All Ending Requirements in Cairn

Cairn has a lot to offer, from difficult and adventurous rock-climbing to a very well-written and meaningful story, but that story goes a bit deeper when you factor in the two different endings. Each one is the result of a choice you'll make for Aava, whether she should finish her journey or call it quits and head home.

It's a pretty powerful moment in the game, and in all honesty, it seems to be an ending much like Expedition 33, where neither one is exactly perfect. At best, what you can hope for is bittersweet, or perhaps you'll feel a bit differently about how the endings work.

This guide will walk you through how to get both endings and what rewards you'll get for finishing them. It'll also have a few tips and tricks to make things a bit easier for you, but you'll still have to do all the climbing yourself.

How to Get Both Endings?

Getting both endings in Cairn is actually surprisingly easy. You won't have to jump through a bunch of hoops to figure it all out, and you won't need to start all over from scratch when you do them in a specific order.

You may want to take a little break after all the emotions get to you, but other than that, you'll be able to load right back up and make a different choice to get both endings. While you technically don't need to play again, it can be good to run through the story again just to see what you missed or maybe try a different path up the mountain.

Below you'll find a little outline that tells you exactly how to get both endings, and while you're welcome to do them in any order you'd like, it is recommended to do them in the order presented. Doing them out of order may require you to restart your climb rather than giving you the opportunity to continue from your choice.

Leaving the Mountain

When Marco asks what Aava's plan is, she'll be given two options; for this one, pick the option to leave the mountain. This will trigger a cutscene lasting a few minutes that sees Aava and Marco make their way down the mountain.

After that ends, another cutscene will play out with Aava sitting on her bed, looking a bit solemn. It's pretty clear that while she may not regret her choice to leave the mountain, she does feel like she gave up right at the finish line.

Whether this is the happy ending or the bad ending is up to you to decide, but either way, you'll receive the achievement Home for going back down with Marco. Once you do that, you can head back to the game select screen, and you should be able to pick up from that choice, no problem.

Finish the Climb

This is where the game gets real, and you'll have a few more choices to make before you can actually finish your climb. You'll speak to Damas again, who will allow you to either shoot down a fellow climber's corpse or leave it dangling on the mountain.

There doesn't seem to be much impact on that choice beyond your personal preference. You'll head back up to the insanely icy mountainside and begin the final part of your journey.

This part of the climb is incredibly annoying. You won't have any resources to gather, and you'll be pretty much at the mercy of the mountain. You'll want to bring at least a few things, like:

• Bottles of Water
• Herbs
• Food
• Finger Tape

Outside the essentials, you don't need much else. The climb will be pretty difficult, and you'll have a hard choice to make about halfway up the mountain. Your climbbot won't be able to go on, and you'll have to decide whether to cut them loose or carry them yourself.

Cutting them loose is probably the better choice, but only if you're a heartless monster and want to get rid of the one thing still by your side. You can still finish the climb without much trouble if you choose to drag it along anyway.

Once you finally reach the summit, there's just one thing left to do: climb the stars in the sky. It's a not-so-subtle way to indicate that this is the real ending and the one you can't come back from. Aava reached her summit, but she did so alone. You'll also receive the Part of a Whole Achievement.

This indie game really didn't pull any punches when it comes to writing, although for many, it's probably a little slow. For those who managed to stick it out and see both endings, the game presents a very meaningful question: Is reaching the summit worth it?