All Endings in The Carcass

The Carcass ships with nine endings: five main routes marketed on Steam—Dominion, Symbiosis, Awakening, Escape, and Transcendence—plus four secret finales behind cryptic choices. Each demands different research, diplomacy, and moral flags. The carcass remembers outcomes into New Game Plus. This guide outlines strategies without spoiling every hidden trigger word-for-word.

Main endings overview

Ending	Broad strategy	Key systems
Dominion	Conquer and command inside the god	Combat research, warriors, factions subdued
Symbiosis	Live in balance with the carcass	Diplomacy, mutations, morale stability
Awakening	Stir the god’s consciousness	Events, forbidden arts, neuron focus
Escape	Leave the corpse	Production, map progress, escape tech
Transcendence	Ascend beyond flesh	Forbidden arts, occult mutations, late game

Each ending rewrites how the god remembers you—flavor and NG+ modifiers differ.

Secret endings

Four hidden routes require cryptic choices across multiple events—accepting strange deals, studying organs instead of eating them, betraying or saving specific species, etc. Document decisions in a run journal. Secret endings often interact with:

• Voice-in-the-wall bargains
• Stranger shelter outcomes
• Organ memory pulses
• Forbidden research completion

We avoid listing exact flag names to preserve discovery, but factions guide notes high-impact choices.

Route planning by difficulty

Merciful/Normal: first completion—aim any main ending matching your play style (combat → Dominion, diplomacy → Symbiosis).

Hard/Extinction: plan resource buffers (resources) and mutation synergies (mutations tier list) before committing to late-game flags.

Ironman: no reload; verify branch choices on paper before Pulses that lock paths.

Research alignment

• Dominion: combat branch + warrior leaders
• Symbiosis: diplomacy + parasite resistance
• Awakening: neurons + forbidden arts partial
• Escape: production + map exploration
• Transcendence: full forbidden arts + high-risk mutations

See research tier list for investment order.

Endings vs awareness

Marketing emphasizes the god becoming aware of you. Awakening and Transcendence lean into awareness; Escape tries to outrun it. Your mid-game harvest depth affects late events—digging deeper yields resources and attention.

Demo limitations

Demo exposes the ending concept and sample events—not all nine finales. Full release required for completionist runs.

NG+ and endings

Victories carry forward bonuses and memory—some secrets require NG+ context. Read New Game Plus guide before starting a second file.

After your first ending

NG+ runs can target missed secrets. Adjust alien species alliances and avoid repeating betrayal patterns that locked routes previously.

Nine endings mean nine arguments with a dead god—pick the memory you want left behind.

Route journal template

Log stranger decisions, organ study choices, and faction betrayals with Pulse numbers. Secret endings rarely telegraph requirements in one event.

Deep dive: finales and secrets

Five marketed endings: Dominion, Symbiosis, Awakening, Escape, Transcendence. Four secrets hide behind cryptic chains—organ studies, wall voices, stranger choices. Keep a run journal with Pulse numbers.

Ending choice interacts with NG+ memory. First clear on Normal teaches systems; subsequent runs target missed secrets. Avoid irreversible forbidden picks until neuron income stabilizes.

Demo teases structure; full game required for completionist routes. Read NG+ guide before deleting saves.

Closing tips for story hunters

Journal Pulse numbers beside stranger choices. Secrets rarely telegraph in one event.

Player notes on All Endings

Veterans recommend revisiting this topic after the 2.0 patch because Pulse labels and harvest menus changed beginner muscle memory. Pair this page with the guides hub when planning multi-run completion. Ironman players should read related controls pages before committing single-save attempts. Document event choices with Pulse numbers when chasing secret endings or NG+ memory flags. Trade reliance fails after betrayal—internal Nutrient Vats remain the reliable backbone on Normal and Hard. Extinction difficulty punishes sloppy turn reports; scan biomass every Pulse without exception. Large populations above five hundred citizens require recommended PC specs listed on release info.