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Short answer: the circles in CHAOS;CHILD are delusion triggers. They let you choose a positive, negative, or neutral imagined experience, and the resulting scene changes what Takuru perceives. On a first playthrough, those choices do not immediately unlock every character route: the game keeps you on the common (Over Sky) path. The safest approach is to finish that route while choosing freely, save manually before map prompts and route-locking triggers, then use the documented trigger patterns for each ending.
This guide explains what each trigger does, how the six-ending structure works, which choices build each route, and how to avoid losing accumulated flags. Spoilers begin after the warning below.
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What do the delusion trigger circles mean?
A trigger is an invitation to steer Takuru toward a positive, negative, or neutral delusion. It is not a conventional dialogue-choice tree in which one answer immediately changes a relationship meter. The official product description frames the mechanic as choosing between disturbing nightmares and pleasurable daydreams to affect the realities Takuru perceives and change the story.
The visible text can change at the trigger, but community route explanations report that the selected delusion scene appears shortly afterward. Do not assume that the first screen is the complete consequence. Let the sequence play out before deciding whether a choice “worked,” and keep a save if you are testing a route.
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Positive, negative and neutral choices
- Positive: Takuru experiences a pleasurable or reassuring fantasy.
- Negative: Takuru experiences a disturbing or nightmarish fantasy.
- Neutral: the scene avoids either extreme and can be useful when a route guide calls for a neutral flag.
These labels describe the type of delusion, not a simple good-versus-evil morality system. A positive-heavy run can still lead into violent or upsetting material, and a negative choice is not automatically a bad ending. Route flags depend on the pattern and on a few specific exceptions.
What should I do on my first playthrough?
Use the first run to complete the common route rather than trying to force a character ending. The route guide states that a new game is locked to the common, also called Over Sky, route regardless of which delusions you select. That makes this run the least stressful place to learn the trigger interface and the map system.
- Choose delusions by instinct. You can select positive, negative or neutral scenes without invalidating the common route.
- Save before every map prompt. Make a fresh manual save before entering a map and before any major yes/no decision. Label the slot with the chapter and the intended branch.
- Treat Chapter 4 as a checkpoint. The common-route map is the main early failure point. Selecting both incorrect options produces the common-route bad ending; attempting that prompt before completing the common route produces an incomplete version.
- Finish the common ending. The guide requires the common ending before the character routes and true ending become available.
- Start route optimization only afterward. Load a clearly labeled save or begin a new run, then follow one route pattern from start to finish instead of mixing notes from several endings.
What is the recommended route order?
The walkthrough’s order is Over Sky (common), Dark Sky, Deep Sky, Dream Sky or Another Sky, Real Sky, and Silent Sky. Dream Sky and Another Sky can be completed in either order. Completing the common ending first is the important gate; the remaining order mainly keeps the revelations and route requirements manageable.
| Order | Route | Character focus | Why this position matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Over Sky (common) | Common story | Required before the other routes and the true ending |
| 2 | Dark Sky | Hinae Arimura | Positive and additional delusions on a new game |
| 3 | Deep Sky | Hana Kazuki | Positive route with a Chapter 3 exception and a required map segment |
| 4 | Dream Sky | Uki Yamazoe | Mostly negative choices with three later positive checkpoints |
| 5 | Another Sky | Uki Yamazoe | Builds on Dream Sky requirements, then changes two house/café choices |
| 6 | Real Sky | Nono Kurusu | Positive and additional choices with two Chapter 3 exclusions |
| 7 | Silent Sky | Serika Onoe | True ending option appears on the title screen after the other endings |
The Steam product listing associated with the 2019 release advertises six endings. The route order above counts the common ending, four character-focused routes, and Silent Sky as the true ending.
Which delusion pattern unlocks each route?
These patterns are the practical route requirements from the walkthrough. “Additional” means the extra route-specific triggers identified by the guide, not merely the standard positive or negative circles.
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Dark Sky — Hinae Arimura
On a new game, select all positive and additional delusions, including the route-specific triggers. This is the most straightforward positive-heavy route, but keep a separate save before the first trigger that appears to establish a character path.
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Select all positive and additional delusions except the Chapter 3 trigger in which Hinae and Takuru prepare for the culture festival. The route also contains a map segment that must be completed correctly. The walkthrough noted that this segment was untranslated when it was published, so the wording or available guidance may differ by edition; save immediately before entering it and follow the map instructions for your release.
Dream Sky — Uki Yamazoe
Select all negative delusions except the trigger after leaving the hospital in Chapter 5, where the guide calls for a positive choice. After that exception, choose positive before the route title card, positive at the house, and positive again at the café. Those late checkpoints are easy to miss if you continue selecting negative scenes automatically.
Another Sky — Uki Yamazoe
Begin with the Dream Sky requirements. At the house, choose negative; at the café, choose positive. In other words, Another Sky branches from the Dream pattern through those two location-specific choices rather than through an entirely separate opening sequence.
Real Sky — Nono Kurusu
Select positive and additional delusions except for two Chapter 3 triggers: the Hinae culture-festival preparation scene, and the scene in which Takuru and the group are sleeping in the clubroom before the festival. Excluding both is essential; do not treat the route as simply “choose every positive option.”
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Silent Sky — Serika Onoe (true ending)
Complete the other endings first. Once the required endings are recorded, the option to begin Silent Sky appears on the title screen. If it is absent, check that the common route and every prerequisite route were completed rather than merely reached and abandoned at a branch.
How should I save around maps and route locks?
Preserve the state that matters: your cumulative route flags and a recoverable position before each irreversible-looking prompt. A quicksave alone is not a reliable archive for this game.
Use labeled manual slots
- Create a “Common” slot before the Chapter 4 map.
- Create a new slot before every map prompt, major yes/no choice, and the first trigger that appears to begin a character route.
- Maintain separate slots for positive-heavy routes, negative-heavy routes, and bad-ending cleanup.
- Include the chapter and intended route in the label so you can identify a slot without loading it.
Keep flag-building sequences continuous
A community route discussion reports that some flags must be accumulated in one run. Earlier saves are useful for testing a branch, but the safest interpretation is to play the entire flag-building sequence continuously and branch only where the guide explicitly instructs you to do so. Loading an old slot can restore an earlier flag state even when the visible scene looks similar.
Do not make quicksave your only backup
A community save discussion warns that autosave or quicksave context can change after a different save file is loaded. A manual, labeled slot gives you a stable recovery point for route cleanup and prevents an experiment from replacing the state you were building.
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Opening the menu on PC
Community reports for the PC release say the menu can be opened with the 1 key or by right-clicking twice. Treat those as practical PC reports, not universal documentation: keyboard bindings, controller layouts and console controls can differ by platform and edition. If neither method works, use the controls shown by your release rather than overwriting a good save while searching for the menu.
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How do the map prompts affect endings?
Map prompts are separate from the delusion circles and can decide whether a route continues. The Chapter 4 common-route map is the main early checkpoint: choosing both incorrect locations causes the common-route bad ending, while entering the prompt before finishing the common route gives an incomplete version.
The walkthrough also records a map segment on Hana’s Deep Sky route that must be cleared correctly. Save immediately before each map and, if the game allows you to revisit the prompt, reload the labeled slot instead of relying on an autosave.
Map-related completion goals
- One achievement is awarded for clearing every common-route map trigger without mistakes.
- Another achievement is awarded for making ten map mistakes in a row.
- A separate achievement rewards reading every tip.
These goals pull in opposite directions. Use a dedicated cleanup slot for deliberate mistakes so that your no-mistake common-route save remains intact.
How do I clean up bad endings after finishing the routes?
Do cleanup after the main endings, when you have a stable completion save. The walkthrough identifies three broad cleanup patterns:
- Dark Sky: select all-negative delusions.
- Deep Sky: choose incorrect map locations.
- Dream Sky: make the specific negative or neutral choices listed for its bad ending.
Because the Dream cleanup depends on several named choices rather than one simple switch, copy the guide’s sequence into your own notes and use a save immediately before the first listed trigger. Do not overwrite the completed-route slot while experimenting.
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What should I do if a route does not appear?
First confirm that the common ending is complete; the other routes are not available from an unfinished common run. Next check the exception triggers, because one accidental positive or negative choice can prevent a route even when most of the pattern is correct.
- For Deep Sky, verify that you skipped the Chapter 3 Hinae culture-festival preparation trigger and cleared the route map segment.
- For Dream Sky, verify the Chapter 5 hospital-exit positive choice and all three later positive checkpoints.
- For Another Sky, verify that you started from Dream Sky requirements, then used negative at the house and positive at the café.
- For Real Sky, verify that both specified Chapter 3 triggers were excluded.
- For Silent Sky, verify that every earlier ending is complete and then return to the title screen.
If you cannot identify the wrong flag, load the last labeled pre-trigger save and replay the sequence continuously. That is safer than jumping between unlabeled quicksaves.
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What content should I expect before starting?
The official store description and walkthrough warn about graphic violence, disturbing crime-scene imagery, sexual material, nudity and strong language. The delusion system can present pleasurable fantasies and disturbing nightmares close together, so the route choice is not a guarantee of lighter material. Review the game’s regional rating and your own content limits before starting a route.
How I organized these route tips
The priorities are first-run safety, preservation of cumulative flags, and a route order that respects the common-ending gate. Trigger patterns come from the published walkthrough, while save and control cautions reflect community reports that may vary by platform. Where a control or translation is edition-specific, it is identified as such rather than presented as a universal rule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do positive delusions always lead to a happier ending?
No. Positive, negative and neutral labels describe the imagined scene, not the moral outcome of a route. A positive-heavy sequence can still lead into violent or disturbing material because the game is changing Takuru’s perception rather than assigning a simple happiness score.
Can I deliberately collect the map-mistake achievement without damaging my main run?
Yes. Finish or preserve the no-mistake route in a labeled manual slot first, then use a separate cleanup slot for deliberate errors. This keeps the ten-mistakes-in-a-row attempt from replacing the state needed for route flags or the perfect common-map achievement.
Why did the scene change after the circle even though I made the same choice as before?
The selected delusion is reported to play shortly after the trigger, so the immediate text is not always the complete result. Loading a different save can also restore a different cumulative flag state, making nearby scenes appear inconsistent.
Is the PC menu shortcut guaranteed to work on every version?
No. Reports of the 1 key and double right-click apply to the PC release discussed by the community, while controller layouts and console editions may use different commands. Check the controls exposed by your own edition before relying on a shortcut.
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