Directive 8020 Guide: How to Save Everyone
Master the QTEs, outsmart the alien mimics, and keep your entire crew alive aboard the Cassiopeia.
Quick Answer: You cannot save Simms or Carter, but you can keep the rest of the crew alive by never missing a Quick Time Event (QTE), properly managing the power routing in Episode 2, sparing Williams, and identifying the correct clones during the mid-game trust checks.
Cheating Death on the Cassiopeia
Supermassive Games loves forcing players to make impossible choices, and their latest sci-fi horror trip is no different. Keeping the core crew alive through the entire campaign is a stressful balancing act. While the cast is relatively small, the margin for error is razor-thin. Missing a single button prompt or trusting the wrong doppelganger will instantly permanently kill a character.
Your golden rule for a flawless survival run is to hit every single QTE. Plenty of deaths are tied strictly to your reaction time rather than narrative choices, especially during the chaotic escape sequences in the final chapters. If you fumble your controller, you can rely on the rewind feature, but a true survival run requires complete focus.
If you want to see how keeping everyone breathing impacts the grand finale, make sure to read our complete guide on how to unlock every ending in Directive 8020.
Here is your comprehensive breakdown of the exact narrative choices you must make to keep Stafford, Mitchell, Cernan, Eisele, and Williams alive.
Early Game: Power Grids and Crash Landings
Your first massive butterfly effect happens during the “Power Games” chapter in Episode 2. Playing as Young, you have to reroute power from either the Landing Computer or Fire Control. This single choice directly threatens Stafford in Episode 3 and Mitchell in Episode 5.
Here is exactly how to handle both routes to ensure everyone survives:
| Power Reroute Choice | How to Save Stafford (Ep 3) | How to Save Mitchell (Ep 5) |
| Landing Computer | You must force Stafford to “Sit Down” when he tries to fix the landing gear. If he reboots the computer, he dies. | As Eisele, dodge Simms and manually turn Fire Control back on. If you fail, choose to save Mitchell during the fire. |
| Fire Control | Stafford can safely reboot the backup landing gear without dying. Let him do it. | Fire Control is already off. As Eisele, dodge Simms and activate it. If you fail, save Mitchell during the fire manually. |
Mid-Game: Doppelgangers and Flashforwards
Episode 6 is a meat grinder for your crew. The alien threat ramps up, and characters get separated.
The Double Injury Rule
Both Cernan and Eisele have flashforward encounters with alien mimics of Stafford and Williams. If either character took damage during those earlier scenes, they are currently marked for death.
Taking a second injury in Episode 6 triggers an unavoidable death cutscene. To prevent this, you must send the correct backup at the end of Episode 5. Send Eisele to back up an injured Cernan, and send Cernan to back up an injured Eisele. Keep them safe during the encounters, and they will pull through.
The Scanner Room Test
Later in Episode 6, you face a brutal scenario featuring two versions of Eisele. You have to figure out which one is the alien.
- Do not force them through the scanner. Choose the “Test” dialogue option instead to make them talk it out.
- When the prompt asks you who to shoot, pull the trigger on the Eisele you are currently controlling.
- The newcomer is the real Eisele. Trusting the newcomer keeps the real crewmate alive.
Right around this same time, you will also be tempted to shoot Williams. Do not pull the trigger. The scanner will quickly verify that he is perfectly human and just heavily sedated.
Late Game: Tau Ceti F and the Final Escape
Episodes 7 and 8 turn into a complete gauntlet. One wrong move here will wipe out the remaining survivors.
- The Fake Anders: In Episode 7, the alien tries to lure you away using a fake comms signal. Trust the original Anders contact listed on your PDA. Ignore the unknown contact entirely and follow the established path.
- The Geoscience Gauntlet: When returning to the infected ship, Young will get cut off. If you miss her QTEs in the Pod Room, she dies. Worse, if your active character dies in the Geosciences lab or the elevator, the entire Charybdis team gets wiped out. Stay sharp.
- Don’t Abandon Williams: In Episode 8, you get the option to leave Williams behind on the doomed ship. Take him with you.
- Saving Mitchell (Again): Mitchell gets locked out later in Episode 8. Let him inside immediately. Shortly after, a lifeform breaks a ceiling beam. You must nail the resulting QTE. If you fail, Mitchell shoves you out of the way and dies in your place.
- Never Run: Whenever the game gives you the option to run away or help a teammate, always choose to help. You will face a QTE to secure the rescue, but running guarantees a casualty.
- The Final Throw: The absolute last hurdle happens inside the SEV. A giant lifeform grabs the ship. Cooper grabs an oxygen tank to throw at it. Hit this final QTE, blow the creature out the door, and enjoy your perfect survival run.
