The Sinking City 2 hides 224 collectibles across its chapters, and every single one is missable. There is no chapter select, so once you leave an area for good, anything you skipped is locked away until a fresh run. The good news is you can freely backtrack within the chapter you are currently playing, which makes cleanup straightforward if you stay organized.
Quick answer: Before you finish any chapter, open your map and confirm every collectible marker has turned blue. If anything is still uncollected, backtrack while you still can, because completing the chapter permanently seals its areas.
Collectible types and trophy links
The full 224 total is spread across ten categories. Some feed directly into trophies, while others are purely optional. Note that Ex Oblivione Codices only appear in New Game Plus (Ex Oblivione Mode), and you will need more than one playthrough to gather enough Dream Essence to learn every talent.
| Collectible | Count | Trophy / purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Lore Codex | 78 | None |
| Evidence | 56 | None |
| Radio Codex | 10 | Mycophile |
| Weapons | 5 | 4 have individual trophies |
| Emergency Relief Crates (E.R.C.) | 13 | Behind Every Crate Man… |
| E.R.C. Activator Pens | 13 | Open the 13 crates |
| Weapon Accessories | 8 | None |
| Dream Essence | 25 | What Dreams Are Mode Of |
| Ex Oblivione Codex | 8 | From Oblivion (NG+ only) |
| Inventory Expansions | 6 | None |
Each E.R.C. crate needs an Activator Pen to open, and pens are counted separately, so grab both as you go. Carrying over to a second run only preserves your learned talents. Everything else resets, meaning any missed collectible must be found again from scratch.
Chapter 1 – A New Day collectible locations
You begin the game already holding the Equalizer Mk. II handgun and three Dream Essence, both added to your inventory automatically. The opening apartment and the boat ride that follows contain a tight cluster of lore, evidence, a map, a radio, and a hidden Key Item.
| Collectible | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| About The Mask | Lore Codex | Desk in the starting room |
| Excerpt From ‘The Dream Realm’ | Lore Codex | Writing desk in the starting room |
| Final Warning! | Lore Codex | Stuck to the cupboard in the kitchen |
| Restricted Section Inventory | Lore Codex | Desk in the workroom |
| Farewell, Arkham! | Lore Codex | Table ahead after climbing down the outside ladder |
| Please! | Lore Codex | On the window beside Farewell, Arkham! |
| Gate Switchboard | Evidence | On the bar in the dining room after the boat trip |
| Residential Map, Floor 1-2 | Map | Board in the small room on the right of the residential building |
| To Martin | Evidence | On the safe in Apartment 5’s kitchen (code 1908) |
| Gate Fuses and Wires | Evidence | In the hall as you drop into Apartment 2 through Apartment 6 |
| Electrical Fuses | Key Item | Small box on the southern cupboards in the Radio Shop |
| From A Sister | Evidence | Also inside the Radio Shop |
| The Woman At The Door | Radio | Apartment 1, after an enemy bursts out of the door |
| Lost Letters – Death Awaits | Lore Codex | Wooden table at the pier by the next closed gate |
| The Loss Of Calvin Rafferty | Ex Oblivione | Kitchen counter in Apartment 6 (NG+ only) |
Interact with every radio to listen and register it as collected. The Ex Oblivione document only spawns during an Ex Oblivione Mode run, so do not waste time hunting for it on your first playthrough.
Apartment 5 safe code and the gate fuse puzzle
1908. That number is the year the Radio Shop opened, shown on the sign above its entrance. Opening the safe unlocks the To Martin evidence and the The Inheritance trophy.
Chapter 2 – The Wake-Up Call opening collectibles
The University chapter is far denser than the first, holding 20 Lore Documents, 16 Evidence pages, 4 E.R.C. Crates, 2 Ex Oblivione Documents, 3 Radios, and 3 Weapon Attachments. Pace yourself and sweep each room, since this is where the collectible count climbs sharply.
| Collectible | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Library Annex | Map | On the wall in the Registry |
| Lost Letters – Dominion | Lore Codex | Bench near the northern wall in the Corridor |
| Manifesto | Lore Codex | Examine the board in the Conference Room |
| Internal Memorandum | Lore Codex | Desk in the Reading Hall, past the Restroom and Classroom |
| E.R.C. Activator Pen | Key Item | Next to the open container box in Study 1, where you meet Corentin |
The first E.R.C. Crate sits in the Registry, right where you find the Library Annex map. You cannot open it until you have an Activator Pen, so mark its location and return once you collect the pen in Study 1.
How to confirm 100% before moving on
The map is your safety net. Every collectible you grab turns its marker blue, so a quick map review at the end of a chapter tells you instantly whether anything is still outstanding. If a marker is not blue, backtrack to that spot before you trigger the chapter’s finale.
Keep an eye on the four categories tied to trophies as you go. Radios must be listened to, E.R.C. crates need their Activator Pens, and Ex Oblivione Codices only exist in Ex Oblivione Mode. Because Dream Essence is capped per run and required for the What Dreams Are Mode Of trophy, plan on multiple playthroughs to learn every talent. As long as your map stays fully blue at each chapter break, you will finish the game with a clean 100% record.
