk Hero — but the ending itself is committed in that dialogue. The 30-day clock is separate: only it can trigger the bad ending. The map shows where the routes split; most stay together until the finale.
Which ending should I chase first? +
Folk Hero, on an unhurried first run. It is the most forgiving of the mains: complete no ally chain, reach the finale with days on the clock, and pick the "Enough. Time to end this" line (or open it early via the prologue Bad Blood branch). Hidden endings need a dedicated run with a protected early branch, so do them after you know the world.
What happens if I reach the finale late or inconsistent? +
The bad ending — Time Runs Out — is only a time failure: it triggers when the 30-day window expires before the rescue is done. Being late at the dialogue, or switching sides, does not by itself produce it. The final act has a save point right before the decisive conversation, and the castle-entry ending warning is the point of no return, so save before you climb past it.