Ending 2: Sacrifice Arcadia Bay
What Happens When You Pick This Ending
Max will rip up the photo of the butterfly and Arcadia Bay will be doomed to face the brunt of the massive tornado. Chloe and Max will be safe at the lighthouse but it is presumed that everyone else in Arcadia Bay does not survive. Max and Chloe will drive through the utter destruction of the city and live with the difficult decision that they made together.
Pick This Ending If You Poetically Want to Accept Your Punishment for Messing with Time
At first pass, this seems like the selfish ending. Saying “screw Arcadia Bay, I want to save Chloe” certainly seems short-sighted. However, there is more to this ending than meets the eye. The entire episode preceding the final choice was all about hammering home one simple point: Stop. Messing. With. Time. It’s obvious in Polarized that Max does not know what she is doing and should stop controlling time. Every time she does, someone ends up getting hurt or worse.
The tornado that is barreling towards Arcadia Bay is Max’s fault, even if she didn’t intend for it and her heart was in the right place. In trying to keep Chloe alive all this time, Max has woven Arcadia Bay’s destruction. Chloe tries to convince Max that she can go back through the photo one more time to make things right. But isn’t that the opposite of what the game has been trying to tell you? In choosing this ending, you believe that you reap what you sow. Max caused all this and it’s over, it’s time to swallow your medicine and stop screwing around in alternate realities. Accept what is about to happen to Arcadia Bay and move on.
Pick This Ending If You’re BFFL with Chloe No Matter What
If Chloe is your ride or die chick, then destroying Arcadia Bay is the only option you can pick. The entirety of Life is Strange has been about you protecting/saving/reviving Chloe through all kinds of messed up scenarios. If you really care about Chloe, then why now at the end of the game are you going to let her die? Someone might say if you love someone let them go, but screw that. You can finally save Chloe once and for all right here and now. Do it, just DO IT and don’t look back.
Pick This Ending If You Don’t Care About Anyone Other than Chloe and Max
Life is Strange did an excellent job developing Max and Chloe. Everyone else? Ehhh.. We can take them or leave them. Maybe if you’re a Max-Warren shipper, this one isn’t for you, but if in reality all you really care about is Max and Chloe, then screw Arcadia Bay, right? Isn’t that what Chloe has wanted from the get go? Everyone at Blackwell, with the exception of Warren and Kate, has been pretty awful to Max and Chloe anyway. Joyce is probably the only person Chloe will miss. If you can get over those two and everyone else that would get killed in this massive tornado, then why not pick this ending? Max and Chloe will be fine.
That just about does it! What did you decide? Let us know your rationale in the comments!
More Life is Strange
- Life is Strange 5: Polarized Review
- My Life Is Strange Ending Was Selfish and That’s Hella Fine
- Here Are the Voice Actors of the Life Is Strange Cast
- 10 Life Is Strange Moments We’ll Keep Rewinding Back To
- Questions We Still Have After Playing Life Is Strange Episode 5: Polarized
- Which Life Is Strange Ending Did You Choose?
