The Decay Route in The Coffin of Andy and Leyley is the larger of the game's two branches, with six endings. Unlike the Burial Route — which is mostly a single dream puzzle — the Decay Route is a chain of choices across three episodes where one wrong move locks you out of an ending permanently. This The Coffin of Andy and Leyley Decay Route guide covers every fork in order, from the basement trust decision all the way to the Shots and Such random draw.
If you want the big picture first, the endings guide lists all 9 endings with quick summaries. For the Burial side, the Burial Route guide covers the three Burial endings. The walkthrough covers the episodes step by step.
⛽ Save before every section marked 💾 below. Two of these saves — the basement trust and the Episode 2 flashback — are the only ones you need to see every ending on the Decay Route without replaying the whole game.
How the Decay Route Starts
The Decay Route triggers at a single moment late in Episode 2. Ashley leaves her brother alone in the basement with their parents. She offers him a trinket and asks if she can trust him. The parents extend an olive branch — and what he does with it determines which of the two routes every ending in the game belongs to.
To land on the Decay Route, one of two things must happen:
| Ashley's choice | His response | Route |
|---|---|---|
| "Fuck that!" — no trust | — | Decay Route |
| Trust him | He accepts the olive branch | Decay Route |
| Trust him | He refuses the olive branch | Burial Route |
💾 Save here. This is the most important save in the entire game. One file at the basement trust decision lets you play both the Decay Route and the Burial Route from the same checkpoint forward.
Once the Decay Route is locked in, the two head to a park, then into the shared dream, then into Episode 3 — and from there, every ending on this The Coffin of Andy and Leyley Decay Route guide sits on a single question: who is he, really?
The Core Fork — Andy or Andrew
During a car ride early in Episode 3, he is asked who he really is. The game offers two choices, and picking one ends the Decay Route on the spot.
| Choice | Leads to |
|---|---|
| "Andy" | Leyley Wins — one choice, game ends in under a minute |
| "Andrew" | Opens all five remaining Decay endings |
Leyley Wins — The Shortest Ending
How to unlock: Choose "Andy" in the car.
"Andy" is the childhood name — the version of her brother that Ashley can fully control. By picking it, he surrenders his adult identity completely. He is trapped in a void dimension, stripped of every bit of autonomy, and Ashley wins outright. This is the fastest of all six endings on the Decay Route — no further choices, no branches, no way to undo it.
If you want to see Leyley Wins, take it now and reload. If you want the other five endings on this The Coffin of Andy and Leyley Decay Route, choose "Andrew" and keep going.
The Episode 2 Flashback Fork — One Shot Only
Choosing "Andrew" in the car does not open all five endings by itself. It only opens them if you did one specific thing back in Episode 2: the flashback where he relives the accident that killed Nina.
| What you did in the Ep 2 flashback | What opens on the Decay Route |
|---|---|
| Shot Andrew exactly once | Andrew Wins at Tag · Deadest of Dead Ends · Shots and Such |
| Fired multiple shots ("SHOOT!!!") | Route locks — Shots and Such is sealed off |
| Did not shoot | Route unfinished (in development) |
💾 Save before the flashback if you want Shots and Such. One save file before the BB gun choice — with exactly one shot fired — is the only way to keep the most complex ending on this The Coffin of Andy and Leyley Decay Route reachable.
Andrew Wins at Tag
How to unlock — three steps, in order:
- Episode 2 flashback: shot him exactly once.
- Episode 3 car: chose "Andrew" — not Andy.
- Episode 3 forest chase: he catches Ashley.
What happens.
He kills Ashley with a meat cleaver. He cradles her body, then kills himself. It is the only ending on the Decay Route where he acts on his resentment directly, without hesitation, without guilt pulling him back — and the only one where the player controls his success or failure in a chase.
If he does not catch Ashley in the forest, the route continues into the longest fork of the game.
The Forest Chase — Catch or Escape
If Ashley escapes the chase, the Decay Route splits one last time. Three endings wait behind two questions: the police interrogation, and a ring.
Ring location: Forest screens 3–4. Take the upper path — not the one with footprints. The engagement ring is on the ground. If you miss it, Shots and Such is gone.
| Interrogation | The ring | Ending |
|---|---|---|
| Passed | Threw it away | Deadest of Dead Ends |
| Passed | Kept it | Shots and Such |
| Failed | — | Graves in Graves (Game Over) |
This fork is the last branch of the Decay Route. Every choice from here is terminal — no more branches after it.
Deadest of Dead Ends
How to unlock — five steps:
- Ep 2 flashback: shot him once.
- Ep 3 car: chose "Andrew."
- Forest chase: Ashley escaped.
- Police interrogation: passed.
- Back at the apartment: threw the ring away.
What happens.
With the ring gone, the two spiral into depressive isolation. The final scene has them jump from a rooftop together, in front of a group of schoolchildren. The fandom calls this ending "Splat." It cuts the hardest of all the Decay Route endings because it is the one where the two of them simply give up — no fight, no scheme, just a shared decision to stop.
Shots and Such — The Most Complex Ending
How to unlock — an eight-step chain. One wrong move at any step locks it out permanently.
| Step | Where | Exact action |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ep 2 flashback | Shoot him exactly once. No extra shots. |
| 2 | Ep 2 park | When the hitman appears, choose lowercase "shoot" — not "SHOOT!!!" |
| 3 | Ep 3 car | Choose "Andrew." |
| 4 | Ep 3 forest chase | Do not get caught. |
| 5 | Ep 3 forest, screens 3–4 | Take the upper path and pick up the engagement ring. |
| 6 | Ep 3 police | Pass the interrogation. |
| 7 | Ep 3 apartment | Keep the ring. Do not throw it away. |
| 8 | Ep 3 finale | He draws randomly from three items. The ring must be in the pool. |
What happens.
The two adopt fake cult-member identities and survive together. He becomes a butcher. She keeps feeding souls to the entity, is pregnant, and plans to abort. The ending text finishes on "never happy, never ever."
⚠️ Content warning: this ending depicts domestic abuse, manipulation, and forced pregnancy. It is widely considered the most disturbing of all six endings on the Decay Route.
The cruelest part is step 8 — you can do everything right and still miss it if he does not draw the ring. That is why so many players save right before the finale and redraw until it works.
Graves in Graves
How to unlock: Same chain as Deadest and Shots and Such, but fail the police interrogation. Ashley draws a gun, misses, and both are arrested and sentenced to death.
The game files this with the death states, but the community counts it among the real Decay Route endings because it closes out a full route.
The Happy Ending
How to unlock: In the forest, after escaping the portal, stay put for five or more seconds. The police arrive and shoot both of them.
Its name is a joke — this is not a happy ending. It is the one Decay Route ending where hesitation itself kills you. No choices, no trigger chain, just standing still.
All Six Decay Route Endings at a Glance
| # | Ending | Trigger summary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leyley Wins | Choose "Andy" in the car |
| 2 | Andrew Wins at Tag | Shot him in flashback → "Andrew" in car → catch Ashley |
| 3 | Deadest of Dead Ends | Shot him → "Andrew" → escape chase → pass interrogation → throw ring |
| 4 | Shots and Such | Shot him exactly once → lowercase "shoot" at hitman → "Andrew" → escape chase → find ring → pass interrogation → keep ring → ring drawn |
| 5 | Graves in Graves | Same chain → fail interrogation |
| 6 | The Happy Ending | Wait 5+ seconds at the forest portal |
Route Map — Every Save Point
| Save point | What it protects |
|---|---|
| 💾 Basement trust (Ep 2) | Decay Route vs Burial Route split |
| 💾 BB gun flashback (Ep 2) | Access to Shots and Such |
| 💾 Before forest chase (Ep 3) | Catch vs escape fork |
| 💾 Before police interrogation (Ep 3) | Pass vs fail fork |
| 💾 Before apartment ring decision (Ep 3) | Throw vs keep fork |
| 💾 Before finale draw (Ep 3) | Shots and Such random outcome |
FAQ
How many endings are on the Decay Route?
Six: Leyley Wins, Andrew Wins at Tag, Deadest of Dead Ends, Shots and Such, Graves in Graves, and The Happy Ending.
What is the hardest ending to unlock on the Decay Route?
Shots and Such. It needs an eight-step chain spanning three episodes — one shot only in the flashback, lowercase "shoot" at the hitman, the "Andrew" choice, escaping the forest chase, finding the ring on the upper path, passing the interrogation, keeping the ring, and winning a random draw at the finale.
Can I get all six Decay Route endings in one playthrough?
No. The Andy/Andrew fork in the car is a hard split — picking "Andy" ends the game immediately. The forest chase catch is another hard split — getting caught ends the game. Use the saves marked above and four focused runs from the basement trust checkpoint to cover all six.
What is the difference between the Decay Route and the Burial Route?
The Decay Route is the long branch — six endings, a forest chase, a police interrogation, and an engagement ring that determines the final fork. The Burial Route is shorter — three endings, all driven by a single dream puzzle with three pedestals and two doors. The Burial Route guide covers every Burial ending.
This The Coffin of Andy and Leyley Decay Route guide covers all content shipped through Episode 3: Decay. It will be updated with the Burial branch the week Episode 3: Burial releases.