As one of the best narrative-adventure games of 2022, Pentiment has done a good job of presenting players with life-changing choices. Caspar’s “leave or stay” situation is definitely a great example of that.
During Act 2, Andreas can either save Caspar’s life by hurting his feelings or influence him with positive words so that he sacrifices his life for him. Here’s everything that players need to know about saving Caspar of Salzburg in Pentiment.
How to Save Caspar in Pentiment
To save Caspar, players should treat him poorly and choose only the negative dialogue options. It’s only then that Caspar decides to go back to Salzburg before the revolt; a decision that will end up saving his life.
To hurt Caspar's feelings, players will need to choose the following dialogue options:
- Tell Caspar to expect a life of misery as an artist.
- Criticize him on Saint John's Eve.
- Lose the money at hand at Lansquenet.
- Blame him after falling into the cistern.
- Don’t reassure Caspar when the mob comes.
Players earn two points toward a good fate by choosing any of the above options, but it’s a bittersweet decision. The only way to save Caspar is to talk down to him and break his heart. Otherwise, he won’t listen to Andreas’ order and will instead choose to stay in the town during the revolt, which leads to Caspar's death.
To see the other ending, players should do the opposite:
- Encourage Caspar to become an artist.
- Show concern for him on Saint John’s Eve.
- Win the game at Lansquenet.
- Don’t blame Caspar after falling into the cistern.
- Reassure him when the mobs come.
How Does Saving Caspar Affect Andreas’s Fate?
Since saving Caspar is feasible through being cold to him, he won’t come back to save Andreas during the library incident. Instead, he will leave the town for good and forget about his dreams. As a result, keeping Caspar alive has no effect on Andreas’ tragic fate.
When treated with kindness though, Caspar refuses to leave the town despite Andreas wanting him to do so. He comes back to save his master by jumping into the flames, which sadly kills him.
There’s no particular achievement in Pentiment for saving or sacrificing Caspar in Act 2. The choice comes down to players’ morality. They can ruin Caspar’s dreams to protect themselves from a horrible death or treat him with love, letting him enjoy his short life alongside Andreas.
Pentiment is available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. It is also available on Xbox Game Pass.