Burn the Tree

End all branching forever. Burn the Tree is one of four main endings in CONTRABAND, and like the others it has roughly 7 variants depending on which crew you brought, your faction reputations, and whether you completed certain side quests.

How to reach Burn the Tree

Build the Fold Resonator and use it to destroy the timeline structure rather than stabilize it. Requires the Resonator (Chapter 4 endgame), at least 800,000 credits, and a specific Vex reputation state.

What happens in this ending

You end all branching forever. The Sacred Timeline becomes a single line that cannot be rewound. The galaxy persists but becomes mortal. The closing sequence is ambiguous — neither happy nor sad, just final.

Variants

The exact ending you see varies based on: which crew survived, your faction reputations, whether you befriended Vex, and a few smaller flags. There are roughly 7 distinct variants of Burn the Tree, each with different epilogue text.

Achievements unlocked

Reaching Burn the Tree unlocks the corresponding achievement. Reaching all four endings unlocks the All Endings achievement, and triggers a hidden message at the title screen on your next launch.