This War of Mine: How to Get the Good Ending

In a world ravaged by war, surviving can feel like the ultimate victory, but in This War of Mine, survival isn’t enough. The game’s harrowing atmosphere, combined with gut-wrenching moral decisions, creates a space where "good" and "bad" blur. Getting the good ending isn’t just about living—it’s about living with your conscience intact, ensuring that your survivors are not just physically but also emotionally and morally safe. This article will dive deep into strategies, moral decisions, and key gameplay aspects to help you navigate to the best possible outcome in This War of Mine.

The game is not designed to have a neatly packaged happy ending. However, achieving what can be termed a "good ending" is based on ensuring your characters' survival, making ethical choices, and leaving them in a state where they have hope for the future. But how can you balance basic survival, resources, and emotional well-being? Let’s break down how to secure that elusive good ending.

1. The Importance of Moral Decisions

One of the key mechanics that sets This War of Mine apart from other survival games is its complex moral decision-making system. Unlike traditional games where actions are black and white, This War of Mine confronts players with morally grey choices. These choices don’t just affect the player; they have a significant impact on the mental state of your survivors, which in turn affects the game’s outcome.

For instance, robbing an elderly couple for resources might seem like a necessary evil when your team is starving, but it will likely weigh heavily on the survivor who performed the act, leading to depression and eventual suicide if left unchecked. This means that to get the good ending, you must avoid making decisions that compromise the integrity and humanity of your group.

Here’s how you can achieve that:

• Help Others: By assisting others, whether it’s giving away some of your resources or helping strangers, your characters feel a sense of purpose. These small acts of kindness help maintain their mental well-being, which is crucial for securing a good ending.

• Avoid Unnecessary Violence: Killing or harming others unnecessarily has long-term psychological effects on your survivors. For example, defending your shelter is necessary, but going out of your way to attack civilians or other helpless people will drastically hurt your chances of a good ending.

2. Survivors’ Well-Being: A Balancing Act

The good ending is not simply about making moral choices. You must ensure your group’s physical and emotional health. This means balancing nutrition, health care, shelter quality, and mental health.

• Food and Hunger: Always have a steady food supply, even if it means trading away rare items. Starvation not only weakens your survivors but also pushes them toward making unethical choices. Gardens, animal traps, and regular scavenging trips are essential. Keep an eye on water levels as well; water is essential for cooking and making herbal remedies.

• Health and Medicine: Keeping your survivors healthy is a top priority. Injuries or illnesses left untreated will worsen and may lead to death. Use bandages, medications, and herbal remedies whenever needed. If possible, upgrade your shelter to include a herbal workshop to produce your own medicines, reducing your reliance on trading or scavenging.

• Mental Health: Pay attention to your survivors’ emotions. Depression can lead to inactivity or worse, suicide. The game does an excellent job of showing the effects of trauma—combat fatigue, hopelessness, and stress all contribute to a survivor's emotional breakdown. Playing the guitar, listening to the radio, or providing books can improve the morale of your group.

3. Strategy: Preparing for the Long Haul

To reach the good ending, your strategy should always be focused on sustainability. The war lasts a long time, and resources become scarcer as time progresses. That’s why you must think long-term:

• Shelter Upgrades: Prioritize upgrading your shelter early in the game. Invest in beds to avoid the "tired" debuff, stoves for efficient cooking, and water collectors to avoid running out of water. Each of these small upgrades will pay off in the long run, keeping your group healthier and less prone to illness.

• Resource Management: Be smart with what you scavenge and craft. Save your most precious resources for building essential items like heaters for the winter and reinforcements to protect your shelter from looters. Trading can help you get what you need, but be sure to avoid trades that leave you vulnerable in one area for the sake of luxury items.

• Scavenging Trips: Each night, you have the opportunity to scavenge locations for resources. However, some locations are more dangerous than others, and sending your survivors to high-risk areas can result in injury or death. Choose wisely and prioritize essentials like food, medicine, and materials for crafting. Send survivors who are best equipped for the task at hand.

4. Building Relationships with NPCs

As you progress through the game, you’ll encounter various non-playable characters (NPCs) who may either be a threat or an ally. Building positive relationships with these NPCs is critical for the good ending. Often, these characters can offer vital assistance or valuable trade deals, or they might provide moral boosts to your survivors.

• Neighbors: Your neighbors may come to you seeking help. Even if you are low on resources, consider giving them something. These small acts of charity can build goodwill and may result in them helping you later in the game.

• Neutral Factions: When encountering neutral factions, avoid provoking conflicts. These groups can often offer trade opportunities or may leave you alone if you don’t threaten them.

5. Ending the War and Securing Peace

The length of the war is randomized in This War of Mine, but as the conflict drags on, the tension escalates, and survival becomes harder. The good ending occurs when peace is achieved, and your survivors are physically healthy, mentally stable, and morally intact.

This is a summary of the most critical steps to achieving the good ending:

• Avoid immoral decisions like robbing the helpless or killing civilians.
• Maintain morale through acts of kindness, providing books, and other small luxuries.
• Keep your survivors healthy by ensuring they have access to food, medicine, and warmth.
• Trade wisely to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
• Build alliances with NPCs to make survival easier in the long run.

In the end, the good ending in This War of Mine isn’t a reward in the traditional sense. It’s about making it through the war with your humanity and spirit intact. You’ll likely have to make some sacrifices along the way, but by focusing on moral decisions, emotional well-being, and long-term strategy, you can bring your survivors out of the war with hope for the future.

Conclusion

Achieving the good ending in This War of Mine is more than just a mechanical victory—it's an emotional one. By balancing the physical needs of your survivors with their emotional and moral well-being, you not only survive but create a story of resilience and human decency in the face of adversity. So, while you may not come out of the war unscathed, you'll come out with your soul intact.