Finished the game, hated the secret ending conditions

[Čmaroljub Grozni]

Without spoiling the game for everyone, the conditions that you need to meet to get the secret ending are so random that it isn't reasonable to expect anyone to get there on their first go. Some conditions can be met just by playing the game and paying attention but others, especially the random date time period, are just unreasonable for anyone to meet without having to look at the guides.
Nowhere, not once, did I learn from any NPC or any item about the date thing. I had to do a google search to learn this. Why such a random condition that can throw all of your hard work into trash?

[Kurosu]

To learn about the date you need to save the research of the people at plumura falls and do the project later.

But the ending is indeed impossible on a first/blind run. I mean you can easily fail something before you even do your first fight .

[Rurutia]

Well it’s a secret ending….but I understand the date thing, cuz the report on finishing the project doesn’t give you the number either, so I wonder how could ppl learn that in the first place…. Anyway, apart from the date, other things do have in game hint, you got notes on midnight bolt, and “the friendly witch” gives you a lot of hints whenever she talks to you, and you can find many interesting clues when you exploring the lab the first time….but the date, how did anyone find that out?

[アンジェル]

Agreed. I too think getting the secret ending is possible when you explore and enjoy the game properly. But I never came across the date, on what it is based and the backgroundstory of it.

By Kurosu comment I like to imagine it has something to do with divination, but I have no idea since I never experienced a difference with the research project. Maybe mythic path dependency?

[Kurosu]

Originally posted by アンジェル:

Agreed. I too think getting the secret ending is possible when you explore and enjoy the game properly. But I never came across the date, on what it is based and the backgroundstory of it.

By Kurosu comment I like to imagine it has something to do with divination, but I have no idea since I never experienced a difference with the research project. Maybe mythic path dependency?

I was told in a reddit post that completing the research gives you a message saying the month and year (but not the week) that is required. I can not verify this for myself since I sacrificed the research on my Angel and GD runs ( I had long missed the way to save both research and the people )

[Wraith]

It just the month and days.
The year doesn't matter.
I have missed the date before and got the secret ending a year later.

[TripSin]

It's not expected for you to get it on your first playthrough. And it's nothing compared to Kingmaker's secret ending.

[Kurosu]

Originally posted by Wraith:

It just the month and days.
The year doesn't matter.
I have missed the date before and got the secret ending a year later.

That must have been a bug because the dialogue with a certain character directly says that the year is important since the right "date" occurs very rarely ( once in a century I think ? )

[Rurutia]

Originally posted by Kurosu:

Originally posted by アンジェル:

Agreed. I too think getting the secret ending is possible when you explore and enjoy the game properly. But I never came across the date, on what it is based and the backgroundstory of it.

By Kurosu comment I like to imagine it has something to do with divination, but I have no idea since I never experienced a difference with the research project. Maybe mythic path dependency?

I was told in a reddit post that completing the research gives you a message saying the month and year (but not the week) that is required. I can not verify this for myself since I sacrificed the research on my Angel and GD runs ( I had long missed the way to save both research and the people )

Last time I check, the report of the research didn’t give you any date at all ….

[Math]

this is bad scenario. I just finished the game, found guides and realized that I didn't choose neutral or evil answer with fake Yaniel as I was playing good character. The second mistake was 'summoning solution'. And now I have to go back to laboratory save and replay about 30 hours right after it including funny battle against 450 damage chain lightning. And I saw the correct date somewhere on forums, this could easily be my third mistake. Nobody wants to play with guide cos it's huge spoiler. But there is no way to complete secret ending just playing.

[mreed2]

People did, in fact, find the secret ending by just playing. There's even a fair chance of doing it on your first, blind playthrough, but that's just a matter of luck -- you have to make the right choice out of several acceptable options with no guidance that the choice is important, or that there is a "right" choice. Still, by sheer chance, some people likely made all the right choices.

Secret endings are supposed to be difficult and obscure. You don't have to get the secret ending to win the game, after all. The level of obscurity is about normal in other CRPGs that I'm aware of that have secret endings.

[solthusx]

Its no more obscure than Kingmaker's secret ending. I'm still not sure how people are supposed to figure that out without a guide.

[The entire population of china]

So I was able to finish the game and achieve the secret ending and I have to admit I needed a guide for only one thing... BUT it was my second playthrough so I was able to get some stuff together alone in the first one...


So the bolts are hinted at when you talk with Aruashalelulale, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that name... She tells you that Nocticula tends to use A crossbow when fighting against Demonlords even though she does not need any weapon since she mainly uses magic and Claws... You can also see her attack Baphomet with a Midnight Bolt, and since on my first Playthrough I played as a Lich you have the option to get more information from the dead Demon lord on which her city is built... And when Hepzamirah summons Baphomet he berates her on using the forbidden Ritual to summon him... So that one was also kind of obvious.. Wuljif has had still the dagger in his second weapon set so I found about the dagger being important from the Storyteller in the abyss in his tower... I also found all the Elven Scripts and when you find all of them he tells you a secret story about Aleeru which helped alot... The dates can be read in The pulura Library which I did only after I got the research on the crusade table and as the research was ready I found basicaly no info, it just says that there is some interesting info considering Dates.. So I returned into the pulura shrine and read through all the books, although the date is not exactly specific there, it just says before the Apex of the third weak of Gozran... And the laboratory I was able to find on the first playthrough, BUT the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ window and the glass key you need... I had NO CLUE where to find that ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ key.. That was the part I had to google for. So yeah, you can find everything alone, but you would be Godlike lucky if you did it all on first playthrough... Or if you would be incredibly greedy and sell literally nothing :D...

[Kurosu]

Originally posted by mreed2:

Secret endings are supposed to be difficult and obscure. You don't have to get the secret ending to win the game, after all. The level of obscurity is about normal in other CRPGs that I'm aware of that have secret endings.

It is also important to point out that just because there is this secret ending it doesnt mean that all other endings are bad. I found my GD and Angel endings very fulfilling

[ExcaliburV]

I think some people are forgetting that the secret ending is AN ending, not THE ending. You don't have to get it for your story to be complete.

Are you gonna get it blind on your first playthrough? No, probably not. So many of the things you need to know require meta knowledge that can only be obtained from either multiple playthroughs, or being INCREDIBLY attentive and lucking into every single peice of info you need to know.

Saying the right thing to Yaniel makes a lot more sense when you already know beforehand Yaniel is Areelu. Getting a lot of insight into the Midnight Bolts is great- on a Lich plrayhtrough. Etc, etc.

The Ascension ending is more like a reward for being attentive through repeat playthroughs, or being incredibly attentive and lucky in a single playthrough, rather than something you're just expected to get right from the off.

[CHAO$$$]

Originally posted by ExcaliburV:

I think some people are forgetting that the secret ending is AN ending, not THE ending. You don't have to get it for your story to be complete.

^this

I played thru the game without secret ending and having heard about what the secred ending does i found the one that i ended up with crossroads worldwound trickster + part of shyka the many way cooler and more cohesive than what the secret ending would have provided.