Beholder Conductor Endings Guide

Half Measures (Intern)

Select Intern when starting a fresh file. Intern forgives late trains, search slips, and sparse compartment decorating — ideal for learning ticket fields and luggage order. Finish any surviving finale to pop the badge.

Speedrunners often pair Intern with Mars Aeternum because you do not need perfect ministry performance to reach Arnieo quickly. Conversely, Que Será Será on Intern is the recommended first "good" run: authority pressure stays manageable while you keep the cat fed.

Full Measure (Government Elite)

Government Elite tightens timers, fine thresholds, and passenger scrutiny. You must reach credits without a game-over arrest or bankruptcy — route choice inside the story does not matter for the achievement icon.

Attempt Elite only after you understand promotion pacing from the beginner guide. Many players do a Que Será Será rehearsal on Intern, then replay Elite for Full Measure using the same branch flags.

Early dependencies (stations 1–10)

Adopt the cat at Helmer Suburbs (Stowaway) and buy bowls, litter, and toy. Do not give Jack to Peter later. When Peter asks for drugs, pay for Choose Life-tier medicine if you also want that achievement — cheap pills get him fired but do not block the finale.

Complete Tom's Goodbye Blue Monday task and keep the Trainmaster's Key — surrendering it during "get rid of the cat" quests forces slower bomb handling at Arnieo.

Mid-game (first-class promotion)

Earn Nova Express promotion without burning authority on optional arrests you will regret. Refuse or ignore Michelle's intimate scene (Ummagumma is the opposite branch). Gather Frida Carr's bomb evidence (Strangelove) so the finale UI labels the device correctly.

During the VIP murder investigation, confide in Bart about the ambassador's affair (Bend Sinister), wait for him to sleep, and perform Sunrise, Parabellum — swap his service weapon for the gold trophy gun from the earlier officer quest.

Arnieo finale

After the last station cutscene, enter the locomotive car. Insert the Trainmaster's Key into the fuse housing and turn it right to disarm the trigger. Search the upper cabin drawer for the second letter if the scene prompts exploration — that epilogue beat confirms the reunion ending.

Requirements

You must have swapped Bart's gun (Sunrise, Parabellum) so the ambassador lives — the same prerequisite as Que Será Será. You also need a pistol in inventory when Sargas confronts you (Louise's reward gun or the gold trophy piece both qualify in most guides).

At Arnieo, when moving the fuse device, choose to drag it slowly toward the left / VIP corridor instead of disarming immediately. Sargas catches you, initiates a duel, and Winston dies in the firefight.

When to use this save

Collect Big Iron on a dedicated file after you already earned Que Será Será. Do not sacrifice your cat run — load an earlier promotion save, skip the affair, keep the gun swap, but intentionally botch fuse handling.

How to trigger

Reach Arnieo with or without the gun swap — this ending cares about movement speed, not Bart's pistol. When the fuse quest activates, drag the device quickly to the left toward the detention cars. The timer expires, the bomb detonates in Winston's hands, and credits roll on the sacrifice variant.

You do not need the Trainmaster's Key in the lock for this badge; in fact, losing the key earlier can narrow your Arnieo options toward drag-or-die outcomes.

Narrative context

Choose Chikhai Bardo when you want a bittersweet 100% completion without maintaining elite authority on a second cat run. Pair it with Half Measures on Intern for a low-stress unlock.

Trigger checklist

Do not complete Sunrise, Parabellum — leave Bart's real pistol in place so the ambassador assassination fires. Ignore or fail Frida's evidence chain if you want the story to lean fully dystopian.

At the locomotive, turn the fuse key left (arming) instead of right (safe). Confirm the detonation prompt. Credits roll on the bleakest timeline.

Achievement hunting tip

You can unlock Mars Aeternum and Half Measures together on a rushed Intern file with intentional sabotage. No cat, no affair, no gun swap — speed to Arnieo and choose left.

Layer 1 — New game difficulty

Intern → eligible for Half Measures. Government Elite → eligible for Full Measure. This choice never changes after the intro.

Layer 2 — Mid-campaign loyalty

Gun swap (Sunrise, Parabellum) decides whether Bart's plot kills the ambassador. Michelle's affair (Ummagumma) blocks Que Será Será. Cat custody (Stowaway vs Let It Go) gates family reunion tone. Trainmaster's Key from Tom decides whether you can turn the fuse in-place.

Layer 3 — Arnieo locomotive

Key inserted, turn right → Que Será Será (if layer-2 checks pass). Drag fuse slow left with gun → Big Iron. Drag fuse fast left → Chikhai Bardo. Key left without gun swap → Mars Aeternum.