Bastion Achievement Guide & Road Map

Bastion
Bastion Achievement Guide

Overview:
Estimated achievement difficulty: 5/10 [Achievement Difficulty Rating]
Offline: 22 [1000]
Online: 0
Approximate time to 100%: 8-12 hours [Estimated Time to 100%]
Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 2
Missable achievements: No
Does difficulty affect Achievements? Yes [Do not choose No-Sweat mode]
Unobtainable achievements: No
Extra equipment needed?: No

Introduction:
Bastion is a critically acclaimed Action RPG from Supergiant Games. This port is done extremely well, and contains some extra DLC that was not available for the Xbox 360 version. You play as The Kid, a non-speaking character who has his story narrated by someone called The Stranger (dude has an amazing voice). You will learn the tragic story of this beautiful world, as it literally builds itself around you on your adventure. Truly one of the best games I've ever played.

Step 1: Normal Playthrough + First Ending:
Your first playthrough should focus on enjoying this beautiful game. You can't do the majority of the achievements until the second playthrough, and everything will reset when you start Score Attack Mode anyway, so there's no use getting partial progress toward anything here. You'll get a minimum of five story-related achievements, and be sure to remember which ending you choose so you can make the opposite choice in the next step.

Step 2: Score Attack Mode + Second Ending
After beating the game once, you'll unlock New Game Plus and Score Attack Mode. Start a second run of the game on Score Attack Mode and it will count for both achievements. Your goal will now be collecting everything possible, completing all the Vigils, upgrading all the weapons, and completing the arena battles with all ten idols active, as well as getting one million total points toward score attack.

Complete the story up until the "point of no return" (the game will tell you that you won't be able to return when you try to select the last level), and then mop up everything you need to do. You should only have one ending achievement left when you decide to move the story to its conclusion on this playthrough. Make sure you select the opposite choice from your first run.

I would suggest playing the story levels with a few idols active this time around. You will get bonus experience for doing so, and this will definitely help toward getting Level 7-8 (or higher) for the arena battles. I personally played with Lemaign, Pyth, and Olak active for a 25% bonus.

[XBA would like to thank The Pants Party for this Roadmap]

The Stranger

10
Complete the Wharf District.
Story related and cannot be missed.
The End

50
Complete the story.
At the end of the game you will have two options to choose from. To unlock this achievement, choose "Restoration." Make sure you do the opposite on your other playthrough.
Calamity Kid

100
Complete the story in New Game Plus.

Story related and cannot be missed.

Make sure you choose to be in "Score Attack Mode" when doing this, otherwise you will need at least a partial third playthrough to get that achievement separately.
Mind Voyager

35
Complete each trip to Who Knows Where.
The Who Knows Where trips are basically horde arenas, accessed through the items at the bottom of the Bastion. By clicking on the Smoking Pipe, Bed Roll, Cooking Pot, and History Books you will be transported to these arenas. You need to do each of these eventually with all ten idols unlocked in the Shrine for other achievements, so I'd suggest not bothering with them on your first playthrough. See "About the Author" for more information.

Note: The Who Knows Where location visited from the History Books is not required for this achievement (and it is not available until your second playthrough), but it has two achievements of its own and will help toward Score Attack Mode.
Kid-at-Arms

20
Use the Forge to apply at least one upgrade to every weapon.
Refer to "Man-at-Arms" for more information.
Pet Sitter

20
Get four different domesticated creatures in the Bastion.
The four "pets" in the game are found as collectibles in different levels of the story. If you miss any of them, they will show up in the Lost and Found for purchase, but I'd suggest trying to find them to save some fragments for other things. They are located as follows:
- Squirt - find the Ragged Hood in Workmen Ward
- Pith Bull - find the Plush Pith in Pyth Orchard
- Anklegator - find the Anklegator Egg in Roathus Lagoon
- Pecker - find the Pecker Nest in Colford Cauldron
Once you get a collectible (by finding or buying it), speak with Zia in the Bastion for the pet to actually show up in the Bastion to get credit.
Vigilante

20
Complete at least 50 percent of the Vigils in the Memorial.
Refer to "Altruist" for more information.
Altruist

35
Complete 100 percent of the Vigils in the Memorial.
Vigils are accomplishments for completing specific tasks in the game, and reward you with a big chunk of fragments. Before you can begin working on these, you need to build the Memorial in the Bastion. In Score Attack Mode, you can build the structures in any order, so I'd suggest getting the Memorial before anything else. The Vigils will reward you with extra fragments, so getting these out of the way sooner will help toward many other achievements.

There are 23 Vigils to complete, and you'll get an on-screen notification if you complete one of them. Many you will do without even trying. For the rest, consult this guide for help completing them. The biggest task is doing all the Proving Grounds, and some of the weapon-specific ones can be tricky. But with that guide, you'll knock them out in no time.
Man-at-Arms

30
Use the Forge to fully upgrade every weapon.
(1)
The Forge should probably the second building you get in Score Attack Mode. You will want stronger weapons to make the game easier for yourself. Each weapon can be upgraded five times, though you will need to upgrade the Forge itself to get access to the final two upgrades (when you first buy the Forge, only three upgrades are available). You will be able to upgrade the buildings in the second half of the game.

You can find at most three upgrade materials for each weapon through the story levels, with the other two coming from the Proving Grounds. A weapon's specific Proving Ground will award an upgrade material for that weapon at a 3rd place finish, and an upgrade material for a different weapon at a second place finish. First place is a special attack (used with Black Tonics). The materials are as follows:
- Something Heavy - Cael Hammer
- Something Nasty - Fang Repeater
- Something Stringy - Breaker's Bow
- Something Sharp - War Machete
- Something Coarse - Scrap Musket
- Something Greasy - Dueling Pistols
- Something Pointy - Brusher's Pike
- Something Fancy - Army Carbine
- Something Foul - Fire Bellows
- Something Burnt - Galleon Mortar
- Something Wrong - Calamity Cannon
I won't list locations of all the upgrades that are found in levels, as they cost very little to purchase from the Lost and Found if you miss them. In addition to the material itself, you'll need to spend some fragments for each upgrade tier. This varies depending on the weapon, but the total cost is usually between 3000-4500 fragments per weapon.

Each upgrade tier has two possible bonuses, and you can switch between these whenever you want. Play with these to find your play style, and you may need to change things up to beat some of the Proving Grounds as well, depending on your need for extra damage, speed, etc. If you need help completing any of the Proving Grounds, check the link provided in "Altruist" for the Vigils guide. There are strategies listed there for each Proving Ground.
Whatever's Out There

35
Complete the Kid's Dream with five or more Shrine Idols invoked.
Refer to "About the Author" for more information.
Just Like That

75
Complete the Kid's Dream with all ten Shrine Idols invoked.
(1)
Refer to "About the Author" for more information.
Lock Yourself In

35
Complete the Singer's Dream with five or more Shrine Idols invoked.
Refer to "About the Author" for more information.
Calamity All Around

75
Complete the Singer's Dream with all ten Shrine Idols invoked.
(1)
Refer to "About the Author" for more information.
A Lasting Peace

35
Complete the Survivor's Dream with five or more Shrine Idols invoked.
Refer to "About the Author" for more information.
Ashes in the Sky

75
Complete the Survivor's Dream with all ten Shrine Idols invoked.
Refer to "About the Author" for more information.
All in the Mind

35
Complete the Stranger's Dream with five or more Shrine Idols invoked.
Refer to "About the Author" for more information.
About the Author

75
Complete the Stranger's Dream with all ten Shrine Idols invoked.
For each of these Dream achievements, the strategy is basically the same: roll, shoot the mortar, repeat. You won't even block very often, aside from maybe the frog enemies and definitely the sword enemies (VERY important against them - block and only attack after they do). Basically, if you stop moving or are out in the open at all, you're going to get hurt. There are a ton of enemies and you will not get extra health drops, so avoiding damage at all cost is key. Your time doesn't matter, so if you have to roll around the level for a minute to get an opening to shoot, do it. Don't take any chances.

If you can get all the way to Level 10, this will obviously make these achievement easier as you will have more health. However, beating the game will likely leave you well short. I did the first two Dreams at Level 6 and the final two at Level 7.

You will want to bring the Galleon Mortar and the Brusher's Pike for your weapons. The mortar will be your main weapon, as it can wipe out a big group of Squirts in one shot, and kill enemies from a distance which is obviously ideal (especially turrets). The pike is also great for range fighting, but you'll basically only use that in a pinch while the mortar reloads (though it will be your primary against birds and frogs). Make sure you select the "Stonewall Propellant" for the fifth upgrade tier of the mortar so you don't damage yourself. For the other tiers, I'd go with Rapid Bombs, Target System, High-Explosive Charges, and Dampened Tubing. Basically it's a fast/high damage build, getting the most out of quick shots to single targets. The pike upgrades are less important, but avoid anything that mentions throwing it; you won't be doing that.

For your spirits, you'll want to make sure you have Leechade. This is the only thing that will give you extra health (for every hit on an enemy) since you won't get tonic bottles dropping from enemies or between rounds. For the rest, I'd suggest Hearty Punch (+1 Revive), Squirt Cider (+10 Health), Bastion Bourbon (+2 Tonic capacity), Bull Brandy (+15% damage resistance), Lifewine (survive a killing blow), and Cham-Pain (+25% damage/-1 revive). That last one obviously gives you one less revive, but being able to kill most enemies in one shot instead of two is pretty huge. That was my setup at Level 6. Once I hit Level 7 I added Werewhisky (100% critical chance when less than 33% health), but that rarely activated since I tried not to take any damage. Might be better to use Dreadrum (+10% critical chance when at full health).
Hard Bargain

100
Earn a total of 1,000,000 points In Score Attack Mode.

Score Attack Mode is unlocked after beating the game once. You will be able to do this in New Game Plus and thus can combine this achievement with "Calamity Kid" and your second ending.

This mode is exactly what it sounds like. You'll be playing through the entire game with a scoring system, and your best score from each level will add toward your one million goal. Once you have completed all the story levels again (but before actually completing the story), use the four Who Knows Where locations to get the rest of your points. Since you need to do all four of these with all ten idols active, this will easily get you the rest of the points needed (I got 800k on the final one alone).

You earn a score multiplier enemies you kill in succession, and this number will reset if you haven't killed anyone in a while. Obviously use all your combat skills (roll!) to avoid damage as best as you can to keep your score multiplier high. Idols will also increase the score you get, as well as the experience you earn, so I'd suggest having a few of these active as you play. But like I mentioned, you can get close a million points from just the last Who Knows Where location on its own, so you'll easily get this achievement if you do all the other achievements, too.

The Survivor

20
Complete the Hanging Gardens and speak with the Survivor in the Bastion.
This is mostly story related, but you can technically miss it if you do not speak with Rulf when you return to the Bastion. You return many times after rescuing him, so it doesn't have to be right away.
The Singer

30
Complete Prosper Bluff and speak with the Singer in the Bastion.
This is mostly story related, but you can technically miss it if you do not speak with Zia when you return to the Bastion. You return many times after rescuing her, so it doesn't have to be right away.
The Ura

40
Stop to the siege on the Bastion.
Story related and cannot be missed.
The Beginning

50
Complete the story, embracing the New World.
At the end of the game you will have two options to choose from. To unlock this achievement, choose "Evacuation." Make sure you do the opposite on your other playthrough.