You’re walking through the Blackwood Pines woods, the wind is howling like a banshee, and suddenly a flash of light hits the snow. You pick up a piece of carved wood. Suddenly, you see a vision of a girl falling to her death or a guy getting his head crushed. It’s unsettling. Honestly, until dawn all the totems act as the only real safety net in a game that desperately wants to kill your favorite characters. If you miss them, you're essentially playing Russian Roulette with ten hours of your life.
Most people think these are just collectibles. They aren't. They are butterfly effect precursors. When Supermassive Games designed this system, they weren't just giving you a scavenger hunt; they were giving you a cheat sheet for a test you didn't know you were taking. If you don't find them, you're flying blind. And in a game where a single wrong button press or a "Don't Move" failure sends a character to the morgue, that's a recipe for a very depressing credits sequence.
The Five Colors of Fate
There isn't just one kind of totem. That would be too easy. Instead, you've got five distinct categories, each color-coded to tell you exactly how worried you should be. Death Totems are the black ones. They show you exactly how a character might bite it. Guidance Totems are white, and they usually offer a hint about a choice that leads to a "good" outcome. Then you've got Loss (brown), Danger (red), and Fortune (yellow).
It’s kinda funny how the game messes with your head through these. You see a Death Totem and suddenly you're terrified to make any choice at all. But here's the kicker: the visions are often out of context. You see Matt falling off a cliff, but you don't know why. Is it because you tried to save Emily? Or because you hit a deer with an axe? The ambiguity is where the real horror lies.
Why You Keep Missing the Fortune Totems
Fortune Totems are arguably the most frustrating to find because they’re tucked away in corners the game actively tries to steer you away from. For example, in the Sanatorium or the Mines, the camera angles are specifically designed to hide these little wooden bugs. You'll be sprinting away from a Wendigo—or what you think is a Wendigo—and you’ll breeze right past a yellow glimmer.
Most players finish their first run with maybe 15 out of 30. That’s a failing grade. If you want the "They All Live" trophy, you basically have to treat the environment like a crime scene. Inspect every shadow. Walk against the camera. If the game wants you to go right, go left first. It's counter-intuitive to survival, but it's the only way to see the full picture.
Until Dawn All the Totems: A Chapter-by-Chapter Reality Check
Let's get real about the placement. Chapter 1 is a cakewalk. You're just getting used to the controls, and the game practically trips you over a Guidance Totem near the cable car station. It's meant to teach you the mechanic. But by the time you hit the later chapters—specifically Chapters 9 and 10—the difficulty spikes.
In Chapter 2, Chris finds a Loss Totem near the garage. It shows a death, which is confusing because it's a "Loss" totem, not a "Death" one. The game is subtle like that. Loss often refers to the loss of a friend or a specific failure that doesn't necessarily end the game but makes it much harder.
By the time you reach the Sanatorium with Mike, the vibe shifts. You’re stressed. You’re worried about the wolves (or the dog, if you’re a decent human being). There’s a Danger Totem in the courtyard that most people miss because they’re too busy looking at the creepy architecture. If you miss that one, you might not realize just how precarious Mike’s situation is when he starts messing around with the machete and the bear traps.
The Infamous Chapter 4 "Death" Totem
This is the one that ruins runs. Near the old shack, there’s a Death Totem that shows a very specific, very gruesome fate. It’s a warning about the "Save or Jump" choice later on. Many people see this and overcorrect. They think they have to do the opposite of what the totem shows, but they forget that the totem is a possible future, not an inevitable one.
Understanding until dawn all the totems requires you to understand the logic of the Butterfly Effect. Just because you saw it doesn't mean it has to happen. It's a prompt to be more careful, not a script you're forced to follow.
Hidden Details You Probably Overlooked
Did you know the totems are actually part of a larger prophecy? If you collect all 30, you unlock a video called "The Events of the Past." It’s a hidden cinematic that explains the 1952 incident and the origin of the curse on the mountain. Without this, the story feels a bit like a standard slasher flick. With it, it becomes a tragic historical horror piece.
The video is broken into segments, one for each totem found. If you’re missing even one, the video is incomplete. It’s like trying to watch a movie with ten minutes of footage randomly cut out. You get the gist, but you miss the soul of the narrative.
- Guidance (White): These are your best friends. They usually show a character being calm or making a specific gesture.
- Loss (Brown): These are heartbreaking. They often show the death of a character you aren't currently playing as.
- Danger (Red): These warn you about immediate QTE (Quick Time Event) threats.
- Death (Black): The ultimate warning. If you see this, your next five minutes of gameplay are life-or-death.
- Fortune (Yellow): These show "good" deaths—if that makes sense. Usually, it's a character surviving an impossible situation.
The Strategy for Completionists
If you're going for the Platinum trophy, or you just want to see the "good" ending, you have to change how you play. Stop running. Seriously. The characters in Until Dawn walk like they have all the time in the world anyway, so lean into it.
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When you enter a new area, do a 360-degree sweep. Look for that specific white glimmer. It’s different from the "clue" glimmers (which are more like glowing points of light). Totems have a wider, softer pulse.
One of the hardest ones to find is in the Mines during Chapter 7. Emily is under a lot of pressure, and the game is pushing you to move fast. There’s a hidden path near the elevator—if you don't take it, you lose a piece of the puzzle forever. Same goes for the final chapter with Sam. You’re in the icy water, and there’s a totem tucked away on a ledge that requires you to deviate from the straight path to the exit.
Addressing the "Prophecy" Misconception
A lot of players think that finding a totem "activates" a certain path. That's not how it works. The game's logic is set regardless of whether you pick up the wood or not. The totem is simply a lens. Think of it like a weather forecast. The rain is going to happen whether or not you check your phone, but checking your phone tells you to bring an umbrella.
Some people even claim that not picking up certain Death Totems makes the game easier because you aren't "locked into" that fate. That’s a total myth. The RNG (Random Number Generation) and choice branching don't care about your inventory. They only care about your choices.
How to Use Totems to Save Everyone
To actually use the information from until dawn all the totems, you have to be observant of the environment in the vision. If a Death Totem shows a character dying by fire, look around that vision. Do you see a basement? Do you see a kitchen? When you eventually reach a scene that looks like that vision, your internal alarm should be screaming.
For example, there’s a vision involving a basement and a flare gun. If you’ve seen the totem, you know that giving the flare gun to a certain character might be their only hope—or their certain doom, depending on their relationship status and previous choices. It’s a complex web.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
- Inverse Your Instincts: Whenever the camera points you toward a clear exit, turn around. Check the "dead ends" first.
- Watch the Full Vision: Don't just look at the character dying. Look at the background. Is it snowing? Are they inside? What are they wearing? This helps you identify when the danger is coming.
- Check the Totem Menu: You can re-watch visions in the pause menu. If you feel like you're entering a climactic scene, take ten seconds to review the relevant totems you've found for that character.
- Prioritize the Mines: The mines are the densest area for missable totems. If you leave an area in the mines, you usually can't go back. Be meticulous there.
- Don't Panic: Seeing a Death Totem isn't a death sentence. It's a gift. It's the game giving you a chance to change the future.
By the time you reach the final confrontation in the lodge, having all the pieces makes the climax much more satisfying. You aren't just reacting to prompts; you're navigating a path you've already scouted. It transforms the game from a frantic struggle into a calculated survival plan. Go back, find the ones you missed, and finally see that "Past" video in its entirety. It changes everything about how you view the mountain and the tragedy that happened there long before the teens arrived.