In the early stages of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, players face a pivotal and challenging decision. Assuming the role of Red, you’re confronted with the choice of swearing an oath to Antea, now deceased, regarding her fate: assisting her peaceful ascension into the afterlife or opting to resurrect her once her body is recovered.
While the game hints at the resurrection process involving a blame ritual and sacrificing settlers, the specifics remain ambiguous. Here’s a spoiler-free breakdown of the two oath options.
Explaining the Banishers Ascend Oath:
Opting to aid Antea’s ascent entails allowing her to move on peacefully upon reaching her body in the meetinghouse. This path is relatively easier compared to the alternative.
The game features numerous optional side quests referred to as Haunting Cases. At the conclusion of each case, players must decide the fate of those involved, typically one living settler and one ghost.
To facilitate Antea’s ascent, players may either forcefully banish the ghost to oblivion if deemed culpable or conduct a release ritual to facilitate their ascension. Both choices contribute to Antea’s ascent, but blaming the living settler is not an option.
Explaining the Banishers Resurrection Oath:
Opting to resurrect Antea entails committing to two primary conditions. Firstly, players must complete all optional Haunting Cases before concluding the game.
Secondly, the outcome of each case must involve blaming and subsequently eliminating a living settler, as the Lesser Palingenesis ritual necessitates the sacrifice of the maximum possible number of settlers to succeed.
Failure to sacrifice the maximum number of settlers will result in an unfavorable ending. Therefore, players must address every Haunting Case and conclude each one by sacrificing a living settler to enable Antea’s resurrection at the conclusion.
Choosing to ascend Antea offers more flexibility in gameplay and side content, but it does not yield the best outcome for Red and Antea, nor does it result in the optimal ending. Opting for her resurrection requires significant acts of violence, with both characters often questioning the morality of their decision.
Furthermore, achieving this ending demands the completion of every Haunting Case, extending the playtime by at least 10 hours on top of the already substantial 30-hour duration. However, in terms of the future of the Banishers, it represents the most logical option, albeit in a somewhat self-serving manner.
