Layers of Fear is a mysterious adventure with an ending that’s all up to your interpretation of events. Nothing is explicitly spelled out for you, and the road to earning one of the multiple endings is just as obscured.

Since release, fans have poured over the game to figure out just what sets off each ending, with conflicting reports and confused descriptions making the whole mess even harder to solve. Not anymore. We’ve deciphered the riddles and uraveled the secrets of Layers of Fear to present complete guides showing you how to earn these endings. Not only do endings require collectibles, but they also demand certain behaviors from the player — how you react to different events changes the outcome. Get all our tips and collectible locations in each section below.

Need even more collectibles? We’ve got every type; check out the Layers of Fear family mementos locations to complete your studio scrapbook, or decorate the walls using even more creepy art with these Layers of Fear rat drawings locations.

Alternate Endings Guide

Are there more endings that we missed or secrets left out? Speak up in the comments and let us know.

There are three endings to earn in Layers of Fear. Each changes depending on how you behave during certain encounters, and which collectibles you chose to collect or avoid.

The three endings are; self portrait, family, and endless loop.

Endless Loop Ending Guide

The most common ending and one you’re most likely to earn in one playthrough. Activate any encounters unrelated to the ghost, try to avoid dying, and don’t bother to pick up any collectibles at all.

Family Ending Guide

To earn the Family ending, you must collect only certain Whispered Words related to your family and avoid any encounters related to paintings or rats.

• Whispered Word: Chapter 1 / Room 5 – When you input the lock code to open the ring case with the words “THE PAST HOLDS BACK LOOK CLOSER” on the interior. The code is 484. Grab the collectible.
• Event: Chapter 1 / Room 7 – In the room with the painting in the back that drops you into the basement; don’t look at it, just turn around and leave.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 1 / Room 8 – Enter a hallway filled with portraits. One of the paintings will fly off the wall. Interact with this painting to pull it down and you’ll discover a sketch.
• Event: Chapter 1 / Room 9 – Once again, you’ll reach a room with a painting in the back where rats scatter on the floor. Ignore this room, turn around and leave through the entrance.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 1 / Room 11 – Enter the hallway with a candle on the window sill on the right. Grab the brush located here.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 2 / Room 4 – Enter a small closet filled with paintings to collect a key. Through the door directly opposite this closet is another small room with notes inside.
• Event: Chapter 2 / Room 6 – In the plain room with a chest in the corner, don’t miss the chest. Open it to find a baby doll inside.
• Event: Chapter 2 / Room 8 – Continue two rooms later and ignore the locked safe there.
• Event: Chapter 2 / Room 10 – In the mirror room, don’t turn around and look at the mirror again.
• Event: Chapter 2 / Room 12 – Enter the room with the wheelchair. Once you see it, turn around for a scare.
• Event: Chapter 2 / Room 13 – One room later, ignore the rat that runs left and continue on through the door on the right.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 2 / Room 17 – Explore the the large phonograph bedroom. Open the cabinets in the corner opposite the bed to find a violin.
• Event: Chapter 3 / Room 3 – In the hall with the chained-up piano, go ahead and approach the piano.
• Event: Chapter 3 / Room 5 – Trapped in the room, turn until a path opens. Move toward the exit, then spin around again to find a new door. Open it.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 3 / Room 10 – In the hallway with the balcony and phone that reverses upward onto the small table, backtrack until the phone falls and breaks right in front of you. Check the receiver to get the words.
• Event: Chapter 3 / Room 12 – Enter the hall with windows on the left. Walk forward until a force pushes you back. Approach your ghostly wife.
• Event: Chapter 3 / Room 17 – Explore the bathroom through the door on the left and look into the black gunk in the tub.
• Event: Chapter 4 / Room 2 – Enter the hall with candles lining the floor. The ghost of your wife twitches in the darkness. Run toward her.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 4 / Room 3 – Reach a room with trees drawn on the walls. Open all four doors and they’ll slam shut. Keep turning until an exit is revealed. Grab the door but do not open it — turn around, witness the fire event, walk to the back of the blank room, then turn around to see a new note has appeared in your path.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 4 / Room 4 – Leaving the room and entering a hallway with chalk lines drawn on the floor and walls, grab the party hat from the teddy bear.
• Event: Chapter 4 / Room 5 – Don’t interact with the lamp on your left as you pass through this room.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 4 / Room 6 – Get to the simple sitting room with baby-shoes on a table to the back-left of the entrance door. Turn toward the window to get a glimpse of the baby doll.
• Event: Chapter 4 / Room 7 – In the wooden room with the vanity mirror, look at the mirror and wait for the candles to light up.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 4 / Room 8 – Enter a hallway and turn right to a dead-end with a checker’s board. Find all three checker pieces to reveal a whispered words item on the board.
• Event: Chapter 4 / Room 9 – There’s dark room on the right. Go inside and take a look around.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 4 / Room 17 – Escaping the multi-colored maze past the doll room and you’ll wake up from the floor. There’s an open door here, but don’t go through it. Turn around and look on the floor of the closet to get a unique toy.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 4 / Room 18 – Moving on, you’ll reach a simple hall with black lines and a window sill on the left. Check the sill to find an item.
• Event: Chapter 4 / Room 18 – In the same room as the collectible, try opening every door.
• Event: Chapter 5 / Room 4 – Encounter the ghost wife down the hall. Run toward her instead of running away.
• Event: Chapter 5 / Room 6 – In the hall with the bright light in the distance, run toward it to enter the next room.
• Event: Chapter 5 / Room 15 – Ignore the instructions and turn around.
• Event: Chapter 5 / Room 16 – Even if you collected the crank from Room 14, make sure to use the chain to open the door here. Do not use the crank.
• Event: Chapter 5 / Room 19 – In the elevator, turn the switch right instead of left.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 5 / Room 22 – Enter a hallway with a window on the left. The next collectible is right there in the window sill.
• Event: Chapter 5 / Room 22 – Check out the door that’s cracked open. Take a good look inside.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 6 / Room 5 – Enter the melting hall and run toward your ghost wife in the distance.
• Event: Chapter 6 / Room 9 – Once you fall into the lower level, enter the darkness.
• Event: Chapter 6 / Room 11 – In the strange room, leave the pulley and drop into the hole in the center.
• Event: Chapter 6 / Room 13 – Use the Oija board in this room. Input the code 363-853-354 and grab the memento that appears.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 6 / Room 15 – In the area with the black sludge blocking the path ahead, check the window sill. There’s a necklace here.
• Event: Chapter 6 / Room 15 – In one of the side rooms, you’ll find a large portrait of your wife. Squeeze into the room itself and take a close look.
• Event: Chapter 6 / Room 16 – In the opulent hallway, push the wheel chair to the end of the corridor.
• Event: Chapter 6 / Last Room – Open the safe. The code is 042.

Self Portrait Ending Guide

To earn the Self Portrait ending, you must collect every Whispered Word collectible, and avoid any optional encounters.

• Whispered Word: Chapter 1 / Room 5 – When you input the lock code to open the ring case with the words “THE PAST HOLDS BACK LOOK CLOSER” on the interior. The code is 484. Grab the collectible.
• Event: Chapter 1 / Room 7 – In the room with the painting in the back that drops you into the basement; don’t look at it, just turn around and leave.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 1 / Room 8 – Enter a hallway filled with portraits. One of the paintings will fly off the wall. Interact with this painting to pull it down and you’ll discover a sketch.
• Event: Chapter 1 / Room 9 – Once again, you’ll reach a room with a painting in the back where rats scatter on the floor. Ignore this room, turn around and leave through the entrance.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 1 / Room 11 – Enter the hallway with a candle on the window sill on the right. Grab the brush located here.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 2 / Room 4 – Enter a small closet filled with paintings to collect a key. Through the door directly opposite this closet is another small room with notes inside.
• Event: Chapter 2 / Room 6 – In the plain room with a chest in the corner, simply ignore the chest and continue on your way. Don’t open it.
• Event: Chapter 2 / Room 8 – Continue two rooms later and ignore the locked safe there.
• Event: Chapter 2 / Room 10 – In the mirror room, don’t turn around and look at the mirror again.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 2 / Room 11 – Reach the large painting of a dog that bursts into flames. The walls will start to melt. Turn right at this painting and check the top-right cabinet to find a collar.
• Event: Chapter 2 / Room 12 – Enter the room with the wheelchair. Once you see it, don’t turn back. Continue forward.
• Event: Chapter 2 / Room 13 – One room later, follow the rat that runs left and enter the door.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 2 / Room 15 – In the hallway with the melting painting, a cane embeds in the portrait. Examine that jump-scare cane.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 2 / Room 17 – Explore the the large phonograph bedroom. Open the cabinets in the corner opposite the bed to find a violin.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 3 / Room 1 – Return to the painting room. Look on the cabinet top beneath the rat drawings wall.
• Event: Chapter 3 / Room 3 – In the hall with the chained-up piano, simply turn around and leave.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 3 / Room 9 – Move straight forward and open the door to a small plain studio. Check on the easel to get the whispered words item.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 3 / Room 10 – In the hallway with the balcony and phone that reverses upward onto the small table, backtrack until the phone falls and breaks right in front of you. Check the receiver to get the words.
• Event: Chapter 3 / Room 12 – Enter the hall with windows on the left. Walk forward until an invisible force pushes you back. Turn around and turn the lights on.
• Event: Chapter 3 / Room 17 – In the hallway with the door on the left and corner turn on the right, choose to ignore the door on the left. Do not open it.
• Event: Chapter 4 / Room 2 – Enter the hall with candles lining the floor. The ghost of your wife twitches in the darkness. Stand still until she leaves.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 4 / Room 3 – Reach a room with trees drawn on the walls. Open all four doors and they’ll slam shut. Keep turning until an exit is revealed. Grab the door but do not open it — turn around, witness the fire event, walk to the back of the blank room, then turn around to see a new note has appeared in your path.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 4 / Room 4 – Leaving the room and entering a hallway with chalk lines drawn on the floor and walls, grab the party hat from the teddy bear.
• Event: Chapter 4 / Room 5 – Don’t interact with the lamp on your left as you pass through this room.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 4 / Room 6 – Get to the simple sitting room with baby-shoes on a table to the back-left of the entrance door. Don’t turn toward the window.
• Event: Chapter 4 / Room 7 – In the wooden room with the vanity mirror, simply ignore the mirror and continue on.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 4 / Room 8 – Enter a hallway and turn right to a dead-end with a checker’s board. Find all three checker pieces to reveal a whispered words item on the board.
• Event: Chapter 4 / Room 9 – There’s dark room on the right. Don’t look, just leave.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 4 / Room 17 – Escaping the multi-colored maze past the doll room and you’ll wake up from the floor. There’s an open door here, but don’t go through it. Turn around and look on the floor of the closet to get a unique toy.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 4 / Room 18 – Moving on, you’ll reach a simple hall with black lines and a window sill on the left. Check the sill to find an item.
• Event: Chapter 4 / Room 18 – In the same room as the collectible, ignore all the doors and continue into the next room.
• Event: Chapter 5 / Room 4 – Encounter the ghost wife down the hall. Stop as you see her, turn around, and walk away.
• Event: Chapter 5 / Room 6 – In the hall with the bright light in the distance, ignore it and turn around to find a new hallway. Go through this new path.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 5 / Room 11 – Once you escape the creepy nursery, look for the dog muzzle collectible before moving on.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 5 / Room 14 – In the sitting room, take the whiskey bottle and crank from the tables.
• Event: Chapter 5 / Room 15 – Follow the instructions and do not turn around. Continue moving forward.
• Event: Chapter 5 / Room 16 – If you collected the crank from Room 14, make sure to crank open the door here.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 5 / Room 17 – Past the locked room, you’ll re-enter the four-way hall. Continue straight toward the path blocked with debris. There’s a pile of broken brushes on the floor here.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 5 / Room 18 – Enter the room with a fireplace and an upside-down portrait hanging above. Look on the ground near the fireplace for a collectible.
• Event: Chapter 5 / Room 19 – In the elevator, turn the switch left instead of right.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 5 / Room 21 – Moving on after the elevator lift, you’ll escape and enter a room with a chest in the back-right corner. Open that chest.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 5 / Room 22 – Enter a hallway with a window on the left. The next collectible is right there in the window sill.
• Event: Chapter 5 / Room 22 – Avoid the door that’s cracked open. Don’t even look inside.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 6 / Room 5 – At the room with three spider-like portraits, a dead rat can be found on the back of one of the fallen paintings.
• Event: Chapter 6 / Room 9 – Once you fall into the lower level, stay out of the darkness.
• Event: Chapter 6 / Room 11 – In the strange room, go to the pulley and turn the crank to raise the canvas on a chain.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 6 / Room 12 – Enter a room where you can witness a burning bed. Look on the nightstand to get your item.
• Event: Chapter 6 / Room 13 – Avoid the Oija board in this room. Don’t use it and just move on.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 6 / Room 15 – In the area with the black sludge blocking the path ahead, check the window sill. There’s a necklace here.
• Event: Chapter 6 / Room 15 – There’s a large portrait of your wife in this room. Don’t look at it.
• Event: Chapter 6 / Room 16 – In the opulent hallway, ignore the wheel chair.
• Whispered Word: Chapter 6 / Room 17 -Enter a brightly lit bathroom. Look in the sink to collect the knife.
• Event: Chapter 6 / Last Room – Don’t open the safe.

Source: [1]

Kevin Thielenhaus is a freelance writer for The Escapist. Find him on Twitter here.