Hello! This is my very first guide, so good feedback, or just notes on what I missed, are always helpful!

Like most playing this game, you're probably struggling to just play this game normally, and if you're like me, you're irritated that some of the story content, in the form of Burden's Diary, are locked behind specific challenges in most of the chapters.

Not to mention, I couldn't find any screenshots of the Diary, or any of the gallery, online, which drove me to do it all myself. If you don't care for beating the challenges and getting the collectibles, I will give all pictures of the collectibles in each pairing chapter.

Keep in mind, this isn't a guide to get every achievement. I've beaten all chapters several times on Original and Original Light and wish to share tips, or the pictures if you don't care to waste 30 hours.

Note: Achievements and beating the challenge ONLY unlock on Original or Original Light, you can beat the game fine on the other modes, but you wont unlock the challenges/achievements.

I got a lot of tips and help from Breeds full achievement guide, so props to him. Check it out!
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=315985481

As frustrating and repetitive as the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ RNG can get in this game, there are some interesting strategic elements, and the story and characters. If you want to see it through yourself, you can do it! Don't give up!

Thanks for using my guide, I hope it helps!

This chapter isn't too bad, considering it's the "tutorial".

You need to prevent the guards from attacking the room (which is a game over), calm the hostages and keep AT LEAST 1 alive, and maintain the data security and hacking.

• I recommend trying to negotiate with the guards as much as possible, attacking makes the hostages get more anxious and they are more difficult to calm down once your constantly aggressive. Attacking the guards make them back away 3 spaces, but negotiating stops them from moving for a few actions, so negotiate every 3-4 actions (On Original Negotiating works for 3 actions). Ideally, Attack only when you ABSOLUTELY need the guards to back up.
  
  
• Hack the camera and use it on the corridor, just so you can see the guards and any movement without having to walk all the way to the right. Hacking is a free action, meaning it doesn't take time or resources.
  
  
• You need AT LEAST 1 Hostage alive, when all hostages are dead or freed, the guards immediately attack the room and you lose. I recommend trying to keep them all alive and calm as possible, but if you get down to 1 Hostage, shoot them in the leg to prevent them from running and buy some time. They WILL bleed out after a few actions if you don't heal them, so you will likely need to heal them as well.
  
  
• I recommend NOT using the break room, as you may lose track of that hostage, and if you do, they will run. The chapter is easily beatable without using the break room.
  
  
• Use a combination of shouting and talking (calming down) the hostages, kicking a few times when needed, all depend on how the hostages seem to be behaving. Watch there body language super closely, don't overuse one action (like talking), have a good mix.
  
  
• Keep your eye on the security meter, as a security breach will lose data if it goes on long. I'd say restore security when it gets around 60%.
  
  
• Always try to charge up the hack boost meter, and execute it around 80% or more, a failed execution will have a security breach. The chapter goes much shorter by using it consistently.
  
  
• You can free a hostage in return for Net Security or more meds, I personally take the meds, but know it is an option when needed.

Name: Concept Art: Liam & Shaman
Achievement: N/A
Challenge: Beat Chapter 1 in Original difficulty




Name: Concept Art: Jack & Abraham
Achievement: We're not terrorists
Challenge: Keep all hostages alive




Name: Concept Art: Hollistic Empire
Achievement: F**k the police
Challenge: Don't negotiate with the guards




Name: Concept Art: Xenolifer by Dayjob Studio
Achievement: Stick together
Challenge: Don't use the break room




Name: Illustration: Gunfight
Achievement: Flesh-reparation kit
Challenge: Cure 3 leg injuries




Name: Burden's Diary 1
Achievement: They won't see me coming
Challenge: Get more than 50% of the hack progress via hack boost

This chapter may take some deep breathing exercises to help get through.

The premise of this chapter is great, but in execution, it is colossally RNG based.

You and Jack are getting tortured for information. You need to balance how much damage both of you take, ensure you don't confess too much, and have successful lies to survive the chapter. There is a major difference from Original to Original Light, which is that on Light this chapter is shorter by 2 days in the last half, however, it is still quite difficult.

Along with Breed's guide, I wouldn't have beaten this chapter the first time around without ¡x Mr. Vain x!'s guide, so shout out to that too (This is the last guide I took from).
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=291066219

• On Original Light, you can confess 6 times before you get killed, it's 4 on original.
  
  
• Try to Lie around 70%, an unsuccessful lie will get you hit, but you also take a hit when you think anyway.
  
  
• You're lying percentage stays over the days, for example, if you get a 70% lie chance before Irving stops for the day, that 70% will stay to the next day. This was EXTREMELY useful, especially in the early days when there isn't as much damage given. Rack your percentage up so you can start off the next day stalling and successfully lying.
  
  
• When you can start asking for stuff from Liam, Healing Kits and Info seem to be the best. Info gives you an automatic 100% successful lie, and it's almost necessary on days where meds won't matter, like the rack days or Russian Roulette. Painkillers are useful only depending on the situation, and if you're going for specific achievements.
  
  
• Don't underestimate the use of Provokes and Begs. Provoking makes the character who is provoking only take a hit, which takes damage off the other and lets them heal a bit. Begging has a chance to fail, but if used well 1-2 times in the whole run when Burden and Jack are visibly going to die, begging uses a turn and lets them heal a bit. If begging fails, you will take a hit. Begging can also do nothing, you don't heal or take a hit but it does pass a turn.
  
  
• Save the few confesses you have for when you're cornered and have no other choice, particularly on the worst, most luck based days.
  
  
• Be prepared for Days 5,6, and 7 (The last 3 on Original Light, on Original this is Days 5,6 and 9). I recommend going into ALL of those days with info OR having a boosted lie percentage from previous days (Day 4 is very exploitable for the lie percentage).
  
  
• As for the Original days, there is an extra day where someone is on the rack, so be prepared for that.
  
  
• Day 5 has 1 character on the rack, so successfully lying, provoking, then begging when needed (DON'T USE THINK), should help, ideally you won't confess. Day 6 has Russian Roulette, which is easily the worst day, Using a successful lie helps, but begging, provoking, failing to lie or thinking will have the chance of getting an instant game over. On light, this day thankfully only lasts 4 actions. Dropping a confess or 2 when you don't feel lucky can help, but it essentially boils down to luck. Day 7 is the last day, but it has the axe. Only Jack seems to be in danger here, and keeping his arm from being cutoff is extremely hard without confessing. Go in with info for a lie, then use the one think you can and pray your lie works, otherwise, drop a confess. Begging and Provoking is useless, Jack losing his arm isn't a big deal, and the chapter ends right after.
  
  
• Jack can die in this chapter, with Burden still being alive. Jack's death does change Day 5 (Rack) and Day 7 (Axe), unfortunately Russian roulette still remains. I recommend keeping Jack as alive as possible, as using him to provoke takes damage off of Burden, but if you're having trouble keeping him alive or beating the chapter, the alternate days may be found easier.

Name: Concept Art: Alexander, Irving and Liam
Achievement: N/A
Challenge: Beat Chapter 2 on Original difficulty




Name: Concept art: Everdusk Rescue
Achievement: We've been through worse
Challenge: Keep Jack and Burden in one piece




Name: Concept Art: The Matriarch by Dayjob Studio
Achievement: I'm not a snitch
Challenge: Don't confess a single time



Name: Illustration: Good Times
Achievement: The Comedian
Challenge: Don't let Burden get burned



Name: Illustration: Suicide Hero
Achievement: The Soldier
Challenge: Don't beg



Name: Burden's Diary 2
Achievement: There are still things that bug me...
Challenge: Tell more than 8 successful lies

This is a good chapter, a little long, but close to no RNG and mostly decent strategy.

Burden and his team are stuck in the cave to die by Liam, and they need to escape. You need to manage everyone's stamina and let them rest when needed, dig out of the tunnel, keep the defibrillator charged, charge the power lines, and research the antidote.

I have been able to, just barely, beat this chapter on Original, as there is a huge difficulty difference across the 2.

• This is probably the most forgiving chapter, at least on Light. You have PLENTY of time to dig through the rubble and find the antidote. If you look at and consider what to do closely every turn, you should finish with still quite a bit of time left over.
  
  
• Brand-40N will have to rest to be repaired, so repairing him requires him to do nothing, and Donald to be occupied. However, resting alone also increases his stamina, so Donald shouldn't have to repair him for too long.
  
  
• Try to always have at least 2 charges on the Defibrillator, when a character gets infected with the disease, it's very obvious, as the character will walk out in the center of the area and freeze in paralysis.
  
  
• Donald or the Doctor are the ONLY characters that can use the Defibrillator. Donald and Brand-40N are the ONLY characters that can charge the Defibrillator. When Sarah and the Doctor are researching the antidote, either one has to abandon the research. As long as either Sarah or the Doctor are working on the same research, making the other abandon will not stop the research, and they can always join back in the research, so don't be afraid to tell one to abandon research temporarily.
  
  
• Always check the stamina of the group and how much Rubble to dig by asking Brand-40N for info.
  
  
• As for the antidote, as heartless as they may sound, giving Marvin a lethal dose can be beneficial. Even though the dog dies, performing an autopsy on it will let Sarah and the Doctor research way faster, which is helpful, especially if you want to stay with totally safe antidotes, which take much longer to make.
  
  
• In Original, the antidote is in 2 parts. The first is a 3 compound sequence, followed by a 4 compound sequence. This is what makes this chapter way more difficult. Since in this difficulty you don't start with any adrenaline or Sedatives, I'd recommend making them when waiting for the character injected with the antidotes to wake up (Doug is the best one because his time to wake up is faster), besides that, you pretty much need the Doctor and Sarah to research nonstop.
  
  
• If you want everyone to stay alive, research an antidote with some lethality (say 10-20% on Doug has never killed him for me). The game gives a clue that those with the most body mass can better survive the experimental antidotes, and asking Brand-40N for a body mass chart shows Donald has the most mass, so use it on him.
  
  
• Once you figure out the compound sequence for the antidote, make it in a 100% lethal antidote with both Sarah and the Doc researching it. The higher the lethality, the faster it will be made, but the correct compound sequence makes it completely safe, so it should be made in a single turn.

Name: Concept Art: Everdusk Ship
Achievement: N/A
Challenge: Beat Chapter 3 on Original difficulty




Name: Concept Art: Cave Lab
Achievement: The Doctor
Challenge: Keep everybody alive




Name: Concept Art: Everdusk Team
Achievement: Human Experimentation
Challenge: Discover the cure in less then 20 hours




Name: Concept Art: Jack, Marvin and Abraham
Achievement: Adrenaline Rush
Challenge: Have a character's performance over 250%




Name: Illustration: Human Experimentation
Achievement: One hell of a ride
Challenge: Inject a lethal shot to someone without killing him




Name: Burden's Diary 3
Achievement: I don't like risks
Challenge: Produce a safe antidote in less than 5 hours

This is it, the quintessential chapter of this game. The first attempts can be disastrous but knowing what to do will increase your chances very well. It's still a long chapter that can get repetitive, but a lot of it thankfully relies on good decisions.

Burden and the team have been left to die by Liam (again), this time on a harsh, cold planet. You have a limit of 5 actions per day, and need to survive 22 days. In that time you must

Fix a radio (you absolutely won't be saved without it)
Get food
Cook food
Get wood
Maintain the fire
Make antidotes
Cure anybody who gets sick
Keep the groups morale high

Playing Normally

• Don't emphasize Pep talks as much you think (I made that mistake first time around). Pep talks are useful when needed (always check morale with BR4ND-0N) but not every night. Saving the World and Teamwork are good general speeches, Fixing the Radio is good particularly for Donald (but only early on in fixing the radio), the other speeches depend on the situation in game.
  
  
• Your bullets are limited, and you can only make some one way, so always get Jack to make spears (which takes wood). Keep plenty of spears in camp for Wild Predators, and make Jack hunt with spears as much as you possibly can.
  
  
• Try to talk to everyone at least once by day 3 or 4. Talking increases stops the morale of that character from tanking, and is very helpful especially early on.
  
  
• The only person who I'd recommend working at night is Jack. The doctor and Donald's morale will drop if they work at night. Make Jack hunt at night so you can fix the radio and make medicine in the day. Jack's morale is high, and takes more to drop, so he can hunt at night with little issue.
  
  
• Ideally make Jack hunt at least once a day, or every night, unless you get lucky with a surplus of food, in which you can wait a day or 2 to save your spears.
  
  
• Marvin being alive is very good to keep Jack's Morale high, so look after him. Marvin doesn't have a morale bar and can eat raw meat fine, so give him raw meat every night, skipping one or 2 nights ONLY if you need too, and he should be fine.
  
  
• As for feeding everyone else, Jack can oocasionally eat raw meat if needed, again because he has the highest morality, otherwise, try to feed everyone a cooked meal all the time. A cooked meal will slightly increase morale, and with consistent enough hunting, you'll be able to cook food close to every day. Raw meat doesn't should only be relied on when desperate. Never starve your team.
  
  
• Characters shouldn't get the virus too much, but it will probably happen once or twice, so get the doctor to make enough antidotes, I'd say 5 is good.
  
  
• When characters do get the virus, it may be hard to notice if you're distracted, Just like the last chapter they freeze in paralysis, but the game makes it much less obvious. Thankfully, you have 3 days to notice it before they die, and it's more noticeable at night, when you don't feed the person who's paralyzed.

Name: Concept Art: Crappy designs from the game jam
Achievement: N/A
Challenge: Beat Chapter 4 in Original difficulty




Name: Sgt Burden Fan art by Dumaker
Achievement: Marvin loves you
Challenge: Keep everybody alive




Name: Sineicos fan art by Eduardo Pérez
Achievement: Sgt Burden
Challenge: Perform all speeches successfully




Name: Crazy team Fan art by Vanripper and Sgt Burden & Marvin Fan art by Bloodghost
Achievement: The Engineer
Challenge: Repair the radio in just a week




Name: Illustration: Gods will be watching
Achievement: The Psychiatrist
Challenge: Don't let anybody get depressed (♥♥♥♥ this challenge in particular)




Name: Burden's Diary 4
Achievement: BR4ND-0N
Challenge: Have more than 15 bullets when rescued

This is easily, without a doubt, the worst chapter in the entire game and it can go for SO long, especially if you keep failing. So much of this depends on how the game feels.

In the only flashback sequence in the game, Burden mysteriously ends up on a desert team and meets with a group of stranded soldiers trying to get to there camp in the middle of a war. You need to lead the group, manage water, manage stamina, scavenge for resources, fight any enemies, navigate to the camp all within a certain amount of time. If everyone dies, you get caught by an enemy camp or you never find the camp, you lose.

• DON'T kill Abraham. As much as he might slow your group down, 1 scout and 1 soldier leave if you kill him. Plus, he'll kill himself after you rest for any amount of time two times. If you feel like getting rid of him as fast as possible but will need to pay some hours, sleep for 3 hours twice the first shelter you find. Keep him hydrated as well, dehydration slows down your group even more.
  
  
• Be free with your water. If you scavenge as much as you can, from patrols, camps, cactus's or moist water, you should have plenty of water to give out. Once you have over 30 rations, I'd recommend ignoring moist land to save 3 hours, because getting water from cactus's is a free action.
  
  
• I also never had a problem with ammo, again, scavenge every remains of battle, patrols and camps you find. If you are struggling with ammo, save explosives for when you absolutely need them, as they can help guarantee wining against a patrol/camp.
  
  
• Jack has the most percentage to win in battle, so make him lead every attack.
  
  
• Explore pretty much EVERYWHERE you go. Wandering into an enemy patrol unprepared WILL kill a random squad mate, and walking into an enemy camp unprepared WILL END YOUR RUN. As repetitive and frustrating as it all is, You don't want a long run to end because you decided not to explore. Keep your dedicated scout or scouts well hydrated and rested, this will make them come back faster (and I think even improve there chance's of not "coming back", see next point)
  
  
• When a scout finds an enemy camp they will take a little more time to get back to you. Wait at least 2 hours until you decide to abandon, as after that means there dead/gone. Even if they are dead, the group wont attack where you think the camp is, as the group "doesn't know what's there". So essentially, wait for the scout for 2 hours, abandon if after, and the scout has to confirm whats there for an attack.
  
  
• Sandstorms aren't too common, but when they do happen, you NEED to rest in shelter otherwise you'll fail. Thankfully, I was near shelter every time a sandstorm came, I recommend noting or maybe even mapping down where you are and where shelter's are to get to one as fast as possible if needed,
  
  
• At the beginning of the run, ALWAYS check mission status to see what general direction the camp is. It can change every run, so just because it was northwest last time doesn't mean it's the same. You don't want to head so far in the wrong direction.
  
  
• Further on the above point, try to ALWAYS check the signal. The camp can get infuriating to find and the signal is your only clue. It might be repetitive but it's a 5 second animation you'll need to get used too. If a scout finds the camp, they WILL come back and tell you.
  
  
• Give water to those when there status get's "Ok", same thing with resting. You can check with the doctor or just tell by there animation.
  
  
• Beside's that, good luck. This chapter can be ruthless.

Name: Concept Art: Ship Designs
Achievement: N/A
Challenge: Beat Chapter 5 on Original difficulty




Name: Concept Art: Desert Backgrounds
Achievement: Not on my watch
Challenge: Reach the camp with 7 members alive




Name: Concept Art: Doctor & Scout
Achievement: Serious
Challenge: Defeat 4 enemy patrols with a single soldier




Name: Concept Art: Soldier & Jack
Achievement: Two Suns
Challenge: Don't spend more than 25 hours sleeping




Name: Illustration: Sgt Burden is Coming
Achievement: Quickstep
Challenge: Don't ever use more than 3 hours to travel between zones




Name: Burden's Diary 5
Achievement: Mission Accomplished
Challenge: Reach the camp before the estimated time of departure

This and the next chapter are AWESOME. A well deserved ending after Chapter 4 and 5 too.

Burden is on a total suicide run to stop Liam and save Gactus-VII, a planet full of slavers being killed by Medusea to help further Liam's point. You need to somehow get all the passwords from the crew and enter them in by persuading, hitting, threatening, bargaining etc. You also need to manage the oxygen in the room, and the amount killed on the planet. If the planet population drops to zero, or the rebel meter gets maxed out, you lose.

• If you're having trouble convincing enough characters, consider shooting the Medusea container in the center of the room. HOWEVER, While the characters may be easier to persuade, it will increase the rate of oxygen decreasing. This seems to be effective early on in the run.
  
  
• Claire and Frank share the same password, so you should definitely let one go to save some oxygen (I recommend Frank since he's a bit harder to crack), this will also make it easier to persuade Claire. However, If you're interested in the dialog, hear all of it from who you'll let go and then restart the run.
  
  
• Whenever a character does crack and give you a password LET THEM GO. Keeping them consumes oxygen, you could be sadistic and kill them after getting the password as well, but that will increase the rebel meter.
  
  
• Keep an eye on the rebel meter, this will probably only be at it's highest early on, since as you let people go you persuade more and the rebel meter goes down. Persuading is a great way of bringing the rebel meter down and getting the character more empathetic, if you're running out of persuades, Hit shaman. Hitting him specifically will bring down the rebel meter, you could also shoot your gun off into the air.
  
  
• If the oxygen hits 0, everyone but Burden will die. If you got 3 of the 4 passwords, you have an decent chance to guess the password out of 3 tries. Burden will list all passwords given if you click him and click "Remember passwords".
  
  
• The oxygen depletes with every action, but there is a sort of timer for this section, which is the planet population. You're given a decent amount of time as long as you don't get distracted.
  
  
• I don't want to spoil how to beat this chapter (They are several viable ways to win), since the chapter has close to no RNG, and is a really interesting strategic moment. So I won't spoil my process of going through all the characters, but I will say I recommend going for Wouter first. He's the first to get to crack from the start, and letting him go makes it easier on the others.

Name: Concept Art: Xenolifer Pilots
Achievement: N/A
Challenge: Beat Chapter 6 on Original difficulty




Name: Concept Art: Xenolifer Crew
Achievement: Let's talk about it
Challenge: Don't fire a single bullet




Name: Concept Art: Liam & Burden
Achievement: Don't panic
Challenge: Don't allow the oxygen to drop below 18%




Name: Illustration: Assault on the Matriarch
Achievement: More than words
Challenge: Complete the level without persuading




Name: Illustration: Moral Dilemmas
Achievement: Moral Dilemma
Challenge: Don't use the kid




Name: Burden's Diary 6
Achievement: Statistics
Challenge: Don't let more than 10 million people die

This is it. The big battle.

Liam crashes into the ship to face Burden, and the 2 have there big confrontation. You essentially point and click your way through a fight, and it's actually pretty cool. There aren't much tips to give here since the chapter is short, and I'd rather not give away everything at the ending. There is some RNG in what moves Liam uses, which can get annoying, but thankfully restarting doesn't take much this time.

• It may not seem like it at first, but EVERY attack from Liam DOES have some kind of tell in his animation when picking an action. Particularly, look closely at his hand and arm positions and then try to remember what move he does after. It may take some trial and error but I found it satisfying.
  
  
• Similarly, there is an a counter to every single attack from Liam. Once you know his moves, you can consider what move to use, again, this may take some trial and error.
  
  
• The chapter is only in 2 sections. The first just requires you to not die for a certain amount of moves, the second starts when the walls get destroyed. This section requires you to move Liam over to the right side. Burden will punch him through the wall when he's up against it, and you win.

Name: Farewell
Achievement: N/A
Challenge: Beat Chapter 7 in Original difficulty

An extra chapter in free DLC for a bit more lore.

20 years later, the galaxy is in some kind of huge problem due to Burden's final choice at the end. Liam convinces Shaman, the Doctor, Donald, Sarah and Jack to help him find an ancient society using time manipulation to get a message to past Burden to do something different in his final choice, hoping it will change there present.

You need to climb up a mountain on a snowy mountain, managing everyone's stamina, heat, who is carrying what, the 2 guns and ammo for the enemies and strategically position everyone in a good position while walking. There are also shrines that could make things easier, although they require some sacrifice. Again, not a lot of tips to give here as this some decent strategy and not RNG.

• There is a LOT of dialog in this chapter, and reading it can make it all longer in a run, but otherwise, the chapter is not as long as it seems.
  
  
• Try to generally position whoever has the most stamina at the front, and whoever has the least at the back. The back 1-2 spots can regenerate stamina. Similarly, try to position the igniter somewhere in the middle, as the person wearing it gets warmth but the characters around that person have slowed warmth decay.
  
  
• I recommend giving the guns to Jack and Liam, that gets the team accuracy to 100%. You could give one to Sarah if you'd like, but Jack is best with a gun so always make him have one.
  
  
• The guns ammo is reloaded by using charges from the igniter, one charge per round. I was able to reload both guns fully whenever I needed on all of my winning runs without getting too low on the igniter, so ammo should never be a problem.
  
  
• Save the doctors shots for after the last shrine, the final climb, as it has the most distance. Use one if you really need to before then
  
  
• I think the first shrine isn't really worth the hassle of having to carry another item to the next shrine. The second shrine is great if you're trying to go for the From Zero to Hero achievement, as the shrine mostly benefits Donald. Sarah does get weaker with guns with this shrine, but if she doesn't ever have a gun it doesn't matter.
  
  
• Shrine 3 is pretty much always worth taking, as it makes the whole group faster, unless you're going for the Xenophobia achievement. The last shrine requires sacrificing a character for more stamina and warmth to everyone else, unless you're going for the Liam Ferohn-Gau achievement, I recommend sacrificing Sarah or Donald here, as both aren't really useful for the last climb.

Name: Concept Art: Background Environment Evolution
Achievement Name: N/A
Challenge: Beat the DLC on Easy difficulty





Name: Concept Art: Shaman & Liam
Achievement Name: N/A
Challenge: Beat the DLC in original difficulty





Name: Concept art: Doctor & Jack
Achievement Name: Liam Ferohn-Gau
Challenge: Get to the peak with everybody alive





Name: Concept Art: Sarah & Donald
Achievement Name: Xenophobia
Challenge: Reject all shrine offerings





Name: Concept Art: Ship & Backgrounds
Achievement Name: Winners don't use drugs
Challenge: Don't use the doctor's shots on anyone





Name: Concept Art: Climbing & Shrine backgrounds
Achievement Name: From Zero to Hero
Challenge: Have Donald lead the climb more than anyone else



Name: Illustration: To the peak
Achievement Name: Speed Climb
Challenge: Get to the peak in less than 32 turns