Pragmata Trophy / Achievement Guide; Conquering Lunatic and Entertaining Diana
Hunting down a platinum trophy in a ruined lunar wasteland is a masochistic endeavor, but at least you have an android child to keep things entertaining.
You are looking at roughly a thirty hour commitment to wring every single achievement out of the Cradle. The list is relatively straightforward, but the game demands two complete playthroughs. You cannot simply jump into the hardest difficulty from the start, and the post game cleanup requires you to scour every inch of the map. If you are going in blind, you will likely miss the very few limited enemy spawns or find yourself severely underpowered for the final difficulty spike.
Now before you waste your sanity running in circles, let us map out the most efficient route to 100% completion. You need to focus on a standard run first, utilize the epilogue for collectibles, and then bring your sharpened skills into the punishing Lunatic mode.
If you are just booting up the game and want to make sure you do not ruin your early build, I highly suggest skimming my Pragmata Beginner's Guide first.
The Platinum Roadmap Reality Check
Your first playthrough should be on whatever difficulty you find comfortable. The primary goal here is to learn the hacking mechanics, experiment with weapons, and collect as much Lunafilament as humanly possible.
You need to focus on upgrading your gear constantly. Do not hoard your resources. If you are struggling to manage the economy, my Economy, Printers, and Training Guide breaks down exactly where to spend your cash. Grab every collectible you can find, but do not panic if you miss a hidden chest in the opening sectors.
Once you roll the credits, you unlock the Unknown Signal mode. This acts as a post game epilogue where you start in the Shelter and can travel back to any previously visited location. This is your cleanup phase. You must achieve 100% sector progress in every area to unlock the final post game challenges. If you are pulling your hair out looking for the last hidden node, you need to rely on your scanner upgrades. I wrote a dedicated breakdown on How to Easily Find All Hidden Items to help you track them down.
Finally, you will start a brand new game on Lunatic difficulty. You cannot use New Game Plus for this.
Story and Progression Trophies
These are the unmissable milestones and difficulty checks. You will get most of these just by playing the game naturally, but the post game and Lunatic requirements will test your patience.
Surviving Lunatic Difficulty
The Lunar Supremacy trophy is the ultimate gatekeeper for this platinum. Enemies are hyper aggressive, and the bosses turn into absolute bullet sponges. Your primary assault rifle is practically useless here.
Do not spread your resources thin. Focus your Unit Printer funds on maxing out the Jackhammer, the Photon Laser, and the Charge Piercer. For your hacking setup, keep the Offense Mode chip equipped at all times. If you need a strict breakdown of the crafting tree priorities, look at my Best Early Loadouts and Upgrades Guide.
For the final boss on Lunatic, you must enter the fight with a fully charged Deletion Protocol bar. Trigger it immediately to stun the boss, get behind it, and hold down the Photon Laser trigger on its weak point. Do not let go. Once the stun wears off, switch to the Jackhammer for heavy burst damage, then focus entirely on dodging until you can build up another Deletion Protocol to finish the job.
Combat and Skill Executions
Most of the combat trophies will unlock naturally as you experiment with your weapons, but a few require highly specific setups that you can easily overlook. Do not rely on luck for these.
If you need a refresher on how to effectively route your nodes or trigger specific debuffs like Confuse, review my Hacking Masterclass Guide.
Exploration, Upgrades, and Secrets
The Cradle is packed with missable corners. You will need to interact with every mechanic the shelter has to offer to clear this section.
A Note on Environmental Blockers
You will frequently see collectibles pinging behind solid walls of blue or red junk. You cannot break these early on, so do not stress about your sector progress stalling. You need to unlock specific abilities later in the story to melt them. Check my guide on How to Clear Crystals and Red Goo so you know exactly when it is safe to backtrack and finish your Cradle Surveyor requirements.
Tackle your first run at your own pace, keep Diana entertained in the hub, and prepare yourself mentally for the Lunatic run. For more deep dives into the Cradle, check out our complete Pragmata Hub.
