Below, Rusted Gods Endings Guide

Spoiler warning: this page names all four endings, the 18-second confrontation, and the Steam achievements they unlock. Leave for How to Progress or the Demo Walkthrough if you want a clean first descent. Survival steps live on Keep Everyone Alive. Symbol assignments live on Obelisk Puzzle.

The July 29, 2026 launch post confirmed four endings. Retail names them Protocol 46, Baptistery, Incomplete, and Rusted Gods. The matching trophies are Protocol 46, Baptistery, Incomplete, and Once Below, Now Above. Recording all four unlocks the meta-achievement Below, Rusted Gods. The mid-article video is a full-game All Endings reference—watch only when you accept those cards.

How the last branch works

Important checks happen in two places: Sergei’s confrontation with Mikhail, then the obelisk if the mission continues.

After a short lead-in you have about 18 seconds. FIRE, COMMANDER! Stop him immediately! or a timeout kills Sergei, not Mikhail. Answer the follow-up W- What… have you done?

• If Dutch or Dimitri is still alive, the route becomes Protocol 46.
• If Dutch and Dimitri are both already dead, the route becomes Baptistery. Mikhail is present but does not count as a surviving squad member for this check.

If you requested and accepted L.10:18 earlier, choose STOP, SERGEI! Mikhail gave the correct confirmation code. The squad proceeds to the obelisk. Any earlier death there still forces Protocol 46. Only a complete squad can receive Incomplete or Rusted Gods. Who you send down the rusted hatch first does not change health or ending.

All Endings full game (spoilers)

Ending table

Ending	Exact route	Steam achievement
Protocol 46	Let Sergei die while Dutch or Dimitri still lives; or reach the obelisk after any earlier death	Protocol 46
Baptistery	Dutch and Dimitri dead before the confrontation, then let Sergei die	Baptistery
Incomplete	All four alive, confirm at least one wrong obelisk assignment	Incomplete
Rusted Gods	All four alive, confirm all four correct assignments, finish the escape	Once Below, Now Above

Protocol 46

Fastest path: keep Dutch or Dimitri alive, then fire or idle at the confrontation. Stopping Sergei with a dead teammate also lands here; symbols no longer matter. The medical station enables termination. Select each available member and answer their call. Decommissioning has already begun. Any of the three farewell wordings advances; none can save them. When the elevator opens, walk toward the soldiers. Gunfire, fog, and the creature play out to the Protocol 46 card.

1.23.5 added a warning beep and intermittent light on the medical terminal during Terminate Protocol and adjusted Protocol particles against a rare crash. See Patches 1.23.5–1.23.7.

Baptistery

Dutch must fail treatment: tell him the medical terminal is failing at 35°C. Dimitri must die via a wrong regulator reconnect or the left-path leg injury, completed before Sergei fires. Then fire or idle. Approach the central structure; the choking and apparition sequence is automatic to the Baptistery card.

Incomplete and Rusted Gods

Both need the full survival table on Keep Everyone Alive. At the board, four exact matches produce Rusted Gods; one confirmed error produces Incomplete. Decoder and offerings: Obelisk Puzzle. 1.23.6 fixed a looping blink SFX in one ending; 1.23.7 fixed an elevator visual in two endings. Update before you farm the set.

Lullaby and the Symbols VHS are clue sources, not activation keys. You can finish the board without them. Pickup rooms: Collectibles Checklist.

Efficient four-ending plan

The game records completed endings across runs.

1. Full squad, four correct offerings → Rusted Gods.
2. Full squad, one wrong offering → Incomplete.
3. Dutch or Dimitri alive, let Sergei die → Protocol 46.
4. Dutch and Dimitri already dead, let Sergei die → Baptistery.

Then check Steam for Below, Rusted Gods. Collectible trophies are separate.

Aftercare

Branching horror replays guilt. Take breaks. Use spoiler-light Review when you only need tone. Confirm you are on 1.24.0+ before assuming a broken ending—Patch Notes, Patch 1.24.0. Inputs: Controls. Hubs: Guides, Updates.