Dead Space 3 Walkthrough

Our Dead Space 3 walkthrough will guide you through the beginning to ending moments of gameplay with strategy tips for this Survival-Horror Third-Person Shooter on the PC, Xbox 360 & PS3.

Dead Space 3 is a Third-Person Shooter with Survival-Horror gameplay elements that challenges players to work singly, or with a friend to stop the viral/monster Necromorph outbreak. The game features the return of franchise hero, Isaac Clarke and the necessity of his weapons making abilities and precision skill in using them against in order to defeat enemies. Other game features include, drop-in/out co-op support, the additional character John Carver, evolved Necromorph enemies, a new cover system, side missions, and more.

Let’s start the Dead Space 3 walkthrough with “The Story So Far” introduction video!

Please note that viewers must be at least 18 to watch, so no harm comes to those with innocent eyes. This game includes Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language.

Table of Contents

Index of Dead Space 3 Guides:

Dead Space 3 Walkthrough

Team up against the Necromorph outbreak. Prepare yourself to scavenge the violent wilderness, build devastating weapons, and take down the terror together. Play together with a friend or go it alone as Isaac Clarke using the seamless new drop in, drop out co-op functionality. Each mode offers unique story elements and gameplay.

Dead Space 3 brings Isaac Clarke and merciless soldier, John Carver, on a journey across space to discover the source of the Necromorph outbreak. Crash-landed on the frozen planet of Tau Volantis, the pair must comb the harsh environment for raw materials and scavenged parts. Isaac will then put his engineering skills to the ultimate test to create and customize weapons and survival tools.

The ice planet holds the key to ending the Necromorph plague forever, but first the team must overcome avalanches, treacherous ice-climbs, and the violent wilderness. Facing deadlier evolved enemies and the brutal elements, the unlikely pair must work together to save mankind from the impending apocalypse.

Key Game Features:

  • Team Up and Take Down the Terror Together — Play the full campaign in online co-op or single player. Easy drop-in and dropout play.
  • Head Planet side and Experience a Hostile New Environment — Discover underworld cities and accept side missions. Explore the frozen terrain and search abandoned encampments.
  • Uncover the Past and Embark on a Thrilling Expedition to Save Mankind — Discover the source of the Necromorph terror and fight to fend off the extinction of the human race.
  • New Cover System — Enjoy a new cover system that allows you to utilize any tagged item.
  • A Whole New Planet — Discover a world of mysteries hidden on the frozen planet, Tau Volantis.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the story of Dead Space 3?

From “The Story So Far” video above, you now know how an engineer got caught in up in a battle with the Necromorph plague. Take one last look before embarking on your journey through Tau Volantis. Are you ready to take down the terror?

As an intro to the game, here’s the Dead Space 3 story trailer:

What are the controls in Dead Space 3?

PC CONTROLS:

Move: W/S/A/D
Zero-G Launch: ALT
Look: Mouse
Crouch: X
Locator: B (hold)
Run: SHIFT (hold)
Roll: CTRL (double-tap)
Aim: Right-click
Melee: Left-click
Primary fire: Left-click (when aiming)
Stomp: SPACEBAR
Alternate fire: Scroll wheel (while aiming)
Select weapon: 1/2/3 or Scroll wheel
Action/Open: E
Reload: R
Quick heal: Q
Kinesis: F (while aiming)
Torque: F (when available after using Kinesis)
Stasis recharge: C
Stasis: C (while aiming)
Inventory/RIG: TAB
Pause: ESC

XBOX 360 CONTROLS:

Move: Left analog stick
Zero-G Launch: Press in the Left analog stick
Look: Right analog stick
Crouch: Press in the Right analog stick
Locator: Press in the Right analog stick (hold)
Run: LB (hold)
Roll: LB (double-tap)
Aim: LT
Melee: RT
Primary fire: RT (when aiming)
Stomp: RB
Alternate fire: RB (while aiming)
Select weapon: D-pad
Action/Open: A
Reload: X
Quick heal: B
Kinesis: B (while aiming)
Torque: B (when available after using Kinesis)
Stasis recharge: Y
Stasis: Y (while aiming)
Inventory/RIG: BACK button
Pause: START button

PS3 CONTROLS:

Move: left stick
Zero-G Launch: L3 button
Look: right stick
Crouch: R3 button
Locator: R3 button (hold)
Run: L2 button (hold)
Roll: L2 button (double-tap)
Aim: L1 button
Melee: R1 button
Primary fire: R1 button (when aiming)
Stomp: R2 button
Alternate fire: R2 button (while aiming)
Select weapon: directional buttons
Action/Open: X button
Reload: Square button
Quick heal: Circle button
Kinesis: Circle button (while aiming)
Torque: Circle button (when available after using Kinesis)
Stasis recharge: Triangle button
Stasis: Triangle button (while aiming)
Inventory/RIG: SELECT button
Pause: START button

What are the HUD basics in Dead Space 3?

HUD = Heads-Up Display

While Isaac’s Resource Integration Gear (RIG) keeps health and Stasis information in view at all times during combat, the heads-up display (HUD) lets you view how much ammo you have left without the need for a menu. The limited HUD keeps your eyes on the enemies and your environment instead of on your stats, but makes it simple to understand your current status at a glance.

When you aim your weapon, a display appears beside the weapon with the number of shots you have left before you need to reload. If your weapon has an Upper and Lower Tool, you’ll see two numbers—the top for primary fire and the bottom for alternate fire. Reloading refills both Tools.

Pause Menu: Access the Pause menu to restart from your last checkpoint, invite a friend to play, adjust settings, and view achievements, progress, and unlocks. You can also choose to exit the game.
Checkpoint Restart: Restart from your last checkpoint. This means you will lose all progress since the last checkpoint.
Invite Friend: Invite a friend to your game.
Settings: Adjust A/V settings, game settings, difficulty, and more.
Achievements/Trophies: View your accomplishments in-game thus far.
Progress and Unlocks: View difficulty levels you have completed, artifacts collected, optional quests you’ve finished, and logs and weapon parts you’ve found.
Save and Quit: Save your inventory and return to the main menu.

What are the options in the Dead Space 3 main menu?

This menu appears before you begin your current gameplay session and provides access to Solo Campaign, Co-Op Campaign, Game Modes, Settings, Downloadable Content, and Extras.

Solo Campaign:

Select to launch a single-player game, continue from your last checkpoint, or replay parts of the campaign.

Continue from Last Save — Play from your last checkpoint.
Continue Story — Play from the most recent point in the story you have reached.
Chapter Select — Select a previously played chapter and choose a checkpoint to replay part of the game.

Co-Op Campaign:

Select to join a public co-op game, find friends currently in-game, create a private game with friends, or launch a public game for other players to join.

Quick Match — Join a public game that’s currently in progress.
Find Friends’ Games — Check to see if friends are currently playing public games of Dead Space 3.
Create Private Game — Create a co-op campaign that can be joined by invitation only.
Create Public Game — Create a co-op game that’s open for any player to join.

New Game+ Modes:

Play Dead Space 3 in a different way from the normal campaign. Complete the game on any difficulty level to unlock these additional modes.

New Game+ — This game mode is locked until you complete the game once. Your inventory and weapons will carry forward, although your chapter progress will be reset.
Classic — This game mode is in the spirit of the original Dead Space.
Pure Survival — This game mode emphasizes resource management.
Hardcore — This game mode provides a challenge beyond even the Hard and Impossible modes.

Settings:

Access the Settings menu to adjust screen settings, game settings, and controller settings, or to look at the controller map.

A/V Settings — Adjust brightness and volume settings, and turn subtitles on or off.
Game Settings — Turn Co-op Partner Locator on or off, choose whether or not to skip tutorials, toggle vibration settings, and adjust aiming.
Controller Settings — Invert the x-axis and y-axis as desired and adjust the controller sensitivity.
Controller Map — Look at the default controls and alternate control schemes.
Kinect Commands — Look at the Kinect commands and use the Kinect Tuner.

Downloadable Content:

View a list of features and items available for purchase, including suits, weapons, resource and
weapons packs, Scavenger Bot upgrades, and new episodes.

Extras:

Access Extras to redeem a code to download new content, activate your online pass, view your progress, refresh your memory on Dead Space’s backstory, and view the credits.

Redeem Content — Redeem a code for downloadable content.
Online Pass — Activate your online pass to enjoy online functionality.
Progress and Unlocks — Browse your completion by difficulty level in each chapter, view the number of artifacts recovered, and more.
Previously On — Watch a video that helps catch you up on the lore and backstory of Dead Space.
Credits — View the credits for Dead Space 3.

What objects should I keep an eye on when playing Dead Space 3?

Please note that control examples when playing Dead Space 3 are for PC, but for both PC and consoles the intended control steps are indicated on-screen when you’ll need them.

Inventory:

Adding useful items, such as Med Packs, to your inventory is key to success. When you see a container or box, press SPACEBAR to stomp on it or left-click to perform a melee attack and open it. Press E to add the revealed item to your inventory. Press I to open the inventory display and view your items, consume Med Packs, and equip weapons, among other things.

Ladders:

When you see a ladder with blue rails, you can climb it. Press E to begin climbing and move to ascend or descend.

Rappelling:

When rappelling down the side of a cliff, move to rappel and press SHIFT to jump. You can descend, move from side to side, and dodge falling rocks. You may occasionally lose your footing, but you can continue rappelling once you’ve regained your balance.

Stasis:

Press C while aiming to fire Stasis at your target. Stasis makes enemies slow down, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Stasis can be used in other ways while exploring, as well. Use it to slow down fans or other quick-moving obstacles.

Kinesis:

Kinesis lets you pick up objects and throw them out of your way—or at enemies. When you see an object you want to move or throw, right-click and hold to aim at it, and press and hold F to grab and move it. Release F to drop it or left-click to throw it wherever you’re aiming.

You can also twist open doors and locks by using Torque on them with multiple taps of F while engaged with Kinesis.

Resources:

Use resources to create weapons and craft items at the Bench. Equip Scavenger Bots to locate hidden caches of resources. When the Scavenger Bots are successful, the resources become available the next time you’re at a Bench. If you choose to sell certain crafted items at the Bench, you’ll receive a refund of half of the resources that went into crafting the items. View resources on the right side of the inventory screen.

Scavenger Bots:

Scavenger Bots are devices designed to help you locate resource caches. Resource caches emit an audible ping; listen closely to the sounds around you to know when to equip the Scavenger Bot.

To equip a Scavenger Bot, simply press K.

Right-click and hold to aim with the Scavenger Bot and look for resources. The Scavenger Bot screen acts as a type of compass, so arrows that point up or down are an indication that you need to ascend or descend floors. The radar informs you if you’re facing the correct direction. When you’re close to resources, the Scavenger Bot display pulses and signals audibly.

Left-click to release the Scavenger Bot and let it locate the resources for you. The resources will automatically be available the next time you’re at a Bench. Placing a Scavenger Bot away from the target area results in a smaller bounty of resources.

To check the status of a Scavenger Bot, open the RIG Display and select the Scavenger Bot screen.

How does the RIG help me in Dead Space 3?

The Resource Integration Gear (RIG) helps you keep tabs on your health and Stasis recharge.

Health:

The spinal display glows to reveal your overall health, with a full bar indicating good health. As you take damage, the bar shortens and changes color. Yellow means that you have less than half of your health. Red means that you have less than a quarter of your health and are in critical condition. Use a Med Pack to restore some health. When you die, the game automatically reloads from your last checkpoint.

Stasis:

Your current stock of Stasis is indicated by the half-circle on Isaac’s back to the right of his spinal column. When full, the half-circle is colored blue and completely filled in. As you use Stasis, it decreases in size and changes color. Press C to recharge your Stasis and consume an item.

Inventory/RIG Display:

The Inventory/RIG display lets you view your weapons, key items, and resources. Press I to view your inventory and use the number keys to see your Mission objectives, Database, and Scavenger Bots.

Opening the RIG display does not pause the game. You can continue moving Isaac with this translucent display open or press F to exit the display. Aiming with right-click also closes the display.

Inventory:

The inventory screen displays items such as Med Packs and ammo clips in the central inventory section, with weapons and key items on the left and resources on the right. Select any item and choose MOVE or DROP to give it a new home in your inventory or eliminate it and make space for more items. If you want to consume a Med Pack instantly to increase health, select it and choose USE. You can also choose GIVE to hand your items to your partner in coop games.

Mission:

The Mission screen lists primary objectives on the left and optional missions on the right. The lower portion of the screen displays the personal journal, which details the story and reminds you of the logical next move, such as using the locator to find the next RIG coordinates.
Select any objective to make it the active objective for your Locator.

Database:

The Database lets you view your entry logs and artifacts. These help you keep track of your progress in each chapter and remind you of what to do next. Scroll to the far right to view Tutorials.

Scavenger Bots:

The Scavenger Bots screen keeps you up to date on what each of your Scavenger Bots is doing. Scavenger Bots still in your possession are waiting to be deployed. Once released, a bot appears with a timer indicating when it will return. After it has located resources, it can be reacquired at the next Bench you visit.

What’s the difference between single player and co-op play?

In Dead Space 3, there’s two ways to play. Go it alone as engineer Isaac Clarke, or team up with the dementia battling John Carver. See how the story changes as you play the two modes. Drop in, drop out online co-op makes it easy play your way.

Watch the alone & co-op play differences video:

How do I start a public co-op game?

From the Main Menu, simply select “Co-op Campaign,” followed by “Create Public” to begin your public game set-up. You can choose to play from your last save, uninterrupted story point, or choose from your already unlocked chapters.

How do I invite a friend to a co-op game?

There are two ways to invite friends into cooperative play:

1. From the Pause Menu, simply select “Invite Friend,” and choose your desired player.
2. After you’ve created a Public or Private game by selecting Co-Op Campaign from the Main Menu, select “Invite Friend” from the co-op lobby.

Where is the competitive multiplayer option from Dead Space 2?

There is no competitive multiplayer in Dead Space 3, however the entire campaign can be enjoyed in either solo-play or cooperatively online with a friend at any time utilizing the drop-in / drop-out co-op system.

How do I share items in Co-op mode?

There are three ways to share items:

1. From the Inventory menu, select an item and choose the “Give” option
2. From the Weapon Bench, select an item and choose the “Share” option. You cannot share MK-II, MK-V, or DLC weapon parts, or any weapon blueprint containing these parts.
3. With Kinect (Xbox 360 only), simply say “Give Partner,” and your choice of, “…Ammo,” “…Health Pack,” or “…Stasis Pack.”

Why do I need Online Pass for Dead Space 3?

Your Online Pass will enable you to play the online co-op modes of Dead Space 3.

Inside your game’s packaging, you will find an insert with your unique Online Pass code printed. If you do not have an Online Pass code, most likely in the event of purchasing a used-copy of your game, you can gain online access by purchasing an Online Pass through the Xbox Live Marketplace (for Xbox 360) or Sony PlayStation Network store (for PS3) or EA’s Origin.com (for PC).

Prologue: “Beginnings” Codex Crash Site

Location: 200 years ago, on the barren plains of Tau Volantis

S.C.A.F. Privates Tim Caufman and Sam Ackerman are sent on a mission to retrieve a mysterious object, known as the Codex. What they discover will change the course of human events for the entire galaxy.

Note: This walkthrough is a New Game+ on a 4th playthrough, played on Hard Difficulty Mode. All Audio Logs are listened to, but optional missions are skipped because they don’t add much to the main story.

Let’s get this Dead Space 3 walkthrough started with the Prologue! 😀

1st Walkthrough Tip: The Plasma Cutter can shoot really fast when you have +3 circuits installed to increase rate of fire, damage, etc. The other blueprint weapons can be used to add more variety to your walkthrough. Be sure to pick up all circuits and weapon parts you come across.

2nd Walkthrough Tip: The Devil Horns are used as a primary weapon because they are super strong. They are unlocked by beating the game in Classic Mode. The settings for Classic Mode are: Hard Difficulty Mode, Classic Aim, and Weapons Only.
To check if Classic Mode is turned on, pause your game to open the main menu. There, select Settings, then go to Game Settings.

Chapter 1: “Rude Awakening” Isaac’s Apartment

Location: New Lunar Colony (200 Years Later)

After months of hiding, Isaac Clarke is pressed back into action by Robert Norton and John Carver, men on a mission to destroy the Markers. Their quest is entangled with the fate of Ellie Langford, who has intel on the Markers but is missing in action.

Chapter 2: “On Your Own” U.S.M. Eudora

Isaac and Carver have escaped the Unitologist attack on the Lunar Colony. Safely aboard Norton’s ship, the Eudora, they are now en route to the furthest reaches of space on a mission to find Ellie Langford and her crew.

Chapter 3: “The Lost Flotilla” C.M.S. Roanoke

The Eudora has been destroyed, and the crew’s lives are in jeopardy. Their only hope is to find refuge inside the Roanoke, an ancient S.C.A.F. ship that’s part of a derelict flotilla orbiting Tau Volantis.

Chapter 4: “History’s Ember” Roanoke Command Saucer

Location: Roanoke Command Saucer (Admiral’s Quarters)

After discovering Ellie and her companions alive, Isaac and Carver embark on a new quest: to decrypt the mad ramblings of Admiral Graves, who Ellie suspects stumbled upon the secret to destroying the Markers once and for all.

Dead Space 3 Walkthrough continues on Page 2 with Chapter 5.