Night Crew — Getting started at HQ
About
OverviewNight Crew is a co-op survival horror game for up to six players where you join the Night Keepers, an interdimensional organization, and travel through haunted dimensions to collect anomalies and close a rift. Each run takes you through three stages across different dimensions before you reach the rift's source. This guide covers how to get started, how each stage works, how to handle entities, and how to unlock both endings.
What is on this page
Contents
Getting started at HQ
StepWhen you load in for the first time, you land in the HQ. An NPC called O.L.L.I.E. is available on the left side of the hub and will walk you through the Night Keepers' background and the basics of the game. If you skip this and head straight to a pod, O.L.L.I.E. only gives you a short mission briefing instead. Completing orientation earns you the Orientation Complete badge.
- Find O.L.L.I.E. head to the left side of the HQ and sit through the full orientation briefing.
- Visit the HQ Store buy a class here before your first run; equipping one earns the Class Act badge.
- Equip a Cloning Printer swapping to any non-default printer in the store earns the Cloning In Style badge.
- Join a pod once you are ready, enter a pod where you and up to five other players will choose your first dimension.
- Check the pod screen if you skipped orientation, O.L.L.I.E. will display a mission briefing on the pod's screen before you leave.
How a full run works
SummaryEach time you enter a pod, you are shown two dimensions to choose from. Clearing a dimension deepens your connection to the rift's source. After three stages you reach the Rift Source, the final area where you close the rift. The anomaly quota you must fill scales with your crew size — each additional player adds five to the total required.
- Stage selection your pod presents two intermediate dimensions; the whole crew travels to whichever one is chosen.
- Anomaly quota split the collecting with your crew, since the target goes up by five for every player in the session.
- Star rating you earn up to three stars per stage by depositing anomalies; you need at least one star to progress.
- Three-stage cycle complete stages 1, 2, and 3 in order to unlock the path to the Rift Source.
- Rift Source find and deposit all ritual items here to close the rift and finish the run.
The four intermediate dimensions
TipsThere are four intermediate dimensions you will rotate through during a run. Each one has altar notes, keys, and its own set of anomalies to collect. The Rift Source and Nightmare Realm are separate ending dimensions and work differently from these four.
- Murder Manor is haunted by a Ghost entity.
- Tomb of the Scarab King is patrolled by a Mummy entity.
- PRG Antarctic Research Base is Carl's territory — a two-headed, melting lab worker who vomits black ink puddles that slow you down.
- Chuckles' Fun Zone is a two-floor children's play place where Chuckles the Clown spawns through Clown Doors scattered across the map.
- Keys in each dimension are tiered from Silver Card at level 1 up to Red Card at level 6, unlocking deeper areas as you progress.
Surviving entities
WarnWhen an entity spots you, your first move is always to run and put distance between you and it. Beyond that, each entity behaves differently and needs a different counter.
Choosing a class
TableClasses are permanent upgrades bought in the HQ Store. Only one can be equipped at a time, and their effects are always active. They are divided into four star ranks, with higher ranks costing more.
| Anomaly collecting | Anomaly Expert starts you with an Anomaly Scanner and a M.A.D Unit. |
| Door unlocking | Infiltrator starts you with a Lockpick and a Key Scanner. |
| Entity awareness | Sixth Sense alerts you when an entity is nearby; Entity Tracker starts you with both an Entity Scanner and a Stationary Entity Scanner. |
| Team protection | Support starts you with a Mobile Shield and a Stationary Shield; Medic starts you with two extra MedKits. |
| Survival buffer | Clone Expert starts you with one extra clone; Bagger gives you an extra inventory slot for keys and anomalies. |
| Card economy | Bargain Hunter makes every third perk card drawn 50% cheaper; Card Shark lets you draw four perk cards instead of three. |
Two endings and how to reach them
StepNight Crew has a Normal Ending and a True Ending. Finishing a run without any extra steps gives you the Normal Ending, which includes a cutscene of Dread speaking to your crew followed by a chase sequence before O.L.L.I.E. wakes everyone up. The True Ending requires specific actions at the Rift Source before you finish the run.
- Normal Ending complete the three stages, go to the Rift Source, and deposit all ritual items as usual.
- Symbol step at the Rift Source, locate the special colored symbols and turn the corresponding wheels to match those colors.
- Open the gate entering the correct symbol combination opens the stone gate marked with ritual symbols.
- Make the offering enter the shrine through the open gate to trigger the True Ending and earn the Offering badge.
- Chase sequence after the offering, Dread chases the players; surviving earns the True Ending badge.
- Legend run close five rifts across separate runs to earn the Inter-Dimensional Legend badge.
Badge progression order
CheckThere are 25 badges in Night Crew. Claim a Daily Star Card once you have earned three stars in a run to pick up the Star of the Day badge.
- Complete orientation at HQ to earn Orientation Complete.
- Finish Stage 1, 2, and 3 with at least one star each to earn One Down, Two Down, and Three Down.
- Clear each of the four intermediate dimensions with at least one star for the House Tour, Tomb Raided, Escape the Lab, and Last Laugh badges.
- Return and earn three stars in each of those same four dimensions for the four Master badges.
- Collect and deposit every anomaly tied to a dimension to complete its database file and earn the Archivist badge for that location.
- Clear all four dimensions at three stars in a single run to achieve 12 out of 12 stars and earn Star Power.
Perk cards and the ticket store
TipsAfter clearing each dimension, the Ticket Redemption Booth opens and you draw perk cards using tickets. Normally you draw three cards per opening. Classes like Card Shark raise that to four, while Bargain Hunter cuts the cost of every third card by half. Maxing out any perk card earns the Maxed Out badge.
- If your crew includes a Ticket Master, every member gets five bonus tickets each time the booth opens.
- Earning three stars in a run lets you claim a Daily Star Card, which gives you the Star of the Day badge on your first claim.
Glossary
Glossary- Anomaly
- An interdimensional object scattered through a dimension that you collect and deposit to fill the stage quota.
- Quota
- The number of anomalies you must deposit to clear a stage; it rises by five for each additional player in the session.
- Clone
- An extra life that is consumed when you die; some classes let you start a run with more than the default number.
- Pod
- The lobby hub where your crew selects a dimension before each stage.
- Rift Source
- The final destination reached after three stages, where you deposit ritual items to close the rift and finish the run.
- O.L.L.I.E.
- An NPC member of the Night Keepers who runs orientation at HQ and gives briefings on the pod screen.
- Star
- A per-stage rating awarded for depositing anomalies, with a maximum of three per stage.
- Night Keepers
- The interdimensional organization you belong to as a recruit; the Night Crew is its field unit.
- M.A.D Unit
- The Mobile Anomaly Delivery Unit, a tool that helps transport anomalies; it comes as starting gear for the Anomaly Expert class.
- Altar Note
- A piece of lore text found in each intermediate dimension.
Common questions
FAQCan you play Night Crew solo?
Yes, you can enter a pod alone and play through the stages by yourself. The anomaly quota scales with player count, adding five per person.
What happens if you skip orientation?
Skipping orientation and going straight to a pod is fine — the game still runs normally. O.L.L.I.E. will show a short mission briefing on the pod screen instead of the full walkthrough. If you want the Orientation Complete badge, head to the left side of HQ first.
How do you reach the True Ending?
At the Rift Source, find the special colored symbols and rotate the corresponding wheels to match them. That opens the stone gate, and entering the shrine inside triggers the True Ending. Dread then chases the players, and finishing the chase earns the True Ending badge.
How do you max out a perk card?
Perk cards are drawn at the Ticket Redemption Booth, which opens after each dimension stage. You can collect the same card multiple times to level it up. Once any single card reaches its maximum level, you earn the Maxed Out badge.
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