Directive 8020: How to Save Every Character and Get the Best Ending

Supermassive Games has packed Directive 8020 with 44 potential deaths spread across eight episodes, and the majority of them are entirely avoidable if you know which choices matter. The bad news: two characters die no matter what you do. Carter and Simms, the sleep technicians from the intro, are scripted to die as part of the story. The good news: every other crew member, including the three NPCs Anders, Mitchell, and Williams, can survive to the credits if you play your cards right.

Who can you actually save in Directive 8020?

Before diving into episode-by-episode decisions, here is the full cast breakdown. The crew splits into two groups:

• Playable characters (5 main): Stafford, Young, Eisele, Cernan, Cooper
• Non-playable characters (3): Mitchell, Anders, Williams
• Scripted deaths (cannot be prevented): Carter, Simms

All five playable characters and all three NPCs can survive. That is the target. The game also features a Turning Point system that lets you rewind to earlier decisions. On Explorer Mode, you can access it freely. On Survivor Mode, it only unlocks after you finish the game once.

The single most important decision in the game

Everything in Episode 2 flows downstream into Episodes 3 and 5. During the Power Games section, playing as Young, you must choose to disable either the Landing Computer or the Fire Control System. This one choice has a chain reaction that affects both Stafford and Mitchell.

Here is what each path means:

The safest route, as documented in GameSpot's full playthrough, is to disable the Landing Computer. This keeps Fire Control active so Mitchell survives the Episode 5 blaze without requiring a perfect reaction from you. If you go the other route and disable Fire Control, you can still save Mitchell by choosing to rescue him when the prompt appears, but it adds an extra decision point where things can go wrong.

Also in Episode 2, at the Little Faith Turning Point, choose Dismiss when Mitchell asks Stafford whether he trusts Anders. This prevents Stafford from monitoring Anders later, which is what allows Anders to sedate Williams in Episode 5 without interference.

Episode-by-episode survival guide

Episode 1: Little Star

Two deaths are possible here, both involving Carter and Simms. Since they die in scripted story moments anyway, the goal is simply to avoid their early deaths before those moments arrive.

• During Disaster, pass the QTE to catch Simms when she loses her footing during the spacewalk.
• During Chased, outrun the Simms creature back to the Crew Quarters. Getting caught here kills Carter before he can leave his message on his wrist strap, which matters later.

For Destinies, the Destructoid playthrough notes that building Carter's Caretaker Destiny here is possible, though it has less impact on the final ending compared to other characters.

Episode 3: The Sample

Only one character can die here, but it is a major one. Commander Stafford can be killed during the Crash sequence when the Cassiopeia plummets to Tau Ceti F.

• If you disabled the Landing Computer in Episode 2, force Stafford to sit down when he gets up to reboot the system. Letting him attempt it results in his death.
• If you disabled Fire Control instead, Stafford can safely reboot the computer as long as you pass the subsequent QTE sequence to get him back to his seat in time.

Also in this episode: as Cernan, sneak through the No Games section without getting spotted by Williams. He will not die if caught, but getting through cleanly sets him up better for Episode 6. As Cooper, find Carter's Utility Strap in the Mess Hall at the end of the chapter. Listen for the beeping, lift the damaged shutter, and squeeze through. Missing this collectible locks out a key dialogue option in Episode 4.

Episode 4: Dragnet

No characters can die in this chapter. That said, two decisions here are required for the best ending:

• When Stafford asks Eisele to authorize a firearm in Loaded Question, choose Refuse. This option only appears if you avoided Simms in Episode 1 and found Carter's Utility Strap.
• Survive the Drawbridge and Fight sequences as Young by passing all QTEs.

This episode is also where you should be actively building trait scores. Young's Loyal trait and Eisele's Sympathetic trait are the two most important for unlocking the Destinies needed for the best ending. Use every dialogue opportunity and the messages feature to push these traits.

Episode 5: Mr. Williams

This episode contains the most consequential branching decision in the entire game.

The Experiment: As Cooper, complete the lab puzzle by entering 1-6-8 as the code. While talking to Anders, choose Consider, then Approve, then Question. This leads Anders to sedate Williams, which is required to prove he is human in Episode 6.

Under Pressure: Young must choose to save either Anders or Mitchell when both are in danger simultaneously.

• If Fire Control is online (you disabled the Landing Computer in Episode 2), choose to save Anders. Mitchell survives the fire automatically because the suppression system handles it.
• If Fire Control is offline, choose to save Mitchell directly. Cooper will step in to save Anders, though Anders may be injured depending on whether you pass the door minigame.

Later in the episode, when Stafford asks for backup, volunteer Eisele, not Cernan.

Waste Management: At the start of the episode, Eisele must activate three breakers while avoiding Stafford. If she gets caught here, she is injured. Getting caught twice across Episodes 5 and 6 will kill her.

Cooper's Rogue Destiny unlocks here if her Playful trait is above halfway. Cooper has the fastest Destiny to unlock of any character.

Episode 6: Hostile Takeover

This is the episode where several threads converge and where it is easiest to lose multiple characters at once.

Close Encounter: Stafford and Eisele must sneak through the dark room and escape via the ladder. Getting caught here is fatal depending on injury status.

Point Blank: Do not shoot Williams. The biometric scanner will confirm he is human, and if Anders sedated him back in Episode 5, the sedative shows up in the scan as additional proof.

The Scanner: After Stafford sends everyone through the scanner, a second Eisele enters the room. The real Eisele is the newcomer who arrived separately. Choose the Test option, then when forced to shoot, shoot the original Eisele (the one who arrived with the group), as she is the doppelganger.

Alternatively, you can order both through the scanner to avoid the choice entirely, which also keeps both Eisele and Cernan alive

Stafford's Destiny: The Father Destiny unlocks when Young pleads with Stafford at the Bridge during The Crown Falls. Make sure you do this.

At the end of the episode, when Stafford must decide how to respond, choose Save Our Souls (the distress call option). This is required for the best ending path

Episode 7: Revelation

Three crew members go out on the away mission and all three can die here.

Search Party: Anders gets separated. Use your comms to track the real Anders. The alien impostor will contact you through an unknown contact. Ignore it. When you reach a fork, go right to find a cave with stalactites on the ceiling where the real Anders is waiting.

Pod Room: Young must stay hidden from the creature and restore power to the locked door to escape. Getting caught and failing the QTE kills her.

Geoscience and The Hunt: Cernan must stay hidden and then outrun the creature. Failing here kills both Cernan and Anders

Also in this episode, when Young reaches the Charybdis pod, send the SOS signal.

Episode 8: Come True

More than half of the game's 44 total deaths are in this final episode. Almost all of them are QTE-based, so sharp reflexes matter more here than any single decision.

Second Chances: When given the option regarding Williams, choose Order to insist he comes with the crew. Leaving him behind kills him.

Atrium: Do not approach the crying Mitchell. This is a trap.

Snap Decision: When a crew member gets grabbed, help them immediately and pass the QTE.

Knock Knock: If Mitchell is still alive, playing as Cooper you will have a choice to let him in or leave him. Let him in. He is the real Mitchell.

The escape sequence then cycles through multiple characters in quick succession. Here are the specific QTE scenes where deaths occur, per TheGamer's documentation:

• Redirect: Pass the QTE to escape the Eisele mimic. Stafford dies if you fail.
• Atrium: Escape the same mimic again. Real Eisele dies if caught.
• Mess Hall: Third encounter with the mimic. Eisele dies here if she survived the Atrium but is caught now.
• Shoggoth: Run from the creature. Eisele dies if caught.
• Tentacle Flail / Creeper: Pass QTEs for Stafford and Eisele. Stafford falls during the escape; help him and pass the QTE to save both. Running abandons Stafford. Trying to help but failing the QTE kills both Stafford and Eisele.
• Return of the Beast: Cooper closes a door with a QTE. Fail and she dies.
• Uncontained: Young dodges containers. Fail and she is crushed.
• Teardown: Eisele avoids a ceiling beam. Fail and a tentacle takes her.
• Fueled Up: Eisele removes a fuel line. Fail and she dies.
• Seal the Exits: Cernan closes the exits. Failing this kills everyone still aboard.
• Grappled: Cooper throws an O2 tank into the creature's mouth and detonates it. Pass both QTEs to clear the final obstacle.

Episode 8 escape QTE sequence

How to unlock the Destinies for the best ending

Surviving physically is only half the requirement. The true best ending requires Eisele to unlock The Humanitarian Destiny, which causes her to expose the cloning program in the finale. This is what ends the cycle. Without it, you get a survival ending but not the canonical best outcome.

Here is the full Destiny table for all five playable characters:

In Episode 8, during the Why You Started section, Young should feel conflicted about the mission. With her Loyal trait above halfway, her Hero Destiny unlocks. At the Wish prompt, choose Humanity First. This locks in the good ending path.

The game concludes with Eisele's final decision. With The Humanitarian unlocked, she exposes the cloning program. This also unlocks the Humanitarian and NDA Breaker achievements.

Eisele's Humanitarian Destiny

Quick-reference decision checklist

For players who want a fast reference before starting:

• Episode 1: Pass the Disaster QTE, survive the Chased sequence
• Episode 2: Disable Landing Computer (recommended), Dismiss Mitchell at Little Faith, build Young's Loyal and Eisele's Sympathetic traits
• Episode 3: Force Stafford to sit during crash (if Landing Computer is off), find Carter's Utility Strap as Cooper
• Episode 4: Refuse the firearm as Eisele
• Episode 5: Enter code 1-6-8 as Cooper, choose Consider/Approve/Question with Anders, save Anders during Under Pressure (if Fire Control is on), volunteer Eisele as backup
• Episode 6: Do not shoot Williams, shoot the original Eisele (doppelganger), choose Save Our Souls
• Episode 7: Go right at the fork to find the real Anders, pass all stealth QTEs
• Episode 8: Take Williams, let Mitchell in, help fallen crew members, pass every QTE

For more puzzle solutions that feed into this survival run, the guide to Anders' sedative puzzle in Episode 5 covers the exact chemicals and keypad code in detail. If you got stuck on Carter's PC back in Episode 2, the Carter's PC code guide has the solution and where to find the clue. For everything else the game throws at you, the full Directive 8020 strategy guides collection has you covered from launch day through the final episode.