Guide for Life is Strange - Story walkthrough (2024)

NOTE: The events in this chapter will be experienced differently based on what happened at the end of Episode 2.

NOTE: Reading ahead will spoil the end of Episode 4

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Dark Room

You start the episode waking up in the dark room tied to a chair.

When you have control of the camera you can look to your left to see your diary on the table to the left of the shelves of folders.

NOTE: If you warned Victoria successfully in Episode 4; you can look to your left to see Victoria tied up on the floor, you can try and talk to her but she is out of it. If you didn't warn her or she didn't believe you, she's not in this scene.

You can see a trolley to your right, with various things on it - including a photograph of you, taken earlier by Mr Jefferson, which you can look () at. There are 4 points which are attached by, both hands and both legs. You need to detach () your right leg. Then you can pull () the trolley closer so you can use the photo to go back in time. Look () at the photo, then focus on the photo () and use and to focus the photo (lots of focusing) to travel back.

Dark Room - 1st Focus

You are on the floor in the dark room, earlier in the night, with Mr Jefferson taking photos of you, then doing a bunch of "explaining". This is the first time I noticed the edges of the photo properly, you can change what happens in the past, but are constrained by the limits of the photograph. Eventually Mr Jefferson complains about you moving too much and goes to get a new dose of sedative, you kick the trolley away, spilling the bottles over the folder. He then injects you, and the scene fades out.

Dark Room - After the Focus

You wake up back in the dark room in the chair again. The trolley is in front of you.

NOTE: If you warned Victoria successfully in Episode 4; she is on the floor and starting to stir. Talk to her () to find out how she got there. She remembers you warned her about Nathan, she says she went to Jefferson, but he was acting weird. If you didn't warn her or she didn't believe you, she's not in this scene.

You can see the remains of the broken bottle on the left of the room. The stained folder is on the bottom shelf, if you look at it () Max comments that because the photos are stained, she can now use them. The photos that were affected are now in front of Max (along with the previous photo and the camera). Look at the photos (), you are sitting in the chair in this one, and Max comments that she looks more awake. Focus on the photo () and use and to focus the photo to travel back again.

Dark Room - 2nd Focus

You're in the chair still, but it's earlier and Mr Jefferson is talking again - you ask him why he's doing this. Basically he's a world class creep. Nathan comes up in conversation, (depending on what choices you made in the previous episodes you may be blamed for setting up Nathan) and you find out more about Rachel Amber.

After the conversation, Jefferson puts on some music and goes to print out some photos. You are now "free" to explore, you can see your journal on the table to the left, you look at it () and comment about all the photos in your diary that could help. You get the little notification in the top corner that indicates there are new conversation options.

Rewind () to when Jefferson starts to turn away and () talk to him. Select the conversation option "my diary" (cn_A) and he will throw the diary on the floor in front of you, open on the page of the first selfie you took in the game. Focus on the selfie () and use and to focus the photo to travel back again.

Art Class - Focus

You are back in Art Class at the "beginning", just after you take the selfie. Jefferson is talking (you hear him mention the dark room - creepy premonition). Answer "Daguerreian Process" as the right answer, or pick one of the other responses for fun retorts.

You decide to warn David about Jefferson and the dark room. Look at your cell phone (), you need David's number. Look at your bag () to comment on having Blackwell brochures, search the bag () to get a pamphlet. Flip through the pages until you find David's number on the last page, use to view the text. Back out and use your cellphone () to text David.

You are free to explore the classroom now. Head over to the window where Kate is sitting and comfort her () (*hugs*). You now have the option to take a photo ().

Incandescent
Take optional photo #1 in Episode 5: Polarized
5 guides

Now head over to Victoria and Mr Jefferson, and give him the photo () for the competition. At the end of the conversation it fades out and the photos start changing.

Plane - Between Realities

You wake up on the plane to San Francisco on the Friday, all the events of the week having been erased and you having won the Everyday Heroes competition. You're sitting next to the headmaster. You look over at a newspaper with a headline that says that a local teacher was arrested and you get a text from Chloe! There are a few things you can look at (), the newspaper, the poster for the everyday heroes competition, the seat back TV (turn it on with ).

When you look at the principal's TV screen () the pilot announces that you are nearly there. You can then talk to Principal Wells (). You have another nosebleed after the conversation and then it fades into photos.

Art Gallery

You next come to entering the Zeitgeist Gallery. The principal advises you to talk to as many influential people as possible, gives you a pep talk and then heads to the buffet. You now get to explore the gallery.

Head right, down the stairs into a little room and see a camera on a bench behind a women looking at a set of photos. Pick up her camera and take a photo ().

Night Vision
Take optional photo #2 in Episode 5: Polarized
5 guides

Then head around the gallery and look at everything () and talk to everybody (). Leave your photo until last (you're on the back wall).

Look at your entry () to approach, you then clutch your head and flash back to the storm and the lighthouse. You shout Chloe's name and come to with another bloody nose. You then run off to make a phone call to Chloe, she's back in Arcadia Bay in the tornado. Head back upstairs to your picture, focus on it () and use and to focus the photo to travel back to the moment you took the competition entry photo.

Max's Room - Focus

You're back in your room having just taken the competition entry photo. You can't see much because you have such a limited area, reality is breaking down. Look at the photo (), and then tear it up (), to stop the previous timeline (you need to be in Arcadia Bay not San Francisco). Cut to another photo fade.

Dark Room - Confrontation

You're back in the dark room, not the classroom - but why? Turns out Jefferson found the torn up competition entry in your diary and burnt it along with all your photos - so you couldn't have gone back to that first day.

NOTE: If Victoria was there in the dark room, she's now "gone", eep.

The storm is raging outside.

Jefferson's Car

When you get up the stairs you get a signal and call Warren, he tells you that he's at the Two Whales diner with Joyce; so you get in the car and tell him you're coming there.

When you're in the car heading towards town, your phone buzzes with an answerphone message from Nathan. Oops, too little, too late.

Diner

Driving through town is rather scary due to the gigantic storm! The way is blocked so you have to stop. When you get out and head down the road, be careful of flying debris (you may need to rewind ).

There are several people you can save as you walk towards the diner, and several more that are sadly beyond saving.

The first person you come across is the trucker (Minor decision #3) - you can help him out () by lifting the debris.
You run into Evan going down the road as he gets hit in the head and dies (Minor decision #4), you should rewind () and help him () avoid the flying debris. If he's already dead when you get there, you can still rewind () and save him ().
You spot Alyssa in a destroyed building on the right, a little way after the trucker (Minor decision #5) - if you've helped her loads before then you'll need to rewind after you talk to her as she assumes something bad will happen and backs away, falling through the floor. You can use the plank () on the left to do help her down (then talk to her).
The fisherman (Minor decision #6) in the shop who gets electrocuted; see below.

Head down the road, and step over a pole ().

The path is blocked before you is now blocked, you need to enter a shop on the left to get past. But it is on fire, so you need to turn on the electricity to turn on the sprinklers. However, if you go to the fuse box and turn it on () immediately you electrocute the fisherman in the next room. However, you can't talk to him from the side you're on. To save him you need leave the fire out and head into the room he is in. Then rewind () to un-kill him, and talk to him (). Then lean through the window to turn the fuses on () and tell him to get out of here. Now the fire is out and you can head through the building around the debris to get to the diner.

You can't get in the front door, so you head around to the side. However, as you approach the diner it explodes! Rewind (), but obviously you cannot enter the side door until you find a way to stop the fire.

Head back round to the front of the diner. Outside the diner to the right of the door is a container of sand. Use that to stop the flames reaching the diner ().

Before you enter, look to the left of the diner to see a dead whale (on fire) that you can look at () and then take a photo of () - if isn't coming up you may need to move around or away until you've got the right angle.

Camera Obscura
Take optional photo #4 in Episode 5: Polarized
4 guides

Now, turn around and look at the truck on the roof next to the diner (on the right), move forward slowly until you can take a photo of it ().

Blowup
Take optional photo #5 in Episode 5: Polarized
4 guides

Now head back around to the right of the diner (you can check for the homeless lady first - if you talked to her and warned her in previous episodes, then she won't be there) and enter the side door ().

When you get inside the diner, Warren and Joyce come to great you, Frank is on the floor behind the counter (if he wasn't killed in Episode 4).

You can talk to Joyce (), and you can tell her about how David saved your life.
NOTE: If you sided with Chloe and kicked David out of the house in Episode 3, then you will be able to convince Joyce to believe in David again (Minor decision #7).

You can also talk to Frank (), the first thing he asks is about Rachel - you have to decide whether to tell him the truth or not (Minor decision #8).
NOTE: Obviously if you killed Frank in Episode 4 he wouldn't be here.

You can also explore the diner a little, have a sit down to contemplate what's happened and then talk to Warren (). He's a little confused that you drove all the way in a tornado for a photograph, so you tell him what is going on and all about your powers. You can either tell him about Chloe and he will say that going back in time caused the storm, or you can say that you know that you started the storm by using your powers.

Warren will put the photo on the counter, you try to focus on the photo (), but Warren interrupts and you need to make a decision about what to do next: just leave (), hug Warren () or kiss Warren () (Minor decision #9).

Then focus on the photo () and use and to focus the picture to go back to the parking lot before the party.

Parking Lot - Focus

You're back in the parking lot, and tackle hug Chloe. She then heads off to find Nathan, you stop her and now you have to try and convince her of the truth about Jefferson. You may need to rewind () if you can't convince her the first time.

*** Spoiler - click to reveal ***

Once you've convinced her, you need to get her to tell David everything and catch up the alternate you (as you won't remember). Another photo changing montage.

Beach

You come to on the beach with Chloe in the storm and she catches you up. As you go to head up to the lighthouse with Chloe you black out again.

Nightmare

You are back in the classroom again, at the very beginning. Suddenly birds start hitting the window, covering it in blood. Then the bell rings and the classroom is empty.

There are photos of you about the classroom, and stuff has subtly changed. Before you leave, make sure you look at the graffiti () on the desk from before, the one from Rachel. It changes, look at it again (). It changes again, and you will now be able to take a photo of it ().

Iris
Take optional photo #6 in Episode 5: Polarized
4 guides

Now head out of the classroom, and Mr Jefferson will stop you. There is now a very creepy conversation. Then he disappears. You can now leave the classroom.

You are suddenly in the girls' dormitories. You can hear crying and you see Kate outside her room crying at a memorial. You talk to her () and she will berate you on the choice that you made either saving her or not; then she opens the door to her room and falls.

Heading through any of the doors will put you back in the same corridor, and will also cause a key to appear on the table in the corridor on the right by the bathroom. Pick up the key ().

*** Spoiler - click to reveal ***

Head through the door that matches the number on the key (), and you are back in the corridor, but you are dressed in Rachel's clothes. You need to figure out which door to head through next, look at the map on the wall to the right of the entry door to find the appropriate room.

*** Spoiler - click to reveal ***

Head through that door (), to enter the corridor as Victoria. Use the map again to figure out the right door.

*** Spoiler - click to reveal ***

Go through the right door () and reappear as Max.

Before you go through any more doors, go down the corridor (on the right) where you found the key, look out of the window (which is now open) and take a photo of the really large squirrels ().

Sensor
Take optional photo #7 in Episode 5: Polarized
4 guides

Use the map again to figure out which door to go through.

*** Spoiler - click to reveal ***

Go through the final door to escape ().

You are in the corridor at school, but everything is going backwards (which is very cool).

When you get control, head towards the girls' bathroom, but first check out the skeleton in the corner opposite the door. As you face it you get a prompt to open your diary (), doing this will trigger a photo (the reverse of the usual procedure).

On Display
Take optional photo #8 in Episode 5: Polarized
4 guides

The follow the deer into the bathroom ().

You are now in the nightmare maze world in a gallery. There are multiple Jefferson's that you have to avoid, you can rewind () each time you are spotted to avoid him. You need to head towards the lighthouse, but first you need to go through the gallery maze. The exit is on the right of where you started, but behind a few walls, once you escape, head towards to the school parking lot area. You'll need to sneak behind the posters to avoid the spotlights. When you make your way through, you are in a maze of lockers with more creepy characters (including the headmaster and Samuel).

To find the photo you need to head over to the right, keep heading right around all the lockers (avoiding Samuel), and on the very edge you'll find Warren's locker, you need to open it first () and then you can take a photo () of the inside.

Light Meter
Take optional photo #9 in Episode 5: Polarized
4 guides

Then head towards the lighthouse again to get into the junkyard area with Frank and a bunch of cars. You will spot bottles. Go round in a clockwise direction to pick up all 5 of them (), they are pretty much out in the open, just don't sit on the bench by the lighthouse until you've found them all. The bottles are placed in four corners, on the red cars. The last bottle is in a small room with a chair (Rachel and Chloe's den). Once you have all of them (you will comment that you hope this is the last one), head towards the lighthouse, opposite the bench is a ledge with all the collected bottles, and you can take a photo () of them.

Silhouettes
Take optional photo #10 in Episode 5: Polarized
4 guides

If you've taken all the other photos at this point, you will also unlock

Selfie Awareness
Take all optional photos in Episode 5: Polarized
7 guides

This video playlist will give you a few hints if you've not sure of the right area (or have a look at the achievement solutions for extra hints).

Now sit down on the bench by the lighthouse ().

As the scene spins you are suddenly inside a snow globe in Chloe's house back when her dad (William) is alive, right before he leaves to die. You will also get a text from him ().

Then you are back in the dark room in what looks like pyjamas. Now various characters appear and their conversations are like something out of a paranoid nightmare. All of them are centred around Chloe, with Jefferson, Warren, Nathan, Victoria and sometimes her alone.

Then you are in a bathroom, look at the lock () on the door and there is a digital code you have to guess. The walls are covered in numbers, but if you look in the mirror only one code is reflected. Use the lock to enter the code () (Use the to enter the number and to apply it).

*** Spoiler - click to reveal ***

Then you can open the door (), to go into the Two Whales diner. Everybody is there in a weird tableaux. Head over to the table that you sat at with Chloe, and talk to the Max sitting there (). Chloe will enter during the conversation.

Now you're in the car, reliving the earlier conversation with Chloe. Then you are outside the car looking in.

Follow the road as it winds around through little tableaux of the past week, stop at each scene to have it play out, no interactions required.

Head towards the lighthouse, up the hill.

Cliff

When you get to the end of the road, you catch up to yourself and Chloe helping you up towards the lighthouse.

You and Chloe know that the storm was the result of the changes that you've made, that started with her saving Chloe. Chloe then hands you the photo of the blue butterfly from the bathroom that you took right before Chloe was shot. Chloe suggests that you goes back to to the beginning and undo it all. You are the only one who can make the decision.

You are then presented with the only major decision in the game: Sacrifice Chloe (), or Sacrifice Arcadia Bay (). (#1)

Then whichever your decision, watch out the final cutscene to unlock the final achievement (you can rewind this to see the other ending () or if you change your mind).

Polarized
Finish Episode 5: Polarized
1 guide

7. Story walkthrough - Episode 4: Dark Room

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