Getting Titan Souls’ true ending route was a relatively straightforward task. There was no secret puzzles or areas, the players just needed to kill every boss.
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It’s not so simple with Death’s Door’s true ending route. Here, getting the true ending means traversing across an entirely new alternate version of the map, and completing brand-new objectives.
Starting Death’s Door’s True Ending Journey
It’s important to note that Death’s Door’s true ending is not an alternate ending, but essentially an epilogue. The player needs to get the standard ending first.
After beating the final boss and going through the credits, the player will be shown a bonus scene where the boss’s corpse is dragged out of the Hall of Doors, leaving behind a rusty key. Once the player reloads their save, they can head there and pick it up.
While in the hall of doors, players may notice that some doors now have a red tint to them. This is a completion aid. A red door means there’s something left to find in the area.
Death’s Door doesn’t require players to get every single upgrade to get the true ending. That being said, it will make some upcoming challenges easier.
Using the Rusty Key and Finding the New Objective
The rusty key unlocks the bell tower at the northern end of the Lost Cemetery, near the entrance to the Urn Witch’s estate. Climb the tower and strike the bell to ring it. This will turn day to night on every map.
While some areas are unchanged, the night versions of most maps feature new areas and stronger enemies. It’s only in the night maps that players can find the keys to the true ending: The seven Ancient Tablets of Knowledge.
Gathering The Ghosts
After turning day to night, the closest available tablet will be in the Lost Cemetery. Among the new enemies are 7 red ghosts which slowly follow the player. Despite their intimidating appearance, they can’t actually do damage.
Near each ghost is a key-hole headed statue embedded in a wall. The player needs to corral each ghost to a corresponding statue, either by letting it follow them or moving them with their sword.
Once all seven ghosts are captured, the locked door at the southern tip of the map will open. Players can access it by using the hook shot on the anchors near the door to the Grove of Spirits. Inside will be the first tablet.
Hunting Down The Owls
While exploring the new versions of each area, players might hear a distant hooting noise. This isn’t just atmospheric sound design, but a hint on where to look to find the next tablet.
Hooting implies an owl, and there’s a large white one waiting in the Estate of the Urn Witch, the Overgrown Ruins, and the Old Watchtowers. The owl will give a tablet fragment each time the player finds them.
The Estate’s owl can be found on the bridge east of the mansion’s entrance. The Ruins owl can be found in the abandoned settlement, where the player initially found the horn. Finally, the Watchtower owl can be found at the end of the long curving ice trail on the map’s northeast section.
A Hidden Tomb and A Green Thumb
Near the middle of the Estate of the Urn Witch is a family tomb, standing in front of a checkerboard dotted with Death’s Door’s breakable urns. If the player breaks five of them in a certain sequence, the tomb will open.
Players can find the code inside the mansion. In the first hallway to the right of the stairs is a brazier, but no corresponding fire to light it. It can only be lit once the player unlocks Death’s Door’s fireball spell.
Lighting the brazier will reveal a secret ladder to the rafters, which hides an old photograph. On the back of a photograph is a diagram showing which pots to break.
Inside the family tomb is another locked door, hiding a tablet. It will only unlock after the player has planted a life seed in each pot, so they should make sure they’ve covered every corner of Death’s Door’s world.
The Final Avarice Chest
When the player initially entered the Overgrown Ruins in the main story, they might have noticed a partially submerged green chest opposite of the entrance gate. While inaccessible during the day, the water level drops during the night, making it a breeze to get to.
There’s no gimmick or puzzle, just a protracted combat gauntlet. Players should make sure they’ve collected all of Death’s Door’s vitality crystals –they’ll need the health. The reward for the fight is the next tablet.
An Octopus Tour
In Death’s Door’s most shocking twist, it turns out that the kindly restaurant owner Jefferson isn’t a human at all, but is instead an octopus piloting a corpse. Players can uncover this secret by visiting The Stranded Sailor at night.
In exchange for keeping his secret, Jefferson promises to show the player a secret in the Flooded Fortress. He clings to the player’s back, and they have to guide him there without using Death’s Door’s Hall of Doors to fast travel. Once in the fortress, he’ll show the player a hidden route that hides another tablet.
All Along the Old Watchtowers
When visiting the Old Watchtowers at night, one detail the player may notice is that the wind isn’t blowing. It’s a small detail, but crucial in getting this area’s hidden tablet.
Hidden throughout the levels are 6 torches, perched on various walls throughout the level. If the player attempted to use the fireball spell and light them during the day, the wind would put them out. During the night, however, they’ll stay lit.
Once all six torches are lit, a door lined with braziers in the northeast will open, rewarding players with another tablet.
Putting the Gravedigger to Rest
In the Lost Graveyard, during the day, the Gravedigger mentions burying their friend under the moonlight. Now that it’s turned to night, the player can find that burial place.
It’s hidden at the peak of the old watchtowers, in the area right before the boss fight with Betty. Off to the side is a staircase, hidden by breakable ice crystals. Up the staircase is a hidden plateau, with a door that only opens at night, and inside is a grave and mysterious locket.
Returning to the Gravedigger’s area in Lost Graveyard, the player will discover the mausoleum is now open. The gravedigger is waiting inside. Giving him the locket will cause him to break down in grief, and initiate Death’s Door’s last boss battle.
The gravedigger is difficult. Not only does he go after the player himself, but he also summons waves of standard enemies to fight with him. Players should make sure they have all of Death’s Door’s tools available to them.
Closing out The Game
Once the player has gathered all 7 tablets, they should return to the Camp of Free Crows. The tablets will fill in the slots on the back wall, and a new area will open up. Once inside, a new ending cutscene will play. Death’s Door’s ending twist might not be as surprising as the Jefferson reveal, but it’s certain to delight Acid Punk’s fans.
Death’s Door is available now for PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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