You’re sitting there, controller vibrating, palms sweating, watching a group of teenagers make the kind of choices that usually get people killed in a 1980s slasher flick. We’ve all been there. Until Dawn is a stress machine. Supermassive Games built this thing on the "Butterfly Effect" principle, which sounds fancy but basically means if you sneeze at the wrong time in Chapter 2, someone might get their head ripped off in Chapter 10. It’s brutal.
Honestly, keeping all eight characters alive on your first run is statistically unlikely unless you’re some kind of precognitive genius or you're glued to a walkthrough. Most people lose Chris or Matt early on because they think they’re being "heroic." But here’s the thing: in this game, being a hero often gets you buried. You have to be smart. You have to be fast. And sometimes, you just have to keep your damn hands off the controller.
The Brutal Reality of the Butterfly Effect
Every single thing you do ripples. If you’re mean to a character in the first hour, they might not help you when you’re hanging off a cliff four hours later. It’s not just about the big choices, either. It’s about the "Don’t Move" segments. Those are the real killers. Your heart rate goes up, your hand shakes just a millimeter, and suddenly, the light bar on your controller registers movement. Game over.
One of the most common ways people fail to keep everyone alive until dawn is by failing those high-stakes physical prompts. If you struggle with these, there is a legitimate "cheat" built into the PS4 and PS5 hardware—you can literally set the controller down on a flat table the second the prompt appears. It feels like cheating, sure, but do you want a dead cast? I didn’t think so.
Matt and the Flare Gun: A Recipe for Disaster
Let’s talk about Matt. Poor Matt. He’s often the first to go because his survival depends on a very specific sequence of events involving a flare gun and Emily. Early in the game, Emily finds a flare gun at the radio tower. If Matt has it, he has a chance to defend himself later when things go sideways at the ore grinder.
But wait. If Emily gives it to him and he uses it immediately to signal for help, it’s useless. He needs to keep it. Furthermore, if Matt tries to save Emily twice while the tower is collapsing, he’s doomed unless he has that flare gun. The "safe" play? Just jump to safety. It makes Matt look like a jerk, but it keeps his heart beating. That’s the nuance of this game; sometimes the moral choice is the lethal one.
Don't Shoot the Squirrel (Seriously)
This sounds like a joke, but it’s one of the most vital early-game triggers. In Chapter 1, as Chris, you have the option to shoot a squirrel during a shooting gallery segment. Don't do it. If you kill the squirrel, nature—or whatever malevolent force is haunting Blackwood Mountain—retaliates. Sam will get a scratch on her forehead later while escaping the "Psycho." That tiny drop of blood allows the pursuer to track her more easily, which can lead to her capture or worse later on. It’s a tiny detail that demonstrates how the game tracks your empathy. Stay kind to the animals. It pays off when you’re sprinting through a basement in a towel later.
The Chris and Ashley Paradox
The relationship between Chris and Ashley is the emotional core for a lot of players, but it’s also a death trap. In Chapter 6, you’re forced into a "Saw" style trap where Chris has to choose between shooting himself or shooting Ashley.
Logic might tell you that sacrificing Chris is the "noble" thing to do. However, if you choose to aim the gun at Ashley and pull the trigger (even though it’s a blank), she will remember that. Later, when Chris is being chased by a Wendigo and banging on the front door of the lodge, Ashley will literally just stand there and watch him die. She won’t open the door. It’s one of the coldest moments in gaming history. To keep everyone alive until dawn, Chris must choose to save Ashley or try to sacrifice himself. Never point that gun at her.
Dealing with the Wendigo Threat
By the time you reach the final chapters, the threat shifts from a mysterious slasher to the Wendigos. These things are blind but have motion-based vision. This is where the "Don't Move" mechanic becomes life or death.
Specifically, look at Mike and Sam in the final sequence in the lodge. Mike is a tank; he survives almost everything until the very end. But in that final room, if Sam flips the light switch too early, she incinerates everyone inside, including Mike. You have to wait. You have to hide. You have to be the most patient person on Earth while the monsters sniff your hair.
The Totems: Your Only Real Warning
Scattered around the mountain are wooden totems. Don’t ignore them. They aren't just collectibles for trophies; they provide "premonitions."
- Death Totems: Show you how a character might die (so you can avoid that specific scenario).
- Guidance Totems: Show you the "correct" choice in a future dilemma.
- Loss Totems: Usually show a friend dying, warning you of the stakes.
If you see a totem showing Mike getting his eyes poked out, pay attention to the environment in the next scene. These are the only clues the game gives you before it yanks the rug out from under your feet.
Avoiding the "Trap" in the Mines
In Chapter 9, Ashley (or sometimes Chris) hears a voice in the mines. It sounds like Jessica calling for help. The game gives you a choice: investigate the voice or stick with the group.
If you've been paying attention to the lore notes—specifically the Journal of the Stranger—you’ll know that Wendigos can mimic human voices to lure prey. If you go to investigate that voice, you’re dead. There is no "helping" Jessica there. It’s a mimic. Stick with the group. This is a classic horror trope that the game uses to punish players who are too curious for their own good.
Why Jessica and Josh are Hard to Save
Jessica is tricky because her survival is determined almost entirely by Mike’s speed in Chapter 4. If Mike fumbles the QTEs (Quick Time Events) while chasing her kidnapper, she’ll be dead by the time he reaches the elevator. You have to take every risky shortcut. You have to be perfect.
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Josh, on the other hand, requires detective work. To keep Josh alive (or at least "alive" in the game's twisted sense), you must find the "Twins" clues. Specifically, you need the diary in the mines that reveals what happened to Hannah and Beth. If Sam finds this, she tells Josh. If she doesn't, Josh won't recognize the Wendigo attacking him in the water, and his head gets crushed like a grape. There is no middle ground here.
Practical Steps for a Perfect Run
If you are serious about getting that "They All Live" trophy, you need to approach the game with a specific mindset. It’s not about being a "good person"; it's about being a survivor.
- Prioritize the QTEs: If you aren't confident, practice or lower the difficulty if your version allows it. Most deaths are caused by a missed button press, not a bad story choice.
- Collect Every Clue: Information is literally armor in this game. If Sam and Mike don't know the history of the mountain, they can't make the right choices in the finale.
- Be Consistent with Relationships: Don't flip-flop between being nice and being a jerk. High relationship scores unlock dialogue options that can save your life.
- The "Don't Move" Trick: As mentioned, set the controller on a table or your lap. Breath holding helps, but the sensor is incredibly sensitive.
- Trust No Voices: If you hear a friend in a dark hole where they shouldn't be, they aren't there. It’s a trap.
The final sequence in the lodge is the ultimate test. It requires three "Don't Move" successes in a row. If you feel your hands shaking, pause the game. Take a breath. The game won't punish you for pausing. Once you’re calm, unpause and finish it. When Sam finally has the option to "Save Mike" or "Hit Switch," always choose to save Mike until the very last possible second when everyone else has run out the door.
That’s how you beat the mountain. It’s about patience, observation, and knowing when to let the timer run out rather than making a panicked move. Good luck—you're going to need it when the lights go out.