The four Tenebris Somnia endings are SOLVE ET COAGULA, MAGNUM OPUS, VIVUS EX MORTIBUS and RENUNTIATIO. Steam numbers them from 1 to 4; the last two are hidden achievements. This overview helps you choose a route, preserve useful progress and check the outcome without revealing the decisive actions until you open a spoiler section.
Tenebris Somnia endings at a glance
| Number | Steam achievement | Hidden on Steam | Detailed guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SOLVE ET COAGULA | No | Ending 1 |
| 2 | MAGNUM OPUS | No | Ending 2 |
| 3 | VIVUS EX MORTIBUS | Yes | Ending 3 |
| 4 | RENUNTIATIO | Yes | Ending 4 |
Use these numbers when comparing guides or reporting a problem. “Good,” “bad,” “true” and “secret” are player-facing descriptions, not four additional achievements. An author discussing a “true ending” may mean a particular numbered result rather than a separately named fifth outcome.
Steam establishes the names and numbering. The developer’s official puzzle guide explains the main branch, and a developer discussion reply confirms how main-ending replays differ from the third route. Detailed hidden-route instructions also rely on the identified gameplay sources. This site has not personally played or inspected your installed build.
Before opening a route guide
Check that you are playing the full game. A demo stopping point is not one of these four completed full-game endings. Record the ending you actually received, rather than the route you intended to follow. Your game and Steam account provide the unlock evidence; a tick in the local tracker records only your own note.
If you want an initial playthrough with fewer spoilers, leave the following disclosures closed. If you want to plan completion, read the relevant disclosure before advancing. The useful warning is about preserving the correct game state, not about memorizing every story event or copying someone else’s save filename.
Reveal the main-ending branch and save plan
Compare Endings 1 and 2
The developer’s puzzle guide, section 26, places the choice after the knife becomes Aurifer. With no Relicta killed using that knife, the main route leads to the Lacuna finale and SOLVE ET COAGULA. Killing at least one Relicta with Aurifer leads to the Hermes finale and MAGNUM OPUS.
| Check | Ending 1 | Ending 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Knife preparation | Obtain Aurifer | Obtain Aurifer |
| Late Relicta condition | Preserve the no-kill branch | Confirm at least one kill with Aurifer |
| Finale associated with the branch | Lacuna | Hermes |
| Result to verify | SOLVE ET COAGULA | MAGNUM OPUS |
Keep a distinct save after obtaining Aurifer and before killing any Relicta with it. The developer explicitly says the two main outcomes can be obtained by returning to a previous save; a complete replay is not required merely to select the other main branch. The save must actually precede the action. Renaming a later save does not restore its earlier state.
A practical order is to complete the no-kill route, confirm its result, reload the untouched branch save and complete the kill route. This is planning advice, not a compulsory order or a speedrun route. If you already chose Ending 2 first, an intact earlier save can still serve the same purpose.
Do not confuse the one-kill branch with Heart of Lead, the separate achievement for eliminating every Relicta. Nor should this specific condition be read as a full-game ban on required combat. A nonlethal hit’s behavior across all versions has not been independently established here; avoiding attacks is the conservative way to preserve the no-kill route.
Reveal hidden-route prerequisites and missable checkpoints
Compare Endings 3 and 4
The developer confirms that Ending 3 involves new items after completing Endings 1 and 2 and requires starting a new game. The cited hidden-ending guides also place Ending 4 after both main outcomes. Their specific instructions differ substantially:
- VIVUS EX MORTIBUS: collect the Bible in the new opening, complete three optional encounters for Iron Crosses before their ordinary puzzle windows close, then enter the secret route.
- RENUNTIATIO: use the Apartment Key at the building’s front entrance during the prepared new opening, rather than following the ordinary upstairs route.
The third route has checks on Floor 2, Floor 1 and Floor 0. Read its dedicated checkpoint guide before solving the normal TV, projector-lock and camera-area progression. A late Aurifer save does not move those earlier opportunities into reach.
The fourth route is an early exit with a different objective; it does not require completing the three-cross route first. Consult RENUNTIATIO for the exact target door. The developer’s brief comment about Ending 4 does not itself publish those detailed prerequisites, so they remain attributed to the gameplay guides.
“Start a new game” is the documented instruction. It does not establish an officially named New Game+ menu, item carryover, difficulty changes or transfer of all inventory. Keep those claims separate when comparing advice elsewhere.
Diagnose an unexpected result
First distinguish a different ending from an achievement notification problem. A different result calls for checking the route state inside the relevant disclosure. An expected result without an expected Steam unlock calls for checking the named achievement and current platform/version information. Those are separate problems; repeating the same final scene without identifying which one occurred may waste another attempt.
The official PC 1.0.1 patch notes describe retry handling for achievements unlocking simultaneously. That is a specific documented fix, not proof that every missing unlock has that cause or that every console runs an identical build. Retain your useful saves and report the exact achievement, platform, displayed version and observed outcome if the mismatch persists.
Choose the next useful page
Use the individual ending pages for action-level checks, the Aurifer guide for knife preparation, and the achievement guide for goals that are independent of finishing a numbered ending. Older articles describing only two endings cover the main pair; they do not override the four official achievements. Conversely, four outcomes do not mean four completely separate full-length campaigns.
This page deliberately does not estimate a minimum completion time or promise a one-run platinum route. Its purpose is to identify the branch you need and the evidence that confirms it, while keeping final story details optional.
Sources & corrections
This guide is written from the sources below and reviewed for consistency. We do not claim a personal playtest. Source-check dates describe evidence review; the updated date above describes changes to this page.
Version scope: unknown — full-game references source-checked 2026-10-24. Follow the stated full-game or demo scope; exact installed builds and platform parity are not assumed.
- Steam — official achievement schema ↗ — source checked 2026-10-23
- Destructoid — all endings and hidden routes ↗ — source checked 2026-10-23
- NoobFeed — all four endings ↗ — source checked 2026-10-23
- Into Indie Games — Desiderium and ending walkthrough ↗ — source checked 2026-10-23
- Steam — developer-linked Puzzle and Boss Guide, main endings section ↗ — source checked 2026-10-24
- Steam — El Oshcuro developer reply on ending replays ↗ — source checked 2026-10-24
- Steam — developer-pinned PC 1.0.1 patch notes ↗ — source checked 2026-10-24
Found a different result? Send a correction with the guide URL, game version and the affected step.