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Short answer: Treat the clipboard as your shift plan, record every body mark before doing chemistry, complete embalming in checklist order, use downtime to collect sigils and consult the Night Shift Database, and do not burn anything until the demon, body, mark, sigils, and reagent are all confirmed. A rushed or incomplete final burn is the most common way to lose the first shift.
Spoiler warning: This guide explains the first-shift workflow, possession clues, sigil investigation, and ending conditions.
What your first shift is really testing
The Mortuary Assistant is a single-player adventure, indie, and simulation game developed by DarkStone Digital and published by DreadXP. It was released on August 2, 2022. The first shift takes place at River Fields Mortuary, where Rebecca learns a routine that repeats across later shifts: document a corpse, embalm it, investigate supernatural evidence, identify the possessed body, and perform the correct burn.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The game deliberately combines ordinary administrative work with an investigation that can change while you are working. The checklist is not decoration. It is the reliable structure that keeps the shift moving when events become confusing. The supernatural clues are also not a single “spot the scare” test. You are expected to combine physical marks, sigils, database information, body behavior, and the state of the shift.
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Your practical objective on the first shift is therefore twofold:
- Finish the mortuary procedure without leaving a required task incomplete.
- Collect enough consistent evidence to identify the demon and attach the correct mark to the correct body before the final burn.
Those objectives overlap, but they are not identical. A body can be fully embalmed and still be the wrong body to burn. A frightening event can occur without proving which corpse is possessed. Keep the procedural record and the supernatural investigation separate until the evidence connects them.
Set up the shift before touching a body
At the beginning, take the clipboard and read its checklist. The clipboard records marks during the examination and later displays the embalming tasks. Use it as the authoritative list for the current shift rather than relying on memory.
Before you start, adopt three habits:
- Finish one evidence pass before chemistry. Inspect the body completely and record its visible marks before mixing or pumping anything.
- Keep the database available. You will want the Night Shift Database while sigils are appearing, not after you have forgotten what you saw.
- Delay irreversible actions. Burning is the commitment point. Until the demon, body, sigil order, and reagent requirement agree, continue gathering evidence.
The first shift can feel timed because disturbances and possession pressure interrupt routine work. You do not need to sprint through every room. You do need to avoid spending the shift redoing a missed inspection or trying to reconstruct evidence from memory.
How to find every mark on the body
Use a fixed inspection route
Inspect the entire corpse before doing any chemistry. Check the head, left shoulder, right shoulder, left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg, and the back. Rotate body parts when the view does not expose the relevant surface. A mark that is visible only after rotating a limb still belongs in the record.
A consistent route prevents the most damaging beginner error: believing the inspection is complete because you saw several marks in the obvious places. Move through the body zone by zone and do not advance until each area has been viewed from the necessary angle.
- Start at the head and examine the face and scalp area visible in your current view.
- Check the left shoulder, then rotate as needed to reveal its full surface.
- Check the right shoulder using the same approach.
- Inspect the left arm, including surfaces hidden by its resting position.
- Inspect the right arm.
- Inspect the left leg and rotate it if necessary.
- Inspect the right leg.
- Finish with the back, turning the body or changing your view so that the rear surface is not skipped.
Recognize the kinds of marks that matter
The first-shift documentation identifies several mark types you may need to record: rashes, contusions, moles, mild abrasions, hemangiomas, blemishes, and keratolysis. The important point is not to diagnose them in ordinary medical terms. The record system expects the mark category presented by the game.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallWhen you see a questionable spot, inspect it rather than assuming it is texture, lighting, or damage from another event. The mark counter on the clipboard helps you check whether your record is complete. If the counter does not match what you believe you saw, retrace the route before submitting the report.
Why a missed mark causes later trouble
Visible marks are part of the body’s identity in the record system. An omitted mark can make the report mismatch even if the name and age are correct. That mismatch can undermine your ability to distinguish bodies later, especially when the demon is creating misleading signs.
Do not treat a mark as optional because it appears minor. “Mild” or small does not mean irrelevant. Record every qualifying mark before leaving the examination stage.
How to submit the body record correctly
Once the inspection is complete, go to the computer and open the Record System. Match the body’s name and age, then enter the marks you discovered. Submit the entry and collect the printed report.
- Open the Record System at the computer.
- Select the body’s name.
- Match the recorded age.
- Enter every mark from the inspection, using the game’s labels.
- Submit the record.
- Collect the printed report and keep it with the shift paperwork.
If the system rejects the entry or the report does not look right, do not guess at a replacement mark. Return to the body and compare each zone with the clipboard count. The report is most useful when it reflects a complete, deliberate inspection.
What is the embalming order?
After the record is submitted, follow the embalming tasks in the order shown on the clipboard. The first-shift sequence documented for the game is:
- Retrieve a body from cold storage.
- Wire the jaw with the needle injector and settings needles.
- Mix the cleaners in the bathroom closet to make tank cleaner.
- Pour the tank cleaner into the embalming pump.
- Fill the body cavities with the trocar.
- Apply moisturizer to the facial features.
- Return the body to cold storage when the checklist closes.
Retrieve the body from cold storage
Move the selected body from cold storage only after you have a clear checklist state. This keeps the next set of tasks visible and prevents you from confusing a body that is waiting for treatment with one that has already been completed.
Wire the jaw
Use the needle injector and the settings needles to wire the jaw. Follow the interaction prompts and confirm that the jaw step is complete before moving on. If the task remains open on the clipboard, do not assume the physical action counted; check the tool state and repeat the required interaction.
Make tank cleaner in the bathroom closet
Retrieve the cleaners from the bathroom closet and combine them as instructed to make tank cleaner. The mixture is a separate preparation step: creating it is not the same as loading the embalming pump.
Load the embalming pump
Pour the tank cleaner into the embalming pump. Keep the pump mixture distinct from the later baleful-reagent requirement. Ordinary tank cleaner supports the routine embalming procedure; baleful reagent is associated with the final burn preparation when the shift requires it.
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Fill the cavities with the trocar
Use the trocar to fill the body cavities. This is a required checklist action, not an optional detail that can be replaced by another treatment. Wait for the task to close before moving to the face.
Moisturize the facial features and return the body
Apply moisturizer to the facial features, then return the body to cold storage once the checklist closes. If the checklist still shows an open task, resolve that task before treating the body as finished.
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What should you do during downtime?
Downtime between procedural tasks is when you investigate the demon. The most useful evidence comes from lettering strips, sigils, the Night Shift Database, and changes you observe on the bodies.
Use lettering strips to reveal sigils
Lettering strips can reveal nearby sigils by smoldering and burning out. When a strip reacts, inspect the nearby area and record the symbol it exposes. Do not rely on remembering only its general shape; write down the symbol and its position in your notes so you can compare it with the database.
Some symbols may appear while you are moving between rooms or after an event changes the environment. Treat each strip as a clue to inspect, not as proof that you already know the demon’s name.
Consult the Night Shift Database early
Use the Night Shift Database to narrow the demon’s name as soon as you have useful sigils. Early consultation reduces backtracking during the more pressured portions of the shift. Keep the candidate information available while you collect additional symbols so you can eliminate inconsistent possibilities instead of starting over.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe database is a narrowing tool, not a substitute for evidence. A single symbol, a single scare, or one unexplained sound should not determine the final choice when other clues conflict.
Re-check bodies after story events
Continue checking bodies for new marks, movement, or other possession-related tells after story events. The demon can mislead you, so a body that seemed ordinary earlier may require another look.
Re-checking does not mean abandoning the checklist every time something happens. Finish the current safe procedural step when possible, then inspect the affected body and compare what you see with the record and the emerging sigil evidence.
How do you know which body is possessed?
Identify the possessed body by combining evidence rather than waiting for one unmistakable scare. The strongest approach uses:
- Recorded marks: The body’s name, age, and documented marks establish its ordinary identity.
- Sigils: Symbols revealed by lettering strips narrow the demon’s possible name.
- Database results: The Night Shift Database helps match the collected symbols to a demon.
- Behavioral tells: Movement, disturbances, and other possession signs indicate that the supernatural state is changing.
- Cross-checking: The final candidate should fit the marks, sigils, and body behavior together.
Unexplained movement is a reason to investigate, not automatic proof that the moving body is the one you must burn. The demon can create misleading tells. Likewise, a body with an unusual mark is not necessarily possessed merely because the mark looks striking.
When clues disagree, pause the final decision. Verify that every visible mark was recorded, confirm the sigils in the database, and inspect the bodies again after the latest story event. A slower evidence pass is safer than committing to an attractive but unsupported conclusion.
Where do the sigils go, and how do you prepare the final burn?
The final burn requires more than placing a body in the retort. Once you have identified the demon and the body, assemble the matching sigils on the mark, add baleful reagent to the pump mixture when required, place the mark on the chosen body, and burn that body.
Assemble the matching sigils
Use the symbols you recorded and the demon name narrowed through the Night Shift Database. Assemble the matching sigils in the required order on the mark. Confirm the sequence before committing; an individual symbol can be correct while the overall arrangement is wrong.
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Add baleful reagent when the preparation calls for it
Check the final-burn preparation and add baleful reagent to the pump mixture as required. Ordinary tank cleaner and baleful reagent are not interchangeable. Omitting the reagent can produce an incorrect-body outcome even when the selected body and sigils appear right.
Place the mark on the chosen body
Place the completed mark on the body you have identified as possessed. This is the point where the evidence becomes an action. Reconfirm the body’s identity before placement, especially if multiple bodies are present or if an event has caused you to move between them.
Confirm, then burn
Before burning, verify all four conditions:
- The demon name is supported by the collected sigils and database information.
- The sigils on the mark match that demon and are in the correct order.
- The required baleful reagent has been added to the pump mixture.
- The mark is attached to the body you intend to burn.
Only after those checks should you burn the body. Burning early is irreversible for the shift and can trigger an incorrect-body or game-over result.
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First-shift survival rules
Do not skip the mark record
An unrecorded visible mark can make the computer report mismatch and weaken your later body identification. The inspection route and clipboard counter exist to prevent this specific failure.
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Do not rush the retort
Burning before the correct mark is attached, using the wrong sigils, omitting required reagent, or selecting the wrong body can produce an incorrect-body ending. Treat the retort as the final confirmation step, not as a way to test a theory.
Interpret possession pressure correctly
The guide documentation describes possession as a consequence of taking too long or making a premature or incorrect burn. Disturbances are therefore a reason to re-check evidence and continue deliberately, not a reason to throw away the checklist and guess.
Keep evidence quality higher than speed
The following comparison is a useful decision rule when the shift becomes stressful:
| Approach | Evidence quality | Time cost | Failure risk | Spoiler level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspect, record marks, collect sigils, and cross-check the database | High: multiple independent clues | Higher at the start, lower backtracking later | Lowest before the final burn | Mechanics and ending conditions |
| Rely on one scare or one body movement | Low: the demon can mislead you | Appears fast | High: wrong body or wrong conclusion | Moderate |
| Rush embalming and burn as soon as a candidate appears | Incomplete | Lowest immediately | Highest: missed marks, omitted reagent, premature burn | High |
Why did you get the wrong ending even though you burned a body?
You burned the wrong body
The correct-body ending requires burning the correct body with the correct sigils on the mark. If you selected a different corpse, the burn can fail even when the ritual preparation looked complete. Re-check the body’s record and the evidence that links it to the demon before the final action.
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The outcome map identifies omitted reagent as one cause of the incorrect-body ending. Review the pump mixture before committing; tank cleaner alone does not satisfy a preparation that calls for baleful reagent.
The sigils were incorrect or out of order
Matching the demon’s general theme is not enough. The mark must contain the matching sigils in the required arrangement. Compare the assembled mark with the symbols you recorded and the result narrowed in the Night Shift Database.
You burned before the preparation was complete
A premature burn can lead to a game-over or possession outcome. If the demon, mark, reagent, and body are not all confirmed, leave the retort unused and return to evidence gathering.
You relied on one misleading tell
Movement or a disturbing event can draw attention to the wrong body. Combine the tell with marks, sigils, and database information. If the clues do not converge, inspect again instead of choosing the most dramatic explanation.
First-shift checklist you can follow in order
- Take the clipboard and read the current checklist.
- Inspect the head, both shoulders, both arms, both legs, and the back.
- Rotate body parts whenever a surface is hidden.
- Record every rash, contusion, mole, mild abrasion, hemangioma, blemish, or keratolysis mark that the game identifies.
- Use the clipboard mark counter to confirm the inspection.
- Open the Record System, match the name and age, enter the marks, submit, and collect the report.
- Retrieve a body from cold storage.
- Wire the jaw with the needle injector and settings needles.
- Mix cleaners in the bathroom closet to make tank cleaner.
- Pour tank cleaner into the embalming pump.
- Fill the cavities with the trocar.
- Apply moisturizer to the facial features.
- Return the body to cold storage when the checklist closes.
- Use downtime to inspect lettering strips and record the sigils they reveal.
- Consult the Night Shift Database and narrow the demon’s name.
- Re-check bodies after story events for new marks, movement, or other tells.
- When the evidence converges, assemble the matching sigils on the mark.
- Add baleful reagent to the pump mixture if the final preparation requires it.
- Place the mark on the identified body.
- Confirm the body, sigil order, mark, and reagent, then burn.
What endings can follow the first shift?
The first-shift outcome depends on both the final burn and the larger story state. The documented outcome map is:
| Outcome | What leads to it |
|---|---|
| Correct-body ending | Burn the correct body with the correct sigils on the mark. |
| Incorrect-body ending | Burn the wrong body, omit required reagent, or use incorrect sigils after the relevant preparation. |
| Standard ending | Complete a later shift correctly after the first one. |
| Basement and closure endings | Collect additional story-specific items and complete the required scene actions before a correct final burn. |
| Game-over or possession | Allow possession to fill or burn prematurely. |
The first shift is not necessarily the only point at which the game evaluates success. A correct later shift can produce the standard ending, while basement and closure outcomes require additional collection and scene actions beyond the basic first-shift procedure.
A practical decision framework for a calm first attempt
If you are still finding marks
Stay in the inspection phase. Follow the eight-zone route again, rotate hidden surfaces, and compare your observations with the clipboard counter. Do not start chemistry merely because you have found several marks.
If you have a report but no demon candidate
Continue the routine embalming steps and use downtime to work with lettering strips. Record each sigil and consult the Night Shift Database as soon as you have enough symbols to narrow possibilities.
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Finish a safe current interaction if possible, then re-check the affected bodies and compare the new behavior with the existing records. A disturbance raises the need for verification; it does not by itself identify the body.
If two candidates still seem possible
Do not burn either one. Look for the missing independent clue: an unrecorded mark, an unexamined back or limb, a newly revealed sigil, or a database mismatch. The safer candidate is the one supported by the complete evidence set, not the one associated with the most frightening event.
If you are ready to burn
Use the four-condition check: demon identified, sigils correctly assembled, baleful reagent added when required, and mark placed on the chosen body. If any answer is uncertain, the shift is not ready for the retort.
Bottom line for surviving shift one
The reliable first-shift strategy is methodical rather than fast. Let the clipboard control the work order, inspect and record every mark before chemistry, submit an accurate computer report, complete the embalming sequence, and use the remaining time to build a demon identification from sigils and database evidence. Re-check bodies after story events, because the demon can mislead you. The final burn should happen only after the body, mark, sigil order, and reagent all agree.
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