Campaign route, Hub progression, capsules, mods, and achievement cleanup
BONELAB is not a straight VR shooter. It is a physics sandbox wrapped around a campaign, a Hub puzzle, challenge modules, avatar stats, collectible capsules, and a mod system that the game does not explain as clearly as most players expect. This guide is written for players who want to get unstuck, finish the campaign, understand what is worth collecting, and plan the harder achievements without turning the whole run into guesswork.
The best route is simple: finish the campaign first, learn the Hub crane puzzle instead of wandering in circles, open every blue capsule properly, then use the post-game tools and level select for achievement and collectible cleanup. Mods are worth using, but only after you understand where the game stores them and how maps, avatars, and spawnables are accessed.
What This Guide Covers
- A clean campaign order from Descent through the ending.
- The Bonelab Hub crane puzzle and how to continue the story after reaching the Lab.
- Missable, secret, and side-mode achievements, including Apollo and Museum Basement cleanup.
- How collectible capsules work and which high-value unlocks to grab first.
- Basic mod installation logic for PC and Quest users, with safety notes.
- Common VR mistakes: avatar mismatch, capsule handling, crane confusion, and patch-dependent achievements.
Before You Start
BONELAB rewards experimentation, but a few habits save a lot of reloads:
- Clear real-world space before climbing or melee fights. The game expects big arm movement, crouching, two-handed grabs, and sudden body turns.
- Do not ignore comfort settings. If smooth movement or fast turning makes you sick, tune the VR options before long sessions.
- Open blue capsules with both hands. Pull the capsule apart until it actually registers. Carrying capsules to the elevator like old Boneworks bins is a common mistake.
- Finish the campaign before serious cleanup. The Bodylog, level access, developer tools, Spawn Gun, Nimbus Gun, and post-game Hub items make collectibles and achievements much easier.
- Back up saves before save-file achievements or heavy modding. On Windows, saves are under the Stress Level Zero BONELAB folder in LocalLow. Steam Cloud can restore or overwrite saves, so be deliberate.
- Treat older achievement advice carefully. Several guides were written around launch or Patch 1. Later community comments report Patch 6 problems with some achievements, so this guide flags those instead of pretending every unlock is stable.
Campaign Route
The campaign is short on explicit signposting, but the level order is consistent. If you feel stuck, use this as your spine rather than jumping randomly between modules.
| Order | Level | Main goal | Achievement notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Descent | Escape the opening sequence, learn climbing, physics grabs, weapons, and capsule handling. | Backstage, Welcome Back, Descend. Watch for Short Lived and Pious if you are cleaning achievements. |
| 02 | The Lab / Bonelab Hub | Explore modules, power the crane, move core keys, and open the Quarantine door. | Clean Room, Crane Game, Special Projects Area, Unflush, Iron Key, BONEBOX. |
| 03 | Long Run | Push through combat and traversal rooms. | Long Run. A few early weapon capsules are worth grabbing. |
| 04 | Mine Dive | Ride the cart and shoot targets. | Mine Dive, Target Practice cleanup. |
| 05 | Big Anomaly | Follow the anomaly path and collect experimental tools. | Big Anomaly. Look under stairs and around broken structures for useful capsules. |
| 06 | Street Puncher | Fight through city-style encounters and learn avatar weight in melee. | Street Puncher. Katana and Power Puncher are useful cleanup targets. |
| 07 | Sprint Bridge 04 | Parkour, jumping, and bridge traversal. | Sprint Bridge. This is one of the rougher Apollo-carry sections. |
| 08 | Magma Gate | Arena combat near lava. | Magma Gate, Skeleton avatar or related capsule cleanup. |
| 09 | MoonBase | Low-gravity movement and navigation. | Moon Base. If carrying Apollo, check where it lands after jump-pad transitions. |
| 10 | Monogon Motorway | Complete three kart laps. | Monogon Motorway, SUB 2:00, SUB 1:50. |
| 11 | Pillar Climb | Vertical climbing and Bodylog/avatar use. | Pillar Climber, Shape Shifter. |
| 12 | Big Anomaly B | Use the crane/key logic again and continue toward the late story. | Iron Key and BONEBOX route checks if not already unlocked. |
| 13 | Ascent | Long climb, combat, mines, secret rooms, and final lift approach. | Up the Rabbit Hole, Fantasy Cultivation, Disposal, Aesthetic, Who Lives Here?, KONTROL, Mining For What?, Ascend, LavaGang Was Here, Interesting. |
| 14 | Home | Village-style finale section and windmill climb. | Guiding Hand. Important for My Pal Apollo. |
| 15 | Void G114 / Ending | Complete the ending sequence. | Until Next Time. |
How To Continue After Reaching The Hub
This is the most common early wall. After the elevator drop into the Bonelab Hub, the game looks like it has turned into a menu room, but you still need to unlock the next campaign door.
- Enter and complete or at least properly visit three available Hub modules. Community guides most often point players toward Tac Trial, Arena, Parkour, and other module doors.
- Return to the central Hub area.
- Go up the stairs near the Body Mall/avatar area to the crane controls.
- Put the two nearby batteries into the generator.
- Use the crane to pick up the glowing core keys/orbs from the module areas.
- Place those core keys into the slots/pipes near the crane platform.
- Go to the large Quarantine door in the corner and continue the campaign.
The crane controls are clumsy on purpose: one control moves direction, one changes height, and one toggles the magnet. If the crane wedges itself or refuses to reach a key, reload the Hub before assuming your save is broken. Some older guides mention using level select to skip ahead, but for a first run it is better to solve the Hub once so later cleanup makes sense.
Missable And Difficult Achievements
Steam lists 55 BONELAB achievements. Many unlock just by finishing the campaign, but several are easy to miss or annoying to clean up. Use the table below as the practical checklist.
| Achievement or group | Where | What to do | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short Lived | Descent | In the opening noose sequence, wait instead of immediately cutting yourself down. | Very easy to miss on a normal run. |
| Pious | Descent | After the opening drop, inspect and grab the stone obelisk with blue text in the cave. | Missable if you rush to the next room. |
| Unplugged | After Hub crane progress | Pull/open the giant drain plug device during the quarantine route. | Usually found naturally, but some players report missing the trigger. |
| Target Practice | Mine Dive | Score the required target total during Mine Dive. Older guides cite 1500 points; later player comments report a lower target on newer builds, so follow the in-game achievement state for your patch. | Can be replayed. Use controlled shots and do not panic in the cart. |
| SUB 2:00 / SUB 1:50 | Monogon Motorway | Complete the three-lap kart race under the listed times. Restart from the spawn building until you get clean laps; slow motion can help corners. | Skill-based. Post-game tools may make cleanup easier if your build allows them. |
| LavaGang Was Here | Ascent | Near the late Ascent elevator route, check the locker room and pick up the LavaGang clipboard. | Easy to miss if you run straight to the lift. |
| Interesting | Ascent | At the final giant elevator room, climb into the side/upper secret room before stepping onto the elevator. | Missable in the moment, replayable later. |
| Big Bone Bowler | Bowling experimental level | Hit the pins with a bowling ball. The gravity gun can make this easier. | Low after Patch 1 fixes. |
| Fantasy Champion | Fantasy Arena | Complete the challenge/trial requirements and survive the hard survival target. Use a durable avatar, prioritize red skeletons and ranged enemies, and bring reliable melee. | One of the harder combat achievements. |
| Back to Basement | Museum Basement | Use the battery to open the basement route, then circle through the backrooms loop. | Low once you know where the battery door is. |
| Long Time to Wait | Museum Basement | Find Clippie, the hidden clipboard, and drop it into the incinerator near the statue room. | Patch-dependent. Multiple later comments report this can fail to trigger on Patch 6; back up saves before changing beta branches. |
| My Pal Apollo | Campaign / Home | Carry an Apollo figure to the end route. The conservative method is a fresh or backed-up save from Descent; later community notes report post-game Ascent-to-Home methods in newer builds. | Long and fragile; keep Apollo safe before jumps, carts, elevators, and windmill climbing. |
Side-Mode Achievement Cleanup
Most side achievements are straightforward once the Hub modules are open. Do these after campaign completion unless you specifically want to break up the story.
| Module | Achievements | Cleanup note |
|---|---|---|
| Sandbox | Italian Getaway, 504 Battery Drive, Halfway Park, Mirror, Computer, New Environment | Visit Tuscany and Gun Range, interact with Halfway Park’s underground/red-button route, climb/check Mirror’s button route if a simple visit does not unlock, and switch a Holochamber environment. |
| Arena | Container Yard, Arena Tipper, Arena Challenger, Fantasy Champion | Container Yard requires the VOID objective loop. Later community comments report Patch 6 issues for some players, so verify on your current build before spending hours retrying. |
| Tac Trial | Three Gun Run, District | Complete the course; score usually matters less than finishing for the base achievement. |
| Parkour | District Runner, Dungeon Warrior, Rooftops | Use avatars that match the course. Fast avatars help gaps, while very small or very tall avatars can make grabs awkward. |
| Experimental | Big Bone Bowler and related experimental unlocks | Use physics tools when available. The game does not require a stylish run, just the trigger. |
My Pal Apollo Route Advice
My Pal Apollo is the achievement most likely to waste your time if you do not plan around it. The classic route asks you to carry the Apollo figure from early Descent to the end of the campaign. Before trying it, disable or manage Steam Cloud carefully, back up your save, and decide whether you are using the full fresh-save method or a newer post-game shortcut reported by players.
- In the classic route, Apollo is found early in Descent after the lava jump, in the locker section.
- If Apollo falls out of the world, return to the main menu and continue/restart the level rather than pushing forward without it.
- During Long Run, clear enemies before moving Apollo through jump-pad sections.
- During Mine Dive, keep Apollo secure in the cart and avoid wild arm movement.
- During Sprint Bridge, place Apollo safely before dangerous jumps, then force-grab it after crossing.
- During MoonBase, check the jump-pad/elevator area instead of assuming Apollo is lost.
- During Ascent, put Apollo down before two-handed climbs, then retrieve it before moving on.
- During Home, use the tall avatar for the windmill climb and move Apollo in stages.
Capsules And Collectibles
Collectibles are not picked up by hoarding the blue capsule. Hold it with both hands and pull it apart. If it does not pop, it is not collected. After the story, several Hub capsules only appear once campaign progress is complete, so do not panic if a post-game item is missing during your first visit.
| Unlock | Scene | Why you want it | Location clue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spawn Gun | Hub, post-game | Core cleanup tool for spawning collected items. | Near/right of the crane controls after campaign completion. |
| Nimbus Gun | Hub, post-game | Flight/noclip-style exploration for cleanup. | Inside the bucket above the Sandbox door after finishing the story. |
| Dev Manipulator | Museum Basement | Helpful physics tool. | On top of the far-left tower in Museum Basement. |
| Avatar Dice | Descent | Fun avatar randomization item. | On a barrel near the floor-collapse section. |
| Ford avatar | Hub, post-game | Balanced benchmark avatar for Boneworks-style handling. | On the pillar near the BONEWORKS-box door. |
| Jimmy avatar | Hub, post-game | Completion/avatar collection. | On top of the elevator. |
| Nullbody avatar | Hub, post-game | Completion/avatar collection. | Inside the dumpster in the parkour module area. |
| Gravity Plate | Big Anomaly | Useful gadget collection. | Under the stairs after the staircase section. |
| Katana | Street Puncher | Excellent melee option for Fantasy Arena cleanup. | In/near the bin by the late hallway with enemies. |
| MP5K Flashlight | Ascent | Strong weapon unlock. | Use the blue-key route after the train/escalator section; capsule is in an orange locker. |
| Sledgehammer | Ascent | Reliable heavy melee. | After the spiral staircase, check the closet shelf. |
Combat And Avatar Tips
- Use a balanced avatar while learning. A Ford-like body is a good baseline because your reach, aim angle, and throws stay predictable.
- Switch bodies for the job. Fast bodies help racing and parkour, tall bodies help climbs, and heavy bodies make melee survival easier.
- Prioritize dangerous enemy types. In arena cleanup, red skeletons and ranged enemies are more urgent than basic null bodies.
- Use your off hand. Grab crablets, steady two-handed weapons, pull yourself around corners, and control enemies physically.
- Do not over-swing. VR physics rewards committed contact, but wild swings waste stamina, hit real furniture, and miss small targets.
- Slow motion is practical, not a cheat. It can help with Monogon Motorway turns, emergency reloads, headshots, and precise jumps.
Basic Mod Setup
BONELAB’s mod scene is a major reason people keep playing, but install mods cautiously. Use trusted sources, read the current mod page, and back up saves before adding large packs or framework mods.
| Task | PC path or action | Quest note |
|---|---|---|
| Manual mod folder | %USERPROFILE%AppDataLocalLowStress Level ZeroBONELABMods |
Android/data/com.StressLevelZero.BONELAB/files/Mods on the headset storage. |
| Install a downloaded mod | Extract the ZIP first. Put the actual mod folder, usually named like Author.ModTitle, into Mods. |
Do not drop the ZIP itself into the folder. |
| Access mod maps | Use the Hub mod station and choose mod levels. | Menu names may differ after updates, but maps are accessed through the mod station/menu flow. |
| Access avatars | Use Body Mall/body selection like vanilla avatars. | Some avatars are PC-only or Quest-specific depending on how the creator packaged them. |
| Access weapons, props, and NPCs | Use the Spawn Gun/tool gun after developer tools or post-game tools are available. | Performance varies heavily by asset complexity. |
| Create avatars | Requires Unity/Marrow SDK workflow, humanoid rig setup, crate/export steps, and testing. | This is advanced modding, not basic installation. |
Older repository-based instructions still appear in community guides, while newer builds and mod.io integration have changed some workflows. If a guide tells you to edit repositories.txt and nothing appears in-game, check whether your current build expects the newer in-game mod.io route instead.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The campaign seems to stop in the Hub. | You have not completed the module/core/crane sequence. | Visit three modules, power the crane, move the core keys, then open Quarantine. |
| Collected capsules disappear. | You carried them instead of opening them. | Hold with both hands and pull apart until the capsule pops. |
| Jumping feels inconsistent on Vive or older controllers. | Input timing and body calibration can make jump grabs feel late. | Recalibrate height, practice button timing in a safe level, and use avatars with comfortable reach. |
| Black loading room or stuck before menu. | Loading issue, mod issue, or broken local config. | Remove recent mods first, verify files, restart SteamVR/headset, then test a clean launch before changing saves. |
| Achievement does not unlock even after correct steps. | Patch-specific bug or trigger mismatch. | Check current community reports, back up saves, and only then consider beta-branch testing. Do not overwrite your main save blindly. |
| Mods do not show up. | ZIP not extracted, wrong folder layer, wrong platform build, or old repository instructions. | Open the mod folder and confirm the real crate/mod files are inside one Author.ModTitle-style folder in the correct BONELAB Mods path. |
Recommended Cleanup Order
- Finish the campaign normally and learn the Hub crane puzzle.
- Replay Descent for Short Lived and Pious if missed.
- Clean up Monogon Motorway times while the driving route is fresh.
- Replay Mine Dive for Target Practice if needed.
- Run Ascent slowly for LavaGang Was Here, Interesting, and important weapon capsules.
- Clear side modules: Sandbox visits, Tac Trials, Parkour, Arena, Bowling, and Museum Basement.
- Attempt My Pal Apollo only when you are ready for a focused carry run or have confirmed a current-build shortcut.
- Install mods after the base game is stable, then test one mod at a time.
Sources And Credits
This guide was built from the official BONELAB Steam page, Steam achievement metadata, and readable Steam Community walkthrough, achievement, collectible, modding, and Hub progression references. Official screenshots are credited to Stress Level Zero and Steam. One referenced Steam Community page returned HTTP 429 during research, so it was not used as verified evidence.