High on Life 2's Secret Endings: The Fast Way, The Right Way, and the Way That Won't Shut Up About a Sequel
Squanch Games buried three separate ways to roll credits on High on Life 2, and one of them takes about an hour.
The developers clearly weren't content letting you just save humanity like a normal person would. There's the ending the game actually wants you to get, and then there's the one you unlock by ignoring an objective and shooting the wrong person entirely. All three come with their own achievement, and I've got the full rundown on how to trigger each one, including what happens if you actually sit through the credits like a patient adult.
The One-Hour Ending Nobody Tells You About
Early on, the campaign points you toward your sister Lizzie, who's since gone full rebel leader and picked up a bounty large enough to make every hunter in the galaxy interested. The trail leads to the zoo, specifically the Aviary building, which is on fire for reasons the game doesn't bother explaining beyond "it's on fire." You'll need to climb the cliffs nearby and get Gus to throw down a Disc Shot platform to actually get inside.
Here's where things get weird. The second you drop into the Aviary, a squad of rival bounty hunters has already cornered Lizzie. Because your reputation apparently precedes you, they don't finish the job themselves. They just stand there and wait for you to do it. The game's objective marker tells you to shoot the bounty hunters.
Don't.
Point your gun at Lizzie instead and pull the trigger. You get exactly one shot at this, so don't hesitate and don't try to walk it back. Miss, or try to fire again, and your own weapon overrides you. Do it right and the screen cuts straight to black, followed by a short credits roll and a slideshow of photos from your sister's funeral. That's it. Game over, an hour in.
The Actual Story, If You'd Rather Play It
If murdering a family member isn't your idea of a satisfying conclusion, the fix is simple: shoot the bounty hunters instead of Lizzie. That single choice kicks off a boss fight and unlocks the game's proper campaign, where the actual plot (stopping Nipulon from turning humanity back into livestock for the galaxy) plays out in full.
You beat Nipulon, save the species, and roll credits the "correct" way. Squanch Games, with its typical smirk, labels this the Bad Ending anyway, purely because you did exactly what the game asked of you the whole time. Consistency isn't really the point here. It's the joke.
What Happens If You Actually Sit Through the Credits
Assuming you took the sensible route and saved everyone, don't reach for the skip button once the credits start rolling. Sit through the whole thing and you're dropped into a short, playable epilogue where you can wander around and let every NPC in the game shower you with praise for taking down Nipulon.
Once you've made the rounds talking to everyone, your Suit OS breaks the fourth wall completely, makes a pitch for you to support the studio so they can greenlight a third entry, and tosses in a Half-Life 3 joke that's aged about as well as you'd expect. It's a short scene, but it's the only way to see it, and skipping the credits means missing it entirely.
The Achievements Tied to Each Path
Each ending comes bundled with its own unlock:
Shoot Lizzie in the Aviary and you get the (very ironically named) Good Ending achievement.
Shoot the bounty hunters instead and you'll pop Break the Bounty Code, along with continuing into the full campaign.
Sit through the credits after the real ending and you'll get Sequel Bait for the epilogue scene.
If you're chasing a complete trophy list rather than just the endings themselves, our full achievements and trophies guide has everything else the game's hiding, including the stuff that has nothing to do with how many family members you're willing to shoot.
