Slender: The Arrival Achievement Guide & Road Map

Slender: The Arrival
Slender: The Arrival Achievement Guide

Overview
- Estimated achievement difficulty: 5/10
- Offline: 20 [400]
- Online: 0
- Approximate amount of time to 400: 8-10 Hours
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 2
- Number of missable achievements: None [Level select available]
- Do cheat codes disable achievements: No cheats
- Does difficulty affect achievements: Yes
- Glitchy achievements: "Insta-Killed", "Speed Runner III"
- Unobtainable achievements: None
- Extra equipment needed: None

Introduction:
Welcome to Slender: The Arrival. Blue Isle Studios originally developed the game for PC, but it has now been ported over to Xbox Live Arcade with some additional content. You'll likely need to do three playthroughs of this game for all of the achievements, but luckily the entire game can be easily beaten in 45 minutes once you know what you're doing. There are some glitchy achievements, but none are unobtainable - any glitches can be counteracted.

Step 1: Normal Playthrough & Collectibles
First make sure your game is on normal difficulty in the options menu. Then, start the game. As you progress, you'll want to gather all of the collectibles so that they don't strain you on Hardcore or take your time on your Speed Runner playthroughs. For a video guide on collectibles, refer to The Collector II in the guide below. There are also several other miscellaneous achievements you'll want to gain on this run. They are:

Level One ("Prologue"): "I Love Radio", "Master Pianist", and "Fearless Fun"
Level Two ("The Eight Pages"): "I'll just take this, I guess?"
Level Three ("Into the Abyss"): "Well At Least You Tried"
The Last Level ("The Arrival"): "Tangled" and "Fire Proof"
At your leisure: "Get Me Out of Here!" and "Why Am I Playing This Game?"

Step 2: Hardcore Playthrough
At this point, you should only be missing "Fearless" and the "Speed Runner" achievements. For your second playthrough, play on Hardcore difficulty (which unlocks upon completion of normal). Don't worry about collectibles, times, or anything else other than completing the levels, as the AI is very aggressive and your flashlight will run out.

The game is complete-able in two playthroughs if you get the "Speed Runner" achievements in this run or the previous one, but unless you have a lot of previous experience with the PC version of the game that is highly unlikely.

Step 3: Wrap-Up
Unless you missed some of the miscellaneous achievements from step one, you should only need the "Speed Runner" achievements now. Refer to the guide below for tips and videos on those.

Conclusion:
If you've made it this far, congratulations on completing Slender: The Arrival!

[XBA would like to thank Neverender for this roadmap]

Speed Runner I

20
Beat 'The Eight Pages' level in under 5 minutes
(9)
This is best done on easy, as the AI is least aggressive, you have the most stamina and your flashlight won't run down. "The Eight Pages" is level two and takes place in Oakside Park and is largely randomized.

In each randomization there are ten distinct landmarks, eight of which hold pages. The landmarks are always the same landmarks, but their locations change. Furthermore, you'll randomly spawn in one of four locations at the start of the level. Luckily, the layout of the park will stay the same and the locations of the pages inside the landmarks will stay the same (if there is a page at that landmark). Here is a map of the park:

Thanks to Mech for this map!

A good general strategy is to establish yourself along the outer perimeter of the park, work your way around, and then delve into the middle for the remaining pages. Try to stay calm when Slender Man appears and stay on the main roads - it's very easy to disorient yourself amongst the trees. There is a fair amount of luck to this with where the AI decides to place itself and where the pages end up, but with the amount of sprint you're given on easy this should be doable within a few attempts. For further assistance, here's a video:

It's also been reported that you can get this achievement by grabbing 5/8 pages and running into Slender Man to end the level. If you're struggling with the achievement, this is a good strategy to try.
Speed Runner II

30
Beat 'Into The Abyss' level in under 5 minutes
(6)
This is best done on easy, as the AI is least aggressive, you have the most stamina and your flashlight won't run down. "Into the Abyss" is level three and takes place in a mine and is somewhat randomized.

In each randomization there are six generators you need to activate in order to power on an elevator to escape the mine. There are many locations where generators can be, but five of them will be randomly placed (the remaining one being directly beside the elevator). Maps for this level can be found here.

For further assistance, here is a video:
Speed Runner III

40
Beat the game in under 45 minutes
(13)
This achievement sounds much more difficult than it actually is. Once you've played through the game a few times and gotten the other "Speed Runner" achievements, you'll have a good understanding of the levels' layouts and the events you must complete in order to progress. At this point, turn the game on easy and blow through the game. To check your current shortest time for a playthrough, click on Leaderboards on the main menu.

There are videos for this achievement under "Fearless" where the video creator is also playing on Hardcore to further assist.

The achievement is a little glitchy. Some people have reported that you need to do the playthrough for this start-to-finish in one sitting, others have reported that as long as your overall shortest time for a difficulty is under 45 minutes you'll still unlock the achievement (i.e. you can go back through and replay individual levels to get your overall time down). Other people have further reported that they were unable to get it either way.

The safest way to do this (and the best way to go about countering a glitch) is to delete your save after you have all of the other achievements, then do a fresh playthrough as quickly as possible on easy.

Note: "Genesis" and the other secret level do not contribute time for this achievement.
The Collector I

30
Find all numbered letter
(2)
Refer to "The Collector II"
The Collector II

50
Find all scrapbook items
(5)
This video shows the location of all of the collectibles for both Collector achievements:
I Love Radio

10
Listen to all of the radio tracks in the house
(2)
In the Prologue, you'll explore a house to find a key and a flashlight. On the bottom floor, you'll find a laundry room with a radio in it. Go up to the radio and mash until the achievement unlocks.
Master Pianist

10
Play the piano until the first notes from 'No Friends' is played
(2)
Again in the Prologue, on the first floor on the left side of the house, there is a room with a piano. Go up to it and hit until this one pops.
Tangled

10
Get ensnared by Slender Man's tentacles
(7)
On the last level, The Arrival, you'll exit a cave and find yourself in a forest fire. Slenderman will be here, using his tentacles to go after you. Run into them to get this one.
Cry Baby

10
Disrupt Charlie while he's crying at least 3 times
(2)
Charlie is located in the first level ("Prologue"). When you get to the final set of construction lights, near the entrance to Oakside Park, there is a house off to the left. Charlie is inside in a randomly-generated location. Approach him, get attacked, and then finish the level for the counter to increase. Repeat three times for the achievement.
Retro Fan

40
Beat the Genesis level on 'Hardcore' difficulty
(4)
"Genesis" is very similar to "The Eight Pages", except easier because the map is static. Since this is more simple, there's no need for a lengthy explanation; instead here's a video:
I'm Free!

10
Beat the game on normal difficulty
(4)
Keep in mind that difficulties don't stack, so when you do difficulty achievements make sure you have it set to that difficulty in the options menu. They also have to be done in one sitting, chapter select can NOT be used.
Fearless

40
Beat the game on 'Hardcore' difficulty
(3)
After you beat the game, you unlock hardcore difficulty. This is different from normal because:
- You have less stamina.
- Your flashlight runs out after time.
- Enemy AI is notably more aggressive.
- In "Into the Abyss", you have to collect canisters as well as turn on generators.
When doing the game on hardcore, don't worry about collectibles, time, or anything else. Just get what you need, avoid enemies, and get to the end.

Here are some videos to help - they're all on hardcore and he finishes in time to get Speed Runner III as well. (Videos linked and not embedded to reduce page lag)
Fire Proof

30
Make it through the forest fire without catching on fire once
(2)
This is obtained on the last level ("The Arrival"). Because of the extra stamina and more passive enemies, it's easier to do this on easy difficulty. At a certain point, the forest will be on fire and you'll be pursued by Slender Man through it. Avoid areas with flames at all costs. Try to sprint between clear patches as quickly as possible and don't let Slender Man disorient you. If you catch fire your screen's edges will have some flames, at which point you'll need to let yourself be killed or restart the level to try again.

Note: If you do earn this achievement, you'll receive it after the interesting bit of the game at the end.
Walking Simulator

10
Surpass 10,000 total steps taken
(8)
This is cumulative. If you don't receive the achievement by the time you have all of the others, you can rubber band your controller's to make you walk in a circle on the first level ("Prologue") to boost this quickly. There are no enemies in this level, so your leisurely stroll will be uninterrupted by pesky supernatural beings.

Fearless Fun

10
Riding a Slide in a Horror Game
(2)
In the Prologue, you'll have to make your way around the house to the back gate. On your left there will be a slide. Go up the stairs to the top of it, then walk down it to get this one.
Get Me Out of Here!

10
Exceed 10 failed pause attempts
(4)
Refer to "Why Am I Playing This Game?"
Why Am I Playing This Game?

10
Exceed 50 failed pause attempts
(3)
When Slender Man distortion is in effect, you will be unable to pause the game. This is an intentional game element. The achievements related to this element are for attempting to pause when the game won't let you (AKA when Slender Man is nearby). These are also cumulative - you don't need to mash 50 times in one encounter with Slender Man, just hit it 50 times overall.

A good way to do this is simply mashing the button whenever you know you're going to die. This way you will not need to go out of your way for the achievement.
Well At Least You Tried

10
Die in the 'Into the Abyss' level 3 times in a row
(3)
"Into the Abyss" is the third level. Slender Man and the Proxy will come after you once you enter the mine and activate the first generator. Simply let yourself be killed three times in a row. Once you die, you'll respawn in front of the first generator, so you don't have to do the beginning part of the level over each time.
Insta-Killed

10
We're sorry about that... Here's a cookie!
(4)
You can get this at the end of the second level ("The Eight Pages"). Once you find most of the pages, Slender Man will become more aggressive in chasing you. Simply run directly into him and die. It's assumed that you actually need to make physical contact with him for the achievement instead of dying through heavy distortion. This may be easier for you to do by sprinting at him while facing him or backing into him, so try both. You may also be able to do this in other levels, but "The Eight Pages" is by far the easiest place to do this.

This achievement is glitchy for some. If you don't die in your first attempt at "The Eight Pages", you may be affected. If you don't get it with the above method after several attempts, delete your save and retry the method.

Also in the forest fire area, run directly in to Slenderman. This will insta-kill you and pop this achievement.
I'll just take this..I guess?

10
Pick up an oversized sign and somehow manage to fit it in your scrapbook
(1)
Refer to "The Collector II"

The sign is at the beginning of the second level ("The Eight Pages"). Before you enter Oakside Park, you should pass by a canoe rental shack. On the front of the shack, above the door, is the sign.