Change of Plans

How to get the Change of Plans Achievement. Warning: Spoilers. Please play the game at least once before reading this guide.

The Set Up

This achievement involves convincing Vauclair to give up his plans to kill the dragons. Convincing a man who has been driven by a single goal for 20 some years that his goal is completely wrong is not easy. There are 3 things you must do from the beginning while playing the game in order to have the option of reaching this ending.

1) Watch all 4 discs from Green Winters/Hermie. The discs are not available once you leave to fight APEX.

2) Talk with Absinathe and Aljernon regularly. Right after you've dealt with APEX, before heading to the manor for the second time, go talk to Absinathe for a final time. She should tell you about Lovecraftian Horrors that live on another plane and try to invade our universe.

3) While going through the manor, have a decker with you (yourself, Blitz, or a hireling). Read all of the information on the computers as you head in for the final confrontation, particularly the e-mails about workplace injuries and deaths.

If you do not do all of these things, you cannot get this achievement.

This crucial set up section is the part most likely to be your downfall when you try for this ending.

The Stats

You do NOT need these stats to get this ending, but it makes it much easier and more obvious which options you should select when you're clicking through the dialogues. Also, you get a bit more detail on the technical aspects of the plot and the setting.

1) 6 Intelligence

2) 5 Biotech

3) Etiquette (Academics)

Don't Break the Glass

Basic Tips
In your first set of dialogue choices, you may be tempted to vent your anger on Vauclair. Keep it tamped down. Always address him politely. Be a calm, cool professional despite whatever he might say to you.

Specific Dialogue

1) And you must be Dr. Vauclair.

2) Let us out of here, Vauclair. We need to talk.

3) We came to find you, Vauclair....

4) Why attack the Kreuzbasar, Vauclair? ...

5) Your brother said you were the world's only hope...

6) Oh...you mean you didn't know?

7) All for what, Vauclair?

8) Explain yourself Doctor.

9) Go on.

10) I understand your reasoning, but there has to be a better way.

11) How are you going to get Feurerschwinge to go along with this plan of yours?

12) Astral dragon stuck in jar...

The Rebuttal

Basic Tips
If you agree with him whole-heartedly, you'll get the Unintended Consequences ending. You want to be agreeable without changing your position that what he is doing is wrong.


Specific Dialogue

1) You don't burn a city...

2a) I'm not buying it, Doc....

OR

2b) Etiquette: Academic, Intelligence 6, Biotech 5, Etiquette: Academic

3) Even if you succeed at this ...

4) Look - you're not infallible

5) I get that they made their own decisions

6) My point is ...

7) Bet you told your researchers ...

8) There are worse things than dragons...

9) You're wrong.

10) I agree that dragons pose a serious threat to metahumanity...

11) This plan of yours killed your *brother*.

12) Would Hermie want you to do this?

13) I've watched hours of your brother's video footage ...

14) If Hermie were here ...

15) You still have a chance...

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of similar dialogue options that you could probably use to get to the ending. The paths I've put down here are simply the ones that I know for certain work. The Basic Tips are there to guide you if you want to try going through the dialogue trees by yourself.

Good luck.

[Onionator]

Thank you! Brilliant step-by-step guidance.

[Madam SyunikisS]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this guide! Have been replaying Dragonfall and Hong Kong, getting the last few achievements I needed, and this has been so very helpful!

[Konstantin]

You do not net a decker either. I have never talked to Absinthe about Horrors and I never had Blitz or myself decking in the last run. I managed it with Biotech 7 academic and the discs watched.

[SHRADO]

u dont need Etiquette: Academic.
it will work with Intelligence 6, Biotech 5..
dont worrry!!

[Mysti_Fogg]

You're welcome.

And I don't know how people manage it without her either. I think they probably talk to her earlier and forget that they have. She's actually the reason I had to restart my game twice. But I don't see any point in arguing with people if they have the achievement and are happy.

[Orphan Martian]

Thank you so much for writing this out. I tried a few times and failed, then realized I hadn't spoken to Absinthe that last time. She was the missing piece that got me the achievement, I'm not sure how some people manage it without her, but it was crucial to getting the right dialogue trees.

Now to reload and kill the bastard myself!

[Girlbeard]

It isn't necessary. I managed to unlock the achievement without ever asking Absinth about horrors of any kind and didn't do any speech checks with Vauclair about them.

[Mysti_Fogg]

It is necessary. The timing on it can vary. The place I mention is the last moment you can possibly do it. If Absineth doesn't tell you about Lovecrafting Horrors, you won't get the correct dialogue option to pop later.

[Girlbeard]

2) Talk with Absinathe and Aljernon regularly. Right after you've dealt with APEX, before heading to the manor for the second time, go talk to Absinathe for a final time. She should tell you about Lovecraftian Horrors that live on another plane and try to invade our universe.

That part isn't necessary. I missed it but following everything else in this guide worked.

[SPRÆY]

Thanks for the guide, i manage to finish the game once without violence agaist Vaunclair but i forgot the etiquete used :P