Bearings

*You're going it alone. Independent. Admirable. Possibly foolish...**The content below contains spoilers from one or more of the games. Read at your own risk!*

**Bearings** are a core gameplay mechanic in *The Dark Pictures Anthology*. They are records of important decisions that have large-scale consequences affecting the outcome of the game.

There are 8 bearings in each game. While some of them are updated automatically during the game and are always present, others require special conditions, otherwise they will never appear in the game. Also some bearings dedicate to individual characters and write down all the important decisions that affect their relationship.

Because the in-game system automatically saves the player's choices, they cannot change the bearings unless they restart the game before making a decision.

## Speedboat

### Affected Characters

Conrad, Julia, Alex, Danny

This bearing starts during Wreck, where Alex can either choose to take or leave the bangstick with him on the dive. If Alex leaves it, Julia will use Alex's dive knife to open the cockpit door in the South Pacific Wreck Site, breaking it in the process. However, she can still save the knife if the QTE to open the door is failed, as Alex will open it for them. If the bangstick is taken or Julia fails the QTE to open the door with the knife, the knife will be left intact and it will be left on the Duke of Milan's deck for the next day of diving.

Later on, during Intrusion, when Conrad is deciding whether to attack the kidnappers or escape on their speedboat, he will be able to grab the knife if choosing to attack. He can use it to attack Junior and hold him at knifepoint if he succeeds the QTE. If he fails the QTE or chooses to attack when the knife was broken during Wreck, he will be overpowered by Junior, though he will still have the opportunity to take Junior hostage if he succeeds another QTE to grab a hook knife nearby.

In the cabin of the Duke, Alex and Julia plan to attack the kidnappers, either to help Conrad escape, or to take the gun. Alex will surprise attack Danny with the cuticle clippers Julia used to free herself, and can also use a perfume bottle if Conrad took it out of the shelf in Wreck. If Alex is successful, he will take Danny up to the deck with the scissors at his neck. If he is unsuccessful, Danny will overpower him, and hold a knife to his throat, taking him to the deck. If Brad has a good enough relationship with Alex, he will come out of hiding from under the bed and rescue Alex by shoving Danny. Danny will then knock Brad out with a punch, but Alex can succeed another QTE to attack Danny with the knife he dropped. Either way, Danny, Alex, and Julia will arrive at the deck, with either Danny or Alex held captive.

If Conrad decides to try to escape on the speedboat, he must succeed three QTEs to reach the motor and throw off the mooring rope in order to escape. If he fails any QTE, he gets captured by the kidnappers and subdued. If he succeeds, Conrad Alex will have the chance to attack Olson or shield Julia. Either way, Olson shoots at Conrad from the Duke of Milan. Conrad must succeed a QTE to dodge the bullet and escape in the speedboat, and he will be shot and die if he fails.

If Conrad holds Junior hostage, both Alex and Conrad can converse on whether Conrad should escape or they should fight the pirates. Olson will offer Conrad his gun, and Conrad can choose to take it or escape. If he escapes, the above sequence follows. If he takes the gun, Olson will drop it to the deck and Junior will subdue Conrad after he reaches for it. If he does nothing, he will keep Junior captive but Junior will overpower Conrad and Olson will shoot Conrad in the knee.

If Alex had Danny hostage and didn't attack Olson if Conrad tried to escape in the speedboat, Olson will turn his gun on Julia and demand Alex lets Danny go. Alex has the option to concede or challenge the pirates. If he concedes once, he will let Danny go, and Junior will subdue Conrad. Storm will follow with the attempt to fight the pirates having failed. If he challenges both times, Fliss will tackle Olson, who will fire a shot that grazes Julia's head and gives her a wound, decreasing her relationship with Alex. Alex and Conrad will both be shocked, giving Junior the chance to subdue Conrad (if Conrad will had him hostage) and Danny the chance to subdue Alex. Alex and Fliss will then be sent down to the lower level of the boat. Julia will join them if she wasn't shot, and Conrad will join them if he didn't escape or get shot on the speedboat. Storm will follow, with Julia appearing with the group whether she was shot or not and Brad joining them if he attacked Danny earlier.

## Proposal

### Scenes

The Duke, Dive/Uninvited Guests, Intrusion, Depths, The End

### Affected Characters

Julia, Alex

This bearing starts during The Duke, where Brad can tell Alex either to follow his guts or to think thoroughly when Alex asks for advice for medical school. If Brad told Alex to follow his gut, Alex will propose to Julia during Dive. If Brad says nothing or tells Alex to consider the permutations, Alex will be nervous and not propose. If Alex proposed, Julia can accept or reject him.

When the two resurface near the Duke of Milan, if Alex's proposal was successful, Julia will show the ring to the others and talk about it. If Alex did not propose, Julia can suspect something is wrong with Alex and can find a wedding ring in his suitcase while looking for the Manchurian Gold's coordinates. When the three fishermen attacks the Duke of Milan, they will take Julia's wedding ring if she was wearing it.

If the ring was stolen, during the interrogation sequence between Olson and Danny in Depths, if the protagonists present are not spotted by Olson and choose to inspect Danny's body when Olson begins breaking into the room, he will be holding the wedding ring in his hand and the protagonists will take it.

In the ending where the protagonists are saved either by the coast guard or with the Duke of Milan, if the protagonists other than Julia took the ring, they will give the ring back to Julia.

## The Bends

### Scenes

Dive, Ghost Story, Abandoned Ship, The End

### Affected Characters

Julia

This bearing starts during Dive, when Alex and Julia witness the second explosion on the Duke. If Julia chooses to surface early to check on her brother, she will have failed to decompress fast enough. If Julia did not choose to surface early, she will not have decompression sickness and this bearing will be over.

If Julia failed to decompress, she will later be offered beer on the Duke. Conrad encourages her to drink it, while Alex and Brad warn her not to. If she drinks it (she will in Curator's Cut this if she has a bad relationship with Alex, otherwise she has a choice), then she will get the bends. Later, when she jumps onto the ladder of Ourang Medan, she will feel hurt and wonder what is happening for.

If Julia survives until The End with the bends, she will die, either on the Duke, the coastguard boat, or the Ourang Medan. If another character is present, they will try to resuscitate her, but to no avail.

## Ships in the Night

### Scenes

Danny, Echo/Finding Friends, Ritual, Pressure

### Affected Characters

Fliss, Brad

This Bearing details the possible death of Fliss or Brad depending on their status of being armed and/or hallucinating before their confrontation.

It starts in Danny, where Fliss (and possibly Brad) will enter Cargo Hold 3. Fliss will either leave without finding anything, or pick up a knife and become armed. The door will then shut behind her.

Next, Echo or Finding Friends will follow. If Echo follows (Brad was found aboard the Duke), Brad will not stop hallucinating before the confrontation. If Finding Friends follows (Brad stayed hidden on the Duke of Milan), Brad can find a gas mask and stop hallucinating before the confrontation if he opens the locker twice, with the mask being hallucinated as a hanged bloody face for the first time.

Regardless of the chapter that follows Danny, Brad will end up on the balcony above Cargo Hold 2 and have the option of jumping down to the lower level, where Fliss is present. If he picks up a spanner before jumping, he will become armed.

In Ritual, Fliss must leave the ballroom by opening the curtain and interacting with the door in order to stop hallucinating. She will hallucinate during the confrontation if she does not leave the ballroom in time. Alternatively, if she leaves too quickly, she will begin hallucinating again before the confrontation.

The confrontation follows. If Fliss is hallucinating, she sees Brad as The Grim Reaper. If Brad is hallucinating, he sees Fliss as an undead soldier. If either of them is armed while hallucinating, they will have the option to attack each other, and whoever is attacked has to complete QTEs in order to survive (if they are controlled by a computer then they will die if attacked, and will automatically choose to attack.

If the hallucinating protagonists are unarmed, they will run away in fear. If neither protagonist is hallucinating, Pressure will follow. If Pressure follows, and the protagonist outside of the flooding room is armed, they will not have to look for a way to open the grate and will be able to use their knife or spanner to open it, increasing the chances of the other protagonist's survival.

## The Kitchen Knife

### Affected Characters

Alex, Brad, Julia, Conrad, Fliss, Olson

This bearing starts in Caskets, where Alex and Julia (and possibly Conrad) will enter a kitchen with a knife on one of the counters. If Alex picks up the knife, Julia remarks that he shouldn't mess around with it, and if Conrad is present, he says that the knife would be useful for him to fight the pirates with. Alex can then say if he wants the knife or not. If Alex says he doesn't want the knife and Conrad isn't present, or he says nothing, Julia will take the knife from him and put it back. If Alex says he doesn't want the knife and Conrad is present, he will give it to Conrad. If Alex says he wants the knife, he will take it. If the knife is put back but Alex interacts with it again, he will pick it up and keep it.

Alex and Conrad will occasionally hold up the knife in subsequent scenes when they feel they are in danger.

In Plunged, if Alex has the knife, he will drop it in Cargo Hold 1 and Olson will pick it up. During the chase sequence in Revenge, Olson will drag the knife along the walls menacingly, and if he manages to catch Alex or Julia at the door he will kill them with it rather than killing them through brute force. Therefore, the decision of Alex taking the knife himself or leaving it on the counter does not affect any story outcomes, and is purely cinematic.

However, if Conrad has the knife, the outcome of the story is affected. In Glamor Girl, if Conrad is caught in the office by his pursuer after trying to hide, he will have the option to slash his pursuer's throat with the knife, which will end the chapter and kill them if they fail the QTE or are not controlled by a player. The same can happen at the top of the funnel if Conrad chooses to confront his pursuer rather than jump. Conrad using the kitchen knife guarantees his survival in Glamor Girl, but also makes it possible for the death of Brad or Fliss, depending on who is chasing him.

## Military Bandwidth

### Affected Characters

Alex, Brad, Julia, Conrad, Fliss, Danny Junior

This bearing starts when a protagonist interacts with the military over the radio in Distress Signal, or when either of the two following secrets are found beforehand:

* Medan Hat (found in Danny).
* Ship's Logbook (found in Distress Signal).

The first secret reveals that the name of the ship ends with "-ng Medan", and the second secret reveals the first word to be "Ourang".

When making contact with the military, the player can determine whether they arrive on the ship or not, and what they do when they get there (all this will happen in The End.) If the speaking protagonist says nothing, then the military will not be contacted. However, the military will still be contacted if the protagonists activate the generator in Depths, as the protagonist(s) waiting in the radio room will inform the military of their situation without player input. If the protagonists say nothing and don't turn the power back on, the military will not arrive in The End.

If the military is spoken to at any point, but the above two secrets have not both been found, the military will arrive in The End. If the distributor cap was destroyed and Conrad didn't escape on the speedboat in Intrusion, they will arrest the protagonists and lock them in cells after the credits, first letting them give interviews to the camera.

Alternatively, the military can shoot all survivors on board when they arrive (if the protagonists were not saved by the means described above) if the name of the vessel was revealed. To achieve this, the protagonist being controlled in Distress Signal must give the military their coordinates when speaking to them, then not enter the hole in the radio room. Later, turn the generator back on, and the protagonist controlled earlier will inform the military that they are on the Ourang Medan, prompting the military to kill them.

Danny's fate is affected by whether the military make contact. If the military is contacted and kills or arrests the protagonist, Danny's fate is not revealed. If the military is contacted but the protagonists escape in the Duke of coastguard boat before military arrive, two soliders will enter the ship and be killed by a hallucinating Danny. If the military is not contacted, Danny will be strangled by a hallucination of Olson's dead body in one of the hallways of the ship.

## Junior

### Affected Characters

Brad, Julia, Alex, Fliss, Junior

This bearing starts in Depths, when two determinant protagonists (any of them except Conrad) enter the hole in the radio room to search for a generator. The pair can encounter the rebreather which is the one Julia used in the dive and choose whether to take it or leave it. If they take it, they will need to succeed several Keep Calm events or QTEs in subsequent scenes or else it will be abandoned in favor of fleeing Olson.

The two players will then be held at gunpoint by a hallucinating Junior, and the Theatrical Cut player will be given several dialogue choices as Junior rants about "the mist":

* The first choice does not affect the outcome of the chapter.
* The second choice allows the player to admit they have seen the mist, or be dismissive about it.
	+ If the player was dismissive, they will have another choice to denounce the mist or admit they have seen it. If they denounce it again, the Curator's Cut player will be shot.
* The next choice allows the player to say they breathed in the mist, or insist they held their breaths.
	+ If the player admits they breathed in the mist, the Curator's Cut player will be shot.
	+ If the player insists they held their breaths, Junior will not believe them at first, but then raise the gun to his head. The player can then choose to grab the pistol or distract Junior.
		- If the player distracts Junior, he will shoot himself and die.
		- If the player grabs the pistol, they will begin to fight. If the rebreather was kept, the Curator's Cut player will put it on Junior and remove the Manchurian Gold from his system. If the rebreather was not kept, Junior will escape the player's grasp and shoot himself.
* If the player says nothing for all the decisions, Junior will become paranoid and shoot them.

If Junior shot one of the protagonists, he will then shoot himself in the head.

If Junior was saved with the rebreather, he will silently accompany the protagonists for the rest of the game, appearing in The End and always choosing to board the Duke of Milan if the distributor cap is destroyed and the lifeguard and military weren't contacted.

## The Distributor Cap

### Affected Characters

Alex, Brad, Julia, Conrad, Fliss, Junior

This bearing starts during the climax chapter, whether it be Flooded or Matters of the Heart. It determines the fate of the distributor cap.

In Flooded, the second QTE the player who finds Olson faces must be succeeded, or else the cap rolls under the door. If the cap rolls under the door, then it will be crushed when the person who emerges from the floodgate crashes it, and if it is saved then it is guaranteed to not break. However, even the cap does roll under the door, it can still be saved if the person emerging from the floodgate chooses not to pull the lever and move the door - at the cost of whoever is fighting Olson's life.

In Matters of the Heart, Alex will venture towards the elevator shaft and pick the cap off of Olson's dead body. He will then face three QTEs. If he fails any of them, he will drop the cap and it will fall down the elevator shaft. The elevator will then fall and crush it. However, if he succeeds all the QTEs, the distributor cap will be safe.

If the distributor cap is safe at the end of the climax chapter, all surviving protagonists (minus Conrad if he escaped in Intrusion), and plus Junior if he survived in his eponymous chapter will board the Duke of Milan and leave. If Conrad did escape, he will come back to the Ourang Medan and enter, only to suffer from the effects of the Manchurian Gold and die.

If the distributor cap is broken, the survivors will be stuck aboard the Ourang Medan. If Conrad escaped earlier, he will return and save them. If Conrad didn't escape earlier, but the military was contacted, the military will arrive. If the military was told that the ship is the Ourang Medan, the survivors will be shot; otherwise, they will all be arrested. If the military wasn't contacted and Conrad didn't escape earlier, everyone will be stuck. If Alex is present, he will announce that he is going back into the ship to search for food. If Fliss is present, she will announce she is boarding the Duke of Milan to try and paddle to land. Any remaining protagonists will accompany whoever they have a better relationship with, and Junior will always side with Fliss. If Fliss and/or Alex are dead, the survivors will still make the choice to board the Duke or stay on the Ourang Medan, but without Fliss and/or Alex's announcements.

A cutscene will show everyone who chose to board the Duke tired and sunburnt on deck, with a vast, empty ocean before them.

A cutscene will show everyone who chose to scavenge on the Ourang Medan hallucinating and scared in one of the rooms.

If there is only one person on the Ourang Medan (including if the cap is saved but Conrad returns), then there will be a cutscene where that person hallucinates a door swinging open, only to be jumpscared by:

* The Sailor Girl if they are Conrad.
* Alex if they are Julia.
* An undead soldier if they are Brad.
* The Human Experiment if they are Alex.

### Little Hope

Unlike *Man of Medan*, some of *Little Hope*'s Bearings (The Stranger and The Little Girl) are not always updated based on decisions or actions from the player, instead listing events that are guaranteed to happen in-game.

Additionally, the Bearings for each individual protagonist will update when that character makes a Locked Trait decision even if they aren't being controlled by a player, assuming that said decision occurred on-screen. The only Bearing that is purely affected by player decisions or actions is Tool For Survival.

## Team Taylor

### Scenes

Darkest Dreaming, Vince, Lost, Surrounded, Reflections, Full Circle

### Affected Characters

Taylor

This bearing starts in Darkest Dreaming and documents the decisions Taylor makes that could potentially give her a Locked Trait.

These decisions appear in:

* Darkest Dreaming, when Taylor decides to agree with John to go to town or stay by the bus.
* Vince, when Taylor gives her opinion to Daniel about the group.
* Lost, when Taylor decides to go first across the bridge or force Daniel.
* Surrounded, when Taylor decides to empathize or taunt Daniel after David's death.
* Reflections, when Taylor decides to ask for help or tell to leave during the demon's attack.

This bearing ends in Full Circle with Taylor surviving or dying.

## Home Grown Hero

### Scenes

Darkest Dreaming, Another Way, Surrounded, Ruined, Full Circle

### Affected Characters

Daniel

This bearing starts in Darkest Dreaming and documents the decisions Daniel makes that could potentially give him a Locked Trait.

These decisions appear in:

* Darkest Dreaming, when Daniel decides to agree with Angela's insult about Taylor or defend Taylor.
* Another Way, when Daniel decides to stand up for Mary or be at a loss.
* Surrounded, when Daniel decides to tells David to back off from Taylor or ask why David looks like him.
* Surrounded, when Daniel decides to escape or attack the demon.
* Ruined, when Daniel decides to ask for help or tell to leave during demon's attack.

This Bearing ends in Full Circle with Daniel surviving or dying.

## The Stranger

### Scenes

Vince, Confrontation, Lost, Surrounded, Ruined, The End

### Affected Characters

Andrew, John, Angela, Taylor, Daniel, Vince

This bearing starts in Vince and documents all interactions the protagonists have with Vince, culminating in him either forgiving Anthony or having him arrested in The End.

## Deeper Understanding

### Scenes

Reunion, Confrontation, The Crossing, Lost, Heavy Burden, Full Circle

### Affected Characters

Angela

This bearing starts in Reunion and documents all the decisions Angela makes that could potentially give her a Locked Trait.

These decisions appear in:

* Reunion, when Angela decides to apologize to Taylor or taunt her.
* Confrontation, when Angela decides to blame herself or criticize John (If she doesn't go follow him).
* Confrontation, when Angela decides to ask where are they or who Amy is (If she follows John).
* The Crossing, when Angela decides to accept Andrew's help or refuse (If he decided to save her).
* The Crossing, when Angela decides to cheer herself up or say she can handle it herself (If Andrew decided to save John).
* Lost, when Angela decides to thank Andrew or tell why she should be grateful (If Andrew saved her).
* Lost, when Angela decides to agree with Andrew that they were able to escape or blame him for leaving her (If Angela got out on her own).
* Heavy Burden, when Angela decides to tell John is in a hurry or that she won't wait for him.

This bearing ends in Full Circle with Angela surviving or dying.

## Authority Figure

### Scenes

Vince, Confrontation, The Crossing, Low Point, Heavy Burden, Full Circle

### Affected Characters

John

This bearing starts in Vince and documents all the decisions John makes that could potentially give him a Locked Trait.

These decisions appear in:

* Vince, when John decides to drink or not.
* Confrontation, when John decides to follow the girl or not.
* The Crossing, when John decides to go straight across the bridge or try other options.
* Low Point, when John decides to insist on keeping together or to say that no one is safe (If everyone is alive).
* Low Point, when John decides to tell Taylor that Daniel died quickly or painfully (If Daniel died).
* Low Point, when John decides to tell Daniel that Taylor is dead or to let Andrew go (If Taylor died).
* Heavy Burden, when John decides to ask Andrew for help or leave him.

This Bearing ends in Full Circle with John surviving or dying.

## Lost

### Scenes

Playing Tricks, Off Track, Low Point, Full Circle, The End

### Affected Characters

Andrew

This bearing starts in Playing Tricks and documents all the decisions Andrew makes that could potentially give him a Locked Trait.

These decisions appear in:

* Playing Tricks, when Andrew decides to say Mary is malicious or harmless.
* Off Track, when Andrew decides to say Mary is innocent or set Amy up.
* Low Point, when Andrew decides to agree with John's plan to stop Mary or not.
* Full Circle, when Andrew decides to blame Mary, poppet or Carver.

This Bearing ends in The End revealing that Andrew is Anthony and the bus driver.

## The Little Girl

### Scenes

Diversion, Playing Tricks, Confrontation, Off Track, Another Way, Lost, Troubled History, Pursued, Surrounded, Low Point, Reflections, Ruined, Heavy Burden, Full Circle, The End

### Affected Characters

Andrew, John, Angela, Taylor, Daniel, Mary

This bearing starts in Diversion and documents all sightings or decisions made regarding Mary and all sightings of the present-day Megan, culminating in Mary being saved or killed and Megan possibly stopping or allowing Anthony to shoot himself.

## Tool for Survival

### Scenes

Off Track, Surrounded, Low Point, Ruined, The End

### Affected Characters

Andrew, John, Angela, Taylor, Daniel, Impaled Demon, Hanged/Burned Demon

This bearing starts in Off Track, when Andrew and John (and possibly Angela) will approach an abandoned hut. John will run away due to a noise, and Andrew must complete a Keep Calm segment in order to keep a level head and not run away. If he completes the segment, he will be able to explore the house and find a gun under the floor. He will keep the gun with him, though John will suggest he discards it when they meet again.

Throughout the game, Andrew can use the gun to shoot at the demons attacking his friends. In Surrounded, he can shoot at the demon while she is near Vince, causing Vince to grow angry at the group and call the police (leading to Anthony being arrested in The End).

In Low Point, if Angela is alive, a dark figure somewhat resembling the Impaled Demon will approach the group. John can suggest he shoot it, and he can shoot the figure. If he shoots, he will shoot Angela in the neck and kill her, prompting John to throw away the gun. If he doesn't, Angela will rejoin the group and Andrew can keep the gun for later encounters.

Later in the chapter, Andrew is able to use the gun during the demons' attack on Daniel and Taylor.

* If Andrew decided to save Daniel, he would shoot David to give Daniel time to leave.
	+ After that, Andrew must shoot Tabitha to prevent her from killing Taylor.
* If Andrew decided to save Taylor, then after an unsuccessful attempt, he decides to shoot Tabitha.

He can use a gun, when Daniel fights David in the factory in Ruined, where he can fire one or two times.

If everyone died, he will use it to shoot himself in The End:

* If he fails to save Mary, Andrew will commit suicide, only if he made four or less shots.
* If Andrew tried to make fifth shot and failed during the game, he won't die in the end.
* If Andrew saved Mary, Megan will appear and stop him from suicide.

This Bearing will never start if the gun isn't found.

## Doctor Stokes

### Scenes

Bloodbath, The Assault, The Horror, Daylight

### Affected Characters

Clarice, Eric, Nick, Rachel, Salim

This bearing starts in Bloodbath and documents whether the infected Clarice will be abandoned or the group will spare her. The bearing ends with Clarice eventually turned into a vampire, to which she started to attack the protagonists, possibly killing some of them.

## Ultraviolet

### Scenes

Slayer, The Truce, Bloodbath, The Assault, The Horror, Strange Aeons, The Vault

### Affected Characters

Eric, Rachel, Nick, Salim

This bearing starts in Slayer, documenting whether Salim successfully fights off the vampire and discovers their vulnerability to sunlight. If he did so and then gets captured by the Americans in The Truce while Eric is alive, or successfully killed a creature with Nick in The Truce while Eric joined Nick in Slayer, then Eric will learn about the effects of the UV wand on the creatures. He and other characters will then be able to use it in numerous subsequent chapters.

## Air Support

### Affected Characters

Eric, Merwin, Salim, Rachel, Jason, Nick

This bearing starts during The Briefing when Eric is asked whether to call air support or not. It then documents whether Merwin survives until The Signal to fix the radio or not. If both Eric requests air support and Merwin fixes the radio, then air support will arrive before the eclipse ends in Daylight to save the protagonists. This allows the final vampire fight in the chapter to be failed with no consequences. If Eric denies air support and Merwin dies before fixing the radio, then Salim will be able to return home to his son without being imprisoned. If only one of the two conditions are met, then Salim will not be able to return home but air support will not arrive before the eclipse ends.

## Infected

### Scenes

The Assault, The Horror, The Ancient One, Strange Aeons, Daylight, The End

### Affected Characters

Rachel, Eric

This bearing starts in The Assault or The Horror if Rachel gets infected or killed and infected. This can happen in The Assault if Rachel is grabbed by a Vampire and fails QTEs, or in The Horror if Rachel is not saved by Salim or when attempting to save Eric, she fails the QTE to dodge the The Ancient One's spear. It documents the progress of her infection and whether it was cured or if she became a vampire.

## Until Death

### Scenes

The Briefing, Pazuzu, The Temple, Breaking Up, The Assault, The Horror, The Ancient One

### Affected Characters

Rachel, Eric, Nick

This bearing starts in The Briefing and documents whether Rachel and Eric will rebuild their relationship, Rachel will reject Eric's attempts to start over and choose Nick, or instead choose nobody. The bearing ends in The Ancient One with Rachel choosing Eric, Nick, or rejecting both.

## Semper Fi

### Scenes

The Raid, The Truce, Bloodbath, The Horror, Enemy of My Enemy, Brothers, The City, Semper Fi, Daylight, The End

### Affected Characters

Jason, Salim

This bearing starts during The Raid and documents the relationship between Salim and Jason. The bearing starts with Salim witnessing whether Jason killed the fleeing shepherd or not.

## The Ancient One

### Scenes

Cursed, The Horror, The Ancient One, The Vault, Semper Fi, Daylight

### Affected Characters

Balathu, Kurum, The Ancient One

This bearing starts in Cursed and documents which false protagonist in the prologue dies first, Balathu or Kurum, and which is attacked by the vampire off-screen. It documents whoever became infected and then notes their appearances later on.

## Blood

### Scenes

The Raid, Breaking Up, Slayer, The Truce, The Signal, The Horror, Enemy of My Enemy, The Ancient One, The City, The Vault

### Affected Characters

Jason, Nick, Eric, Salim

This bearing can start in The Raid. Jason, Nick, Salim, and Eric can get injured at certain points in the game, which has consequences later on. One character will be healed by Nick in Strange Aeons if he found Joey's medkit in Slayer and did not use it in the same chapter, with the priority being Jason > Salim > Eric > Nick.

The following interactions cause an injury:

* Jason will take an injury by being shot in the shoulder if:
	+ Salim shoots him in The Raid.
	+ He accompanies Nick in Slayer and Nick fails the second QTE during the firefight with Dar after failing to shoot Dar or rushing.
	+ Salim shoots him in The Truce.
	+ Nick fails to shoot at Dar in the beginning of the firefight in The Signal.
* Salim will take an injury by being scratched in the chest if:
	+ He alerts the vampire and fails QTEs to dodge its attacks in The Truce.
	+ He fails to shoot at any vampire that jumps toward him in The Horror.
	+ He fails to fight the vampire in Enemy of My Enemy.
	+ Jason fails to push him aside as a vampire charges at them in The City.
* Nick will take an injury by being cut, shot, or bitten in the arm if:
	+ He fails too many QTEs during the firefight with Dar in Slayer, though he will heal it immediately if he picked up the medkit.
	+ He alerts the vampire and fails QTEs to dodge its attacks in The Truce.
	+ He will be automatically injured at the beginning of The Ancient One if he did not get injured previously.
		- He will also receive an additional wound either from a bite from vampire Rachel (Eric died or escaped) or a cut from The Ancient One (Nick fails QTE to kick the Ancient One into the pit).
* Eric will take an injury by being shot or bitten in the shoulder if:
	+ Dar is alerted to his and Rachel's location in Breaking Up and he fails the first QTE to dodge Dar's gunshots.
	+ He accompanies Nick in Slayer and Nick fails the second QTE during the firefight with Dar after failing to shoot at him or rushing.
	+ He fails the first QTE to restrain vampire Rachel in The Ancient One.

Consequences of unhealed injuries take place in The Vault. If Nick is injured, he will bleed on the way to plant the bombs and a vampire will wake up and stalk him. He must complete a Keep Calm segment that, if failed, will require him to do QTEs if he chooses to retreat instead of advancing to the mother lode. Failing those QTEs can lead to his death, though the second one can be failed with him surviving if Eric gave him the UV wand. If Nick approached the mother lode, successfully planted bombs, and the survivors went in to rescue Nick, then if Salim, Jason, or Eric is injured, they will bleed on the ground, forcing the survivors to take a longer route and allowing The Ancient One to kill Nick if Nick doesn't have the stake.

## Hotel Guests

### Affected Characters

Jeff, Marie

This bearing starts in The World's Fair Hotel and documents the activity as well as the fate of the couple. The bearing ends in Scouting with their possessions being able to be found by Mark.

## Mr. Du'Met, I Presume

### Affected Characters

Du'Met

This bearing starts in Crew and documents Du'Met's involvement in the story of the game. This bearing also documents when the secrets Sherman Tape 1, Sherman Tape 2, School Letter, Sherman Tape 4, FBI Badge, Clipboard, and List of Aliases are found. If each of them were found and all protagonists are alive, the bearing's final update comes when the crew confronts Du'Met in Reunion.

## Young Love

### Scenes

Guests, Silver Ash, Reflection, Chase, The End

### Affected Characters

Erin, Jamie

This bearing starts in Guests and documents the relationship between Erin and Jamie.

## Bitter Rivals

### Affected Characters

Jamie, Kate

This bearing documents the relationship between Jamie and Kate. The bearing ends with either Jamie and Kate warming up to each other or Jamie and Kate still remaining as rivals.

## Breathless

### Scenes

Guests, Blackout, Silver Ash, Surgery, Breathless

### Affected Characters

Erin

This bearing starts in Guests and documents Erin's fate as well as one of her main items, the inhaler.

## Mysterious Creature

### Scenes

Morellos, Cliffside, Homestead, Lake, The End

### Affected Characters

Connie

This bearing starts in Morellos and documents the involvement of the dog Connie. The bearing ends with either the dog making out of the island alive or the dog being killed.

## Complicit

### Affected Characters

Charlie, Erin

This bearing starts in Cigarettes and documents the shady acts of Charlie. The bearing ends in Reunion with the group trusting Charlie or leaving him to die.

## Signal Help

### Affected Characters

Charlie, Erin, Jamie, Kate, Mark, Connie, Du'Met

This bearing starts in Reunion and documents the activision of the lighthouse for help. The bearing ends in Lake with a state officer arriving at the scene, only to be killed by Du'Met.

## Trivia

* Bearings in *Man of Medan* and *Little Hope* look like compasses, meanwhile in *House of Ashes* and *The Devil in Me* they look like crows.
* Some bearings in version 1.00 of *Little Hope* had different names:
	+ "Team Taylor" is called "Feel Like One of the Team"
	+ "The Stranger" is called "Old Friends"
	+ "Deeper Understanding" is called "Patience is a Virtue"
	+ "Authority Figure" is called "Leader of the Pack"