Hello! In this guide, I will show you what you need to do to get the new achievements that were added with the Mea Culpa DLC. There has been a lot of confusion about some of these achievements, and I will attempt to clear that up as much as I can. This guide will also serve as a checklist of sorts, as getting all of the new items added in the DLC will be required to get all of the achievements. I will do my best to not completely spoil the story, but this guide will go through the entire DLC, so I will give as much context as needed for any particular situation.

Before you begin this DLC, I would highly recommend fully completing the base game. It is going to make this guide a lot easier to follow. This includes:

• Killing every boss and getting ending A
  
• Filling out the base game map completely
  
• Completing all side quests
  
• All weapon, health, fervor, and altarpiece upgrades
  
• All base game prayers
  
• All base game rosary beads
  
• All base game Altarpieces of Favor

Granted, the only things that are necessary for the DLC achievements in this list are the first and second points, so if you're not a completionist (like me), then do not feel pressured to do any of this. However, if you do fill out this list, then it will be much easier for you to follow this guide, as you will be much more familiar with the game and the map layout. Listing out how to get all of these things is far beyond the scope of this guide, but you can check out the guide linked below. Technically, it's for getting all of the base game achievements, but this will naturally lead you to completing most of this checklist. At the very least, it should point you in the right direction of what you're looking for:

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3125886184
One last thing before we begin. There is a very good playthrough on YouTube by NeatPick that goes through the entire DLC with no commentary. If you're struggling on story progression or certain puzzles, then this is the place to go. This guide is just to show you were things are and what you need, not to be a step-by-step walkthrough. Here is the video, and feel free to drop a like or a sub:


Without further adieu, let's get started.

"Make the prisoner's grim wish a reality."






"Find the prisoner after releasing him."





These two achievements are story related, but before I get into that, you should go to this area in the Choir of Thorns first:
This is where you will get a new ability called Broken Step, which will allow you to walk on the new crystal tiles that litter the map. This will eliminate a lot of backtracking later on.

Now about those achievements.
As I said, these are story related and are required for story progression, but they are also mutually exclusive. In the Icebound Mausoleum, you will encounter a new NPC that I'll call the Prisoner. He is tied to a guillotine and begs you to pull the lever and end his life. The room is marked by the guillotine symbol on the map:

As you can see, I granted his wish. To do this, go through the Icebound Mausoleum and you will come across 3 levers. By pulling these levers, the blade will rise higher, and eventually will rise high enough to decapitate the Prisoner, in which you are given a choice: to end his life or to grant him his freedom. If you want to kill him, pull the lever, and if you want to spare him, destroy the blade by attacking it (any weapon will do). To get both of these achievements without replaying the whole game, duplicate your save file, kill him in one file, and spare him in the other.

Regardless of which path you choose, you will be rewarded. If you kill him, you will be given the rosary bead Pearl of the Punished:













If you spare him, you will eventually find him again, and he will thank you for giving him his freedom and give you the altarpiece The Prisoner:








You need both of these items for the Consummate Collector achievement, but you can only get one from the Prisoner himself. Luckily, the merchant Medardo and Escolástico sells the other item you need, and they can be found here:

Note: the bead cannot be purchased until you meet the Prisoner again in Santa Vigilia

"Defeat Sor Cautiva del Silencio."






"Restore the Mea Culpa sword."





These two are also story related, and you will get these naturally as you progress the story. I would recommend getting the Mea Culpa before exploring the other areas, as this will reduce backtracking significantly. Reference the YouTube video I linked earlier if you are struggling at any particular part.

"Unlock the true power of Mea Culpa."





Now that you have the Mea Culpa and Broken Step, all of the DLC areas are accessible to you, meaning that you can finally explore freely without needing to keep track of what you need to come back to. To get this achievement, you need to fully upgrade the Mea Culpa. You need 14 Marks of the Preceptor to upgrade the sword, and there are 14 chests located around the map with 1 Mark each. The locations of these chests will be listed here, and will be organized by what area they can be found in. I will also include timestamps for the YouTube video in case you need help getting them:

Timestamp: 3:00:41 - 3:01:17

Timestamp: 3:01:17 - 3:03:11

Timestamp: 3:05:37 - 3:06:52

Timestamp: 3:06:52 - 3:07:26
Note: you have to start from the location of the previous Mark to be able to get this one.

Timestamp: 3:15:14 - 3:16:26

Timestamp: 3:10:27 - 3:12:41

Timestamp: 3:12:41 - 3:13:59

Timestamp: 3:16:43 - 3:18:39

Timestamp: 3:19:15 - 3:21:07

Timestamp: 3:22:17 - 3:24:27

Timestamp: 3:24:27 - 3:25:44

Timestamp: 2:20:13 - 2:21:41

Timestamp: 2:25:52 - 2:27:39

Timestamp: 2:27:39 - 2:29:40

"Find every item on an Ascended playthrough."





This achievement counts every item in the whole game, but not in the way you would think. I got an email from the developers that broke down the requirements as so:

• Base game prayers (17 in total) - 1
  
• Base game rosary beads (27 in total) - 1
  
• Base game altarpieces (35 in total) - 1
  
• All new DLC and NG+ items - 28

Why did they do this? I have absolutely no idea. But anyway, this means you need to get everything in the game and beat NG+ with all penances turned on. I will not be covering the base game items, as that is far beyond the scope of this guide. However, the guide by ThePugHybrid linked above covers all these items, so check that out if you need to. As for NG+, I'll cover that in a separate section. Now for the DLC. Below is every new item added in the DLC with locations and timestamps:

Note: I think it's safe to say this achievement is bugged. Myself and a few people in the comments have said they got this as they loaded their 100% save file. I myself got this at some point in my NG+ run, so I'm honestly not sure what the bug entails, but just know you'll probably get this achievement well before you actually meet all of the requirements.

I covered this already, so this is just to list out every item.

Location: Choir of Thorns, in a chest
Timestamp: 7:19 - 8:46


Location: Grilles and Ruin, in a chest
Timestamp: 22:15 - 22:33


Location: Beneath Her Sacred Grounds, in a chest
Timestamp: 50:29 - 53:05


Location: Icebound Mausoleum, as a puzzle reward
Timestamp: 1:15:14 - 1:16:45


I'll cover this one in the next section, because it's a bit complicated.

Location: Labyrinth of Tides, in a chest
Timestamp: 42:54 - 44:15


Location: Labyrinth of Tides, in a chest behind an illusory wall
Timestamp: 48:21 - 48:45


Location: Icebound Mausoleum, as a puzzle reward
Timestamp: 3:07:26 - 3:09:51


I'll cover this one later as well, as the process to get this is tied to another achievement.

Location: Choir of Thorns, as a puzzle reward
Timestamp: 4:54 - 5:49


Location: Choir of Thorns, as a puzzle reward
Timestamp: 15:23 - 16:30


Location: Sacred Entombment, as a puzzle reward
Timestamp: 24:14 - 26:57
Note: requires going through a shortcut in the Repose of the Silent One


I covered this already, so this is just to list out every item.

Location: Labyrinth of Tides, as a puzzle reward
Timestamp: 41:22 - 42:53


Location: Labyrinth of Tides, in a chest behind an illusory wall
Timestamp: 46:25 - 47:05


Location: Choir of Thorns, in a chest behind an illusory wall
Timestamp: 10:02 - 10:37


Location: Streets of Wakes, as a puzzle reward
Timestamp: 56:21 - 57:26


Location: Choir of Thorns, in a chest
Timestamp: 16:30 - 17:51


Location: Elevated Temples, as a puzzle reward
Timestamp: 20:16 - 22:13


Location: Santa Vigilia, as a puzzle reward
Timestamp: 2:41:57 - 2:42:57


I'll cover this one in the next section. Speaking of which...

I skipped over a rosary bead and an altarpiece because they are both earned by completing a sidequest. You have probably found a few gold lumps laying around in your exploration. You need to collect all of these and take them to a certain location to get the two items you're missing. That location is right here:

Through this door is where you offer these lumps. Offering 10 gives you the rosary bead Traitor's Gaze:














Offering all 20 lumps will give you the altarpiece The Liberated:








(Screenshots are from NeatPick's video)

This quest used to be bugged, but as of the 11/7/2024 update, this should no longer be the case. They also added a counter to keep track of how many you have given in this update, so this quest should be a lot easier to complete.

Timestamp: 18:01 - 19:51

Timestamp: 22:18 - 23:38

Timestamp: 54:11 - 56:21

Timestamp: 51:12 - 54:10

Timestamp: 1:01:59 - 1:03:31

Timestamp: 1:06:20 - 1:07:35

Timestamp: 1:08:28 - 1:08:45

Timestamp: 1:11:33 - 1:11:48

Timestamp: 5:49 - 7:19

Timestamp: 8:53 - 9:34

Timestamp: 11:08 - 11:46

Timestamp: 1:37:33 - 1:38:46

Timestamp: 33:42 - 37:18

Timestamp: 39:16 - 41:18

Timestamp: 49:46 - 50:06

Timestamp: 1:42:30 - 1:44:48

Timestamp: 29:46 - 31:23

Timestamp: 2:25:52 - 2:28:04

Timestamp: 2:33:18 - 2:33:44

Timestamp: 2:54:55 - 2:57:12


After this, you should have 22 of the new items. The remaining 6 are locked behind NG+, and as stated previously, that will be covered later.
There is another quest to do, but this does not count towards the achievement. You have to visit 4 tombstones to get 4 items, then head to this room in the Icebound Mausoleum to get 1 gold bile flask that will restore both health and fervor!
{ss of map and location}

This guide below will show you were to go to get this. Yes, it isn't needed for the achievement, but the upgrade is quite useful, so I would get it anyway.
https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3358518638
Note: this can be bugged depending on what playthrough you're on. It appears that on certain penances in NG+ this flask does nothing when used, so keep that in mind.

"Defeat Brother Asterión."





Thankfully, this one is much simpler. This is a story related achievement, and you will get it when you defeat Brother Asterión for the second time. There's nothing more to this, so we can move on.

Also, there's a secret area across the chasm that Brother Asterión fell into, and this should be the last spot you need for the next achievement.

"Reveal the entire map, including new areas."





This achievement should naturally pop up if you already had a completed base game map and followed this guide. However, in case it doesn't, I'll show screenshots of the complete map of the expanded areas and you can compare these with your map and see what you're missing.

"Unlock Ending C."





This is a relatively simple thing to do, especially if you've already gotten Ending A like I recommended. If you haven't, then do so first (the 100% achievement guide linked at the beginning of the guide has a section dedicated to this if you need it).

If you've already gotten Ending A, now all you have to do now is fight 3 mini-bosses, each representing one of the three main weapons of the base game. Here are their locations:




After this, go back to the secret area in Santa Vigilia and pick up the last prayer: Prayer of the Penitent One:

This is needed for Ending C and Consummate Collector, so make sure to get it. Afterwards, go beat the final boss again and offer the Incense of the Envoys (just like Ending A). When you fight the final boss, you have to land the final blow with the Mea Culpa and have the Prayer of the Penitent one equipped to get this achievement to unlock. You don't need to use the Mea Culpa for the whole fight, but you do need to use it for the last hit. Afterwards, the achievement should pop up after the new cutscene.

This was added for free alongside the True Torment DLC and does not have any achievements directly related to it. The rewards you can get from this are tied to Consummate Collector, but there is no "Beat NG+" achievement, for example.

So how does NG+ work? Well, you start by ascending your save on the file selection screen (if you didn't defeat the final boss before you try NG+, then you might need to in order for this option to appear). Right after you pick your starting weapon, you can choose any one of 8 different modifiers for the game (called penances). They are as follows:

• Final Judgement: Enemies will be more challenging. Falling into chasms and thorns will lead to instant death.
  
• Vow of Poverty: Fervor and rosary beads upgrades will remain locked.
  
• Spilled Blood: Your health bar will be replaced by life orbs.
  
• Chalice of Guilt: When you die, you will drop a single Guilt Fragment that will contain half of the Tears of Atonement and experience obtained.
  
• Ascension of Penance: Any hit you receive will increase your Guilt. In exchange, your attacks will be more powerful when you are free from Guilt.
  
• Peace for the Remorseful: Enemies will reappear if you leave and then return to their room. In exchange, you will have additional resistance to all elements.
  
• Barefoot Procession: Any hit you receive will deplete your fervor bar. In exchange, fervor gains will increase.
  
• Endless Thirst: You gain less experience in combat and will collect fewer Marks of Martyrdom. In exchange, the Altarpiece of Favours will be completely unlocked from the start.

You are able to turn any of these off at any point in time, but you cannot turn them back on after you turn them off. Additionally, you cannot turn on other penances that you did not choose when starting the game. This means you can't cheese the game by turning them all on at the end of the run or something like that.

Completing the game with one or multiple modifiers will net you some rewards. Thankfully, these rewards carry over during ascension, so if you want to do another NG+ run, you shouldn't have to redo any penances you've already done. The rewards are as follows:

• Chant - Soleá of Excommunication: Temporarily increases the stun capacity of all attacks
  
• Quick verse - Bleeding Chalice: Consumes a large portion of the Penitent One's health to improve physical attacks for a while.
  
• Altarpiece - The Mournful: Increases the rate at which the Verdadera Destreza bar is filled.
  
• Altarpiece - The Crying: Increases dashing speed.
  
• Altarpiece - The Executed: Increases the rate at which the Bloodpact indicator is filled.
  
• Altarpiece - The Oblivion: Decreases Verse casting time.

I'm not really sure why 8 modifiers gives you 6 rewards, but I digress. As I've already mentioned in this guide, each of these items counts towards Consummate Collector, so you will need to get all of these rewards to get that achievement.

Note: apparently, the rewards are not tied to any particular penance, and you don't have to turn on all 8 to get the 6 rewards. You just need to have any 6 penances active in that playthrough. While this would make sense, I cannot prove or confirm this myself, so please take this with a grain of salt. This still doesn't explain why they gave you 8 options when you would get no extra reward for completing all 8, but that is neither here nor there.

With the new update out, NG+ received an update. If you played the game before this update, you'll know that when you ascended your save originally, you lost all of your items. This is no longer the case. This has been changed to an additional penance that you can only turn on at the very beginning of the new playthrough. This has no affect on your achievement progress. If you select this, then it'll be like playing a brand new game. If you don't, you'll lose all key items and abilities (like double jump, as an example), but will keep everything else.

They all relate to choosing to keep your items in an ascended playthrough. The first thing to keep in mind is that when you beat the final boss, your penances are removed, and you can go back and collect things without needing to worry about the penances.

The second is that collecting items you already have or completing sidequests you completed in the first playthrough does not contribute to your NG+ save file completion percentage. For example, finding a rosary bead you already have does not count to an 100% save file, but killing Radamés still counts, because you have to do that to beat the game. This does not mean that you shouldn't complete these quests, necessarily. It just means you don't have to. Some quests are needed for other reasons (like map completion) that do count towards 100% completion.

The final thing to keep in mind is that you cannot get the bonus health or fervor upgrades if you keep all of your items (to be technical, you can get half of the bonus fervor from my experience, which is weird that you can only get one half, but whatever. I'll leave a comment to explain this further). You certainly don't need these upgrades to beat the game, but if you were expecting to be able to get them in NG+, then be prepared to be disappointed.

Thankfully, these achievements are quite simple outside of Consummate Collector. Hopefully now that everything is in one place, you can have an easier time completing the DLC. Please give me any thoughts or bits of information you have so I can keep this guide as up-to-date as possible. Thanks for reading!

Edit history:

• 11/4/2024 - Cleared up why Ending A will be voided after meeting the requirements for Ending C.
  
• 11/5/2024 - Added the "A Working Theory" section.
  
• 11/5/2024 - Confirmed that the Prayer of the Penitent One is needed for Ending C.
  
• 11/6/2024 - Reworded the "Post-Mortem" section to clarify what is needed for the ending.
  
• 11/7/2024 - Reworked the "Consummate Collector" sections to show what is needed to get the achievement, updated the gold lumps quest bug status, removed the "A Working Theory" section, and slightly edited the NG+ section
  
• 11/11/2024 - Confirmed that the Pearl of the Punished can be bought later after sparing the Prisoner
  
• 11/29/2024 - Added more info to the "NG+" section and fixed a couple of grammar issues.
  
• 12/15/2024 - Edited the "Consummate Collector" and "NG+" sections to reflect the recent update, and updated the image/description for the "Consummate Collector" achievement.
  
• 1/26/2025 - Edited the "Consummate Collector - Part 1" section to clarify that the achievement is bugged.