How to keep the main story moving
Follow each region’s main route and collect the weapon, key or Transmutation that opens its next passage. Lantern fast travel unlocks after Chapter 2, letting you revisit earlier paths with newly acquired powers.
Fire unlocks in Chapter 1, Stasis in Chapter 4 and Shield in Chapter 8. These powers clear gold vines, stop moving mechanisms and let you cross poison, while Grapple opens access to otherwise unreachable paths.
Story spoilers ahead: the route below names mandatory bosses, later destinations and the final encounter. Read only as far as your current region to avoid later reveals.
Revival and Regroup: The Battlefield and Valley of Ashes
- Use Fire on the gold vines blocking The Battlefield route during Revival to clear the way forward.
- Fight General Lothaire at the end of Revival; the intended defeat allows your journey to continue into Regroup.
- Take the Pistol from the train car on your left during the Valley of Ashes bridge platforming section; this pickup is required to progress.
- Shoot the red weak spots along the cliffside lift route at The Climb to free the elevator stops.
- Kick down the ladder at Demolished Path to reconnect with the starting Lantern and the carriage containing the adjutant.
- Defeat General Lothaire at the end of Regroup to advance toward Rendezvous and gain access to Lantern fast travel.
Rendezvous: open the Fallen Village route
- Pull the Rapier from the body blocking the village path at Abandoned Church; the Fortress branch cannot be progressed into yet.
- After defeating the large-sword Volunteer in Fields, collect the Blunderbuss from the carriage table to open the passage through it.
- Collect the Storage Key from a box near the enemies underground, reached by the ladder behind the house under fire in Marketplace.
- Unlock the nearby storage door with the Storage Key to reach the weakpoint that clears the plague wall.
- Defeat The Iron Marshall at the end of Rendezvous to pass the chapter’s mandatory boss encounter.
- Grapple across the water near the Marketplace Lantern to continue along the route toward Dark Descent.
Dark Descent: enter the Caverns and obtain Stasis
- Speak with James at Abandoned Church after rescuing Louis to receive the Cave Grotto Key.
- Unlock the cliff door across the grapple point with the Cave Grotto Key to continue into the Caverns.
- Turn the rotating walkway with the crank at Weeping Ledge; the following story progression grants Stasis.
- Use the crane’s box at Old Mine to jump across to the opposite platforms and continue through the mine.
- Redirect the minecart with the switch to break the wall leading to the elevator back toward the Lantern.
- Defeat the Sphinx at the end of Dark Descent to advance toward Crime.
Crime and Punishment: Vale of Wrath to Cursed Hollow
- Ask James for the Outward Pass Key after waking at Abandoned Church; it opens the door across the grapple point, right of the Caverns entrance.
- Destroy the two weakpoints blocking the wall near Wolfsbane Field to clear the Vale of Wrath route.
- Defeat the dual-sword Volunteer in the fort beyond Under the Bridge to obtain the Wagon Key.
- Collect the Musket from the table inside the central wagon, accessible with the Wagon Key, to satisfy the required weapon pickup.
- Freeze the gears with Stasis inside the building reached from the bridge rooftop to keep its gate open.
- Defeat Slaughtermill at the end of Crime to advance toward Cursed Hollow.
- Defeat Anna, The Bride Drowned in Tears, at the start of Punishment to continue through Cursed Hollow.
- Shoot the weakspots on the left and right sides of the church to open its front door.
- Pull the Claymore from the body inside the church; this weapon is required before you can continue.
Witch Hunt: The Outskirts and City of Orphans
- Defeat Justicar Aurelius near the beginning of Witch Hunt to reach the downhill route by Breach.
- Defeat Experiment 83 at the end of The Outskirts region to pass its mandatory boss encounter.
- Follow the City of Orphans route through Tribunal Square and Shamble Street into the Sewers; entering the sewer ends the Witch Hunt quest.
- Take the left-hand ladder at the sewer fork to find the Sewers Key in a chest below.
- Unlock the door in the circular room with the central grapple point using the Sewers Key to reach the next area.
- Speak with the Shrike when you reach her to receive the Laboratory Key that allows entry to the University.
Blasphemy: find Shield and unlock the lift
- Before riding the Main Hall elevator, search the hallway left of it, then right through the movable-wall area, for the Library Key.
- Collect Shield at the top of the stairs in the large room beyond the library chandelier jump to gain protection for crossing poison.
- Take the Lift Shaft Key beside a cage at the back of the square-cage room to unlock the lift gate in the preceding room.
- Defeat The Orphan at the end of Blasphemy to advance toward In Ruins.
In Ruins: open the Fortress gates
- Climb the ruined signal tower near Traverse using Nephtoglobin platforms and Grapple to reach its wooden beacon.
- Ignite the beacon with Fire to light the first signal needed for the locked gate.
- Light the beacon on the other tower along the outer-wall route to open the gate near Traverse.
- After defeating Nephtis Superioris, spend your Catalysts at the previous Lantern before continuing; another Lantern is unavailable until partway through Shackled.
What to finish before the final stretch
- Save missed Amber and Ferrofluid upgrade searches for later if you want to keep moving; those collectibles remain available after the story.
- Return with Shield for poison-blocked quests such as The Emissary and The King of Smugglers.
- Finish The Oathbound and light the castle bonfire before the Fortress High Tower if you want those tasks settled before the prison sequence.
- Reach at least 10 Mice friendship before the High Tower if you want their later gift and the Mice’s Key shortcut.
Shackled: recover your equipment and escape
Complete The Choir and The Forgotten Fortune while you are in the prison; you cannot return after leaving. Most other cleanup can wait until after the ending.
- Take the Armoury Key from the kitchen table beneath the upper-floor rafters to unlock the equipment room downstairs.
- Open the lower-floor armoury door with the Armoury Key to recover your equipment before continuing your escape.
Reflection: reach the final encounter
- Choose to go to the cave when speaking with Lucjan after escaping jail to travel to Caverns > Ancient Lair.
- Interact with the stone door at the end of the Ancient Lair area to trigger the final boss, The Entity.
You can tackle remaining cleanup before this encounter or finish the ending first. Afterward, you return to the game world and can revisit earlier areas.