Should you choose the Ascend or Resurrection oath in Banishers Ghosts of New Eden?
Early on in Banishers Ghosts of New Eden, you need to swear an oath to Ascend or Resurrect Antea
The Banishers Ghosts of New Eden Ascend or Resurrection oath is the game's main choice, forcing you to make a promise involving Antea's fate – will you let her ghost ascend peacefully, or will you work to resurrect her? It's a tough choice as the oath you choose determines which ending path you'll follow, but it's down to you whether you'll actually do what's required to fulfil the promise. Here are key things to know about Red's Ascend or Resurrection oath to Antea in Banishers Ghosts of New Eden.
While I've avoided revealing all the major details of each ending, there are still some spoilers for Banishers Ghosts of New Eden further down this article.
Banishers Ascend or Resurrection oath?
Red's oath choice is a tough one that comes up within the first couple of hours of playing Banishers Ghosts of New Eden after you complete the "The Flesh Is Weak" Haunting Case. It forces you to swear an oath that decides how you'll deal with Antea's ghost once you finally get back to New Eden Town to lift the curse. However, both oaths have their own instructions to follow to be fulfilled too, and thankfully the game lets you know what's required. The oaths are as follows:
- Ascend: Promise to let Antea's ghost pass on peacefully with an ascension, making her dead for good. This is done by Ascending or Banishing ghosts or sparing the living during the Closure stage of any Haunting Case.
- Resurrection: Promise to attempt a resurrection ritual once you reach Antea's body in New Eden Town. This ritual can only be performed if Antea absorbs life essence, which is done by Blaming or sacrificing living people during the Closure stage of any Haunting Case.
As mentioned, the oath you choose mainly affects the Banishers Ghosts of New Eden endings available to you, and you aren't locked out of other choices during the game by choosing either oath – you can still sacrifice the living even if you're not going for the Resurrection ending, for example. In fact, there is even a bit of leeway in that you can sacrifice a few living settlers and still get the best Ascend ending, but be aware that pushing too far has its own consequences. Importantly, you also get an opportunity much later in the game to change your oath if you regret your choice!
MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON!
Banishers Ghosts of New Eden Ascend oath and endings
It's quite clear that the Ascend oath is the morally "good" option here. You avoid murdering indiscriminately and do your job as a Banisher by ending ghost haunts, intending to the same for Antea's ghost.
There are also three possible endings by choosing this oath. If you fulfil this promise by only Banishing or Ascending ghosts (you can get away with sacrificing a small number of colonists), this leads you to the best Ascend ending for Banishers Ghosts of New Eden. Blaming too many colonists results in Red breaking his oath, while Blaming a few colonists, but not enough to break the oath, leads to a unique ending for Red.
Banishers Ghosts of New Eden Resurrection oath and endings
As for the Resurrection oath, the game is very clear that the ritual will only work if the "largest number of settlers are sacrificed". What this appears to mean is that you need to sacrifice most of the living colonists you encounter as part of each Haunting Case you undertake. From my experience playing, I can confirm that you do not need to Blame or sacrifice someone for all 23 Haunting Cases in the game.
It's quite a grim path to pursue but there are two possible endings for it. Blaming enough people allows you to attempt the resurrection ritual, while not Blaming enough people causes you to break your oath to Antea as the ritual will not be possible. This results in the same outcome as breaking the Ascend oath.
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Will Sawyer is a guides writer at GamesRadar+ who works with the rest of the guides team to give readers great information and advice on the best items, how to complete a particular challenge, or where to go in some of the biggest video games. Will joined the GameRadar+ team in August 2021 and has written about service titles, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Warzone, as well as some of the biggest releases like Halo Infinite, Elden Ring, and God of War Ragnarok.