Life is Strange 2: Walkthrough & Choices Guide

A spoiler-light guide to Life is Strange 2: how the choice systems work, what each episode asks of you, collectibles, the four endings, and how to get the ending you want. Heavy spoilers are marked.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the complete five-episode release (final episode December 3, 2019; no further content updates). Check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

You play Sean, not Daniel. Sean Diaz, 16, has to protect and raise his 9-year-old brother Daniel, who develops telekinesis. You never control the power directly; you influence how Daniel uses it.
Daniel is always watching. The game tracks what Sean does in front of him. Stealing, lying, violence and kindness all teach Daniel something.
Two hidden values drive the ending: Daniel's Morality (does he follow rules or do whatever he wants) and Brotherhood (how much he trusts and listens to Sean).
Small choices count. Sharing food, letting Daniel make his own decisions, or scolding him are tallied across all five episodes.
There's no rewind. Unlike the first game, you live with every choice. Take your time at the choice wheel.
Play The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit first. It's a free standalone prequel; your choices there carry into Episode 2 when you meet Chris Eriksen.
Draw everything. Sketch spots and souvenirs are the collectibles; both have achievements and are easy to miss.
Explore every conversation option. Optional dialogues are where most Brotherhood and Morality nudges happen.
Episode 1 is free. Since September 17, 2020, Episode 1 (Roads) has been free on Steam permanently. Buy the Complete Season (Episodes 2–5, plus the "Arcadia Bay" backpack patch bundle) only if you want to continue; your Episode 1 choices carry over.

Core Systems

Teaching Daniel

Many interactions give a "Daniel will remember this" style prompt. The key lessons:

Sean's behavior	What Daniel learns
Stealing or letting Daniel steal	Rules don't matter if you need something
Using powers to hurt someone, or encouraging it	Violence is a solution
Telling the truth, apologizing	Honesty and accountability
Letting Daniel choose (games, food, activities)	Sean respects him, Brotherhood goes up
Yelling, controlling, ignoring him	Brotherhood goes down

A "good" Daniel isn't automatically the "best" outcome. The endings reflect whether Daniel listens to Sean and what Daniel believes, so decide what kind of brother you want Sean to be and stay consistent.

Sketching and exploring

Sean is an artist. At certain spots you can sit and draw; each drawing spot counts as a collectible. Souvenirs are items you can take and later show off in Sean's backpack. Both are location-based and are only available in their chapter.

Choices and the recap

At the end of each episode, a summary screen shows your major choices and how other players chose. Use it to check whether you took the path you intended.

Episode Outline (spoiler-light)

Episode	Title	Released	Where
1	Roads	September 27, 2018	Seattle, then the forests and highways of Washington/Oregon
2	Rules	January 24, 2019	Beaver Creek, Oregon, with the brothers' grandparents
3	Wastelands	May 9, 2019	A cannabis farm in Humboldt County, California
4	Faith	August 22, 2019	Nevada; a hospital, then a religious community
5	Wolves	December 3, 2019	Arizona desert and the US–Mexico border

Episode 1: Roads

The incident in Seattle forces the brothers to flee. Early moments set tone: how you handle the gas station and the neighbor, how you treat Daniel on the road. You'll meet Brody Holloway, a travel blogger, and hit the first big moral test at the gas station store. Take time to draw and grab souvenirs in the house and campsite.

Episode 2: Rules

The brothers hide at their grandparents' home, Claire and Stephen Reynolds, in Beaver Creek. This is where Daniel trains his power and you set rules for its use. You'll meet Chris (Captain Spirit) and his father Charles. Choices about Christmas, the market, and how you enforce the rules are heavy teaching moments.

Episode 3: Wastelands

Sean works on a cannabis farm alongside drifters including Cassidy and Finn. Relationships here shape later options, and Sean's choices about a risky plan near the end of the episode matter a lot for Daniel. Brotherhood swings hard in this episode.

Episode 4: Faith

Sean is on his own at first, searching for Daniel. The episode follows him through Nevada to Haven Point, a religious community led by Lisbeth. Daniel's reaction to Sean's arrival, and what he's been taught there, test everything from earlier episodes.

Episode 5: Wolves

The brothers reconnect with their estranged mother Karen in the desert community of Away, Arizona, before the final push to the border. The final decision at the border determines the ending, filtered through Daniel's Morality and Brotherhood.

The Endings

Spoilers for endings below.

There are four main endings (each with variations):

Ending	What happens
Redemption	Sean chooses to surrender and Daniel follows; Sean goes to prison, Daniel lives with his grandparents, and they reunite 15 years later
Blood Brothers	Sean chooses to cross and Daniel follows, using his powers to break through; they reach Mexico and open a garage in Puerto Lobos
Parting Ways	Sean chooses to cross but Daniel refuses; he helps Sean escape, then surrenders. Sean lives as a fugitive and sends postcards
Lone Wolf	Sean chooses to surrender but Daniel refuses and forces a crossing with his powers; police shoot Sean dead and Daniel survives alone in Mexico

How it's decided, broadly:

At the border, Sean makes a final call (surrender or cross, and how).
Daniel only follows Sean's choice if Brotherhood is high enough. With low Brotherhood, Daniel may override Sean.
Daniel's Morality decides how he acts when he doesn't follow Sean, and flavors each ending's epilogue.

Practical advice: if you want a specific ending, keep Brotherhood high all game by respecting Daniel's choices and not controlling him, then make that choice at the border.

Collectibles and Achievements

Souvenirs: each episode has a set; picking them up is often a simple prompt that's easy to walk past. Check shelves, drawers, and side areas.
Drawings: sit at every sketch spot you find. Some only appear during specific scenes.
Missables: locations are tied to chapters. Once a scene moves on, that episode's collectibles in the previous area are gone.
Achievements: each episode has collectible achievements plus story/choice achievements; several require specific choices, so a full clear needs replays.
Replaying: use chapter select from the main menu to replay a chapter. Replaying and continuing from an earlier point can overwrite your later choices on that save, so read the on-screen warning carefully (or use a separate save slot) if you care about your main run's ending.

Difficulty and Pacing

There's no difficulty setting; the challenge is emotional and moral, not mechanical.
Quick-time and power-use moments are generous.
Expect roughly 2 to 3.5 hours per episode, longer if you explore thoroughly.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Rushing through dialogue. Optional talks are where Brotherhood is built.
Assuming "moral" equals "good ending." The ending depends on Daniel trusting Sean as much as on being good.
Skipping Captain Spirit. It's free and adds context and small callbacks in Episode 2.
Replaying a chapter on your main save without realizing it overwrites later progress.
Ignoring Daniel's requests. Refusing him constantly tanks Brotherhood.

Advanced Tips

Play once blind. It's a better experience; use the recap screens and a second playthrough for other endings.
Keep notes of big decisions per episode so you can deliberately change them on a replay.
For Lone Wolf or Parting Ways, you usually need low Brotherhood; that means consistently ignoring or controlling Daniel through the whole game.
For Blood Brothers or Redemption, high Brotherhood plus the matching final choice is the clean route.
Controller is recommended but mouse and keyboard work fine.

FAQ

Do I need to play the first Life is Strange? No. It's a new story with new characters. There are small nods to the first game, including a save-dependent one.

How many endings are there? Four main endings (Redemption, Blood Brothers, Parting Ways, Lone Wolf) with variations.

Is Captain Spirit required? No, but it's free and carries over into Episode 2.

How long is Life is Strange 2? Around 15–20 hours for all five episodes, depending on exploration.

Can I change a choice after the fact? Only by replaying the chapter, which can overwrite later choices on that save.

Is Life is Strange 2 free? Episode 1 is free on Steam (since September 2020). Episodes 2–5 come with the Complete Season.

Is there a sequel with Sean and Daniel? No. Later series entries (True Colors, 2021; Double Exposure, 2024) follow different protagonists.

Is it on Nintendo Switch? Yes, a Switch version released on February 2, 2023. On PC it's available on Steam.