Welcome to Red Creek Valley, a place where the ordinary gives way to the unsettling. In The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, you step into the shoes of Paul Prospero, an occult detective drawn to this seemingly peaceful locale by a series of disturbing events. Your task is to unravel the chilling mystery surrounding young Ethan Carter's disappearance. This isn't a game of combat; instead, you'll rely on your wits and keen observation, piecing together fragmented memories and supernatural clues to reconstruct the tragic events.
This guide is your key to fully experiencing the atmospheric narrative and uncovering every secret The Astronauts have hidden within Red Creek Valley. We'll help you master Prospero's unique investigative techniques, ensuring you don't miss a single collectible or crucial piece of evidence. From understanding the timeline of events to locating all the hidden story elements, this guide will equip you to fully comprehend Ethan's disturbing fate and achieve all the game's Steam Achievements.
Checklist
Follow this comprehensive checklist guide for The Vanishing of Ethan Carter to find all items, inspect key clues, and solve the train car mystery.
- 1Inspect Blood at Train: Locate the blood on the train car by the bridge. Align the scattered "Crank" words on screen by looking towards the large rock with the lake in the background. Hold the Sense button to reveal the Crank's location.
- 2Find the Crank: Head down the train tracks past the bridge. Find the blue rope tied to a cement piece and inspect it. Continue further down the tracks to find severed legs and then the corpse. The Crank is located on the beach near the water, on a rock.
- 3Repair the Train: Return to the train car. Use "Fix" to insert the Crank. Spam the Left Mouse Button to rotate the Crank and start the train.
- 4Position the Train: Enter the train and reverse it past the crime scene until it stops at some rocks. Exit the train.
- 5Inspect Rock Pile: Go to the left side of the train car (rock wall side). Inspect the pile of rocks and align the word "Rock" by looking left.
- 6Find and Return Rock: Locate the rock near a tree stump, back towards the murder scene. Inspect and pick up the rock. Return it to the rock pile.
- 7Inspect Oil Canister and Dried Grass: Inspect the red oil canister near the train tracks, then inspect the dried grass nearby.
- 8Position Train for Dried Grass: Move the train forward so it covers the dried grass. Use the power line post as a stopping indicator. Turn off power to the train.
- 9Initiate Chronology Vision: Go to the corpse and hold the "Touch" button. This will trigger Shimmering Lights of Hope (Pretty Sparkly Lights) to appear.
- 10Identify Chronology Scenes: Follow the Pretty Sparkly Lights to different parts of the murder scene. Ghosts will materialize at each location. Once all six are found, the word "Chronology" will appear over them.
- 11Order the Scenes: Arrange the six chronological scenes from 1 to 6. The guide provides the order:
- Scene #1: Man looking at a boy tied to train tracks (near where the Rope was found).
- 12Scene #2: Old man picking up the rock (at the end of the train tracks where the rock was placed).
- 13Scene #3: At the train itself... (The source text cuts off here).
Items:
- Crank (on beach)
- Rock (near tree stump)
Inspectable Clues:
- Blood at train
- Rope on train tracks
- Severed legs on train tracks
- Corpse near train tracks
- Rock pile at end of train tracks
- Gas canister near train tracks
- Dried grass near train tracks
FIRST FLOOR
Navigate the first floor of the house in The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. Find the kitchen table and the room with the spider web.
- 1Examine the room to the left of the stairs. This room features a kitchen table, a rug, and a window to the left. The kitchen table is its defining feature.
- 2Proceed to the room to the right of the stairs. This room contains a small set of stairs leading up to another room with a window. It is the only room with stairs on this floor.
- 3In the right room, take the door to the left. The correct room has a spider web in the top left corner.
- 4In the right room, take the door up the small set of stairs. The correct room has a small table with a boarded-up window above it. The other available rooms have already been visited.
- 5With the first floor complete, head up to the second floor.
- Pay close attention to the defining features of each room, such as the kitchen table or the spider web.
- The room with stairs is a key indicator for navigating the first floor.
SECOND FLOOR
Navigate the second floor of The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. Find clues in rooms with desks, chairs, windows, chalk, and paintings.
- 1Room to the Left of Stairs (Very Near Stairs): Identify the correct room by its desk, chair, and three windows.
- 2In the Room to the Left of Stairs: The correct room features two windows and a small table.
- 3In the Follow Room, Left of Stairs: This room has white chalk on the wall, reddish walls, and a crooked plank near the ceiling.
- 4Room to the Right of Stairs (Next Room in this Sequence): The correct location is a hall, not a room.
- 5Halfway Down Hall, To the Left: The correct room is the only one with windows, both partially boarded-up. It also contains a painting above a dresser.
- 6Down Hall, Last Room: This room has a cobweb in the top-left, three partially boarded-up windows, chairs, and a red recliner on the ground.
- 7After completing the second floor, head up the stairs to the attic.
- Pay close attention to the number and condition of windows in each room.
- Look for specific details like chalk, paintings, or furniture placement.
- The sequence of rooms is important; do not skip ahead.
THIRD FLOOR
Stuck on the Third Floor section of The Vanishing of Ethan Carter? Follow this guide to find the attic room, uncover the secret, and piece together the magician's story.
Alright, so you've made it to the Third Floor. This part can be a little tricky because it's not immediately obvious where you need to go. You're looking for a specific room that acts like an attic. Keep an eye out for the one that's big, has a desk at the far end, and two windows. That's your target!
Once you've found and interacted with the correct room, you'll trigger a bit of a puzzle. If you've swapped to all the right rooms, you'll get a prompt to go back through a door, and that's when the 'secret room' will appear. Inside, you'll find all sorts of creepy alchemist materials, books, papers, and the grim discoveries of a severed head and a dead fetus. Talk about unsettling!
Your next step is to read the letter you'll find on the desk in this secret room. This will warp you back to the 'real' house. You'll find yourself in a room with a bunch of barrels. Here, you need to find two things to read: a newspaper clipping on one of the barrels and a letter on the dresser. Once you've grabbed those, just open the door, head down the stairs, and get out of that spooky house.
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