The Sinking City 2: All 13 E.R.C. Activator Pen and Crate Locations (Behind Every Crate Man… Trophy)
Where to find every Activator Pen and the Emergency Relief Crate it opens across Chapters 2 through 5.
Where to find every Activator Pen and the Emergency Relief Crate it opens across Chapters 2 through 5.
by Pallav Pathak
Emergency Relief Crates in The Sinking City 2 stay locked until you find the matching E.R.C. Activator Pen. There are 13 pens and 13 crates spread across Chapters 2 to 5, and opening all of them awards the “Behind Every Crate Man…” trophy. The rewards inside include weapon attachments, outfits, inventory expansions, ammunition, and Dream Essence.
Quick answer: Collect the Activator Pen listed for each crate, then interact with that crate to open it. All 13 crates must be opened for the trophy. Everything is missable, and once you finish a chapter you cannot return to its areas, so clear each crate before advancing.
Image credit: Frogwares
How E.R.C. crates and Activator Pens work
Each Emergency Relief Crate is sealed with a lock that only an E.R.C. Activator Pen can open. Pens and crates are not always in the same room, so you often grab a pen in one area and backtrack to a crate you passed earlier. Some pens and crates are gated behind tools or keys, such as the Star Key, the A.P.H. Key, and Bolt Cutters, or behind moved objects like a wardrobe or the crane.
Note: There is no chapter select, and the only thing that carries into New Game Plus is your learned talents. Before leaving a chapter, check the map and confirm every area is marked as cleared so you do not lock yourself out of a crate.
In Study 1 of the Vernet Mansion area on Pickman St., where you meet Corentin, take Activator Pen #1 next to the open container box. Head back to the Registry to open Crate #1 and claim Voss’s Compensator.
At the Church on Harrison St., jump through the west window to grab Activator Pen #2. Take the Star Key from the corpse near the barrier lever, unlock the Mausoleum with its Star Lock, and open Crate #2 inside for The First Vision outfit.
Use the A.P.H. Key to reach the Printing House basement below the Main Office and collect Activator Pen #3. Find Crate #3 in the main printing area for an Inventory Expanded upgrade.
Use the crane to move the whale, then enter the Professor’s Apartment north of the Fire Department to take Activator Pen #4. Open Crate #4 in the Fire Department’s Day Room for Shotgun Ammo and Dream Essence.
In the Head Surgeon’s Office, move the wardrobe to reveal a hidden room holding Activator Pen #7. Then jump down the hole in the Isolation Wards to reach Crate #7, which holds Rifle Ammo and Dream Essence.
Use Bolt Cutters on the chained side door of the Fishing Shop to enter a small room and take Activator Pen #8. Work through the bear traps in the Packing Area of the Fish Market to open Crate #8 for Rifle Ammo and Dream Essence.
After returning the Antikythera to MA, retrieve Activator Pen #10 from a basket of frozen fish in Cold Storage. Open Crate #10 in the small room attached to the Jewelry Workshop for an Inventory Expanded upgrade.
In the Subterranean City, take Activator Pen #11 from a wooden crate in the Portal Room. Open Crate #11 in the dark cave room to the north for Keene’s Widowmaker.
Grab Activator Pen #13 from a stone block in the Gallery. Open Crate #13 inside the main tent of the Camp for Keene’s Timeglass.
Image credit: Frogwares / 100% Guides
Confirming the trophy unlock
The “Behind Every Crate Man…” trophy pops once you open the final crate, which is Crate #13 in the Camp during Chapter 5, provided all 12 earlier crates are already open. If the trophy does not trigger, a crate was skipped in an earlier chapter. Because you cannot revisit finished chapters, the fix is to catch it before moving on, so review the map at the end of each chapter and make sure every crate has been opened rather than just marked with a found pen.
