House of Ashes guide: All secrets and the Winterfold location

There are 50 secrets that you can find in House of Ashes. And, yes, it’s possible to obtain all of them in a single playthrough. However, there are a couple of instances that require specific decisions to reach a particular point. Here’s our House of Ashes secrets guide to help you find all collectibles, as well as discover a hint about the Winterfold location mentioned in the mid-credits scene.

Note: For more information, check out our guides and features hub for The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes. Likewise, you can take a look at our full Theatrical Cut walkthrough. Lastly, please be reminded that this guide contains spoilers.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes guide – How to find all secrets and the Winterfold location

I’ve listed the secrets and collectibles in House of Ashes in chronological order. Although the numbering is different if you look at the menu, you can expect to find these items as you progress normally through the campaign. Likewise, remember that some secrets don’t just require you to examine an object as is. In some cases, you might need to flip an object, pan the camera to a specific spot, or turn book pages.

Oh, and don’t forget to check our related guides about premonitions and Randolph’s Journal entries (which are near where you’d spot some of these secrets). You’ll want to find all the stuff if you want to unlock achievements/trophies.

The Briefing (Eric)

• Bandit Briefing – Check the note on the desk.

The Raid (Salim and Jason)

• Mythology Book – You’ll find a book in the bedroom of Salim’s son. Open it and flip the page to get this secret.
• Pagan Effigy – During the interrogation, Jason will notice effigies hanging from the walls. Respond with the “curious” option to obtain this secret.
• Gas Mask – In the other house, you’ll find a crate with these gas masks.

Underworld (Nick)

• Punctured Skull – Meet up with Jason and check behind the giant statue of a hand to find this secret. Don’t go through the large doorway or you’ll leave this area.

Pazuzu (Eric)

• Pazuzu – Follow Rachel until you reach a small chamber. Don’t rappel down the chasm until you grab the Pazuzu statuette that’s on the ground.

The Temple (Rachel)

• Curse of Akkad, Cuneiform Tablet, Expedition Members, Aline’s Letter, and Randolph’s Journal 1 – The temple is a massive chamber. Check the desks, crates, and tents to find all the secrets in this area in House of Ashes. Just try to avoid repairing the generator immediately (that will advance the scene).
• Dynamite – Examine the central area where the flare is on the ground. Pan the camera so that you’re looking directly at the detonator.
• Creature Features – Found in the room above the staircase. It’s on a desk next to the Ultraviolet premonition.

After the Fall (Jason)

• Reference Book – Jason will be in a long tunnel. Look to your right to find a small room with this book.
• Star Map and Randolph’s Journal 2 – Go back and follow the main tunnel. Pass the QTE so you don’t trigger the grenade tripwire. You’ll find these two collectibles, along with the Staked premonition. Don’t examine the passageway that’s barred by crates or you’ll leave this area.

After the Fall – Slayer (Salim and Nick)

• Holed Stone – This takes place after the Jason and Nick sequence. Salim will fight off a monster and escape through a passageway. Look at the ground to spot this secret.
• Randolph’s Journal 3 – Once you have control of Nick, follow the tunnel until you see a cavern to your left. The journal entry is right next to the Surrendered premonition. When you go further ahead, take a look at the darkened tunnel first to pick up the medkit (required for the Blood bearing).

The Truce – Bloodbath (Jason and Rachel)

• Staked Woman, Bloodless Corpse, and Randolph’s Journal 4 – Once you control Jason, examine the corpses in the burial chamber to see these secrets. The Tripwire premonition is also here. Likewise, a corpse has the stake item that you can keep. It’ll let you fend off an enemy in the next sequence.
• Cylinder Seal – Examine this object that’s on a crate in the next room. Don’t go further ahead or you’ll end this scene.

• Ancient Helmet and Plastic ID Card – Once you have control of Rachel in the “blood river,” check the left and right-hand sides to spot these objects.
• Randolph’s Journal 5 – Advance further and check the detritus at the base of a pillar to find this entry.
• Science Notes – In a short while, Rachel will create a makeshift torch. After going through the opening, you’ll find this document on top of some debris. Don’t go any further without grabbing this first or you won’t be able to go back here.

The Signal (Nick)

• Finds Catalog, Battle Tablet, Vampire Speculations, Infection Symptoms, and Randolph’s Journal 6 – All of these are found in the makeshift camp along the cliffside area. They’re on top of crates and desks. A short cutscene will play here where Jason talks to Nick, but that’s fine since you can continue examining the other objects. Oh, and the Thirst premonition is right beside Nick once you first gain control of him.
• Expedition Map – This document is on a table next to the radio. Make sure you’ve found all the secrets in this House of Ashes area before you interact with the radio (it will trigger the next scene).

The Horror – Enemy of My Enemy (Salim)

• Ritual Tablet and Randolph’s Journal 7 – After the harrowing sequence in The Horror, you’ll take control of Salim. He and Jason will cooperate to lift stone slabs so they can go through. Once you find the Comrades premonition, you’ll see these two secrets in the next room (the one with a small light post).
• Parasite Notes, Autopsy Notes, Black Onyx, and Randolph’s Journal 8 – Salim and Jason will fight a vampire. Once that enemy has been taken out, they’ll reach a sick bay with several prison cells. The objects are found scattered here on desks and inside boxes. The journal entry is inside one of the cells. Don’t go through the metal gate yet or you’ll advance further.

Brothers (Jason)

• Finds Ledger, Cocoon, Pocket Watch, and Randolph’s Journal 9 – You’ll have control of Jason after he and Salim ride the elevator. The collectibles are all found in this corridor (the Pocket Watch and Randolph’s Journal #9 secrets are next to the preserved corpse). The Mauled premonition is also here off to the side of the elevator (it’s shrouded in shadow). Just try to pick up all the secrets in this House of Ashes chapter before you interact with the ledge (it’ll cause you to progress further).

The City (Jason)

• Mysterious Artifact – Follow the path until you see a ledge to your right that you can go down from. Before you do that, look at the left. A short cutscene will play. You can pick up the shell and turn it over to obtain this secret.
• Note: Continue onward until Jason and Salim encounter a person (Balathu or Kurum from the prologue) who’s remained alive even though have his skull has been torn off. This isn’t a secret in House of Ashes, but it’s an important factor that your characters will remember soon enough.

• Ruptured Skull – Eventually, Jason and Salim will reach a wide-open, circular area with several nesting vampires surrounding it. Check one of the statues to the right to find this object.

• Fossilized Lifeforms – Past that point, Jason has to go through a corridor filled with statues and tendrils/vines. If you accidentally step on the tendrils twice, you’ll trigger a monster attack that takes you to the next chapter. But, if you manage to avoid that mishap, Jason will be able to jump down a ledge. You’ll see a pile of bones nearby. Examine these and pan the camera so that you’re looking more closely to unlock this particular secret.

Strange Aeons (Rachel)

• Mary’s Notes, Van Huyten’s Confession, Creature Life Cycle, and Randolph’s Journal 10 – After a short scene, the team will find themselves in the Star Chamber. You’ll find several secrets and collectibles here, including the 13th premonition/The Devil In Me. You can talk to the other characters, but you must not interact with the alien device in the center (where Salim is) to avoid automatic progression.

• Alien Parasite – This secret is the hardest one to get in House of Ashes if you made the wrong choices. We’ve discussed this in detail since it’s part of the Ultraviolet and Infected bearings, but here’s the gist:
  • Eric and Rachel – These two characters need to stay alive throughout your campaign, or at least until the Stange Aeons chapter. You can take a look at our character deaths guide to see the predicaments that you need to avoid.
  • After the Fall – Slayer – Salim needs to discover that the creatures are weak against sunlight.
  • The Truce – Nick and Salim need to kill the vampire.
  • The Truce – Bloodbath – Eric will perform an autopsy on the corpse. He uses the UV lamp which causes it to burn. He’ll now know that the UV lamp can be used against these monsters.
  • The Horror – Rachel will be bitten and infected by one of the vampires. This is unavoidable.
  • The City – Jason and Salim need to examine the ancient corpse preserved by goop (mentioned earlier).
  • Strange Aeons – The parasite gestating inside Rachel’s body will try to control her mind:
    • Avoid options where Rachel would commit suicide/get shot.
    • Next, Salim will tell her that she could be preserved using the cocoon/goop. Agree to this plan.
    • When the group is moving her there, Eric remembers that he can use the UV lamp. This causes Rachel to vomit the parasite.
    • Take control of Rachel and search the nooks for the parasite. When it pops up, succeed in the QTE sequence to stomp on it. Pick it up and turn it over to find the Alien Parasite secret in House of Ashes.

Bonus: Manny Sherman execution and the Winterfold location

Although these particular tidbits aren’t considered secrets or collectibles in House of Ashes, they might still be worth looking into. First, during The Briefing, you’ll find a newspaper that tells you about a serial killer named Manny Sherman. He’s been convicted of killing 13 women since the 1970s, and he has just been recently executed for his crimes.

There’s a possibility that the news alludes to The Devil In Me, the next game in The Dark Pictures Anthology. There’s a good chance that the title is about the depraved and heinous acts of H.H. Holmes, all committed in his “Murder Castle” in the late 19th century. Sherman might be someone who’s trying to copy his “idol.” With pits, traps, and sinister plots, we could see something akin to the later films in the Saw franchise.

Next up, you’ll want to check out the Highgate University admission letter. You’ll find it at the start of The Raid. It’s on a table inside Salim’s home (looks like his son Zain passed the exams).

But, here’s where things get even more interesting. If you managed to complete House of Ashes‘ campaign, you’ll be treated to a mid-credits scene. Two shady individuals, Brooks and Miller, are talking about how this incident in Iraq reminded them of what happened in Winterfold.

That got me curious and I chanced upon a post from Reddit user LolCaatz. The user mentioned that there’s an actual Winterfold Forest in the UK, and it happens to be close to the area that’s encircled on the map inside Zain’s room (seen above). Likewise, it seems that Zain is very interested in mythology and legends, which is why he wants to study in Highgate. There’s also a Highgate School in London (not Highgate University).

If we check Google Maps, we can see that the encircled location pertains to Stonehenge. Meanwhile, the other encircled portion with the question mark might refer to Winterfold Forest, which happens to be just a couple of hours away.

Again, it’s too early to tell what these clues could lead to. However, we’ve seen hints alluding to the next games in the franchise, so these tidbits in House of Ashes might be important as well.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is available via Steam. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.