For the better outcome in Still Life 2, insulate the floor dimmer with foam before touching Paloma’s shackles. After she is free, open the final cabinet with A64571 and cut wires 16, 7, and 1 so the display reaches 24 mA. The walkthrough below preserves every earlier dependency needed to reach that rescue.
The route covers the original 2009 PC game and the Windows edition listed under Steam App ID 46490; the current official listing is Still Life 2 on Steam. It alternates between Victoria McPherson’s forensic investigation and Paloma Hernandez’s escape attempts, following the critical path through the prologue and ten chapters. Optional dialogue and evidence flavor are omitted unless they unlock the next action. Major story spoilers and puzzle answers follow.
Three systems cause most false dead ends
Make a manual save at the start of each chapter and another before any poison, electricity, mine, or timer sequence. The game also autosaves at important transitions, but a manual slot lets you undo an early combination or a bad order of operations. During the final rescue, opening the inventory pauses the countdown, so use it to plan rather than rushing through the item grid.
Inventory capacity is part of the puzzle design. You have sixteen storage cases, and large objects may require several empty slots. If Paloma or Victoria refuses to pick up a mattress, ladder, or other bulky object, move spare tools into cases; the object is usually not bugged.
Victoria’s CSIA kit has two stages: collect with the right instrument, then run the right analysis. Use the 3D scanner on impressions and surfaces, powder plus scanner on fingerprints, revealer plus swab on latent blood, the electronic nose on gas, and the computer key on digital evidence. A result marked incomplete is a diagnostic signal: return to the sample and add the missing chemical, computer, or database pass.
Open the spoiler-heavy code desk
| Checkpoint | Input or target | Do not miss |
|---|---|---|
| Prologue laptop | 96Ha)7Mn as displayed in Claire’s message |
Power the laptop first |
| Chapter 3 collar | 2324 |
Thread holes 2, 3, 2, 4 |
| Chapter 3 chair | 129 |
-1, +50, +50, +20, +5, +5 |
| Chapter 4 safe | 19A46 |
Do not use the nearby 00A00 notation |
| East hatch | H103123D55 |
Print the Fisheye manual before the first opening |
| Captive locks | Paloma 419295; Victoria 1215265 |
Use the code for the named captive |
| Chapter 8 computer | Namlekco |
Read it from the corpse note |
| Chapter 9 computer | betrayal |
Finish the bullet and printer trail first |
| Chapter 10 fire door | D090746B2 |
Turn the valve and open the windows |
| Office PDA | nemesis |
Read the Nemesis file afterward |
| Final cabinet | A64571 |
Cut bomb wires 16, 7, and 1 |
The first handoff: open the FBI database and Paloma’s phone
Prologue: open the FBI database
Speak with Claire and inspect the room documents before touching the laptop. Claire’s message shows 96Ha)7Mn; copy the string exactly as it appears in your game, including punctuation and letter case. Take the transformer, connect it to the laptop, enter the message code, open the internet, and then open the FBI database. The sequence is complete when Henry Allen appears. If the password seems correct but nothing happens, the usual failure is either an unpowered laptop or a missed character in the message.
Chapter 1: get Paloma out of the first trap
Build the switch circuit
Collect the nail file and antenna. Use the nail file on the panel screws, then unplug the cable from the television. Place the antenna at the light switch and connect the loose TV cable to the opened panel. The restored circuit is the checkpoint; if the panel stays dead, check both ends of the improvised connection rather than searching for another item.
Take the poker and remove the boards from the window. Free enough inventory space to carry the mattress, push it through the window, and use it to make the drop safe. Outside, use the wood beam to cross to the truck.
Charge the phone before moving the ladder
Find the discharged phone and its small key. The key opens the truck box, where the charger and dictaphone are stored. Separate the charger from its bundled state, then combine it with the phone. Store spare items before picking up the ladder, carry the ladder to the outlet, climb, and plug in the assembled phone. The chapter moves only after the phone powers up and Paloma has worked through the clue topics it exposes. A dead phone means the charger was not separated and combined first; a ladder that cannot be lifted means inventory capacity is still blocked.
The second handoff: close the motel file, then survive Paloma’s trap
Chapter 2: close every motel evidence result
Once Victoria has the CSIA kit, treat the motel as a chain of completed analyses, not a scavenger hunt. Send the answering-machine voice through computer analysis. Scan the footprint and run the database comparison. Powder the remote, scan the recovered print, and compare it through the database. Use the computer key on the broken laptop.
In the bathroom, reveal the cleaned blood, swab it, and run chemical plus database work. Use the electronic nose at the vent and chemically analyze the gas. Before leaving, review the CSIA results: every critical sample should show an actual result, not an incomplete notice.
Ask Garris for the pick gun. Use it on the suitcase, take the mini-DVD, and load that disc into the camcorder/player. If the suitcase remains the only unresolved hotspot, the missing dependency is the Garris dialogue; if the disc sits unused in inventory, it belongs in the player rather than being examined by itself.
Chapter 3: survive the poison, power, and gas puzzles
Identify the antidote by reaction
Answer the ringing phone, then put it away so it does not occupy working inventory. Move the bed and open the first-aid cabinet. Save before mixing anything. Separate the tubes, combine a candidate with the green bottle, and test the result. The antidote is the vial that produces a black reaction; a white reaction is a failed candidate. The candidate colors can vary, so do not rely on a memorized color order. Apply the verified black-result vial to Paloma’s portrait. If a test turns white, reload the save instead of gambling the remaining test.
Cross the glass and make the electrical room safe
Lay the mattress over the broken glass. Collect the hex key and extinguisher. Use the available metal tube at the grate, then use the extinguisher against the rats to recover the hand key and open the next door.
Use the extinguisher on the fuse box before touching the electrical cabinet. Once the immediate hazard is out, close the cabinet door, press the upper green I control, and operate the power lever. Take the iron thread and bulb for the later panel. If Paloma is shocked, reload and repeat with the extinguisher first.
Open the collar and set the chair to 129
Enter the collar pattern by threading holes 2, 3, 2, and 4. At the electric chair, rotate the chair five times until it is positioned for Paloma’s value. To build 129, tap -1 a single time. Add two 50s, one 20, and two 5s. Use the red switch only after the display reads 129; if it does not, recompute instead of guessing.
Prepare the water spray, powder revealer, and surgical tool. The three interview dates become 1022, 0229, and 0113. Those entries reveal the letter clue P-H-E, but the gas console order is P, E, H. Enter that order and verify that the gas stops.
Break the hollow cow display with the extinguisher. Put the bulb into the panel, use the surgical tool with the metal plate at the upper fuse position, and use the iron thread at the lower position. The repaired dumbwaiter carries Paloma to the kitchen; take that route to the exit. A dark dumbwaiter means the bulb or one of the two fuse repairs is still absent.
Three investigations lead to one irreversible east hatch
Chapter 4: sweep the killer’s house
Begin outside with the shoe impression, tire evidence, and blood, then continue methodically through the kitchen, living room, upstairs clothing, bathroom, and bedroom. Use the CSIA rule from Chapter 2: collect first, analyze second, and revisit anything marked incomplete. The house safe opens with 19A46, derived from the 1946 clue. The nearby 00A00 notation is not the answer.
Carry the prescription, antidote, and dry sponge into the basement route. The first-aid cabinet with the snake is optional and can poison Victoria; the critical path does not require opening it. In the basement, combine the match with the oil lamp, collect the electronic key, process the laboratory evidence, and use the computer key on the digital evidence. Assemble the loudspeaker and transformer connection, call Claire, record the call, and wait for the trigger. If the next room does not open, a lab/computer analysis or part of the recording setup is unfinished.
Chapter 5: make the gallery picks
In the Chicago gallery, combine the flexible modeling tool with the sharp one to make improvised picks. Use them to reach the locked storage, then search the wardrobe for the killer’s cape and the blue cabinet for documents and photos. Richard’s arrival confirms that the required discoveries are complete. If the scene does not fire, inspect the newly exposed papers and images rather than leaving the room.
Chapter 6: delay the east hatch
Connect the transformer and cord to power the console, then set up the speaker. Recover the poker, get the pick gun from the balcony area, and collect the blood sample. Use the sheriff’s car key to obtain the metal detector. At the gray barrel, use detector sensitivity 3, then use the poker on the planks to expose the hatch.
Handle Hawker by taking the forceful dialogue route first, then settling the exchange when the option appears. At the computer, use the computer key to decrypt the access string. Print the Fisheye manual and finish the access-control tasks before opening the east hatch. The hatch uses H103123D55, but opening it advances the chapter. If any manual or console task is pending, leave the hatch closed until those results are in hand.
The prison changes from escape route to counterattack
Chapter 7: leave the cell and wake Victoria
Move the box away from the pipe, then move the bed and take the toilet paper. Use the pipe on the locker to get the plastic can and magnet. Tie the toilet paper to the magnet, then lower the improvised line into the drain for the ring and fork. Place the can below the vent, climb onto it, and use the fork on the vent screws.
Take the first-aid supplies in the corridor. Trade the ring for the amphetamine pill and give it to Victoria. The lock values are 419295 for Paloma and 1215265 for Victoria; read the keypad prompt and use the number for the captive it names. Giving Victoria the pill is the dependency that makes the control transfer possible.
Chapter 8: mark every outdoor hazard
As Victoria, give the gingerbread item to the prisoner and collect the metal detector, fork, first aid, and colored disinfectant spray. Near the rear door, reveal the first mine and cover the cleared spot with the archery target. Use detector sensitivity 1 at the next mine, dig it out, and cover that position with the grate. Near the gate, switch to sensitivity 4 to locate the bicycle tire. Turn the tire into a picking tool, open the box, use the fork on its lid, and use the keypad unit inside to disarm the gate.
Take the watch and knife from the bodies and recover the multispectral lamp from the vehicle boot. Spray likely paths in the living room and stair area to reveal trip lines, then cut each visible line with the knife. If a passage still injures Victoria, stop crossing it and spray again from the safe side.
Shut down the lasers and trap the killer
In the basement, use the lamp to read the laser field, then route the transmitter through the reflector. Adjust the endpoints until the yellow circuit goes dark, continue the alignment, and do not cross until the green circuit is dark as well. Camera angle changes can make the geometry look different; the reliable success state is that both colored systems are off.
The killer changes the computer password and calls. Hide Victoria in the corpse chamber and complete the ambush when he enters the prepared space. Take the remote and keypad, then program the remote from the photographed burned symbol. Use it to call the killer into the next setup. A note on the corpse supplies Namlekco; enter that at the computer, then reuse H103123D55 at the east hatch.
Complete the bunker return loop
Collect the mine, attachment materials, nylon line, and repair tools. Tape the mine at the vent, attach the nylon line, retreat, and detonate it. Rebuild the pick gun with the knife, watch batteries, and steel tension wrench. Use the repaired tool to reach the surface, cut down the hanging body, and take its memory card back to CSIA.
After analyzing that card, return for the killer’s finger and use it on the computer’s biometric control. When a later password asks for the gum market date, copy the date shown by the evidence in your game; it is not a universal code to guess from this route. A successful fingerprint login and the displayed date unlock the camera work needed to continue.
Pass control between Paloma and Victoria to reach the blue door
Chapter 9: free Paloma and open her route
As Paloma, push the chair toward the circular saw while steering around every patch of glass. Use the saw to free her hands and take the key. As Victoria, switch to camera group 4 to reveal the plate on Paloma’s door, then use that plate in access control. Switch back to Paloma, take the metal shelf from the blue locker, brace it against the door, and call Victoria.
With Victoria, take the electronic key from the body. Extract the bullets and run the comparison. Follow the printer clue to the gas mask in the blue locker, then return to the computer and enter betrayal. If the password is unavailable or rejected, the bullet comparison and printer trail have not both been closed.
Chapter 10: clear the fire and pass Hawker
During the flashback, wet the killer’s cape in the sink, combine the chain and hook into a grabber, cover the burning barrel, recover the pole, and use the window route to escape. Back in the present, turn the cylinder valve, take the soldering iron, open the windows, and recover the keypad. Enter D090746B2 at the door and wait until the flames are visibly out before crossing.
Use camera group C to reach the kitchen and Hawker. Take the detonator and C4, combine them, and finish the connection with the soldering iron, cable, and socket to breach the blocked door.
The warehouse approach is not a countdown. Set the fan to high, attach the tracking device to the tank, walk the right-hand edge, and turn the cameras as needed to keep Hawker’s attention away from Victoria. Approach him from behind. If he turns toward her, back out and change the active camera rather than trying to sprint past.
After the encounter, collect the electronic key, damaged PDA, and gun. In the office, connect the PDA with the available cable and enter nemesis. Open the Nemesis file and record A64571; this code belongs to the final bomb cabinet, so leaving without it creates an avoidable backtrack.
The blue door decides the ending
Make a manual save immediately before the blue door. Entering starts the rescue timer, but opening inventory freezes that timer. Use the pause to select each item and confirm the next action.
- Shoot the box on the floor and inspect the exposed dimmer.
- Cut a piece of foam insulation from the available cover.
- Place the foam on the dimmer before touching Paloma’s shackles.
- Only after the dimmer is insulated, use the pick gun on the shackles.
That order matters. Using the pick gun directly makes the electrified floor rise toward Paloma, and repeated failed attempts can kill her. If the floor starts moving after a direct attempt, reload the pre-door save and install the foam first instead of spending another attempt.
Once Paloma is free, go to the cabinet near the blue door and enter A64571. The bomb needs a total of 24 mA: cut wires 16, 7, and 1. Confirm the display reaches 24 mA before doing anything else. This sequence keeps Paloma alive and resolves the bomb.
If the failed ending has already played, the red question mark on the main menu accepts veronicalake and offers another attempt. A pre-blue-door manual save is still the cleaner recovery route; there is no need to remove or alter configuration files.