Wrath of The Righteous Secret Ending Explained (In Detail)

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous places players in the mythical world of Golarion, where they are appointed Commander of the Fifth Crusade by the royals of the country of Mendev after surviving an attack by marauding demons that plague the land via the Worldwound, a mystical chasm that allows the evil spirits to teleport into the mortal world. From there, the Commander, who has mysteriously developed “mythic powers,” chooses from ten different Mythic Paths that help determine their skills and eventual fate. Along the way, players recruit new members to their party as they desperately attempt to close the Worldwound and seal away the demonic forces forever.

By the game’s conclusion, players discover that the Commander’s mythic powers are the result of shadowy experimentation by the half-succubus demonologist Areelu Vorlesh. The Worldwound is bound to both the Commander’s and Vorlesh’s soul, and one of the two must die inside of it for the Worldwound to finally close. As Wrath of The Righteous arrives at its dramatic climax, players will be treated to multiple endings depending on their actions and choices throughout the game, including a secret one that sees them ascending to godhood.

How Many Endings Does Wrath Of The Righteous Have?

Endings Depend On Mythic Paths And Choices

The 10 different Mythic Paths players can choose in Pathfinder provide 10 unique ending paths. From these 10 unique ending paths, all but the Legend and Swarm routes have three endings each, leading to a total of roughly 28 different endings in Wrath of the Righteous. For the Mythic Paths besides Legend and Swarm, the three variant endings are in part determined by how the player chooses to close the Worldwound. The Commander can either sacrifice themselves, sacrifice Areelu, or, after following a series of specific steps throughout the game, trigger Pathfinder’s secret ending which sees them (and, depending on their choices, their Wrath of the Righteous party members) undergo a dramatic apotheosis.

How To Get Pathfinder: WOTR’s Secret Ending

Players Must Navigate Complex Choices

The path to godhood in unlocking Pathfinder: WotR‘s secret ending isn’t an easy one. The Legend and Swarm routes don’t allow the player to undergo the Ascension ending, so players looking to take a crack at divinity should opt for any of the other eight Mythic Paths instead. Earning Areelu’s approval is crucial for achieving Ascension – of the possible seven approval points players can gain throughout their interactions with the half-demonic mage, five are required to unlock the hidden ending. The easiest way to begin the path to Ascension is by entering the Threshold location between the 15th and 21st of Gozran (Golarion’s fourth month) in the year 4717, as this will likely involve the least amount of crusade-related time skipping.

The player will need Nahyndrian Crystals to help complete the Ascension process. Only one is needed for the Commander to ascend, but players who want their whole party to accompany them will need five crystals for the group or six total if they want Areelu to ascend alongside them. Retrieving all six Nahyndrian Crystals requires defeating six Demon Lords in battle with a Midnight Bolt. Without the Treasure of Midnight Isles DLC, players who want to collect all six crystals must choose either the Trickster or Demon paths to fight Nocticula.

By Act 3, players should head to Areelu’s Lab and collect the first part of the Lexicon of Paradox and the Midnight Bolt. While in Areelu’s Lab, the Commander will encounter Suture, Areelu’s demonic servant. It is impossible to unlock the Ascension ending if players kill Suture, so he must be spared when confronted. The first part of the Lexicon of Paradox can be given to Queen Galfrey at the end of Act 3, but doing so will require players to return to her aid during Act 5 to retrieve the Lexicon, so for simplicity’s sake, the Commander can choose to keep the Lexicon for themselves.

There are four projects the player must complete (one in Act 3 and three in Act 5) to unlock Ascension. Before the conclusion of Act 3, players must study the Sword of Valor crusade research project, and while in Act 5, the Commander must study the Unusual Crystals, records of Pulura’s Stargazers, and finally return to Areelu’s Lab to gain three of the required approval points before obtaining Areelu’s Drafts, which must be studied afterward.

Finally, the player must venture to Iz and go to the Temple of Stone Manuscripts and kill Anemora to retrieve both the Glass and Crystal Keys (players should avoid going to the crusader camp first, as the Crystal Key will be destroyed and the Ascension ending therefore locked). After both keys are retrieved, players should arrive at the Threshold to unlock the secret ending.

What Happens In The Secret Ending

The Commander Ascends To Demigodhood

The Ascension ending arrives after defeating Areelu in combat and successfully passing a perception check regarding Suture and providing her with at least five reasons (corresponding to the approval points) to trust the Commander. Following this, the player must tell Areelu they want to join forces. The Commander’s knowledge of the Lexicon and four research projects will come into play here, as they must share their knowledge on all of them to convince her. Upon explaining their plan, the player should ask Areelu to summon both Baphomet and Deskari and show to the half-demon mage that they have both a Nahyndrian Crystal and/or a Midnight Bolt.

Upon Areelu’s summoning of the two Demon Lords, the player will battle Baphomet and Deskari simultaneously alongside her. As with the other four Demon Lords previously defeated, the Commander will need to use a Midnight Bolt on both bosses to collect the last two Nahyndrian Crystals. After defeating the final Demon Lords and finally retrieving all the required crystals, the Commander can then decide what Ascension they want to achieve, with four different paths presented to them.

The Commander can choose to solely ascend to divinity, ascend with Areelu, ascend with their companions, or use all six Nahyndrian Crystals and ascend with their companions and Areelu. Upon ascending, the Commander achieves the power of a demigod and lordship over an Abyssal realm that changes according to their whims.

Although achieving the secret ending in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a complicated process, players that take the steps to do so will reap ample rewards. The Ascension ending allows the Commander to maximize their Mythical Powers and attain a level of dominance previously thought impossible within Golarion. For players looking for an appropriately awe-inspiring ending to their long crusade, the Ascension into divinity might be the most fitting of them all.