This guide will teach you how to unlock the secret ending in Dead Space Remake.
Despite the Dead Space remake being a faithful adaptation of the 2008 original, Motive Studio decided to implement some new additions to the game. Notably, the remake includes a secret ending that – in many ways – is better than the original while directly related to Dead Space 2.
Dead Space Remake: How to Unlock The Secret Ending
To unlock the secret ending, you will first need to play the game normally to reach New Game Plus.
You can complete the game on any difficulty to unlock New Game Plus, which lets you carry over all your weapons, upgrades, outfits, and credits, as well as some rewards to encourage you to come back.
Collect all 12 Marker Fragments
After starting New Game Plus, you will need to collect all 12 Marker Fragments scattered around the USG Ishimura. These marker shards only appear in New Game Plus and are found in each game’s chapters in specific locations.
There is a marker in each chapter, with the exception of chapter 5, which has two.
Once you’ve found all 12 Markers, head to the third floor of the Crew Quarters to reach Captain B. Mathius’ Quarters. Apparently, it’s listed as Lieutenant Commander V. Holt on your map.
There, you’ll find a spooky-looking shrine where you can place all the markers you’ve collected in a circle. After that, you’ll hear creepy whispers indicating that you’ve completed this part of the quest.
Keep in mind that you have access to the 12th Marker in Chapter 11, which means you’ll have the rest of that Chapter and Chapter 12 to get to the Captain’s Quarters before the game is over.
Finish The Game
From here, finish the game as you normally would, and you’ll unlock the new ending. It’s a wild but somber ending that ties in with the sequel appropriately.
Alternate Ending Spoilers
The alternate ending depicts Isaac Clarke going insane, as he has hallucinations of Nicole leaving the planet Aegis VII. Clarke is apparently being controlled by the Marker itself, leading to her mental breakdown that kicks off Dead Space 2.
As part of the secret ending, Nicole approaches, and Clarke tells her that she needs to build “a little thing first,” implying that she will create more markers. With that in mind, Clarke went elsewhere to create more markers, unleashing the Necromorphs on any planet he wanted, even Earth.
Dead Space 2 takes place three years after the first game, and this gap is not explained, as Clarke does not remember it. The sequel opens with Clarke in a hospital in a straitjacket after suffering a mental breakdown – which is much better explained after the secret ending in Dead Space.
Given the secret ending, Clarke may have done some awful things in that three-year span.