Navigating the Ancient Woods

Expert guidance for The Casting of Frank Stone's 'Navigating the Ancient Woods' section. Learn about mechanics, enemies, and crucial choices to survive the perilous journey.

Alright, let's get you through the Ancient Woods. It's a bit of a spooky section, but with a few pointers, you'll be just fine.

You'll start by emerging from an empty train station into the Columbus Spa. Keep an eye out for a sign near the closed doors – it'll tell you to shoot generators with a stun gun to power things up. Grab the stun gun from the Demon Crate that conveniently refills itself. Once you zap the generator to open the doors, get ready for a jump scare! A Lucinda animatronic will crawl out of the pool to attack, but don't worry, the cart moves before she can reach you. You'll see another one in a hallway before you head into the furnace room.

In the furnace room, another Lucinda will slowly approach. A stun gun Demon Crate will pop up right next to you, so use it to power the furnace and take her down. After that, you'll head into the basement. You'll need to dodge some swinging scythes and then you'll see Belial's seal on a wall. The room beyond has descending shredder blades on the ceiling, so you'll need to clear the debris on the track quickly to avoid getting squished!

Next up are hallways filled with mannequins. Things get dicey when you enter a room with a Demon Crate, as a shelf of limbs will fall and several Sherman animatronics will attack. Take them out, and then you'll enter a room where you see someone being stabbed. More Shermans and a Lucinda will appear. Here's a pro-tip: use the refilling stun gun Demon Crate to shoot the generator at the end of the room. It activates a wall trap that'll take out all the animatronics at once, covering the room in blood. Pretty gruesome, but effective!

You'll then move into the hotel, stopping in a bar with more animatronics. The bartender will slide out and throw fireballs – shoot them to avoid getting hit. After that, you'll enter a lounge with more enemies. Two generators are above the door at the end of the room. The left one shoots fire, and the right one activates a wall trap. Use the refilling stun gun Demon Crate to kill the animatronics, including more that show up.

You'll go through more hallways and end up back in the basement. Here, you have a choice: left or right.

• Going left takes you to the cellar. You'll need to shoot generators along the walls to open several level crossings and get through.
• Going right leads back into the spa. You'll go through four rooms, each with a stun gun Demon Crate and two generators. One generator opens the door, but the other activates a wall trap that will kill you. Be careful which one you shoot!

Back on the main track, you'll ride through the hotel corridors. A train will crash through the ceiling, and bartender animatronics will attack from a balcony. After dealing with them and a Sherman, more bartender animatronics will attack. Once they're down, you'll exit the hotel into a forest with dead trees and red mist. You'll head towards the lighthouse, but then go back down into a lake with buses. More enemies will pop out of the water.

At the dock, Belial will pull a lever, switching your track. A police boat explodes as you pass. You'll return to the dead forest and then outside the hotel again. Belial's seal is visible, and she laughs. You'll face a final wave of animatronics here, using a stun gun Demon Crate and generators to activate fire traps. After you defeat them, you'll enter the hotel, but the entrance is blocked. Belial appears and lets you in.

You'll enter a long hallway with small rooms. Each room has a stun gun Demon Crate, two generators, and machines that fill the room with acid. Shoot the correct generator to open the level crossings and proceed. Shooting the wrong one speeds up the acid, which will kill you. After this, you'll enter the freezer room, where the environment shifts eerily.

You'll reach a kitchen area with a choice:

• Going left means going through staff corridors and unfinished rooms, dodging metal beams. You'll face a Sherman behind a mattress, and then more enemies. You'll need to shoot generators to get past spinning sawblades blocking doorways.
• Going right takes you into the kitchen. You'll face fire and acid traps activated by generators, and various animatronic enemies. After defeating them, you'll again need to shoot generators to get past spinning sawblades blocking doorways.

That should get you through this part of the woods. Keep your wits about you!