About Outer Wilds
What began as a Master’s thesis by Alex Beachum, Outer Wilds has developed into one of gaming’s most fascinating and mysterious titles since its release in May 2019. It seems that when someone asks about this game, the usual response is something along the lines of:
"Just play it. Don’t watch any trailers, reviews, or gameplay. Just take the leap and play for yourself. You won’t be disappointed. "
With a game that is all about exploration, discovery, and mystery, it’s no surprise that this game demands its players go in blind and find its beauty by themselves. It’s truly one of a kind.
With that said, the Outer Wilds offers players a variation of multiple endings through discovering their secrets, with one ultimate "True Ending".
Some of these are cleverly hidden within its puzzles, and it requires some unconventional "thinking outside the box" thinking.Below you will find out how to achieve each variation and the secret ending to the game.
Breaking Spacetime Ending:
Whoops
Watch to find out how to destroy the fabric of spacetime as we know it. And also get a secret ending.
Ending intro:
Don’t you hate it when you accidentally break the fabric of reality? Well, that’s what you need to do in order to get this ending.
How to achieve:
- Go to the High Energy Lab on Ember Twin.
- Insert both the white and the black hole cores into the device.
- Fire your scout probe into the black hole, and it will exit the white hole before entering the black hole again.
- Now, you need to remove one of the cores from the device before the probe enters the black hole, but after it exits the white hole.
- Two scout probes will exit and display an "Error: Duplicate Signal" message.
- The screen will start to crack shortly afterward, and the ending will be initiated.
Congratulations, you have not broken reality as we know it. As icing on the cake, the devs added humorous graphics to the end credits, while a kazoo-cover of the main theme plays throughout.
Ending Message: You destroyed the fabric of spacetime.
You can restart the game from your previous loop to continue playing.
Isolation Ending:
Watch to find out how to achieve this tragic ending
Ending intro:
To get this ending, you need to fly out of the solar system after deactivating the time loop. This is a cleverly hidden reward for players who are testing the game’s rules.
How to achieve:
- Remove the Advanced Warp Core from the Ash Twin Project.
- Get in your ship, and fly as far away from the Sun as you can.
- Wait for the Supernova, and you will initiate this ending.
Ending Message: Now beyond the reach of the supernova, you drift through space until your ship's resources are finally depleted.
You can restart the game from your previous loop to continue playing.
The Ash Twin Project offers some great results if you use your imagination. The game rewards players that pay attention and are willing to break its rules.
Ending Message: Now beyond the reach of the supernova, you drift through space until your ship's resources are finally depleted.
You can restart the game from your previous loop to continue playing.
Game over screen ending:
You need to break out of the loop for this one.
Ending intro:
This ending is achieved by dying whilst not being connected to the Nomai Mask on Ash Twin. You know how being stuck inside a never-ending time loop is the big lead mechanic of this game? Well, in short, to get this ending, you have to die whilst NOT being stuck in the loop.
How to achieve: Dying while not being connected to the Nomai mask on Ash Twin
- The simplest way to receive this ending is to die at the very beginning of the game, before finding the Nomai statue in the Observatory. You can do this in a number of ways:
- Jump into the campfire where you wake up (right next to you).
- Fall damage
- Walk into the ghost matter field on Timber Hearth.
- Jumping into the geyser on Timber Hearth
- Another way to get this ending is to die after successfully removing the Advanced Warp Core from the Ash Twin Project, as this is the cause of the Time Loop.
Ending Message: You are dead
You can restart the game from your previous loop, to continue playing.
Self Ending:
Why hello there. WAIT! IS THAT ME?!?
Watch to find out how to achieve the 'self-ending' that was added after the game came out.
Ending intro
This ending is a slight variation of the "Breaking Spacetime Ending" that was added after patch 1.0.4. This ending is all about causing a paradox and meeting a new NPC-yourself.
How to achieve: During the supernova, jump into the black hole in Ash Twin.
- When you arrive at the core of Ash Twin, jump into the black hole that opens, just as the sun goes supernova.
- This will cause a paradox, as when you wake up, two of ‘you’ exist. One who has only recently awoken for the loop, and your previous self is still trapped within the Ash Twin Project.
- You can go there and see yourself as an NPC and initiate conversation.
- No matter what you do from here, you will eventually break the fabric of spacetime and get this ending.
Ending Message: You destroyed the fabric of spacetime.
You can restart the game from your previous loop to continue playing.
Quantum Moon Ending:
Watch to discover this very well hidden and secretive ending.
Ending intro:
This ending is to suffer the same fate as Solanum, the Nomai pilgrim. Finding the quantum moon is one of this game's biggest mysteries, and it's no surprise that one of the endings revolves around it.
Bringing the Warp Core to your lonely friend on the Quantum Moon unlocks a secret ending
How to achieve: Take the Warp Core from Asht Twin and bring it to the Quantum Moon and place it next to Solanum.
- Go to Ash Twin and remove the Advanced Warp Core (See the "Eye of the Universe Ending" for how to achieve this).
- Now, instead of continuing on the usual path, take the Warp Core, and travel to the Quantum Moon.
- The Quantum Moon is like any other quantum object in the game when you’re not looking at it, it teleports.
- To get to the Quantum Moon, you must identify it (usually appears around Giants Deep) then shoot your scout probe towards it, and take pictures of it. This will keep it from disappearing.
- Once you’ve landed, go to the Quantum Moon’s sixth location while still holding the Warp Core.
- You should go inside the huge shrine that appears, and warp to Ember Twin.
- To warp to a new location, dim the lights. When you switch them back on, you will have teleported. Do this until you arrive at Ember Twin.
- Once you are there, head to the North Pole. You will find the shrine there as well, and once you enter and teleport, you will arrive at the Sixth Location
- Once the supernova happens, you will initiate this ending.
Ending Message: How long have you been here? Minutes? Years? You are unsure, but it seems your journey has reached its end.
Eye of the universe ending (True Ending):
Now time for the REAL ending that finishes this adventure. Tears will be shed.
Ending intro:
This is the intended (canonical) ending of the game. The entire game has been subtly teaching you and providing you with small pieces of a larger puzzle on how to get to the Eye of the Universe.
By deactivating the Ash Twin Project and ending the time loop, you manage to reach the Eye of the universe. This is what the Nomai have been leading you towards. Here, you watch the universe die out indefinitely as there is no more time loop, and witness a new big bang. The post-credit scene shows a new solar system forming, showing a new species of life emerging, ending on a hopeful note.
How to achieve:
- Go to the Ash Twin Project and remove the Advanced Warp Core.
- Take the Warp Core to the Vessel in Dark Bramble and insert it into the housing unit.
- Insert the coordinates retrieved from the Probe Tracking Module into the device that rises from the ground.
- If you successfully do this (may take a couple of tries), you will teleport to the Eye of the Universe.
- You should exit the vessel, and walk from the North to the South Pole, till you eventually reach a quantum version of the Observatory.
- (Optional) Explore here as the displays and notes are updated to reflect your personal discoveries in the game.
- Go upstairs and interact with the display and you will be transported to the final area of the game, known as the "Ancient Glade."
- Use your Signalscope to track down the different NPCs playing their instruments. After each one is found, they will all gather around a campfire.
- After everyone is around the campfire, talk with them and request that they play their songs.
- Walk into the ball that appears at the campfire to reach the end of the game.
- Now, watch the big bang happen.
A heart-warming yet, existential ending to a beautiful story. Gather your friends for the final swan song.
Well done, you have completed Outer Wilds. You will also get an after-credits scene that will slightly differ based on your actions and discoveries in the game. However, these differences are purely visual and nothing major.
In short, there is one “True” ending, with some fun, little variations as a way to reward players who think outside the box. The interesting thing is, that this game is purely based on the knowledge that you find, and there is no other form of progression system. In other words, you can beat this game on your first loop if you know what to do.
Did you manage to find out how to reach the Eye of the Universe?
