Outer Wilds

Outer Wilds

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"Ghosts in the Machine" Achievement Guide - Echoes of the Eye
By rat baby
WARNING. MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ECHOES OF THE EYE.

Walk through detailing how to obtain the "Ghosts in the Machine" achievement
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Intro and Thanks
"Ghosts in the Machine: Reach all 3 Forbidden Archives in a single loop without getting caught."

You'd think this involves a lot of playing hide and seek with pursuers, when in reality you rarely engage with them at all!
Follow this route I found, and the achievement should pop up as you take the elevator down to the final archive.

I hadn't seen an in depth guide for this achievement yet, so I decided to make it myself.

Massive thank you to Mr. Beartato, Kiwi, and Gir-nade for helping me improve the run and literally halving the execution time!
Originally it involved visiting all three archives without ever leaving the dream realm.
It was a lot slower and much more complex, but their advice helped make it what it is now.

Special thanks to Low Roar for testing a fix when an older version of this guide didn't work, sorry you had to end up going for this achievement four times in a row!
Walk Through Video
For a clearer demonstration, check out the video.

Archive #1: Hidden Gorge
When arriving at the stranger, use the secret lab's hole in the hull entrance so we have access to an artefact right away, and so we can get straight to the hidden gorge dreaming room.

Upon waking up in the endless canyon, head upstairs and look to the painting second from the exit on the left, we can jump straight through this paining giving us a shortcut to the totem light we need.

Blow it out, and it will turn off all the lights in the main building.

This will alert the strangers, normally you would sneak through the pitch black building, but instead we're going to head back through the painting, out the exit, and turn right towards the totem that activates the bridge when lit.

Once at the totem, head to the far right side of the cliffs to cross the invisible bridge that leads towards the elevator down to the pier.

Use the path around the back of the elevator to easily get to the bottom floor of the main building, at the bottom of the stairs head straight, you'll get chased by a stranger as you pass through the doorway where the mural used to be, but don't worry, it's scripted.

Head across the invisible bridge, and down the elevator to the archives.

(I put my lantern on the projector once I got here just to be certain that it counted as a visit, however this isn't necessary, since riding the elevator down is what the game counts as a visit).

Once in the archives, jump into the water to wake yourself up.
Archive #2: River Lowlands
Once back in the real world, go right back to sleep again.

When we arrive in the endless canyon a second time, head out the normal exit, and head right, we're going to cross the invisible bridge to the other side again.

Once across, use the elevator to head down to the pier, summon a boat and ride it into the tunnel.

When you're in the tunnel, and the endless canyon unloads behind you, jump off the boat.

We'll fall below the world, into the underground cavern where all the archives are located, the only one we have access to in this state is the shrouded woodlands archives, head there, it should be the place to the left of the large tower looking structure.

Hop down the rocks, over the small bridge and up the stairs to the projector.

VERY IMPORTANT be sure to hop into this archive's elevator, and ride it up to the top before riding it back down again, since riding the elevator down is what counts as a visit.

After this, jump into the water once more to wake yourself up.
Archive #3: Cinder Isles
This is it, the home stretch.

Back in the real world, head for cinder isles by jumping into the river and drifting over to the reservoir.

Hop on the raft lazily floating in the middle of the reservoir, we're going to need it so that we can be lifted up and over the dam.

Once dropped off over the other side, ride the river all the way down to cinder isles, and head inside the tower that contains the dreaming room.

VERY IMPORTANT be sure to throw yourself on the fire to enter the starlit cove dreamscape, instead of just sleeping by the fire.

Now that we're immune to the effects of the bell (thanks to our slightly less than alive status) we don't have to switch off the lights in this area, meaning our pursuers won't even know that we're here!

Head inside the complex and take a left, walk all the way over to the elevator, and ride it down to the ground floor, now make your way around to the gaping hole with the spiral staircase, we don't need to worry about the bell guarding it.

Walk down the spiral staircase, across the bridge into the very large room, there are a few strangers here, but stick to the left wall as you head down stairs and you should easily avoid them all, however be sure to stay on the right hand side of the last staircase, so that you don't miss the bridge at the bottom.

Head over the bridge and through the door at the far side of the room, down the staircase, past the bell, and into the elevator to the third and final archive room.
Congrats!
Enjoy your shiny new achievement! you earned it.

27 Comments
Sir T 29 Jun, 2024 @ 1:32am 
I was just going demented trying to get this part of the DLC done. I was finally through the singing lodge was down in the archive and then I turned the wrong way and jumped into the water. And didn't have time to get back because they were all dead and there was no-one to guide me... So, I'm going to do the whole thing by following these routes. Screw the "right" way...
ToeJam and Hurl 24 Jul, 2023 @ 9:40am 
Nice, Got it first try
flayman 29 Jan, 2023 @ 3:09pm 
This approach makes the achievement, described as one of the most difficult, actually very easy although still quite time consuming. I didn't know about the ledge in Endless Canyon to get across to the elevator. That really saves a lot of time. Before this I completed Endless Canyon by getting down to the raft before turning off the lights and then coming back on a raft after sleeping at a different fire. That's to have the elevator at the dock, but this way is even simpler.
CrazyJayBe 26 Jul, 2022 @ 11:27am 
Oh! You can WAKE UP?! Man, I thought you had to remain in the dream world the entire time! Yeah, there was no way I was going past 30 attempts with pursuers. I finally just set everything up with the first two by making access to the raft in each, then going to Hidden Gorge and killing myself into the simulation. Done.
Thylako 30 Dec, 2021 @ 2:13pm 
Thanks. got it first try. almost got "you can never catch me" in the same run"
Idsertian 22 Nov, 2021 @ 12:41pm 
@pelrun @6lancmange Similarly, you can use the bell to your advantage by flashing your lantern (un-conceal, conceal) so the bell tower illuminates your surroundings. The tolls aren't additive and reset between each detection. This works partway down the stairs, too, just be mindful not to fall off in the dark. I ran into a stranger there one time, but he might have been alerted by some other action of mine, as I never saw him in any other run.
Idsertian 22 Nov, 2021 @ 12:39pm 
@pelrun @6lancmange No it isn't, there's only one stranger between the elevator and the well. To do it "normally", you just lure him to the wooden walkways on the left of the path by briefly focussing the lantern at him from there. Then you rotate around the rock between you, and sneak by him in the dark with your lantern concealed whilst he investigates. You can briefly un-conceal the lantern for a quick glimpse of your surroundings if you're not confident in your direction, too, as it seems the detection range is much less for the regular light. Might take a couple of tries, but you'll get past him with little issue.
Kobest 2 Nov, 2021 @ 12:59am 
Thank you very much, this was very helpful! I don't think I would've found the invisible bridge in the Hidden Gorge (that leads you to the elevator), nor would I have thought about not extinguishing the lights for the forbidden archive with the bells.
Leland 19 Oct, 2021 @ 4:22pm 
This made it super easy. Not that I attempted it the normal way, but I'm sure it would've been a pain in the butt. Didn't know about that secret bridge in the dark realm cliffs. Nor that you could access one of the archives via jumping off the raft during the loading sections.
pelrun 14 Oct, 2021 @ 7:36am 
@6lancmange the path from the elevator is comprehensively guarded, you can't get through that way.