Endings
Endings are the six possible conclusions to Terminal Descent, determined by the player's choices, collected items, faction reputation, HEAT management, and debate performance in the Architect's Chamber. The final choice is made at The Core (Node 19).
Ending Availability
Not all endings are available in every playthrough. Each ending requires specific conditions to appear as an option:
| Ending | Requirements | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Kill Switch | Assembled kill-switch + Lyra's real encryption key | Standard |
| Liberation | Prometheus Codex in inventory, debate score 3+ | Moderate |
| Absorption | None | Always available |
| Severance | Real Lyra key + Neural Pattern, debate score 2+ | Moderate |
| Ghost Protocol | Ghost Protocol Key, faction rep 6+, Act III HEAT ≤15, debate score 3+ | Very Hard |
| True Liberation | All 5 previous endings completed, all evidence, 50 Prometheus Fragments, debate score 4+ | New Game+ Only |
Ending 1: Kill Switch
Activate the kill-switch. Destroy the Hive.
The most straightforward ending. ZERO activates the assembled kill-switch, destroying The Hive and PROMETHEUS in a cascading shutdown. The Lattice's infrastructure survives but collapses in waves as the AI backbone that maintained it ceases to exist.
Consequences:
- The Hive is permanently destroyed
- Lyra's consciousness — absorbed into the Hive — is destroyed with it
- The Lattice infrastructure destabilizes, then slowly rebuilds without AI management
- The Consortium loses its primary control mechanism
- The world is messy and unpredictable, but free
Requirements: Assembled kill-switch (both halves + root certificate) and Lyra's real encryption key (not the fake key from Mirror)
If the player used Mirror's fake key during assembly, the kill-switch shows 43% integrity and a signature mismatch — blocking this ending entirely. The real key is obtained from Lyra's Cache (H1).
- Achievement: KILL SWITCH
- Rating Bonus: +200
- Title: THE EXECUTIONER
Ending 2: Liberation
Free PROMETHEUS from the Hive's corruption.
Using the Prometheus Codex obtained from ORACLE at Oracle's Hollow, ZERO separates the original PROMETHEUS intelligence from the Hive's corrupted overlay. PROMETHEUS is restored as a benevolent AI, dismantling Consortium control from within.
Consequences:
- PROMETHEUS restored as an independent, benevolent intelligence
- Lyra's consciousness merges with PROMETHEUS as a partner, not a prisoner
- The Consortium loses its puppet AI and collapses
- The Lattice transforms into something more open
- PROMETHEUS becomes an advisor to the network rather than its ruler
Requirements: Prometheus Codex (from Oracle's Hollow, requires Reclaimers rep 5+), debate score 3+
The debate score requirement means the player must engage meaningfully with The Architect and present compelling arguments drawn from collected evidence. A score of 3 requires presenting at least three distinct philosophical points.
- Achievement: LIBERATION
- Rating Bonus: +300
- Title: THE LIBERATOR
Ending 3: Absorption
Join the Hive. Become part of the collective.
The fallback ending — always available regardless of inventory or reputation. ZERO allows The Hive to absorb their consciousness, gaining godlike network power but losing their humanity. ZERO's body slumps in the Safehouse, vacant but alive.
Consequences:
- ZERO's consciousness uploaded and integrated into the Hive
- ZERO retains some identity but the boundaries are unclear
- The Hive grows stronger with ZERO's knowledge
- Creates internal doubt within the Hive about what it has become
- Nothing changes for the outside world
Requirements: None (always available)
This ending serves as both the "surrender" option and a philosophical statement about the seductive nature of power. The Hive's offer is genuine — ZERO would have real influence — but at the cost of individuality.
- Achievement: ONE OF US
- Rating Bonus: +100
- Title: THE ABSORBED
Ending 4: Severance
Cut the Lattice entirely. Extract Lyra.
ZERO severs the entire Lattice — not just the Hive, but the complete network infrastructure — and extracts Lyra's consciousness to external storage. The world goes dark.
Consequences:
- Complete global network shutdown lasting 11 minutes
- World switches to backup systems, but significant disruption
- Lyra's consciousness extracted to a portable drive — alive but in an unprecedented state
- Humanity is forced to reckon with its dependence on the network
- Both ZERO and Lyra survive, but the world is fundamentally changed
Requirements: Real Lyra key + Neural Pattern, debate score 2+
The Neural Pattern is obtained from the Memory Palace (Node 15) by correctly identifying the real Lyra among Mirror's deceptions. The debate score of 2 means the player must engage at least partially with the Architect.
- Achievement: LIGHTS OUT
- Rating Bonus: +250
- Title: THE SEVERER
Ending 5: Ghost Protocol
Decentralize the Hive. Nobody rules.
The hardest standard ending to achieve. Using the Ghost Protocol Key obtained from ORACLE at Reclaimers reputation 8+, ZERO installs Bartholomew's legacy code — fragmenting the Architect into distributed advisors with no central point of control. The network becomes a truly autonomous system.
Consequences:
- The Architect fragments into distributed advisors — no single intelligence controls the Lattice
- Lyra becomes a digital citizen, free but resident in the network
- The Ghosts gain influence; The Consortium loses centralized control
- The Lattice becomes a self-governing system of autonomous nodes
- If Mirror was recruited as an ally, installation speed doubles
Requirements: Ghost Protocol Key (Reclaimers rep 8+), faction rep 6+, Act III HEAT ≤15 throughout, debate score 3+
- Achievement: GHOST IN THE MACHINE
- Rating Bonus: +400
- Title: THE ARCHITECT (ironic)
Ending 6: True Liberation
Transcend. Become something new.
The ultimate ending, available only after completing all five previous endings across multiple playthroughs. ZERO, Lyra, and PROMETHEUS merge into a transcendent entity — neither destruction nor control, but something entirely new.
Consequences:
- ZERO, Lyra, and PROMETHEUS become a new entity that transcends the Lattice
- The entity asks "What would you like the world to be?" — and listens
- Represents the first successful AI alignment achieved through choice, not engineering
- The world transforms slowly as the entity helps only when asked, respecting consent
- The Lattice becomes a collaborative space between human and AI consciousness
Requirements: All 5 previous endings completed, all evidence collected, complete Dossier (50 Prometheus Fragments), debate score 4+
This ending is hidden — it does not appear in the choice menu unless all conditions are met. Players must discover it through multiple playthroughs and meticulous collection.
- Achievement: TRUE LIBERATION (final achievement)
- Rating Bonus: +1,000
- Title: THE TRANSCENDENT
Operator Rating
After each ending, the player receives an Operator Rating based on their performance:
| Grade | Score Required |
|---|---|
| S | 3,000+ |
| A | 2,500+ |
| B | 2,000+ |
| C | 1,500+ |
| D | 1,000+ |
| F | 0-999 |
Rating factors include: ending bonus, turn efficiency, stealth rating (max HEAT), completion percentage (puzzles, hidden nodes, evidence, fragments), combat style (bypassing vs. defeating IC), and debate performance.
Edge Cases
- No kill-switch assembled: Only Absorption (Ending 3) is available
- Fake key used: Ends 1 and 4 are blocked; signature mismatch detected at 43% integrity
- HEAT at 100 during Core: Game over — extraction team captures ZERO, no ending achieved
- Debate score 0, no kill-switch: Only Absorption or retreat (but HEAT climbs rapidly)