Dead Man’s Rest – Endings Guide

Dead Man’s Rest Endings Guide

Welcome to our Dead Man’s Rest Endings Guide! A guide to get all endings for “Dead Man’s Rest”, along with the achievements. We’ll keep you upgraded with extra information once they are released.

Introduction

Dead Man’s Rest” is a BL game by Argent Games / Callum Games, with multiple endings and a pretty basic structure as far as it’s routes go. The most confusing part may very well be the common route, even if it’s very short, as multiple “paths” allow you to enter one of the routes.

I will have a section for the common route, where I’ll give you one or two paths to get set onto each route. The sections dedicated to each character’s route will pick up at the first choice of the route proper.

For each character route (and some segments of the common route), I’ll write a short commentary and, if relevant, some warnings. These will be VERY spoilery (INCLUDING ABOUT THE ENDINGS), so keep that in mind if you check them out.

If you want a route order suggestion well… One of the routes unlocks only after you did the others, so you’ll have to do it last. As far as the others go, if I had to suggest them from my least favorite to the one I like the most, it would be: Hollis – Taza – Jed – John.
But keep in mind this is a game that doesn’t follow the formula of a common narrative that reveals itself bit by bit with each route. On the contrary, what is true in one route will be false in another (you’ll understand after playing two or three routes), so you can basically pick the order you like. Just, maybe play Jed’s route before playing John’s, but that’s it. Now, you will still be able to pick hints about the characters in routes others than their own, but that’s it.

Note: as of now, I believe the achievement “Turning Over a New Leaf” is bugged (please correct me if I’m wrong). I still wrote it down where I believe it should unlock, but keep that in mind.

Common Route – Dead Man’s Rest Endings Guide

TAZA:

Path A:

• I went to sniff out ‘old Hollis’.
• “Sure. I’ll go with you. Show me to that son of a b****.”
• “You’re on. Let’s find ’em together.”

Path B:

• I went to sniff out ‘old Hollis’.
• “Sure. I’ll go with you. Show me to that son of a b****.”
• “Thanks, but I better get back. I don’t wanna risk being hung for skipping town.”
• The sheriff still suspected me of deviltry. Best keep it to myself.
• “Sorry, Jed. I’ve got something I’ve gotta do, and it can’t wait.”
• I ain’t never been scared of anyone before, and I ain’t starting now.
• “Sure. I’ll go with you.”

HOLLIS:

I have only one path to offer here.

• I went to sniff out ‘old Hollis’.
• “Sorry, this ain’t my decision. I gotta go back to Hollis”
• “I’d like that very much, sir.”

JED:

Path A:

• On the other hand, these leaky mouths probably have no idea.
• I’m a man of my word, and I ain’t gonna let Jed down.
• Sure, that sounds mighty fine to me.”

For Jed, path B:

• I went to sniff out ‘old Hollis’.
• “Sure. I’ll go with you. Show me to that son of a b****.”
• “Thanks, but I better get back. I don’t wanna risk being hung for skipping town.”
• The sheriff still suspected me of deviltry. Best keep it to myself.
• “Yeah, that sounds like a fine idea. Thanks.”

JOHN:

Path A:

• On the other hand, these leaky mouths probably have no idea.
• “Remember what I said to you this morning about helping out? I was serious.”

Path B:

• I went to sniff out ‘old Hollis’.
• “Sure. I’ll go with you. Show me to that son of a b****.”
• “Thanks, but I better get back. I don’t wanna risk being hung for skipping town.”
• I should tell Cartwright. It’d maybe help my case.

BILL

The choices to access this route only appear once you did the other routes AND started a fresh game (it didn’t unlock when I tried to load a save from the first choice that I made prior to unlocking this route)

Path A:

• On the other hand, these leaky mouths probably have no idea.
• I can’t let Bill get away. He’s gonna bite the dust.

Path B:

• I went to sniff out ‘old Hollis’.
• “Sure. I’ll go with you. Show me to that son of a b****.”
• “Thanks, but I better get back. I don’t wanna risk being hung for skipping town.”
• The sheriff still suspected me of deviltry. Best keep it to myself.
• “Sorry, Jed. I’ve got something I’ve gotta do, and it can’t wait.”
• I ain’t never been scared of anyone before, and I ain’t starting now.
• “Sorry, Taza. This is something I’ve just gotta do alone.”

OTHER THINGS TO UNLOCK:

“Bounty Hunter, Not Barkeeper” Achievement:

You have to refuse working for Jed to get it, but somehow I only managed to unlock it by refusing twice, following this path (you may not encounter this trouble):

• On the other hand, these leaky mouths probably have no idea.
• I’m a man of my word, and I ain’t gonna let Jed down.
• “Sorry, but I don’t think bartending is my sorta thing.”
• “Sorry, Jed. It just ain’t what I need to do.”

Accepting at the second opportunity leads you to a similar entry to Jed’s route as my “path B” for him. If you continue on the refusal path, you’ll access the branch that allows you to decide between Taza and Bill (if you’ve unlocked his route – otherwise it will default to Taza).

Neutral route:

Unlockable after doing the various routes of the game (the unlockable route may be necessary too). This very short scenario basically combines all routes of the game (except Jed’s) in a single narrative.
There are other paths that lead to it – basically you have to get the note and have Lee leave the town instead of thinking he’s not scared.
It’s a good ending, but probably the most frustrating of them all.

• I went to sniff out ‘old Hollis’.
• “Sure. I’ll go with you. Show me to that son of a b****.”
• “Thanks, but I better get back. I don’t wanna risk being hung for skipping town.”
• The sheriff still suspected me of deviltry. Best keep it to myself.
• “Sorry, Jed. I’ve got something I’ve gotta do, and it can’t wait.”
• This smells bad. I gotta leave town right away. (achievement: “Corruption”)

Taza – Dead Man’s Rest Endings Guide

Comments: this route has three endings, and it’s generally pretty tame. The “neutral” and bad ending are relatively positive endings too.

Warnings: nothing comes to mind – it’s pretty tame,
This is the route where I think the achievement that I suspect to be bugged would unlock, if I’m right.

Good ending:

• “Just undo what you done to Taza. He ain’t at fault here; he’s just trying to do what’s best.”
• “Thanks for saving me. That took real guts.”
• “Rather be out there in the desert in any case.”
• “Ain’t never thought about it in a long time.”
• “If you hadn’t stepped up out there, I’d be a dead man. You saved my life – think about that instead.”
• “Why does anyone have to be hurt, Taza?”
• “The native I met is worth ten of you, Hollis.”
  Taza save 1
• “I can’t let you shoot an American; they’ll string you up!”
  Taza save 2
• “Thank you, Sheriff, but no thank you.”
• “You should do what you think is right, and don’t listen to anyone telling you otherwise.” (achievement: “Hummingbird”)

Neutral ending:
Load Taza save 2

• “Sure, that sounds like a mighty fine idea, Sheriff.” (probable achievement: “Turning Over a New Leaf” – while I’m sure it’s here, it doesn’t unlock at the time this guide being written)
  This ending can also be accessed on the path to the bad ending, if you want to do that.

Bad ending:
Load Taza save 1

• “Let the sheriff handle it. It’s his job, not yours.”
• “Thank you, Sheriff, but no thank you.”
• “Some men can’t see what’s in front of ’em because they want to keep believing themselves.” (achievement: “Free Spirit”)

Hollis – Dead Man’s Rest Endings Guide

Comments: this route has only two endings, and it’s pretty tame in general. It has less appeal to me than the others, but it’s still nice.

Good ending:

• “Sure. Let me just settle up the bill, then.”
• “Seems like you had a lot you still needed to say to him.”
• “I’ll damn well make sure we clear your name and do right by your brother.”
• “Ain’t nothing to regret about that.”
• “I’ll be damned – but God, I do want you too…”
• (both options are valid – the outcome will be the same at the end)
  Hollis save
• “It ain’t right that you’ve got Hollis locked up; he ain’t the man you’re after!”
• “Maybe you already felt it, but you didn’t recognize it for what it was?”
• “Having you alive is worth ten times this much pain.” (achievement: “Ethelbert Nevin”)

Bad ending:
Load Hollis save

• “Wild Bill needs to answer for this crime!”
• “It’s hard to find, but when you do – it’s worth it.”
• “Don’t need to thank me. It’s what any good man would’ve done.” (achievement: “To Greener Pastures”)

Jed

Comments: this route has two endings, and is both very sweet and very sad at the same time.

Warnings: themes of illness, and a somewhat bittersweet ending.

Good ending:

• “Jed, are you feeling alright? You’re looking beat.”
• “Please, Jed. This is serious – you gotta see someone.”
• “You’re worth more to a lot of people than you know, Jed.”
  Jed save
• “Maybe it ain’t getting better right now. But who’s to say it never will? Giving up ain’t the right way.”
• “I ain’t going nowhere, Jed. I told you I’d be here for you, and I meant it.” (achievement: “Gently Down the Stream”)

Bad ending:
Load Jed save

• “A man knows when his time’s right – I can’t say nothing else, except hope you decide to keep living.”
• “You think I’d leave now, then you don’t know Lee McCarthy.” (achievement: “Lust”)

John – Dead Man’s Rest Endings Guide

Comments: this is probably the route that left me the most heartbroken, and that has the most painful endings, but it’s also my favorite. It has 4 endings.

Warnings: themes of illness, depressing bad endings, very unfair justice in some cases… Its bad ending is the worst of the entire game it terms of heartbreak and general awfulness.

Good ending:

• “Ain’t no way Cartwright would do anything like that.”
• “At least I’m out there trying to give a damn to help you!”
• “It ain’t too late. Let me help you get ’em back.”
  John save 1
• “Sorry. I got a bit carried away, but you can’t deny that deserved it.”
• “You’re a good man and a good sheriff, and I know you ain’t gonna hang a man for loving someone.”
• “Thanks. I’m glad to know you, John.”
  John save 2
• “We’re in this together, and I’m going nowhere ’til we’ve got our man.”
  John save 3
• (achievement: “Temptation”)

Neutral-bad ending 1:
Load John save 2

• “Well, thank you very much for everything, John, and fare well. I’ll be on my way.”
  This ending can also be accessed on the path to the worst ending, if you want to do that.

Neutral-bad ending 2:
Load John save 3

• (Achievement: “Sinner”)
  This ending can also be accessed on the path to the worst ending, if you want to do that.

Worst ending:
Load John save 1

• “I ain’t one of your men.”
• “D’you really think that something like that is worth a man’s life?”
• “Thanks. Though I’m sure you won’t be saying the same next time I screw up.”
• “We’re in this together, and I’m going nowhere ’til we’ve got our man.”
• (achievement: “All According to Hoyle”)

Bill

Comments: the unlockable route of the game, with three endings. It’s crude, harsh, and depressing. Also, it’s not exactly a romantic route, though the open ending can allow for that. It needs more time, in this case… I do consider it a very interesting one, but it’s not for everyone. It has one of the most satisfying good endings in my opinion.

Warnings: basically, all the content warnings for the game, that appear when you boot it up apply for this route more than anything else. In addition, it’s generally very depressing and deals with self-deprecation, suicidal thoughts and suicide itself, depending on the ending.

Good ending:

• “Somehow, from wherever I go, I’m gonna make you pay for what you’ve done, f***er. Mark my words.”
• “I’ll bet every single one of ’em was a better man than you’ll ever be, Bill McCoy.”
• “Sure you wanna find out how similar we really are, Bill?”
• “Well, darlin’, shame you’ll never know what I can do to a man.”
• “… Bill?”
  Bill save 1
• “Bill? You okay there?”
  Bill save 2
• “You’re a monster, Bill, but there’s time yet to redeem what you’ve done.” (achievement: “You Are Your Own Judge”)

Bad ending:
Load Bill save 1

• “Bill… what was that?”
• “You ain’t worth the bullet.” (achievement: “Heaven or Hell”)

Worst ending:
Load Bill save 2

• This ending can also be accessed on the path to the bad ending, if you want to do that.