Death's Door: Here's How To Get The Secret Ending

There's nothing quite like a good secret ending in a video game. Just when you think you've seen all there is to see, a hidden passageway, shocking plot twist, or even more powerful and truly final boss reveals itself. Some secrets are even so well hidden that they weren't discovered for years. 

One game with a particularly intricate secret ending is "Death's Door." This isometric action-adventure won the hearts of many thanks to its simple but flashy combat, oodles of cleverly hidden details, lovely visuals, and, of course, feathery protagonist. It was even one of the 40 best Nintendo Games released in 2021.

If you've seen the end credits roll on "Death's Door" and thought you were finished, you may be surprised to learn there's quite a lot left for you to do in order to see the game's real ending.

To finish what is effectively the epilogue and see the true ending in "Death's Door," you must acquire seven different Ancient Tablets. Each tablet is obtained through wildly different means, and it's likely you've already taken some of the necessary steps to pick them up during the adventuring you've done so far. 

Shortly after the credits finish, there's a brief cutscene in which the Lord of Doors leaves a key behind while being dragged away. Said key unlocks the gate preventing you from accessing the Lost Cemetery's northern bell tower. Ringing the tower's bell plunges the world into night, making every tablet accessible. Seven red ghosts appear in the Lost Cemetery, and guiding each of them to a statue resembling the Lord of Doors opens a large, secret entrance on the southern beach. Inside is your first Ancient Tablet.

The remaining tablets can be pretty tricky to locate and require plenty of careful backtracking. One tablet is given in three pieces by owls in the Estate of the Urn Witch, the Overgrown Ruins, and the Old Watchtowers. They're tough to spot, but following any hooting noises should help uncover these feathered friends. 

Another tablet rests in a chest near the southern portion of the Overgrown Ruins previously under water. The challenging aspect here is that players must have each of the game's health upgrades known as Vitality Crystals to open the chest. Hopefully, you found most of those as you played the action-adventure. In fact, another tablet requires you to diligently hunt for materials throughout the title as well. While the tablet is hidden within a tomb in the Estate of the Urn Witch, the tomb itself only opens after completing a puzzle and planting a Life Seed in every pot scattered within the game. This could require some serious backtracking, but stay strong!

Picking up the remaining tablets is much simpler than hunting down easy-to-miss collectibles, and they are actually located fairly close to one another. For starters, you should head to the icy, mountainous peak of the Old Watchtowers. Along your climb, keep an eye out for six braziers. Lighting them all with your fireball spell nets you another Ancient Tablet.

Continue to the summit, where you'll find a door glowing with the light of the moon. Passing through leads to an unmarked grave and a mysterious locket. Pocket that locket, and head back to the base of the mountain to help out your old friend Jefferson. In an earthshattering surprise that was completely unexpected by everyone, Jefferson turns out to be a squid puppeteering a human corpse! Not very good at walking, your cephalopod companion wants your help traveling to the eastern sea. After taking him on a moonlit stroll, he jumps into the sea and the penultimate tablet is yours.

Now, back to the locket. Taking it to your good friend the Gravedigger results in a tragic boss fight. Should you prevail, the final Ancient Tablet is revealed. All seven must be taken to the Camp of Free Crows where, once you've properly placed each tablet into its respective slot on the back wall, a door will open leading to the game's secret ending and the truth of your despair.