Dead Space: What Happens In the Remake’s Secret Ending?

This article contains Dead Space spoilers.

The Dead Space remake is here and (spoilers) it’s very good. While the remake actually features a number of clever changes, the biggest addition to the game may very well be its (further spoilers) secret ending.

Dead Space‘s secret ending probably won’t shock franchise fans, but it’s a fascinating alternate conclusion that may have something to say about the future of the series. Before you can see it, though, you’ll need to unlock it. Here’s how you do just that.

Dead Space Remake: How to Unlock the Secret Ending

To unlock Dead Space‘s secret ending, you first need to unlock the remake’s New Game+ mode. To access that mode, you simply need to beat the base campaign on any difficulty and under any conditions. From there, you’ll be able to play through the remake’s New Game+ campaign, which allows you to retain your previously unlocked weapons and upgrades but does feature new and more challenging enemies.

That’s not the only thing you’ll find in Dead Space‘s New Game+ mode, though. Spread throughout that optional campaign are hidden objects called “Marker Fragments.” You’ll need to unlock all 12 Fragments in order to see the secret ending. The bad news is that you can easily miss these Fragments. The good news is that you can backtrack to collect them before you beat the New Game+ campaign. Even still, it’s best to collect them in order if at all possible.

Dead Space Remake: Every Marker Fragment Location

For the most part, you’ll find one Marker Fragment in every chapter of the game. However, some chapters have no Fragments and a couple of chapters have multiple Fragments. Again, your best bet is to keep an eye out for them as you play rather than try to circle back to them later.

Marker Fragment 1 Location

Found in the Maintenance Bay Office during Chapter 1. Melee attack the bookcase next to the Data Board, and you should find the first Marker Fragment.

Marker Fragment 2 Location

Head to Dr. T. Kyne’s office in Chapter 2. There, you’ll find another shelf that looks similar to the one you had to break to find the first Marker Fragment. This time, though, you’ll need to use your Kinesis ability to move the shelf and find the second Fragment.

Marker Fragment 3 Location

During Chapter 3, locate the Power Sub-Station 03 area. That area should be identified via a sign on the wall. In the back of that area (behind the sign), you’ll find a Fragment sitting in a corner.

Marker Fragment 4 Location

In Chapter 4, look for the Break Room area. If you can’t find it, look for a “Break Room” sign next to a door on the third floor of the bridge. In the Break Room, you’ll see the Fragment near some suspiciously placed candles.

Marker Fragment 5 Location

Enter Dr. C. Mercer’s Office during Chapter 5, and you’ll find a Marker just sitting inside. It’s pretty hard to miss this one, and it’s the first Fragment a lot of players may find casually.

Marker Fragment 6 Location

Also found in Chapter 5, you’ll find this Fragment in the cryogenic freezing chamber on the Medical Deck. You’re going to reach this area as part of the main story, but the Fragment itself is easy to miss. Look at the top of the cryo chamber, and you should see it. You’ll need to use Kinesis to bring it closer to you, though.

Marker Fragment 7 Location

During the section of Chapter 6, when you’re asked to inject the Wheezers, keep an eye out for this Fragment piece stuck in the corner of a nearby room. You should be able to most easily spot it around the time that you’re near Wheezer 6 or 7.

Marker Fragment 8 Location

When you’re asked to find the Beacon in Chapter 7, keep an eye open for the Security Clearance Level 3 area. There, you’ll find the Mineral Samples room. In that room, you should see a Fragment sitting on top of a shelf.

Marker Fragment 9 Location

During Chapter 8 when you’re trying to activate the Comms Array, keep an eye out for a sign that identifies the Communication Control Panel. To the left of that sign is an infected section of the wall. You’ll find the Fragment in that section.

Marker Fragment 10 Location

Weirdly, there’s no new Marker Fragment in Chapter 9. Instead, you’ll need to reach Chapter 10 and wait until you’ve reached the elevator. After you’ve gained access to the elevator in that area, head to level B and use the circuit breaker. That should open the door to the Deluxe Bunks section. There, you’ll find the Fragment on top of a desk.

Marker Fragment 11 Location

This Fragment is also found in Chapter 10. After you’ve spoken to Terence Kyne, head to the Inquiry Desk room. There, you’ll find a Fragment sitting on the desk.

Marker Fragment 12 Location

The final Marker Fragment is thankfully pretty easy to find. Once you’ve reached the Cargo Bay in Chapter 11, keep an eye out for a shelf in the southern part of the room. You should find the final Fragment on that shelf.

Once you have all 12 Fragments, head to the Crew Deck and look for the Executive Quarters. In the Captain’s Quarters area, you’ll find twelve pedestals. As you’ve probably guessed, you need to insert the Fragments into those pedestals. From there, you just need to finish the New Game+ campaign in order to see the secret ending.

Dead Space Remake Secret Ending Explained

In order to appreciate the significance of the Dead Space secret ending, you first need to know what happens in the base (or “original”) Dead Space ending.

In that ending, Issac defeats the Hive Mind and makes it back to his ship. As he is escaping, though, he is seemingly attacked by a mutated version of Nicole in one of the great jump scares in gaming history. The game cuts to credits shortly thereafter.

In the secret ending, Issac also defeats the Hive Mind and makes it back to his ship. This time, though, he is not attacked by Nicole. In fact, an apparently mutated version of Nicole asks Issac if they’re going home because there is “so much work to do.” Issac replies, “Soon, I promise. Gotta build a little something first.” Nicole (such as she is), then approaches Issac in an embracing manner and asks if that something is for her. As she puts her hand on Issac’s shoulder, he says “It’s a surprise, sweetie. But I think you’re going to like it.”

If you never played the original Dead Space 2, that ending probably seems like quite the departure from the original finale. However, that’s not entirely true. Actually, we later learn that Issac wasn’t attacked by Nicole at all. He was actually hallucinating as a result of the combined effects of the Markers (which created the Necromorphs) and…well, everything he went through. In fact, Dead Space 2 opens with Issac confined to a hospital. He’s been there for three years and has no memory of what happened between the end of the first game and the opening of the second.

At present, it seems like this secret ending is intended to bridge the gap between the end of Dead Space and the beginning of Dead Space 2. The secret ending supports the idea that Issac wasn’t just crazy at the end of Dead Space but was being controlled by the Markers to do their bidding and spread their influence.

As others have pointed out, this ending not only makes up for the fact that Dead Space veterans already know the original ending’s jump scare is coming but helps address some earlier logic gaps. After all, there’s a good chance the original Dead Space team didn’t know that they’d get the chance to make a sequel or what they’d even do with that eventual sequel. This secret ending seems to confirm that the Dead Space remake team intends to honor the lore of the second game and wanted to connect the titles a bit more cleanly.

At least that’s what we think it means. With any luck, we’ll know for sure if and when we get a Dead Space 2 remake.