Road Map

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Overview:
- Estimated achievement difficulty: 5/10 assuming you're solving the puzzles yourself; 1/10 with a guide [Achievement Difficulty Rating]
- Offline: 0
- Online: 59* [1000gs.png]
- Approximate amount of time to 1000gs.png: 25-35 hours if you get all missables in one playthrough and solve all puzzles yourself; upwards of 50 hours if you take three playthroughs [Estimated Time to 100%]
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1 [see walkthrough linked below]
- Missable achievements: Many [see roadmap walkthrough]
- Does difficulty affect achievements: No difficulty option
- Unobtainable/glitched achievements: Mnemosyne (30G) on Xbox requires one addtional Remnant not normally part of the achievement. This is a bug that the developers plan to fix

*Despite this being a single player game, I wasn't able to unlock any achievements offline. You'll therefore need to be online while playing this game to unlock any of its achievements.
 
  • DLC: Road to Elysium - Orpheus Ascending
    • Difficulty: 4/10 [1/10 with a guide]
    • Time to 185gs.png: 3-5 hours [1 hour with a guide]
    • Unobtainable/glitched achievements: None
  • DLC: Road to Elysium - Isle of the Blessed
    • Difficulty: 6/10 [1/10 with a guide]
    • Time to 270gs.png: 8-12 hours [2-4 hours with a guide]
    • Unobtainable/glitched achievements: None
  • DLC: Road to Elysium - Into the Abyss
    • Difficulty: 8/10 [1/10 with a guide]
    • Time to 265gs.png: 8-10+ hours, highly skill dependent [3-4 hours with a guide]
    • Unobtainable/glitched achievements: None
Introduction:
Welcome to The Talos Principle II, the sequel to incredible The Talos Principle. The first game interweaves philosophical issues and mystery with fantastic puzzles, and this game expands on that even further, interweaving a deep narrative with more devious puzzles, as well as plenty of mystery. The only downside is there are a ton of missable achievements throughout the playthrough, but with a walkthrough and proper planning, you can get them all on a single playthrough. Strap in for another deep experience with great puzzles. As a side note, I'm going to assume you plan to solve puzzles yourself, since it's a $30 game that takes 25+ hours. I've still included videos with puzzle solutions though, in case you get really stuck. Let's get started.

Abbreviated Walkthrough:
There are many missable achievements in this game, but in general they can be broken up into two types:
 
  • Side activities in New Jerusalem
  • Mayor election activities
It's important to note here that none of the puzzles or collectibles is missable. The game creates an autosave at the point of no return, allowing you to mop up any puzzles or collectibles you missed, or to try for a different ending. 

I'll go into a bit of detail here about missable achievements and when to get them, but know that some are game-spanning, and it's therefore impossible to cover them accurately here. To help, I have created a full wallthrough of all missable achievements and actions HERE. I highly recommend following along, because you may need three playthroughs, not just two, if you don't pay attention. 

The mayor-related achievements are the ones that span the entire game, with A New Morality (30G) being the "hardest" achievement in the game, in terms of the amount of missable things you need to do throughout the game to ensure Rand gets elected as mayor at the end. The other two, A New Beginning (40G) and Balance (15G), are far simpler, but still easy enough to miss. It is possible to get all three in a single playthrough, but only if you take the appropriate actions and make the appropriate choices throughout the entire playthrough. Then, when you get to the critical point in Act 4, you need to do some cloud save manipulation. If you don't you'll need three playthroughs instead of one. I highly recommend following the walkthrough closely so you get all achievements in one playthrough. 

As for miscellaneous missable achievements, there are many one-off ones. I have listed them below by Act, if you'd like to play through the game without the walkthrough and still get these missable achievements. They're in the order you can/should unlock them. 

Prologue - Brave New World
Not What It Seems (5G) (first part) 
Chicken (5G) 
Signatory (5G) 
Your Biggest Fan (15G) 
Museum Explorer (10G) 
Excellent (15G) 

Act 1 - A Voice in the Wilderness
Team Spirit (15G) (first opportunity) 
Persistent (20G) (first opportunity) 
Becoming Smarter (20G) (first opportunity) 
Not What It Seems (5G) (second part) 
Chasing the Light (20G) (first and easiest opportunity) 
Just One Lap (30G) 
Single Rod (30G) 
Not What It Seems (5G) (final part) 

Act 2 - The Human Form Divine
Gnothi Seauton (25G) (first part) 

Act 3 - Prometheus Bound
Text Adventurer (25G) 
Sinner (15G) 
Good Citizen (15G) (first opportunity) 
The Hard Way (30G) 

Act 4 - Gates of Horn and Ivory
Team Spirit (15G) (last opportunity) 
Persistent (20G) (last opportunity) 
Becoming Smarter (20G) (last opportunity) 
Gnothi Seauton (25G) 
Balance (15G), A New Beginning (40G), and A New Morality (30G) all come to a climax here, but unlock at the start of the next Act

Act 5 - Full Fathom Five
Last opportunity to unlock the following:
Museum Explorer (10G) 
Good Citizen (15G) 

Again, as I mentioned above, I highly recommend just keeping my walkthrough open. It'll just guide you through missable actions and achievements so you can enjoy the puzzles and story. If you get stuck on any puzzles, I have videos in both the walkthrough and the guide below for reference. Following it, you should be able to get all achievements in one playthrough, but if you don't follow it or if you mess up, you could be looking at two addition playthroughs, likely five hours each, to run back through the game again.
 
Road to Elysium DLC

This DLC pack actually contains three separate standalone pieces of content, each accessed separately from the main menu. I believe none requires you to have played or completed the base game, but from a story perspective they all take place after the events of the main game, so be aware of that. I have split each piece of content into separate summaries below. Note that, for all three pieces of DLC, nothing is missable and no cloud save manipulation is required, unlike the base game.

Orpheus Ascending: This is a straightforward piece of DLC. It is a single contained area with 16 puzzles to solve, a set of collectibles to find, one miscellaneous achievement, and then three golden puzzles to solve. The three golden puzzles aren't available until after completing the story, and the final two collectibles aren't available until after completing the final puzzle of the story either, so just go ahead and complete all 16 puzzles, then finish the final puzzle. These DLC focuses entirely on lasers, adding a couple new ways to think about solving laser puzzles (purposely avoiding spoiling solutions here). I found them tough to get that initial aha moment that required a new train of thought, but then the rest were only medium difficulty to solve once you have that new bit of information.

Isle of the Blessed: This is a huge chunk of content. It takes place on a new island, and that island is broken up into three areas that function very similar to the areas from the base game (only no fast travel is needed to move between them). Each area has eight normal puzzles to solve, which then lets you solve the tetromino bridge puzzle for that area, and then there is a lost puzzle in each area, six new monument puzzles total across all three areas, three golden puzzles, some collectibles (only one of which is required for achievements), and on top of all of that, you get to play as Yaqut! Despite the tile for this DLC claiming moderate difficulty, I found some to be markedly harder than any previous puzzles, but then others relatively straightforward. You're looking at spending the same time here as around a quarter of the base game considering how many puzzles there are to solve. Unlike the previous DLC, collectibles are available from the start, so do them whenever you want. No miscellaneous achievements here (other than collecting a Prometheus Spark), so just solve every puzzle and you'll wrap up this DLC (easier said than done!).

Into The Abyss: This final DLC is more like the first one: a contained area with 24 puzzles to solve and a bunch of collectibles to grab. However, these puzzles are absolutely brutal. They are by far the hardest in the game, requiring some serious lateral thinking. You'll need to solve eight to activate the end of the story, but all 24 for all achievements. There are also two types of hologram collectibles to grab on your way, and one miscellaneous achievement. Get ready for some seriously tough puzzling here.

Overall Conclusion:
The first game set a high bar for puzzles and for narrative in a puzzle game, but The Talos Principle II has expanded on the first in every way. There are more puzzles (devious ones) to solve, a really engrossing narrative experience (one better than most AAA games), a ton of philosophy, and you'll likely find that many aspects of this game leaving you thinking about things for a while after you have the completion. If you're a fan of puzzle games, this is a must play, but even if you aren't, this is truly a unique and unrivaled narrative experience. Hopefully you managed it all in one playthrough, and congrats on the completion! 

Credits:
Full credit to Black Torito for the amazing video guides used throughout this guide.
Full credit to Black Torito for routing out how to be in a position to get all three mayors elected in one playthrough
Special thanks to Aki2403 for helping me finalize how to apply Black Torito's route on Xbox
 
[XBA would like to thank Necrophage33 for this Roadmap]
[XBA would like to thank Necrophage33 for the DLC Roadmap]

The Talos Principle II Achievement Guide

Printable Guide
Show completed achievements
Show secret achievements

There are 86 achievements with a total of 1720 points

  • Not What It Seems

     

    5

    Get involved behind the scenes.

    *MISSABLE*

    This is a three-part achievement that takes place during both the Prologue and Act 1.

    Prologue - when you head back to the VTOL to actually embark on your expedition, you'll automatically have a conversation with Doge in the hallway on the way to the briefing room. During the conversation, you must choose the dialogue option that you're interested in meeting these people

    Act 1 - during the first puzzle area, E1, you'll get a private message from Doge. Open up his message and make sure you consent to have your data shared. Doge will then ask you a series of seven questions. Your answers need to be such that you get matched with Rand later. Here are the answers you need to use:
     
    • Knowledge
    • Yes, lying can be okay
    • Yes, bad behavior deserves to be punished
    • The universe is weird, we'll never fully understand it
    • Human progress shows things can get better and stay that way
    • We should not disregard the wisdom which brought us here
    • No, prayer has no effect on the world
    Later in Act 1, during the third puzzle area, E3, you'll again get messaged by Doge. Again agree with him along the way, and he'll offer up five people to match you with. I'm not sure if it ultimately matters who you pick for the purposes of this achievement, but to continue working on Rand for A New Morality (30G), choose the scholar. This, along with the responses above, will ensure you get paired with Rand later. That's enough to unlock this achievement though.

  • Puzzle Fiend

     

    20

    Solve all regular puzzles.

    This achievement is for solving the eight regular puzzles in each of the twelve regions. Refer to each region's achievement above for a video guide of all puzzle solutions in that region. 

  • Ab Aeterno

     

    30

    Defy death.

    Refer to The Future (30G) for more information.

  • Renaissance Robot

     

    60

    Solve all puzzles and monuments.

    This achievement requires you to complete the following:
     
    • All regular puzzles (8 per area)
    • All lost puzzles (2 per area)
    • All star monument puzzles (2 per area)
    • All golden gate puzzles (1 per area)
    These can all be tracked on both the map screen and the shuttle screen where you choose your destination. For the regular puzzles, lost puzzles, refer to the individual achievements above for each of the twelve areas.

    For the solutions to the golden gate puzzles, refer to the following video.

  • Good Citizen

     

    15

    Explore New Jerusalem in its entirety.

    *MISSABLE*

    You'll visit New Jerusalem three times during your playthrough, but this achievement isn't possible until your second visit, during Act 3, when the Gehenna Memorial Exhibit opens up.

    Here are the locations you need to visit for this achievement:
     
    1. Gehenna Memorial Exhibit - from the elevator, straight ahead and slightly right to the spherical building
    2. Friends of New Jerusalem Gazebo - head out of the Gehenna Exhibit away from the elevator and you'll find the gazebo
    3. Helga's Shop - directly in the center of town, on the promenade between the elevator and the Museum, close to the Museum entrance
    4. Museum of Simulation - story related, directly opposite the elevator
    5. Alexandra Drennan Memorial Statue - when leaving the Museum, head directly right to the edge of the area
    6. Milton's Rest - directly across the central promenade from the Gazebo
    7. Archeological Gardens - on the far side of the map (either all the way left from the elevator, or all the way right from the Museum)
    8. Tablets of the Founder - from the elevator, directly left

  • Museum Visitor

     

    5

    Visit New Jerusalem's Museum of the Simulation.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    You'll be required to go to the Museum during Act 2.

  • Museum Explorer

     

    10

    Explore the Museum of the Simulation in its entirety.

    *MISSABLE*

    You will go to New Jerusalem three times during your playthrough, and therefore have three opportunities to unlock this achievement.

    The Museum of the Simulation is directly opposite the town from the elevator, and you'll be required to go as part of the story. There are only three areas to visit:
     
    1. One to the left, where the computer terminal is
    2. One straight back, where the puzzle recreations are
    3. One to the right, where the tetromino puzzle recreations are
    Simply walk in each area to unlock this achievement. No need to solve the puzzles for any achievements.

  • The Word Endures

     

    5

    Explore content on a lost terminal.

    This achievement requires you to access any of the terminals in any of the twelve puzzle areas. These are all marked on your compass with question marks, so they're very easy to find, and you will assuredly come across many naturally.

  • Scientia Vincere Tenebras

     

    25

    Explore all of the lost labs.

    There are twelve Lost Labs, one per area. They are all marked on your compass as a question mark, making them really easy to track down and eliminating the need for a guide. Simply head inside each one to count toward this achievement. For the purposes of this achievement, you don't need to go all the way inside them or interact with the terminals inside.

  • The Spark

     

    10

    Find one Prometheus spark.

    These are NOT related to the Prometheus monuments and the sparks you need to chase to earn those stars.

    These are a separate type of collectible. Only one is needed for this achievement, and the rest can/should be ignored, because they allow you to skip puzzles, and you need to complete all puzzles for achievements. Also, you can just watch a video guide if you're stuck, so there's no need to use these to skip them.

    These are basically little orange flames hidden in set locations in each area. The first and easiest one to find and get is right outside main puzzle 3 in the first area, E1 - Grasslands Ring. Below is a clip of me showing where it is. Don't mind my fail where I missed the platform the first time.

    https://www.xbox.com/play/media/VZrJskrJ7x

  • Discovery

     

    10

    Find an ancient human artifact.

    Refer to Archaeologist (30G) for more information.

  • The Thief of Fire

     

    20

    Solve one Prometheus monument.

    Refer to Renaissance Robot (60G) for more information.

  • The All-Gifted

     

    20

    Solve one Pandora monument.

    Refer to Renaissance Robot (60G) for more information.

  • Mistress of Riddles

     

    20

    Solve one Sphinx monument.

    Refer to Renaissance Robot (60G) for more information.

  • The Edge of Forever

     

    60

    Discover a vision of things to come.

    Refer to Renaissance Robot (60G) for more information.

  • Remnants of the Past

     

    15

    Discover a trace of what happened on the island.

    Refer to Mnemosyne (30G) for more information.

  • The Hard Way

     

    30

    Solve "Switcheroo" without using the "keep connections" option.

    Note: Despite there being many reports of the following two puzzle-specific achievements being missable (i.e. if you don't do them on your first solve of the puzzle, the achievement won't unlock after resetting the puzzle and trying again), I can personally vouch that that isn't the case with this achievement. I missed it on my first completion of the puzzle, then I reset the puzzle with the Prometheus terminal at its entrance, and got this achievement on my second run of the puzzle.

    This achievement requires you to complete Switcheroo, which is main puzzle 8 in S1 - Southern Coast, without using rt.png to "keep connections" when you pick up a connector. However, my experience was that I couldn't even use rt.png to pick up the connector, even when it had no connections made. I could use rt.png to pick up and place the teleporter and any other objects, but for the connector, you can only use lt.png to pick it up and put it down, even if it isn't connected to anything.

    The majority of this puzzle will proceed like normal, with the only difference being right at the end where you need to connect the connector to the red receiver and still be up on top. It would be tough to explain in text how to manage this, so refer to the video below for guidance.

  • Just One Lap

     

    30

    Solve "Loop" without doing multiple circles.

    *MISSABLE*

    Note that I have marked this achievement as missable because there have been reports that, if you don't do this on your first completion of this puzzle, resetting the puzzle and trying again won't unlock this achievement. To be safe, unless/until I have definitive confirmation that you can get this achievement on a reset puzzle, I highly recommend just doing this on your first time through this puzzle.

    "Loop" is one of the Lost Puzzles in E2 - Wooded Plateau.

    The wording on this achievement description is a little confusing. I was expecting the puzzle area to be a literal circle with laps you need to do to solve it, but that's not the case. It's just a standard layout like all the other ones. I believe what this achievement requires is for you to do one cycle of movements per "side" of the puzzle. It's kind of confusing to explain in text, but when you do the puzzle, there are two obvious halves, with the right side being a section of a fan blowing a box through an area, and the left side being the "hand off" side to pass things through an opening. I believe you need to complete this puzzle by only doing one use of the Driller on the left and once on the right. The following video shows this in action, so just follow the simple steps to quickly complete this puzzle and unlock this achievement.

  • Single Rod

     

    30

    Solve "Seesaw" puzzle by picking up only one connector.

    *MISSABLE*

    Note that I have marked this achievement as missable because there have been reports that, if you don't do this on your first completion of this puzzle, resetting the puzzle and trying again won't unlock this achievement. To be safe, unless/until I have definitive confirmation that you can get this achievement on a reset puzzle, I highly recommend just doing this on your first time through this puzzle.

    "Seesaw" is main puzzle 8 in E2 - Wooded Plateau.

    This achievement wording is more straightforward: there are two connectors in this puzzle, and you need to complete it by only using one - doesn't matter which one. This can be tricky to figure out how to line up the lasers, but it's quick to do once you know how (obviously). See the video below for how to set up the connections and line it up.

  • Persistent

     

    20

    Work on solving a puzzle for more than 20 minutes.

    *MISSABLE*

    This achievement is relatively straightforward, but to my knowledge you can't do this on an already-completed reset puzzle. Since there are a set number of puzzles in the game, this is technically missable.

    If you're playing without a guide (which is likely considering the length and price of this game), there's a pretty good chance you'll unlock this naturally, likely either on a Lost Puzzle or one of the golden gate puzzles at the end.

    Do note that you can't just idle inside a puzzle room. If you just leave your controller idle inside a puzzle room, it won't unlock this achievement. You need to be actively moving and doing things for most of the time.

  • Becoming Smarter

     

    20

    Return to a puzzle for a second attempt.

    *MISSABLE*

    This achievement is relatively straightforward, but to my knowledge you can't do this on an already-completed reset puzzle. Since there are a set number of puzzles in the game, this is technically missable.

    To be a little clearer on what you need to do for this achievement, you need to enter a puzzle room, work on the puzzle (move stuff, etc.), then leave the puzzle room, do something else (enter another puzzle room, for example, and solve it), then come back to the first puzzle and actually solve it. For me at least, this achievement didn't unlock upon returning to a puzzle, it unlocked upon returning AND solving it.

  • Chasing the Light

     

    20

    Activate a Prometheus monument without stopping the spark-chasing music.

    *MISSABLE*

    There are a set amount of Prometheus monuments in the game (around eight or so), and if you don't get this achievement during the "solving" of one of those monuments, you'll miss this achievement on that playthrough.

    The individual area achievements contain videos showing how to do the Prometheus monument in each area where one exists. This achievement is possible on any of them, but it's definitely way more challenging on some than others. I highly recommend doing this on the very first one - the Prometheus monument in E1 - Grasslands Ring. To successfully do it with this spark, you'll need to complete eight puzzles, build the tetromino bridge to the tower, and only then start the spark chase. The spark will go from point to point, stopping each time to give you a chance to catch up and touch it. You have around ten seconds per stop to reach the spark before the music stops. Knowing the path to take (and any prep work needed before the chase to ensure your path is clear) is most important here, so watch the solutions video of one ahead of time before initiating the chase, and then just replicate it to get this achievement out of the way.

  • Team Spirit

     

    15

    Talk to each member of your team.

    *MISSABLE*

    There are four members of your team - Byron, Alcatraz, Yaqut, and Melville. You need to talk to all of them while out on the expedition at some point during your playthrough. I have marked this as missable because, for me at least, when going to the last Megastructure flight of the game, Alcatraz elected not to come with me.

    As a result, I highly recommend getting this out of the way as early as possible. During each of the twelve areas you go to for puzzles, your four team members will be wandering around, and you can talk to each. As you complete everything in each area, you'll undoubtedly run into all team members. Just make it a point to talk to them.

  • Touch Grass

     

    15

    Read 10 Social Media entries.

    WARNING: Social Media entries aren't missable, but responding to them will influence the public and who gets elected mayor at the start of Act 5. This can cause you to miss achievements. I highly recommend not responding to Social Media posts until the walkthrough in the roadmap tells you to.

    Once you get to that point, you'll be reading more than ten, and will unlock this achievement naturally while getting all mayors elected. You can also wait until after the mayor election to read all available Social Media entries, and unlock this achievement then.

  • Trevor's Biographer

     

    30

    Collect all 12 of Trevor's audio logs.

    Refer to Archaeologist (30G) for more information.

  • Ecstatic Truth

     

    30

    Collect all 12 of Lifthrasir's audio logs.

    Refer to Archaeologist (30G) for more information.

  • A New Beginning

     

    40

    Help Byron get elected mayor.

    *MISSABLE*

    Refer to A New Morality (30G) for more information.

  • Balance

     

    15

    Maintain the status quo in New Jerusalem... for now.

    *MISSABLE*

    Refer to A New Morality (30G) for more information.

  • A New Morality

     

    30

    Help Rand get elected mayor.

    *MISSABLE*

    Throughout your entire playthrough, dialogue choices you make, actions you take, people you talk to, and Social Media responses you give will influence how people view you and their leaders. Ultimately, at the end of Act 4/very beginning of Act 5, an election where occur. There are multiple outcomes, but for the purposes of achievements, there are three possibilities:
     These are all highly missable, and they aren't even mutually exclusive: it's actually possible to finish the game with none of these three being elected.

    It is, however, possible to get all three elected on a single save file without needing three separate playthroughs. This is a very careful process that requires doing a bunch of missable actions throughout your playthrough, responding to little or no Social Media posts, and making specific dialogue choices throughout. I highly recommend that, if you want to get all three in a single playthrough, you just follow my walkthrough HERE. It will ensure you don't miss anything as you play through the game, walk you through how to get everyone elected in one playthrough, and it won't spoil anything. Do note that this requires some very careful cloud save manipulation to make this happen on Xbox; the usual offline playing doesn't work here, because achievements in this game don't work offline. Here's more detail on how the exploit works:

    We're going to use cloud save manipulation to get all three missable achievements in one playthrough. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, achievements earned offline don't unlock in this game, so we can't play offline and then delete the local save. Instead, we need to do it online, being very careful to not mess this up. Here is what you need to do for each playthrough:

    1. After completing all of Anthropic Hills, including activating the tower, head to the Lost Lab. As soon as you enter, you'll see the game save in the lower right. Pause and quit out, then press the guide button and force close the game app. This will force a cloud save backup
    2. (OPTIONAL) - before doing the routing below, if you want to be sure you're going to end up with the mayor you want, you can go offline now, play your save file using the routing below, and see if you get the mayor you want at the start of Act 5. Assuming you do, go into Manage Game and Add-ons, Save Data, and choose to delete your local save. Now go back online for the next step, knowing that when you execute this, you'll get the mayor you need for the associated achievement
    3. With your cloud backup in place (wait a few minutes to ensure it backs up properly), launch the game and load your save file at Anthropic Hills. Follow the routing below for the mayor you want, which includes the Lost Lab, some social media responses, heading back inside the Megastructure to save Byron, and then waking up in New Jerusalem at the start of Act 5, where you'll find out which person became mayor, and the associated achievement will unlock
    4. IMPORTANT - as soon as the mayor-related achievement unlocks, press the guide button, go to Manage Game and Add-ons (DO NOT close the game app), go to Save Data, press start on it, and choose to Delete Local Save ONLY! This will automatically close the game, and your local save will be deleted
    5. Relaunch the game. It'll sync with your cloud save, and if done correctly, your save file should have you back at the Lost Lab entrance in Anthropic Hills.

    You can now proceed to repeat these steps for the other two mayors. Personally, I quit out again here, just to ensure the cloud save backup still existed. I also did each one of these offline first, to ensure I knew what choices to make to get the mayor I wanted

    For those that don't want to use an exploit to get all three, and would instead prefer to do separate runs to get each mayor and experience the narrative that follows it, here is how each is elected. Hermanubis and Byron are pretty simple and straightforward below, because they're essentially the two extremes of your decisions. Rand is way more complicated.

    Hermanubis
    Herman is the existing mayor, and is the conservative one of the group. To get him re-elected, you'll want to choose Social Media responses that praise the Founder, support the Goal, and reject the Theory of Everything. From personal experience, choosing relatively positive responses throughout my playthrough (not siding with the Founder, the Goal, etc.), I was still able to get Hermanubis re-elected by literally doing nothing special at the end of my playthrough. To guarantee it though, here's what you can do at the end of your playthrough:
     
    1. Before heading to the Somnodrome in the Lost Lab in W2 - Anthropic Hills, you'll need to respond to some social media entries to support the Goal and the Founder to be on Hermanubis's side. Select the following responses to the following social media threads:
      1. Theory of Everything - agree with Malduc
      2. Is there even a future? - say you think you're taking the wrong path
      3. A Warning - bottom left option (you DON'T think a class society is forming; society without growth will be equal and balanced)
      4. The Goal Megathread - choose Loyalty, and that loyalty, when earned, has value
    2. Head to the Somnodrome in the Lost Lab, asking Hermanubis what he thinks, and that you'll plug in and see for yourself (unlocking Gnothi Seauton (25G))
    3. Inside, interact with the computer (use /rm to proceed, and then load up the final.final file). Now go talk to Miltohim on the beach. Your choices here don't matter (he'll talk to you about moral code no matter which big question you ask him), and then exit
    4. Back with Hermanubis, tell him you're not fine (third option), and ask what you should do
    5. On the way out, you'll talk to Rand. This is important. Pick the first option both times (don't tell him anything related to what you saw)
    6. Head out of the Lost Lab and Cryer will talk to you. Tell him you need more time (don't do the interview)
    7. Back at the VTOL, tell Hermanubis that the myth of the Founder must be preserved (first option)
    8. Proceed to the Megastructure, follow the story, and when you wake up with Neith at the start of Act 5, you can ask about the status of New Jerusalem, and you'll be told who is mayor. Should be Hermanubis, unlocking Balance (15G)
    Byron
    Getting Byron elected is essentially the complete opposite of Herman - choose Social Media responses that support exploration, growth, expansion, etc., and shoot down the Goal, etc. For me, despite siding with Byron throughout my playthrough, I still had to take some additional steps at the end to be sure he got elected. To guarantee it at the end of each playthrough, here's what I recommend:
     
    1. Before heading to the Somnodrome in the Lost Lab in W2 - Anthropic Hills, you'll need to respond to some social media entries to support expansion and growth to get people on Byron's side. Select the following responses to the following social media threads:
      1. Theory of Everything - agree with Shmilev
      2. Is there even a future? - say you have to do the best you can
      3. A Warning - first option, that you agree, and that you can expand and grow without repeating past mistakes
      4. The Goal Megathread - choose that you owe the Founder nothing
    2. Head to the Somnodrome in the Lost Lab, pick any option with Hermanubis, and that you'll plug in and see for yourself (unlocking Gnothi Seauton (25G))
    3. Inside, interact with the computer (use /rm to proceed, and then load up the final.final file). Now go talk to Miltohim on the beach. Your choices here don't matter (he'll talk to you about moral code no matter which big question you ask him), and then exit
    4. Back with Hermanubis, tell him you're fine
    5. On the way out, you'll talk to Rand. This is important. Pick the first option both times (don't tell him anything related to what you saw)
    6. Head out of the Lost Lab and Cryer will talk to you. Agree to the interview, tell them you saw the future, and say you're sharing the data with the people
    7. Back at the VTOL, tell Hermanubis that the myth of the Goal is strangling the society
    8. Proceed to the Megastructure, follow the story, and when you wake up with Neith at the start of Act 5, you can ask about the status of New Jerusalem, and you'll be told who is mayor. Should be Byron, unlocking A New Beginning (40G) 
    Rand
    Unlike the other two, getting Rand elected takes a lot more work over the course of your playthrough, and isn't as simple and straightforward as the others. Virtually everything here is missable through the playthrough, and this is all pulled from my walkthrough, but here's what you need to do:
     
    1. Starting in the Prologue and proceeding through Act 1, follow through with Not What It Seems (5G) with Doge, answering the questions as laid out in that achievement to ensure that you get matched with Rand, the scholar, in Act 2
    2. Also in the Prologue, in New Jerusalem, head to the Museum of Exploration, and go in the room on the left. Talk to Rand there, agree with him, and then do the computer terminal simulation. I don't think choices in the simulation matter, but be sure to talk to Rand when you're done to report your results to him
    3. In N2 - Flooded Valley in Act 2, make sure you head to the Lost Lab and choose to try to use the Somnodrome (do NOT choose to study it). It'll break, but this is required for later
    4. During Act 3, when you head to New Jerusalem, locate Atal in the center of town and agree with him
    5. During the Act 3 briefing before you depart to this act's puzzle areas, it's okay if you don't side with Rand here. If you do, no problem; if you don't, Rand will contact you during the first area, S1 - Southern Coast. Make sure to tell him that you only lied to protect your relationship with him
    6. Head to the Somnodrome in the Lost Lab, telling Hermanubis you think Rand is right, and that you'll plug in and see for yourself (unlocking Gnothi Seauton (25G))
    7. Inside, interact with the computer (use /rm to proceed, and then load up the final.final file). Now go talk to Miltohim on the beach. Your choices here don't matter (he'll talk to you about moral code no matter which big question you ask him), and then exit
    8. Back with Hermanubis, tell him you're fine, and ask if he's curious too (these don't seem to matter much)
    9. On the way out, you'll talk to Rand. This is more important. Tell him you went into Sleep Mode and spoke to something, that you're intuitively connected to what's right and wrong, morality is too complex to write as simple rules, that what you spoke to is not the moral authority, that it said morality is also based on compassion, and that you need to review the data before making a judgment
    10. Head out of the Lost Lab and Cryer will talk to you. Agree to the interview, say you only saw mostly bugs, and then that you're sending the data to Rand and the scholars
    11. Back at the VTOL, tell Hermanubis that you share his fear, but the future can't be built on a lie
    12. Proceed to the Megastructure, follow the story, and when you wake up with Neith at the start of Act 5, you can ask about the status of New Jerusalem, and you'll be told who is mayor. Should be Rand, unlocking A New Morality (30G)

  • Sinner

     

    15

    Have a heated argument with Thecla.

    *MISSABLE*

    This achievement takes place in New Jerusalem, and can only be done during your second visit, which takes place in Act 3.

    Thecla is located at the Tablets of the Founder, which, when coming off the elevator, and directly to your left. Talk to him, and for this achievement, choose all of the horrible responses, such as calling her an idiot, disagreeing with her, etc. This achievement will unlock after the conversation.

  • Excellent

     

    15

    Tell Purple what to do about his voice.

    *MISSABLE*

    This achievement takes place during the Prologue only, in New Jerusalem. It is not possible in subsequent visits to New Jerusalem.

    Purple is located all the way off to the left when you exit the elevator, deep into the Archeological Gardens on the west side of town. Talk to him, and he'll eventually ask for advice about what to do with his voicebox. Pick any option, and you'll unlock this achievement.

  • Text Adventurer

     

    25

    Finish all three text adventures in the exhibition.

    *MISSABLE*

    This achievement takes place in New Jerusalem, and isn't available until Act 3, when the Gehenna Memorial Exhibit opens up. It can either be done during your visit to New Jerusalem in Act, or during your final visit at the start of Act 5, but it is missable.

    The Gehenna Memorial Exhibit is the spherical building directly ahead to your right when you leave the elevator into town. Inside are three computer terminals where you can play three old school text adventure games where you choose your path. For this achievement, it doesn't matter how well you do on these adventures, just play them all to completion and this achievement will unlock.

    Note that there are reports of this achievement not unlocking right away. Personally, after doing all three, I opened and quit out of two terminals and then this achievement unlocked. Maybe it was just delayed, but if it doesn't unlock right away for you after your third terminal, go into and quit out of each terminal to force it.

  • Chicken

     

    5

    Refuse to go along on the expedition.

    *MISSABLE*

    Near the beginning of the Prologue, you'll be at the briefing table in New Jerusalem where an expedition to the Megastructure is discussed. Byron will suggest you come along. For this achievement, you must choose the second option - that you aren't interested. This will unlock this achievement, as well as a secret joke ending. You can then continue your game and proceed with the expedition.

  • Lord of the Files

     

    30

    Read 30 texts on terminals.

    This is cumulative over your entire playthrough. There are far more than 30 texts to read (probably closer to 60). The texts are terminals are located in the following ways:
     
    • So-called lost terminals, which are marked on your compass as a question mark, and typically contain two or three texts
    • Terminals with Lifthrasir or Trevor audio logs, which are marked on your compass as a question mark, and typically contain one or two texts in addition to the audio logs
    • Terminals within Lost Labs. Each Lost Lab is marked on your compass with a question mark, and every Lost Lob has at least one terminal inside, each with at least two texts to read
    Since you need the Trevor and Lifthrasir audio logs for their own achievements, as long as you're at least opening all of the text files, you'll unlock this achievement well before those collectible ones. I highly recommend to read the text files though, as they're really good at developing the story and atmosphere, and have some great philosophical discussions.

  • Mnemosyne

     

    30

    Find every manifestation of the past.

    Refer to Archaeologist (30G) for more information.

  • Archaeologist

     

    30

    Find 10 ancient human artifacts.

    There are multiple types of collectibles in this game, and none is missable to my knowledge. The game creates an autosave at the point of no return, so you can continue your save file and mop up any collectibles you've missed.

    Some collectibles are simple and straightforward: the Lifthrasir and Trevor audio logs are marked on your compass as question marks. There is one per area, so just head to the question marks on your compass in each area, interact with the terminals, and download the associated audio logs.

    The other collectibles - the Remnants of the Past and the human artifacts - are unfortunately not marked on your compass. There aren't set amounts of artifacts like there are with audio logs (some areas have none, some have one, some have two). For the Remnants, starting with area E3, all areas have two of them.

    The walkthrough linked in the roadmap lists what collectibles are in each area, and videos are included for each area's collectibles. To avoid making the guide huge (with 12 videos here alone), please refer to the walkthrough HERE for each area's collectibles and a video.

  • Signatory

     

    5

    Provide your digital signature to someone.

    *MISSABLE*

    This achievement takes place during the Prologue only, in New Jerusalem. It is not possible in subsequent visits to New Jerusalem.

    There are actually two places where you can unlock this achievement:
     
    • Immediately after exiting the elevator into town, Damien will be right there. Talk to him and give him your signature. This should be done anyone to help toward getting all three mayors in one playthrough
    • When talking to Schuyler (for Your Biggest Fan (15G)), you can also give him your signature. This has no impact on anything else or other achievements, so choose to do so if you want

  • Your Biggest Fan

     

    15

    Tell Schuyler what to do with his life... or not.

    *MISSABLE*

    This achievement takes place during the Prologue only, in New Jerusalem. It is not possible in subsequent visits to New Jerusalem.

    Schuyler is located right outside the Museum of Simulation, which is directly across town (down the promenade) from the elevator. Proceed through dialogue with him, giving him your signature if you want (this unlocks Signatory (5G)), and he'll eventually ask you for advice on what to do with his life. Choose any option, and you'll unlock this achievement.
 

Secret achievements

  • Ab Initio

     

    5

    Finish the calibration process.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    This is the brief tutorial at the start of the game. 

  • Wanderers

     

    5

    Embark on the expedition.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    After the tutorial, you'll be invited to join the expedition. Choose to do so to unlock this achievement. 

    Note that there is a missable achievement, Chicken (5G), for choosing not to go on the expedition. Do that first to get that achievement, then proceed. 

  • Overload

     

    5

    Experience a datastream overload.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    This will happen multiple times during the story, where you'll download a schematic from a terminal and get overloaded. 

  • Grasslands Ring

     

    5

    Activate the tower at the Grasslands Ring.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Complete any eight puzzles of the ten available, then build the tetromino bridge to the tower. Take the elevator up and choose any dialogue options. 

    Refer to the following video for all puzzle solutions. 

  • Wooded Plateau

     

    5

    Activate the tower at the Wooded Plateau.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Complete any eight puzzles of the ten available, then build the tetromino bridge to the tower. Take the elevator up and choose any dialogue options. 

    Refer to the following video for all puzzle solutions. 

  • Eastern Wetlands

     

    5

    Activate the tower in the Eastern Wetlands.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Complete any eight puzzles of the ten available, then build the tetromino bridge to the tower. Take the elevator up and choose any dialogue options. 

    Refer to the following video for all puzzle solutions. 

  • Desolate Island

     

    5

    Activate the tower on the Desolate Island.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Complete any eight puzzles of the ten available, then build the tetromino bridge to the tower. Take the elevator up and choose any dialogue options. 

    Refer to the following video for all puzzle solutions. 

  • Flooded Valley

     

    5

    Activate the tower in the Flooded Valley.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Complete any eight puzzles of the ten available, then build the tetromino bridge to the tower. Take the elevator up and choose any dialogue options. 

    Refer to the following video for all puzzle solutions. 

  • Lost Marshes

     

    5

    Activate the tower in the Lost Marshes.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Complete any eight puzzles of the ten available, then build the tetromino bridge to the tower. Take the elevator up and choose any dialogue options. 

    Refer to the following video for all puzzle solutions. 

  • Southern Coast

     

    5

    Activate the tower on the Southern Coast.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Complete any eight puzzles of the ten available, then build the tetromino bridge to the tower. Take the elevator up and choose any dialogue options. 

    Refer to the following video for all puzzle solutions. 

  • Verdant Canyon

     

    5

    Activate the tower at the Verdant Canyon.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Complete any eight puzzles of the ten available, then build the tetromino bridge to the tower. Take the elevator up and choose any dialogue options. 

    Refer to the following video for all puzzle solutions. 

  • Circular Oasis

     

    5

    Activate the tower at the Circular Oasis.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Complete any eight puzzles of the ten available, then build the tetromino bridge to the tower. Take the elevator up and choose any dialogue options. 

    Refer to the following video for all puzzle solutions. 

  • Western Delta

     

    5

    Activate the tower in the Western Delta.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Complete any eight puzzles of the ten available, then build the tetromino bridge to the tower. Take the elevator up and choose any dialogue options. 

    Refer to the following video for all puzzle solutions. 

  • Anthropic Hills

     

    5

    Activate the tower in the Anthropic Hills.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Complete any eight puzzles of the ten available, then build the tetromino bridge to the tower. Take the elevator up and choose any dialogue options. 

    Refer to the following video for all puzzle solutions. 

  • High Plain

     

    5

    Activate the tower on the High Plain.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Complete any eight puzzles of the ten available, then build the tetromino bridge to the tower. Take the elevator up and choose any dialogue options. 

    Refer to the following video for all puzzle solutions. 

  • Into the Machine

     

    5

    Enter the Megastructure.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    You'll enter the Megastructure multiple times, after each set of three towers is activated. 

  • Prometheus Unbound

     

    5

    Free Prometheus from his chains.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    During your third visit inside the Megastructure, you'll need to build lots of tetromino bridges to reach all the chains to free Prometheus. 

  • Break the Loop

     

    20

    Make a choice that will define the future.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    This achievement unlocks upon beating the game, regardless of what choice you make at the end. 

  • The Future

     

    30

    Go above and beyond to change the future.

    This achievement is related to a secret ending you can achieve, but to do so required quite a bit of work:
     
    1. You'll first need to collect all 24 stars. Refer to each area's achievement above for a video guide showing how to complete the star puzzles in each area
    2. Second, during Act 5, head to the gold star on your compass at the Megastructure landing area and interact with the wall. This will input all of your gold stars, show you a vision, and unlock The Edge of Forever (60G) 
    3. You now have access to all golden gate puzzles. There is one per area, so take the shuttle to each area and complete each one's single golden gate puzzle. These are now marked on your compass
    4. Return the Megastructure landing area, and head to the golden gate marked on your compass. Talk to the person there and complete the challenge presented to you (this is very simple and straightforward, and there's no way to fail it). Completing it unlocks Ab Aeterno (30G) 
    5. Now proceed to the VTOL to enter the Megastructure for the last time. Reach Athena, proceeding through the dialogue with the only available dialogue choice until you get to a point where you have three dialogue choices to choose from. Each one results in a different ending. Choose the top option, "I want to know the truth," to unlock this achievement.
    Note that this achievement isn't missable, because the game creates an autosave before entering the Megastructure. So, if you don't get this ending but still beat the game, when you continue your save file, you'll be back at the Megastructure landing, free to mop up whatever puzzles you missed or steps you didn't complete for this achievement.

  • Bridge Builder

     

    15

    Build one bridge.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Each area requires you to build one or two bridges to reach the tower, so this will unlock as you approach your first tower. 

  • Gnothi Seauton

     

    25

    Use a functioning Somnodrome.

    *MISSABLE*

    Note that the use of the Somnodrome and the dialogue choices you choose right after using it are highly impactful on who gets elected mayor, affecting three missable achievements. I therefore highly recommend you utilize the walkthrough linked in the roadmap before proceeding with this achievement.

    I believe there is a prerequisite to this achievement, and that's that you must use the non-functional Somnodrome first. In N2 - Flooded Valley, the Lost Lab there has a Somnodrome, and you'll get some dialogue around it. You need to make sure you choose to plug in and try it. It'll break, but it is apparently required for this achievement.

    Much later, when you get to W2 - Anthropic Hills, the Lost Lab there has another Somnodrome, but this time it's functional. Once again, you need to choose the dialogue option to plug in and check it out. This achievement will unlock after you finish and leave it. Note that your choices inside it don't matter for any achievements.

DLC: Road to Elysium Pack (Store Link)

There are 27 achievements with a total of 720 points

  • Low Int Dialogue

     

    10

    Interact with an old friend in Orpheus Ascending.

    This achievement requires you to interact with a specific computer terminal, located back behind Puzzle 9, through the rocks and tucked away. Below is a clip of me showing where it is. Interact with it and go through all the dialogue options to unlock this achievement.

    https://www.xbox.com/play/media/zaRLUpt5Wj

  • Ancestry

     

    50

    Find every QR message in Orpheus Ascending.

    There are 12 QR codes in this DLC. To count as finding one, you need to get close enough with your cursor on it to see its message. The game should auto save when this happens. Note that the last two aren't accessible until you've nearly completed this content (all 16 main puzzles and the final puzzle). 
     
    1. On your left at the Puzzle 1 entrance
    2. Around the back of Puzzle 2
    3. At Puzzle 5 entrance, go around the right side of it
    4. At Puzzle 6, go up to the entrance and then around the right side of it
    5. Around the back of Puzzle 8, next to the fence that lets you see into the puzzle room
    6. At Puzzle 9 entrance, go around the right side of it
    7. At Puzzle 12 entrance, go around the left side of it
    8. In the last puzzle area (Puzzles 13-16),on the base of the big monolith in the center
    9. Go up the rocks by Puzzle 14 to find one on a wall up there
    10. This one is a little annoying. You'll likely see it across the bridge as you go to Puzzles 9-12 or 13-16, but reaching it is another story. The intended way is to go inside Puzzle 15 and use all the cubes to build stairs leading up to the ledge above the memory fragment. However, you can also reach it by strategically jumping to the back side of it. I did it from the Puzzle 13-16 section, but the other side is also possible
    11. After completing the Heart of Anubis puzzle, ride the elevator to the top and head forward to a square room. Exit out the left doorway. Jump to a broken bridge platform then turn around and you'll see this one on the right
    12. After completing the story, you'll have access to a set of three bonus puzzles right by the exit. Head in, and just past the first puzzle entrance of the left is the final code

  • You Can Do This

     

    10

    Solve a puzzle in Isle of the Blessed.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Refer to any of the below lighthouse achievements for puzzle solutions.

  • Aesthete

     

    40

    Solve every puzzle in Isle of the Blessed.

    This achievement requires you to solve the following:
     
    • All 24 main puzzles across the three areas (eight per area)
    • All 3 lost puzzles across the three areas (one per area)
    • All 6 monument puzzles across the three areas
    • The Hexahedron puzzle
    • All 3 golden puzzles (only accessible after finishing the story)
    All of the above achievement solutions contain video guides for all of these items except the golden puzzles. For those, refer to the following video.

  • Oh, Shiny!

     

    5

    Find a Prometheus Spark in Isle of the Blessed.

    I'm not sure how many Prometheus Sparks are actually available in this DLC, but the easiest one to find and collect is directly under Blue - 3. The puzzle is up above the ground. Simply drop down, go under it, and follow the fencing around to get to the spark in the center, unlocking this achievement.

  • Monumental

     

    40

    Solve all monuments in Isle of the Blessed. Because you want to.

    There are a total of six new monument puzzles to solve in this DLC: three in the red area, two in the green area, and one in the blue area. They are marked on your compass as question marks just like in the base game. The solutions for all of them can be found in the respective videos above for the three lighthouse activations. Refer to those for video guides for each monument puzzle.

  • The Creator

     

    25

    Collect all of Barzai's speeches in Isle of the Blessed.

    There are eight Barzai speeches to collect in this DLC, and they are identical to the hologram-like collectibles from the base game where you need to touch the hologram to activate the dialogue and count as collecting it. They are blue holograms but turn yellow when you've collected them. They are located as follows:
     
    1. Right where you start, on a follow bed between the paths to the red and green areas
    2. In the red area, between Puzzle 1 and Puzzle 2
    3. At the red lighthouse, it's off to the edge of the platform
    4. In the green area, between Puzzle 6 and Puzzle 7
    5. In the green area, head to the lost puzzle then go around the right side of it and you'll see this one at the water
    6. In the blue area, right behind the golden puzzle
    7. In the blue area, from the lighthouse, look right to see a rock archway toward the lost puzzle. This one is under that archway
    8. From the blue area, head out into the shallow water toward the red area to find this one in the water out between the two areas

  • Revelation

     

    100

    Solve all puzzles in Into The Abyss.

    There are a total of 24 puzzles to solve in this DLC. Only eight are required to complete the main story, but you'll immediately get a new objective to complete the rest, making it hard to ignore. These puzzles are absolutely brutal compared to the base game and other DLCs, so strap in for a rough ride and get your mind ready. Below is a video showing all 24 puzzle solutions in case (or when) you get stuck.

  • A Shortcut to Puzzles

     

    5

    Use a map to teleport in Into The Abyss.

    This DLC consists of a bunch of small islands, and on each one is a map showing your location as well as what puzzles are on each island. Each island you visit is slightly lit up on the map, and this allows you to fast travel back to any island you've been to. Simply look at a map and you'll get an button-x.png prompt whenever your cursor is over an island you've been to. Teleport to any island to unlock this achievement.

  • Explorer

     

    5

    Use a bridge to reach a new island in Into The Abyss.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Unlike all other content in this game, you don't use tetrominos to make bridges in this DLC. Instead, you just walk across and they form under you, taking you automatically to the next island. You'll need to do this to reach Puzzles 3 and 4 after finishing Puzzles 1 and 2.

  • The Abyss

     

    15

    Finish the fragmented text adventure in Into The Abyss.

    From the Puzzle 4 entrance, go through the gap on your left by the QR code to find a computer terminal. Interact with it to start an old school text adventure. It doesn't matter what options you choose, just play it to the end to unlock this achievement. Here's a clip showing where the computer is.

    https://www.xbox.com/play/media/PfdfmTAivY

  • Hidden Strength

     

    40

    Find all three hidden dreams in Into The Abyss.

    There are three green holograms to collect in this DLC. Two are easily collected like any other collectible: by just running into them out in the open world. One is right behind Puzzle 8's room, and one is amongst the trees next to Puzzle 21.

    The third is located inside Puzzle 9, and you will unavoidably see if when you complete the puzzle. However, unlike all other collectibles, you need to solve your way into this one. Puzzle 9 ends with using three RGB converters in the final room to get into the area with the Progress Wheel. In the previous room, you should still have an Inverter directed at the Blue Receiver on the wall. What you first need to do is put to RGB converters in the final room near the doorway (one should be the Red and Blue Generators to make Green, and one should be that Green plus the Blue Generator to make Red). Make sure both are near the doorway leading back out of the final room. Now, take the third RGB converter out into the hallway, connect it to the green and red RGB converters so yours in blue, then connect it to the Blue Receiver on the wall. This allows you to take the Inverter from the previous room and bring it with you into the final room. Bring all three RGB converters back in there too.

    From there, you can actually solve this the exact same way as Puzzle 8, where you have three RGB converters and an Inverter and need to bring two RGB converters past a barrier. The solution would be too difficult to describe in text, so refer to the video in Revelation (100G) if you need to see a video guide.

  • Night Terrors

     

    40

    Find every nightmare in Into The Abyss.

    Much like the Barzai speeches in Isle of the Blessed, there are red holograms ("nightmares") to collect in this DLC, and there are 11 of them this time. Refer to the video in Revelation (100G) for all of their locations. Thankfully, they're all easy to grab on each island. The video in that solution has timestamps for each collectible to make it easier to see where each is.
 

Secret achievements

  • First Steps

     

    10

    Recover one fragment in Orpheus Ascending.

    Story-related; cannot be missed. 

    Refer to Amor Vincit Omnia (25G) for more information. 

  • Only Connect

     

    25

    Recover sixteen fragments in Orpheus Ascending.

    Story-related; cannot be missed. 

    Refer to Amor Vincit Omnia (25G) for more information. 

  • Amor Vincit Omnia

     

    25

    Fully reconstruct Sarabhai in Orpheus Ascending.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    There are 16 puzzles to solve around this area, followed by a final grand puzzle accessed after completing the base 16. These puzzles all task you to think different about laser interactions. Some initial ones will likely prove tough to get over the hump of how to think about them, but then the difficulty eases off as some become a little more about trial and error.

    If you get stuck anywhere, refer to the following video courtesy of Black Torito yet again.

  • What's This?

     

    25

    Start reconstructing the mysterious file in Orpheus Ascending.

    Refer to The Mystery (40G) for more information. 

  • The Mystery

     

    40

    Fully reconstuct the mysterious file in Orpheus Ascending.

    After completing the story from this DLC, you'll be given a side objective to reconstruct the file. This requires you to complete the three golden puzzles accessed right behind the interaction point that takes you back to the real world. These are three puzzles much tougher than the previous three. Thankfully, Black Torito is back with more videos in case you get stuck or need help!

  • Red Suns

     

    25

    Power up the red lighthouse in Isle of the Blessed.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Complete all eight main puzzles in the red area, then head to the lighthouse marked on your compass, solve the two tetromino bridge puzzles to get there, and pull the level to unlock this achievement. Video of this area's puzzles is below, and it includes the lost puzzle (needed for Aesthete (40G)) and the monument puzzles (needed for Monumental (40G)).

  • Green Fields

     

    25

    Power up the green lighthouse in Isle of the Blessed.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Complete all eight main puzzles in the green area, then head to the lighthouse marked on your compass, solve the two tetromino bridge puzzles to get there, and pull the level to unlock this achievement. Video of this area's puzzles is below, and it includes the lost puzzle (needed for Aesthete (40G)) and the monument puzzles (needed for Monumental (40G)).

  • Blue Moons

     

    25

    Power up the blue lighthouse in Isle of the Blessed.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Complete all eight main puzzles in the blue area, then head to the lighthouse marked on your compass, solve the two tetromino bridge puzzles to get there, and pull the level to unlock this achievement. Video of this area's puzzles is below, and it includes the lost puzzle (needed for Aesthete (40G)) and the monument puzzles (needed for Monumental (40G)).

  • The New 1k

     

    30

    Solve the Hexahedron in Isle of the Blessed.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    After activating all three lighthouses (see above achievements), you'll be able to access and complete the Hexahedron puzzle. First you'll need to actually climb up the disorienting paths to get to the start of the puzzle (a normal purple barrier), and then you can start to solve it. This is a long puzzle with multiple checkpoints along the way in case you need to reload checkpoint. Thankfully, once you get to the puzzle area you can't accidentally fall off of any edges, so don't worry about that. The game will prompt you to press button-a.png if you actually want to jump off the edge, similar to jumping onto a cube.

    Even with a guide, this puzzle will take you over half an hour to solve, but most of the puzzle is figuring out how to traverse this crazy area and then where to place Connectors. If you need help or want to follow a video, refer to the following.

  • I Love Your Beard

     

    15

    Solve one Prometheus monument in Isle of the Blessed.

    Refer to Monumental (40G) for more information.

  • Unboxing

     

    15

    Solve one Pandora monument in Isle of the Blessed.

    Refer to Monumental (40G) for more information.

  • Cat Lady

     

    15

    Solve one Sphinx monument in Isle of the Blessed.

    Refer to Monumental (40G) for more information.

  • Difficulty Spike

     

    20

    Solve one puzzle in Into The Abyss.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Refer to Revelation (100G) for more information.

  • Ready to Go

     

    40

    Solve eight puzzles in Into The Abyss.

    Story-related; cannot be missed.

    Refer to Revelation (100G) for more information.

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The Talos Principle II Achievement GUIDE FAQ

  • What is the estimated achievement difficulty for The Talos Principle II?
    The estimated achievement difficulty for The Talos Principle II is 5/10 assuming you're solving the puzzles yourself; 1/10 with a guide.
  • How many offline achievements are there in The Talos Principle II?
    There are 0 offline achievements in The Talos Principle II.
  • How many online achievements are there in The Talos Principle II?
    There are 59 online achievements in The Talos Principle II.
  • How long does it take to get 100% in The Talos Principle II?
    The estimated time to get 100% in The Talos Principle II is 25-35 hours if you get all missables in one playthrough and solve all puzzles yourself; upwards of 50 hours if you take three playthroughs.
  • How many playthroughs is needed to get 100% in The Talos Principle II?
    1 [see walkthrough linked below].
  • How many missable achievements are there in The Talos Principle II?
    There are Many [see roadmap walkthrough] missable achievements in The Talos Principle II.
  • Does difficulty affect achievements in The Talos Principle II?
    Difficulty does not affect achievements in The Talos Principle II.
  • Are there any unobtainable/glitched achievements in The Talos Principle II?
    Mnemosyne (30G)on Xbox requires one addtional Remnant not normally part of the achievement. This is a bug that the developers plan to fix*Despite this being a single player game, I wasn't able to unlock any achievements offline. You'll therefore need to be online while playing this game to unlock any of its achievements.

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Author

  • Necrophage33; DLC by Necrophage33

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