Until Dawn Guide | How To Save Josh

Playing the course of the game lets out the critical find that gets Until Dawn's Josh safe. A large portion of Josh's survival relies on finding the girl Hannah's diary in the cave scenario. In this tutorial, you will get the required moves to keep Josh alive and then shine the light on the consequences of such an action. Follow these steps to advance through the story at key points which seal his fate.

Find Hannah's Journal

The important stage in saving Josh happens in the sequence where the characters investigate the caves. Travel up the ledge and leave from the river near the windmill. There is a ledge that contains Hannah's diary on it. This is a vital clue containing an important piece of information that could change Josh's destiny. Without this diary, there wouldn't have been such a justification for the events needed for Josh's survival.

This diary implies that Hannah survived in the caves for weeks following the initial disaster and resorted to cannibalism, turning into a Wendigo. Later in the game, this becomes important when discussing Josh and Sam. In other words, without doing the extra work to look at the ledge or not finding the diary, Josh is basically a goner.

Discussion with Sam

After finding the diary, Sam has a heart-to-heart with Josh, where the important information of how Hannah became a Wendigo due to her will to live is revealed. This information changes Josh's reaction later in the scene, which becomes an important plot point to keep him alive through all the events that will happen.

As such, this talk will never take place unless the diary has been found. In relation, Josh has no background to act appropriately upon finding Hannah in the way she was. This eventually leads him to death as his head gets smashed.

Do the Water Routine

In this part of the flooded cave, things are very different; if the diary is not found, Josh is not prepared and dies a terrible death through the actions of a now Wendigo-like Hannah. With the diary, however, Josh knows Hannah has changed and calls out her name; Hannah knows Josh, and this causes her to spare his life by simply dragging him off instead of killing him.

While this might seem like an evil ending, it is actually the only way to save Josh. He could have survived the battle, but what happened afterward would be known only in the post-credits sequence.

Consequence of saving Josh

Worth noting, though, is that saving Josh does have some repercussions: walking him through to his survival means you won't be seeing him for the course of the main game. A post-credits scene does show that Josh indeed fell victim to the curse of the Wendigo and mutated into one. That gloomy finding sets up the question that it might have been his better fortune to die in the water phase instead of continuing in such a dismal state.

Completionist Note: If you’re a completionist you might want to keep Josh alive for an "Everyone Survives" trophy. As bad as his life ever could have been, having all the characters in the game survive is an achievement of proportions for those who actually want 100% completion.

Closing Remarks

In Until Dawn, you need to pay close attention to detail and want to see what's around them. The most common mistake you might make that leads to Josh not being saved is missing his diary, so investigate the caverns. Saving him might be uneasy since his transformation to the Wendigo, but it builds on the story and emotional conflict in the game.

However, for those who like the trophy or story, yes, it is worth keeping him alive, but if you want to spare his agony over his eventual death, you might choose to let things be so. Whatever one it is, though, the choice speaks to the Until Dawn morality and storytelling ability.

Also, check our Until Dawn Review and other guides below:

• Until Dawn Guide | How To Save Chris
• Until Dawn Guide | How To Save Emily
• Until Dawn Guide | How To Save Matt
• Until Dawn Guide | How To Save Jessica
• Until Dawn Guide | How To Save Mike
• Until Dawn Guide | How To Save Sam
• Until Dawn Guide | How To Save Ashley
• Until Dawn Guide | How To Save Everyone