Similar to other Soulslikes and the Souls games themselves, Lies of P has multiple endings you can unlock, but the game never makes it clear how to pursue each ending.
At various points in Lies of P, you’ll be faced with an influential decision where you have to choose between two options, usually lying or telling the truth. Your choices add up, and based on the decisions you made, you’ll end up on a path toward one of the game’s three possible endings.
The three endings all conclude the story in different ways, with unique glimpses into the main characters’ motivations and feelings, but certain endings are simply more favorable than others. In this guide, we’ll go over all three endings in Lies of P and explain exactly how to reach them.
All endings in Lies of P and how to get them
Real Boy: They all lived happily ever after (bad ending)
The first ending is not affected by whether you tell the truth or lie throughout the game, as the only important choice is near the end. You will eventually reach the final area, Arche Abbey, and fight Simon Manus, the Awakened God.
After defeating him, take the lift down to the Under the Abyss area, where you will meet Geppetto. Since “you have been a good boy,” according to Geppetto, he will offer to turn you into a real boy and end the madness.
At this crossroads, you’ll have to make a choice: “Give your heart” or “Refuse.” To achieve the Real Boy ending, you must select the “Give your heart” option.
After your choice, Geppetto will declare you the greatest puppet he ever created and take out your heart, resulting in P’s death. He will use the heart to revive his deceased son, Carlo, who appears in the end cutscene. Geppetto embraces the now revived Carlo with the lifeless bodies of the hotel residents strewn around them.
Rise of P (good ending)
Rise of P is one of two endings you can get if you refuse Geppetto’s request to give him your heart. To achieve this ending, you must have a high Humanity level before meeting Sophia at the Ascension Bridge. The exact level isn’t clear, but players believe that around 60 to 70 percent of your dialogue choices should be lies if you’re going for this ending.
Your Humanity has four stages of growth, and is increased when you lie (as puppets can’t lie) or when you listen to a Record in full at Hotel Krat. Each Humanity level displays a different message when you gain Humanity:
- Your springs are reacting
- Your ergo is whispering
- You feel warmth
- Your heart is pounding
The nose on the Pinnochio painting in Gepetto’s office also grows the more you lie. If you’re going for the Rise of P ending and aren’t sure if you’ve lied enough, make sure to listen to all your Records, and refer to our handy guide to all the Record locations in Lies of P if you haven’t found them all yet.
Below are all the decisions you need to make to gain the highest level of Humanity—Your Heart Is Pounding—before interacting with Sophia at the Ascension Bridge.
| Event | Instructions | Outcome required |
| Weeping Woman questline | Talk to the weeping woman in the window at Elysion Boulevard and accept her request to find her baby. Find the Broken Baby Puppet between the Krat City Hall Stargazer and the Krat City Hall Courtyard. Return the Broken Baby Puppet to the woman in the window. | Select the dialogue option “She’s a cute baby,” once you’ve given her the Broken Baby Puppet. You can then listen to the Vinyl Record: Feel at Hotel Krat. |
| King of Riddles questline | Continue on after the Krat City Hall Courtyard. Prior to reaching the Vignini Works Stargazer, answer the ringing telephone to speak to Arlecchino, the King of Riddles. | Answer the riddle by selecting the dialogue option “Human.” |
| The Atoned interaction | Defeat The Survivor at the Workshop Union to get the Stalker’s Promise gesture. Upon reaching the tram beyond the Moonlight Town Stargazer, interact with The Atoned. | Choose the dialogue option “Give the Stalker’s Greeting.” Choose “Stalker” if you do not have the gesture. |
| Sister Cecile questline | Talk to Sister Cecile at the St. Frangelico Cathedral Library Stargazer. Find the Archbishop’s Holy Mark and return it to Sister Cecile before fighting the Fallen Archbishop Andreus. Head back to the St. Frangelico Cathedral Library Stargazer. You’ll find the Divine Service Vinyl Record in place of Cecile, as well as Cecile’s Written Confession. | Read Cecile’s Written Confession to get the Pray gesture. Use the Pray gesture at the one-winged angel statue at the end of the bridge opposite the St. Frangelico Cathedral Stargazer. You can also listen to the Divine Service Vinyl Record at Hotel Krat to gain more Humanity. |
| Alidoro interaction | Locate Alidoro at the St. Frangelico Cathedral Chapel and talk to him. | Lie to Alidoro by replying “Venigni Works” when he asks for a safe place to stay. After defeating the Fallen Archbishop Andreus, teleport to the Workshop Union Entrance Stargazer and talk with Alidoro a second time. Select the option “Elysion Boulevard.” He will go to Hotel Krat no matter which choice you make. |
| King of Riddles questline | Find the ringing telephone at the Malum District in the area before the fight with the Eldest of The Black Rabbit Brotherhood. | Answer the riddle by selecting the option “Candle.” |
| Portrait of a boy | After defeating the Eldest of The Black Rabbit Brotherhood, move ahead to the Black Rabbit Brotherhood’s hideout in the Malum District Town Hall. Locate the Portrait of a Boy before returning to the hotel. | Hand the portrait to Geppetto. The more you lie, the more the nose will grow out of the painting, and it will eventually turn into the Golden Lie weapon. If you’ve gained enough Humanity, talking to Sophia after investigating the growing nose will also make your hair grow, and you’ll gain more human features. |
| Julian the Gentleman questline | Interact with Julian at the Rosa Isabelle Street Culvert Stargazer and select the “Fetch” option. Locate the Wedding Ring before the burning area in Rosa Isabelle Street, then return to Julian the Gentleman. | When talking to Julian, select the dialogue option “I saw the message she left saying she loved you.” |
| Polendina interaction | After defeating the King of Puppets, head back to Hotel Krat and talk to Polendina at the north-side entrance. | When speaking to Polendina, select the option “Show the Wedding Ring.” Make sure to speak to Antonia and select the option “Of course.” |
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| Belle questline | Interact with Belle at the Grand Exhibition Gallery. | No outcome needed. |
| King of Riddles questline | Locate the phone within the Grand Exhibition Gallery prior to the Champion Victor boss fight. | Answer the riddle correctly by selecting the dialogue prompt “Egg.” |
| Simon Manus interaction | Defeat Champion Victor. | Select the dialogue prompt “Hope for a cure.” |
| Curing Antonia | Head back to Hotel Krat and speak to Polendina. Here, you’ll learn about Antonia’s condition. Speak to Giangio and trade him a Gold Coin Fruit in exchange for a cure. | Head back to Polendina and select the option “Use the cure.” If you return to Hotel Krat upon defeating the Green Monster of The Swamp, you can speak to the now-cured Antonia to further level up your Humanity. |
| Eugenie questline | Speak to Eugenie after beating Champion Victor and accept her request to give her glove to Alidoro. Progress through the Barren Swamp Entrance and locate Alidoro. Hand over the glove by interacting with Alidoro. | Head back to Eugenie at Hotel Krat. Interact with her and select the dialogue option “He was happy” when she asks if Alidoro liked the glove. |
| King of Riddles questline | Locate the phone beyond Krat Central Station. | Answer the riddle correctly by selecting the option “Ergo.” Return to any one of the previous phone locations. When the King of Riddles asks if you are a killer, respond with “No.” You should receive The Chosen One’s Trinity Sanctum Key regardless of what answer you give. |
| Belle questline | Once you have defeated the Corrupted Parade Master, head to Hotel Krat and interact with Antonia first. Then speak with Belle and accept her request to find her partner. Head to the Krat Central Station Platform Stargazer, go down the stairs beyond the Stargazer, turn around, and enter the train in this area. Here you will find Atkinson. | Head back to Hotel Krat and interact with Belle. Select the dialogue option “He was killed in action fighting a puppet.” You’ll be awarded the Vinyl Record, Why. Make sure to listen to it afterward. |
| Veningi interaction | Progress the story as normal and defeat the Black Rabbit Brotherhood. Head back to Venigni and speak to him. He will decode the message sent by the King of Puppets. | Choose the dialogue option “I couldn’t hear.” Be sure to also play the King of Puppets’ message at the Hotel Stargazer. |
| Alidoro’s secret questline | Upon defeating the Black Rabbit Brotherhood, continue past the area and interact with Alidoro. You will need to kill Alidoro to progress further, and you’ll be awarded Alidoro’s Cryptic Vessel. Head back to Hotel Krat and decipher Alidoro’s Cryptic Vessel by giving it to Venigni. Then, go and interact with Eugenie. | Select the option “I think he was just a talented Stalker.” You will receive a Vinyl Record afterward, so make sure to listen to it. |
| Arriving at the Black Seaside | Progress through the game as normal until you reach the Black Seaside. Here you will explore Carlo’s lost memories by interacting with a series of scenes along the beach. | Make sure to interact with every scene in the area to gain the most Humanity. |
| Concluding the King of Puppets questline | After answering the King of Puppets’ penultimate question, you will receive The Chosen One’s Trinity Sanctum Key. Proceed onward from Arche Abby Outer Wall until you reach a large section that descends downward. Head to the very bottom of the area, where a large Human enemy patrols. Here, you will find the entrance to the final Trinity Sanctum. | Talk to the King of Riddles inside. When he asks you what you are, reply with “Human.” |
After defeating Laxasia the Complete, you’ll encounter Sophia. Here, you’ll face a choice: “Let her live” or “Give her peace.” Choose to give her peace.
After defeating Simon Manus, when interacting with Geppetto, you must select the “Refuse” option instead of giving him your heart. Geppetto will detest you for this decision, revealing that P was a puppet meant to act as a vessel to bring his son back to life.
Geppetto will summon the Nameless Puppet, the final boss of the game whom you must defeat. As you are almost victorious, the boss will try to kill you, but Geppetto will jump in front of the blade and sacrifice himself, but for the sake of Carlo’s heart.
Geppetto does bid you farewell along with an apology too, however. As the sun rises, you find the puppet of Sophia and transfer your Ergo into her, giving her life at the cost of your own.
Free from the Puppet String (neutral ending)
To get this ending, you must tell the truth at all crucial moments. You’ll know you’re on the right track if you haven’t seen the “Your strings are reacting” message very often during your playthrough. If the nose on the Portrait of a Boy in Geppetto’s office is always normal, you’ve done it correctly.
Below are a couple of key decisions you need to make in this route:
- Tell Eugenie that the real Alidoro is dead.
- Tell the truth about the Puppet Frenzy to Venigni after listening to the King’s transmission.
- Let Sophia live after beating Laxasia.
- Tell Geppetto he wasn’t trustworthy.
- Tell Simon that you liberated Sophia after beating him in Chapter XI.
- Refuse to give your heart to Geppetto.
After refusing to give your heart to Gepetto, you’ll have to beat the Nameless Puppet, similar to the true ending. Geppetto will sacrifice himself before the boss can land the finishing blow on you once again, except this time, while dying, Geppetto tells you that you were a ”useless puppet.”
