Until Dawn came out in 2015, it still sent shivers through my spine when revisiting it. The interactive drama horror title places you in the shoes of eight playable teenagers whose lives depend on you. Your decisions shape the outcome and determine if they live or die under the looming shadow of Blackwood Mountain. The vivid cutscenes and immersive exploration combine to create a solid horror experience with plenty of quick time events to keep you on your toes.
Switching between the characters allows you to unlock various trophies and eventually earn the platinum. It takes careful precision and the right decisions to get them all, but I’m here to help make the process easier. After acquiring the platinum, you will have witnessed everything this classic horror experience offers. I’m your trusted expert with extensive mastery over various horror games, and it’s always refreshing to play through a chilling interactive story. I advise playing the game naturally if you haven’t already while making your own decisions.
After that, the hunt for the platinum begins! Please remember that a few of the trophies won’t activate until the end of a chapter. If you pass over some trophies, you won’t be required to start over entirely because of the select chapter feature unlocked after beating the game. Let’s get on with our Until Dawn Trophy guide where we unravel the dark secrets of Blackwood mountain and explore all the trophies it has to offer!
Bottom Line Up Front
Until Dawn is an easy platinum road with a guide to executing the right decisions, it won’t take long and can be accomplished in a few easy steps. Complete the game organically first so you don’t miss out on your personalized outcome. Step one involves completing the narrative while preserving their lives and discovering every collectible.
Step two requires you to begin by selecting episode 6, and from there, you decide to kill all eight teens, the exact opposite of the first phase. Step three centers around a miscellaneous trophy called Instant Inferno. Following this map in order will lead you seamlessly to the platinum.
Before you start the dark journey toward the dawn, here’s some imperative platinum Info:
- Genre:Â Interactive Drama
- Difficulty:Â 2/10
- Average 100% Time:Â 15-20 Hours
- Total Trophies:Â 19 offline trophies, including the platinum
- # Of Playthroughs:Â 1 & 1/2
A Roadmap to the Dawn
Step 1: Finish the Game With Everyone Alive & Discover Every Collectible
Before you begin, you must have completed the game without a guide, or it’s not your unique outcome. This is the best way to experience an interactive drama because your decisions shape the story. Once you’ve accomplished this, you must finish Until Dawn with all teens breathing, and this can be tricky if you don’t have a guide.
Thankfully, I’m here to help you nail it the first time and make sure they all live through the nightmare. A few actions will cause deaths, which is counter-productive in this phase of your hunt. Sometimes they die immediately after making a wrong choice and may pass due to your decisions later. They All Live is earned by keeping everyone alive, and we will dive into the specifics later.
Regarding collectibles, there are four types, and 107 to scavenge. Don’t worry about the DLC mystery man collectibles because they aren’t required for 100% completion of the platinum. One essential detail is that specific actions are necessary to open areas with collectibles. The following should be conducted in your first playthrough to ensure you have access to these. If you mess up, these areas can be activated by replaying the chapters appropriately later.
- Although tempting for some, don’t kill the squirrel when playing Episode 1.
- When you reach episode 5, you have to run and conceal yourself from Psycho successfully.
- When you make it to the end of episode 7, you must hide with Emily while pursued by the Stranger.
Collectable Trophies to Earn
- You Opened Their Eyes (Gold)
- The Fateful Descent (Gold)
- Night Of The Totem Hunter (Gold)
- The Tale Of Two Sisters (Gold)
There are nine decision-based trophies in the game, and the following are the ones you shouldn’t take on during this step because the goal is to sustain everyone’s lives. If you go for them in this step, they will die, making your platinum road longer.
- Ashley Snaps (Silver)
- Fatal Grudge (Bronze)
- The Exorcism Of Emily (Bronze)
- They All Live (Gold)
- You Let The Wrong One In (Bronze)
Now that you’ve temporarily set those trophies to the side, it’s time to focus on the ones permitted in this step. Here is the list of decision-based trophies you should aim for.
Decision-Based Trophies That Are Safe to Unlock
- Scream Too! (Unlocked in the fifth episode)
- The Skillful Wolf Man (Unlocked in Episodes 5 & 9)
- The Psycho Path (Unlocked in the fifth episode)
- Let Em In (Unlocked in the eighth episode)
Step 2: Start the Sixth Episode and Then Kill All Characters
Episode selection becomes available to you after beating the main story, and this is a feature that makes Step 2 much more manageable. This is the End is the trophy you aim for here, but as dreadful as that sounds, we will discuss where to kill them all later. Collectibles influence how the characters interact, so don’t worry about getting any of them this time.
There’s a collectible in episode 10 that can completely ruin this step if you pick it up. Steer clear of the journal by the mill. (The Twins #20) Next, explore the four decision-based trophies you’ll achieve in this step. These decisions will directly lead to the death of a character and unlock the respective trophy. Whatever you do, please don’t kill anyone before you get these trophies, or they won’t be accessible. Here are the four awards for your reference.
Decision-Based Trophies
- Fatal Grudge (Episodes six & eight)
- Ashley Snaps (Episodes six & eight)
- The Exorcism Of Emily (The eighth episode)
- You Let The Wrong One In (The ninth episode)
Step 3: Earn Instant Inferno for the Final Trophy
Instant Inferno is another miscellaneous decision-based trophy that can’t be earned if you kill or save everyone. Therefore, it’s a standalone trophy and your final step to achieving the platinum. For this step, replay episode ten, which will unlock after you follow the specific steps outlined later in this guide.
Until Dawn Achievement Guide
The darkness is passing as we shed light on the individual awards in Until Dawn, and here you will learn about their intricacies. This is an excellent platinum for trophy hunters because it doesn’t take long and isn’t hard to unlock. However, you need some details to accomplish it, and I’m here to walk you through the subtleties of every achievement!
Some trophies require precise decisions, and it would take much longer without a roadmap to the dawn. With only 19 to collect, it should take around 15 hours to complete, so take my advice and traverse Blackwood Mountain with prudence to earn them all. Let’s look at each trophy and each requirement in-depth, so you don’t miss anything!
A Symphony Of Horror
- Grade: Platinum
- Player %: 16.97%
A Symphony Of Horror is the Platinum trophy awarded for completing all Bronze, Silver, & Gold achievements found in Until Dawn. It will unlock after you earn the final medal.
Fatal Grudge
- Grade: Bronze
- Player %: 28.36%
This trophy should not be attempted if you’re trying to earn They All Live. When you reach the final moment of episode six as Chris, a decision must be made to either shoot Ashley or refrain from doing so.
To earn Fatal Grudge, go through with it and shoot her. This will also conveniently unlock Ashley Snaps when you reach episode 8.Â
The Exorcism Of Emily
- Grade: Bronze
- Player %: 26.25%
For this trophy, make sure you don’t attempt if you’re trying to complete They All Live. When you reach episode 6, you must prevent Emily from holding the flare gun. There are two choices. First, leave the flare without touching it or handing it to Matt.
In episode 8, Emily will be stalked and chased by a Wendigo, and you need to succeed in sprinting away from it. After fleeing, she will start climbing a conveyor belt and inevitably get chomped by the monster.
Later, you’ll meet up with the gang, and they will immediately notice you’re bitten. The choice is to either shoot Emily or not. The correct answer to earn The Exorcism Of Emily is to shoot her. Contrastingly, not shooting her unlocks the Let Em In achievement.
Ashley Snaps
- Grade: Silver
- Player %: 23.97%
If you aim to unlock They All Live, you shouldn’t try to earn this medal, as it is counter-productive. This is the trophy you unlock if you go for Fatal Grudge earlier. If you shoot & kill Ashley while playing the sixth episode, she will later let Chris die during episode 8 as he sprints toward the lodge. Ashley will then eerily not let him in, resulting in his death. Then you view a lengthy basement cutscene before the trophy is unlocked. Ashley has snapped.
You Let The Wrong One In
- Grade: Bronze
- Player %: 38.59%
This trophy should not be attempted if you’re trying to unlock They All Live. It’s earned in episode 9 in the sewers when you come across a split path and hear an ominous noise. You are then prompted with a choice between investigating or touching base with your group. Choose to look into the disturbance; this area will also have a totem collectible.
Once you arrive at the trap door, you’ll notice some erratic banging. Curiosity killed the cat, and that’s what happens here as you open the door, which will let the deadly creature loose. The character who unseals the door will certainly die, but it’s well-worth earning You Let The Wrong One In.
Let eM In
- Grade: Bronze
- Player %: 56.94%
In episode 6, you must prevent Emily from holding the flare gun. Don’t pick up or hand Matt the firearm if he’s with you. Remember The Exorcism Of Emily trophy? Well, this is the opposite of that. In episode 8, let the Wendigo bite you, and then later, you’ll control Mike during the basement scene with a decision to shoot Emily or not—only this time, you want to time out the QTE by doing nothing. Not shooting Emily will earn you Let eM In.
Instant Inferno
- Grade: Silver
- Player %: 34.52%
This was the trophy we discussed earlier, which you shouldn’t attempt if you’re trying to kill or save everyone. This trophy is earnable when playing the final part of Until Dawn when you’re overwhelmed by Wendigos.
Sam must avoid moving while waiting for Mike to bust the bulb. Next comes the choice to either rescue Mike or dart to the switch. To unlock Instant Inferno, forget about him and head for the switch.
The Tale Of The Two Sisters
- Grade: Gold
- Player %: 20.58%
Discovering all the clues in the Twins Clueline will unlock this trophy—Reference Night Of The Totem Hunter for complete information.
The Fateful Descent
- Grade: Gold
- Player %: 18.82%
This is earned for discovering all the clues in 1952 Clueline—reference Night Of The Totem Hunter for the complete information.
You Opened Their Eyes
- Grade: Gold
- Player %: 18.55%
This is another trophy best explained in Night Of The Totem Hunter. It is unlocked by discovering all the clues in the Mystery Man questline.
Four Daughters Of Darkness
- Grade: Gold
- Player %: 29.14%
Four girls in Until Dawn are named Ashley, Emily, Jessica, & Sam. Please take a look at They All Live to complete this trophy. It is unlocked by keeping them all alive until dawn.Â
They All Live
- Grade: Gold
- Player %: 23.53%
Within many areas, a single decision can seal a character’s fate in death. Keep in mind that there are occurrences where it seems like one may die, but it doesn’t in the end as a surprising twist. To give you reassurance and comfort when hunting for this trophy, here is the complete list of moments where it appears a character will die, but they ultimately make it out alive.
- You choose between Killing Josh or Ashley during the saw trap sequence with Chris.
- When Jessica is pulled through the window.
- When Jessica plummets down the Elevator Shaft, if she’s alive at that specific time.
- Emily will not perish when she’s traversing the radio tower.
- During the scenario where Chris must decide who to shoot.
Let’s look at all the relevant scenarios where a character can die, and I’ll explain what to do so they remain safe and alive to unlock They All Live. If you follow these instructions, they will stay safe and sound.
Episode 4
Jessica
- At some point, Jessica will get pulled away. From there, Mike has to make it to the Elevator, or she will die. You must take the shortest route and hit the QTEs accurately, and she will be okay.
Episode 6
Matt
- You’ll be ambushed and surrounded by some deadly Caribou at the episode’s beginning. There are two ways to escape death here. First, you can choose not to engage the animal. The second way is to execute the QTEs when hanging from a ledge.
- Another way Matt can die is if he’s traversing the radio tower and attempts to save Emily two times without the flare gun. Your safest bet is to jump instantly when the moment presents itself.
Chris
- Ensure not to shoot and kill Ashley when you reach the end of episode six. Instead, do nothing or shoot yourself—preferably the first to preserve your sanity.
Episode 8
EmilyÂ
- While being pursued by the Wendigo, accurately hit all quick time events during this sequence to stay alive.
- If the Wendigo bites the enemy, refrain from shooting her with Mike to unlock Let eM In.
Chris
- When running back to the lodge, you must shoot every enemy to save your life.
- First, ensure Chris didn’t shoot and kill Ashley in Chapter 6. Upon arriving at the lodge, everyone will still be alive.
Episode 9
AshleyÂ
- During the part where you explore the commotion as Ashley, leave the noise alone to stay alive, as all protagonists should in horror scenarios. Walk past the noise, and you’ll be fine.
Chris
- If Ashley investigates the trap door, opens it, and dies, Chris can also get killed at that same door, so keep that curiosity suppressed to keep everyone safe.
Episode 10
Josh
- Josh is easy to keep alive if you are determined to get all collectibles. Specifically, you’re looking for one or all of the Tattoo cards. One example would be the Twins #5 located in Hannah’s room, or when you’re with Sam, you can discover a journal near the mill.
JessicaÂ
- When you find yourself with Jessica & Matt, you are given the option to hide or run. Hide to preserve your life. Afterward, sprint to the exit with them and stick together.
Sam, Mike, & The Rest
- When you reach the lodge, you’ll be thrown into a situation with Sam & Mike. With Sam, stay still and choose to rescue Mike. From there, keep selecting the “Hide” choice when you’re in the lodge, and Sam instantly heads toward the light switch when everyone runs out to end the game. You must not hit the switch too early, or everyone will be burned alive while Sam escapes.
This Is THE End
- Grade: Gold
- Player %: 18.92%
You might assume to make the opposite choice after looking at the potential death locations related to They All Live, but you earn trophies for deaths, so it’s not so simple. Don’t just waltz in there and kill everyone like Rambo because it requires finesse when trophy hunting. An important tip is to do a run while focusing on collectibles while keeping everyone alive before going for this death trophy.
Lastly, ensure you DON’T pick up the #20 collectible of the Twin’s journal. After you complete the game and save all eight characters while picking up the extra collectibles, you can start this trophy by selecting chapter six. Starting from here, this is how you will kill each of them to unlock This Is THE End.
Episode 6
Matt
- During the part when the Caribou attack, you must attack and then intentionally fail the next QTE at the ledge. As frightening as that may sound, it’s mandatory.
Chris
- Chris’ death will directly result from earning Fatal Grudge when you choose to shoot Ashley.
Episode 8
EmilyÂ
- Purposefully fail your QTEs and push forward to the end while getting her bitten. Then take her life in the basement.
- Shoot Emily with Mike if she has been bitten; this is The Exorcism Of Emily achievement.
Chris
- You must fail to shoot each Wendigo when sprinting back toward the lodge.
- When Chris reaches the lodge, he will die if you shot Ashley back in episode 6 when you earned Ashley Snaps.
Episode 9
Ashley
- As Ashley, you will eventually come across a trap door. Investigate and release it willingly for the sake of this achievement. You Let The Wrong One In is the corresponding trophy.
Episode 10
Josh
- At the mill with Sam, you must refrain from collecting the journal to seal his fate and kill him.
Jessica
- During the sequence with Jessica & Matt, you will be given the choice to conceal yourself or sprint away. This time, you’ll run and get killed.
SamÂ
- When you assemble again at the lodge, you will be with Mike & Sam. Fail to remain still, and this will result in Sam’s death.
Mike
- When Mike is the last living soul, he will epically sacrifice himself by triggering a fiery explosion to kill all enemies in the area.
Don’t Scare Jessica To Death
- Grade: Silver
- Player %: 38.41%
You will attain this trophy if you manage to get Jessica out alive. Reference They All Live to maintain her life.
The Skilful Wolf Man
- Grade: Gold
- Player %: 44.02%
This trophy encompasses a large section of the game from Episodes 5 to 9. You’ll encounter a wolf when you arrive at the chapel within the ominous sanitorium. Don’t kick the wolf by timing out the QTE, and then you’ll approach it. Later, you’ll return to the exact location, only this time Mike is present, where you meet the wolf again.
During this section, you must accurately hit every quick event to ensure the wolf stays alive. Get them all, or the wolf will die even if he comes to your rescue. Next, you will decide between setting up a barrier or running away. Choose to secure, and you’ll earn The Skilful Wolf Man after completing the episode.
Scream Too!
- Grade: Silver
- Player %: 53.55%
This trophy is in the sanitorium basement just before you enter the morgue. Observe the creepy arm protruding from a box. It’s just another day in Until Dawn. Next, take the tab off the arm, causing you to get snagged in a bear trap. You are then presented with two options.
First, you can use the machete to separate the trap as any sane person would. Second, you can cut off your fingers to unlock Scream Too! at the end of the episode. Remember that it takes some time before this pops up, so don’t worry about not achieving the trophy until the episode ends.
The Psycho Path
- Grade: Silver
- Player %: 64.63%
This trophy shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are two scenarios in Until Dawn where you can assault the Psychopath. During episode five, when Sam is in a towel, she runs from Psycho. During the pursuit, she will decide to throw a vase or flee. The right decision is to throw it to unlock The Psycho Path.
If you miss this, you’ll get a couple of other chances to attack him. If you examined a baseball bat, it becomes available in the basement to hit him. This also unlocks the trophy. Finally, after the dollhouse part in episode 6, there are some scissors you can pick up. If you did, then Ashley has the option to attack him herself this way.
The Quicker Man
Grade: Gold
Player %: 26.30%
The boys of the group in Until Dawn are Mike, Chris, Matt, & Josh. Reference They All Live for insight on how to preserve their lives. I went over each one with specific instructions so you can continue thriving.Â
Night Of The Totem Hunter
- Grade: Gold
- Player %: 18.35%
Until Dawn has 107 collectibles to discover, which enrich the story and give you perspective. 109 if you count the DLC, which isn’t required to complete the platinum. These are split into four distinct types to collect throughout your playthrough. Here are the different types:
- The Twins (20 collectibles)
- Totems (30 collectibles)
- Mystery Man (30 collectibles, excluding the DLC)
- 1952 (27 collectibles)
Until Dawn Platinum Trophy Complete!
- Title: A Symphony Of Horror
- Grade: Platinum
- Player %: 16.97%
Pick up each collectible with R2, but it’s not that simple. Some objects require rotation to discover them. You will also thoroughly flip through pages, and this process will allow you to collect numerous collectibles at once, which is pretty nice considering it’s less work for you.
If you accidentally neglect some of them, then don’t worry because the chapter select comes to the rescue to conveniently find them without starting from the beginning. Collectible progress doesn’t continue in a new game. I advise getting them all when you’re pursuing the playthrough with no deaths. This is because finding them saves Josh, and it’s also a requirement for Jessica or Matt to be alive when reaching episode 10.
Once again, remember the specific actions we discussed earlier, or certain collectibles will be locked. Not shooting the squirrel and successfully fleeing and hiding when being pursued by the Psycho in chapter 5 directly correlate with the last six collectibles for the Mystery Man. These are found when you start episode 7.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: Is Until Dawn a challenging platinum journey?
Answer: Most decision-based interactive story games aren’t very challenging to earn the platinum, and It’s the same with Until Dawn. It requires awareness but should be easy to accomplish with online resources. The only challenge is knowing when to make the right decisions for your platinum journey. Now that you have a plan of action, it will be a piece of cake.
Question: Can all trophies be earned by playing the game once?
Answer: You won’t need to play the story twice, but chapter selection is necessary after completing the main story to unlock them all accordingly. Given the nature of the story-driven interaction, I suggest you complete the game without guidance and make your own decisions to get a personalized outcome before pursuing the platinum.
Question: What’s the most problematic aspect of this platinum?
Answer: Thankfully, you can replay the episodes, but the process can still be tedious when gathering all collectibles. Overall, this platinum has nothing complex, and you can earn it easily by making the right decisions that determine the fate of each character. Some tricky subtleties can waste time if you don’t know about them. Thankfully, they are covered here, so you won’t be plagued with surprises.
Final Advice
Mystery Man Clue Number 27 (Episode 7)
This one is easy to miss, and I’m here to save you the frustration of overlooking it yourself. You must scroll down entirely within the messages when you obtain the mobile phone. Disabling the side-panel text will help you overall with clarity when trophy hunting.
Death Totem 6 (Ninth Episode)
This is a courtesy, so you don’t waste time replaying episode 9 to get one lousy collectible. At the end of this episode, some rocks will fall and destroy the bridge for the first time. Ensure you don’t turn left; this will trigger more rocks to fall, making the Death Totem 6 a headache. Keep going forward instead, and you can pick up the totem easily. When the rocks fall a second time, the only option is to start over.