Destinies is the relationship-network engine driving every survival flag and ending in Directive 8020. It replaces the simpler Bonds system from earlier Dark Pictures entries with a fully bidirectional, continuous-value matrix. If you've heard the game described as "relationship-driven" — this is the system being talked about.
How Destinies works
- Each pair of protagonists has a shared trust score ranging from -3 to +3.
- Dialogue choices nudge a score by ±1 (rarely ±2 for major decisions).
- Successful shared QTEs (one character helping another) bank +1 silently.
- Witnessed events — e.g. lying in front of a third character — propagate to that observer's pair score.
- At the start of Episode 7 every pair score is cashed out as a binary survival flag.
Pair score → outcome map
| Pair score (Ep 7 entry) | Effect |
|---|---|
| +3 (max) | Both characters defend each other; unlocks unique cinematic. |
| +1 to +2 | Standard survival — death gate opens but is winnable. |
| 0 | Death gate opens with reduced QTE margin. |
| -1 | One character refuses to help — partner goes alone into their gate. |
| -2 to -3 | Hostile — one character may sabotage or abandon the other. |
Key pairs to track
- Brianna ↔ Akin — gates the Episode 7 mutiny vote and Endings B / D.
- Brianna ↔ Thomas — gates Episode 4's romantic scene and Thomas's Episode 8 survival.
- Naomi ↔ Riley — feeds Episode 5's loadlifter rescue success rate.
- Akin ↔ Thomas — quiet but decisive in Episode 7's defensive wave order.
How to read the system without UI
- Body language — characters with negative pair scores stand further apart in cut-scenes.
- Dialogue tone — "you're sure about this?" delivered flatly = neutral / negative score.
- Cut-scene framing — high-trust pairs share frames; low-trust pairs are cut between.
Destinies + Turning Points
The two systems work together. Turning Points let you rewind one bad Destinies-impacting choice per chapter; Bearings warns you which choice carries the biggest pair-score consequence. The save-everyone route is essentially the optimal Destinies trajectory.
FAQ
What is the Destinies system in Directive 8020?
Destinies is the new relationship-network mechanic. Every protagonist tracks a numerical trust score with every other protagonist; choices, dialogue and shared QTE successes nudge those scores. Survival flags and ending availability are derived from the matrix at Episode 7.
How is Destinies different from Until Dawn's relationship system?
Until Dawn tracked individual character traits with binary fail-states. Destinies tracks bidirectional pair scores with continuous values, meaning a single character can have great relationships with some crew members and poor ones with others — and that asymmetry is what gates Endings B and D.
Can you see your Destinies scores in-game?
Not directly. There's no exposed UI; scores are visualised abstractly through dialogue tone and cinematic body language. Use this guide's matrix as the external readout.