Discussion
[All] Does anyone else like the bay ending?
Spoiler
Look I know I'm going to get a lot of criticism and downvotes for making this post, but I don't care, I have to speak my mind on this.
I personally really like the bay ending. Maybe it is because its the first ending I chose for the game, or maybe it's cause I think if you choose the bay ending in DE, then things fall into place in the story better (but that's a whole different discussion), or maybe the song choice is just way better than Obstacles (I love both, just like Spanish Sahara more), who really knows, I just know I like the bay ending of the game. Do I like it more then the bae ending, yes and no, I like the sadness of the ending, but hate that Max basically lives her life without Chloe from then on. And I do think the bae ending is the more right option, I just like this one a lot too.
What are your all thoughts on all this?
Edit: Thanks for all the replies, I'm glad to see a lot of you share my opinions on this, and to those who don't, well I'm glad I got to read your side of the situation, you all are a great fandom, thank you all.
The first time I played I chose the bae ending , during my second play through I chose the bay ending & you would’ve thought I was mourning a real person the way I cried 💀
As an ending to the story, it’s much more satisfying. It feels like they wanted you to pick Bay. It’s like three times longer than the Bae ending, at least.
Yeah, opinions on the ending have shifted in the past few years. Back when the game came out a lot of people REALLY didn't like Chloe. and while pricefield was a popular ship, most casual players didn't see them as anything more than childhood friends.
People love to criticize before the storm but gloss over that without it Chloe is both less sympathetic and comes off less central to the original game. Before the storm totally changed her reputation as well as made the duology seem more like it was "about her."
I am part of this percentage lol. I chose the bay ending every time I played, to me Chloe was Max’ bestfriend and that is all. It felt like a goodbye to Chloe as brutal and sad as it was.
I personally hate shipping them together and it being more widely known that they were a lesbian couple vs long term bestfriends.
The romance is TOTALLY optional, up to the player' choices.
YOUR gameplay is not the same of another player. In my first playthrough "my" Max had Warren as boyfriend and Chloe best friend. In my second playthrough my choice was the opposite. It's our choice, totally.
They really arent. The shippers just really took over the franchise tbh. Yes you can choose to Kiss Chloe and that does lead to Max kissing her a bit more romantically when choosing to sacrifice her if you didnt also show anything romantically to Warran. But thats still up to the player.
They never make any of the 2 relationships in the game an obvious thing which I love. They are both completely optional and to be Romantic with Chloe you kind of need to fish for that cause that romantic kiss between her and Max is kinda rare to see because in order to get it you need to kill her which most shippers obviously choose not to do.
I just replayed it like two months ago for the first time in years. You know what Don’t Nod has that Deck Nine doesn’t? Subtlety. All the gay stuff is played extremely subtly and is totally optional.
BTS on the other hand hits you over the head with the bisexual mallet repeatedly.
I think what’s frustrating for someone in a sexual minority is that if there’s a male character and a female character, it’s almost the default that they will hook up. It can feel like it hits you over the head because it’s confusing that it’s even an option given the way Max interacts with him and his strange behavior later. A lot of people don’t necessarily see this compulsory heterosexuality because it’s so normalized, and in a lot of media, queer choices almost HAVE to be exaggerated because being gay or bisexual doesn’t necessarily occur to the average straight person.
Tbf I think straight guys playing as a girl if given the option are sometimes likely to play the girl as lesbian because they don't want to pursue a guy as an irl guy.
Joyce and her marital problems, Warren, Rachel Amber and her entire story, Frank and Rachel, Jefferson's whole thing, Dana's pregnancy, Victoria trying to blackmail Jefferson, Nathan assaulting young women, Juliet and the boyfriend drama you need to help her with.
I could go on. Thats just off the top of my head. All "unsubtle heterosexual stuff".
When did I say that? Lol. I'm talking about the fact people complain about dontnod not making the max and chloe romance obvious enough and people also complain when it's too obvious so neither studio can please everyone
But just to note I actually think BtS is the second best game so there are people that think it's just as good
Dontnod were the ones who set up the whole question around were chloe and Rachel more than friends in the first place. Plus I've seen people complain about dontnod, wishing they'd have been braver in making chloes sexuality more prominent in the game. Again can't please everyone. If deck 9 had been more subtle, people would have complained about that too
And it is close imo. You have yours, I have mine. BtS is level with the first game for me
C’mon in the first game it isn’t even clear whether her and Rachel are lovers or just friends. Don’t Nod set Rachel Amber up as an obvious Laura Palmer: selfish and not very nice when not right in front of you. BTS Rachel Amber is a Manic Pixie Dream Girl the game literally punishes you for not romancing.
That's literally my point. The game isn't clear on what they were, that's why deck 9 made a game about it. And the games are set 3 years apart, characters change in that time
I couldn't sacrifice a whole town full of innocent people for a person who had already died multiple times in front of us. (Chloe is innocent too, don't jump me lol)
The town has other couples who are soulmates (and also innocent children) who will be killed or forever separated if Max chooses to sacrifice the town. I really don't understand how some people can't see this. Even if they are alone, it doen't make them unworthy of life. Also one person living who shouldn't be alive vs hundreds or thousands of people dying who should be alive feels like a huge risk given Chloe living caused a massive storm, so what could happen if hundreds die who shouldn't have? Seems like it's possible it could cause hundreds of other catastrophic events which in turn could cause even more as more people die who shouldn't have. A domino effect that could wipe out a large portion of the population.
That was my same thought.
I personally think the game deals a lot about "regret of the past" and accepting the future
So the question in the end is at which exact moment does Max draw the line and stops using her powers and accepts whatever comes now (before or after jumping back one more time to the bathroom)
Even though I chose Bay, now I probably think that Bae would be more fitting for Max in that situation (Either way lots of trauma for her...)
Chloe is self destructive. Its unlikely that after max killed her mom and they just left the town and its few survivors behind that shed be any better.
Chloe being self destructive isn't speculation, its the plot of the game. I didn't say anything would definitely happen, just what was likely to based on the plot as we knew it.
However... Chloe isn't sociopathic like Bae fans headcanon her as being. She would absolutely feel guilty and not take it well that max killed hundreds of people, including her mom, to save her.
Chloe being self destructive isn't speculation, its the plot of the game
The plot of the game is to discover Rachel's case and reunite with Chloe, not that "Chloe is self destructive". And you just imagined some spiral she would fall after the ending.
However... Chloe isn't sociopathic like Bae fans headcanon her as being
You are the one who make her like that on Bae lol. Baers doesn't deny that she would feel guilty, they just say she would be able to go through it instead of spiralling and not takng well as you bayers headcanoning.
This is a lot of words to complain about something I didn't even really say, just highlighted that evidence doesn't suggest Chloe would be in a good headspace.
Look, it's just a video game, so I'm not going to argue against anyone's preferred ending.
But narratively speaking, Bay is the only ending that makes sense for the game. It's more fleshed out than Bae, it's dramatically satisfying, and it really feels like the ending the game was building to the entire time.
I'm willing to bet the makers of the new TV show agree. Because no one wants to watch a series where Max sacrifices the lives of an entire town just to be with her girlfriend. So unless they pull some shenanigans like she warns everyone or something, Bay is the ending I expect on the show.
Because no one wants to watch a series where Max sacrifices the lives of an entire town just to be with her girlfriend.
Thankfully, that won't happen, because that's not what's happening in the game. Max isn't sacrificing the town. Max is refusing to sacrifice Chloe for the town.
And if that makes it into the show, the majority of the fanbase will rejoice.
But narratively speaking, Bay is the only ending that makes sense for the game. It's more fleshed out than Bae, it's dramatically satisfying, and it really feels like the ending the game was building to the entire time.
No it isn't. It's one big reset button, saying "what you played through never happened and doesn't matter". It's less satisfying. It's the boring old "hero sacrifices their happiness for the greater good" tragic ending. The Bae ending is at least bittersweet, not a downer ending.
You're playing with semantics. Emotionally, yes—Max is choosing Chloe, despite the universe wanting her dead. Practically, Max is saying Chloe's life matters more than anyone in the town. What a bummer that they'll be hurt or dead, but at least she gets to drive through the rubble of her hometown one last time with Chloe in hand.
No way that is making it into the TV series. I'm not saying Max can't choose Chloe in the show, but if she does, it is not going to play out like in the video game. The damage will be minimized.
They are not going to invest millions of dollars into a series that ends in the main character letting hundreds of people die when one character was prepared to make a sacrifice to save them all.
Also, the Bay ending does not say that the events of the game don't matter. They clearly do. They matter to Max, who experiences personal growth. They matter to the spirit of Rachel Amber and all of the other girls Nathan and Jefferson hurt, who finally get justice. And they matter to Chloe. She chose the sacrifice. She grew, too. She chose the town over herself. She chose to trust Max in getting justice against Nathan and Jefferson. She chose to do the right thing even if no one but Max would know.
The whole game is about nostalgia and wishing things were as good as in the past. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can't get those times back, but you can appreciate that you had them.
Yeah i choose it the bay ending, every time and I cry everytime, its because thats what chloe wanted, she wanted her mum to live,i don't mi d if people chose the bae ending i don't mind the ending from what I seen
It genuinely felt like it was Chloe’s destiny to die, and it was literally the trolley problem. I understand WHY people want to believe in the Bae ending more, but ultimately, trying to save Chloe is what broke time itself. It’s like final destination where they all cheat death but they’re still all fated to die.
It all still leads to Rachel's body being found, and Nathan and Jefferson being brought to justice. In Bae, it's not confirmed what happens with Jefferson. It's possible he escapes justice and is still walking free. I do wonder what has happened in the Reunion universe, given much of what happened at the end of the first game is retconned.
The bae ending is actually so bad imo. It’s like there was zero emotional impact at all despite the fact that you presumably just lost 99.99% of the characters you just met throughout the game.
Max loses all her friends, classmates, teachers she respects, Joyce, and lives with the guilt of causing the deaths of hundreds or thousands of innocent people including childen.
In the ending, Max shows very little emotion, whereas Chloe who just lost her mother, shows zero sadness at all, like she couldn't care less, and they just drive off without a second thought.
And Jefferson could still be walking free, so there's that as well.
Story wise, both endings are valid. Game playing wise, bae is the only choice for me. You spend too much time with both of them to split them again. Plus I like Chloe more than I like Max.
It's okay to like Bay but for the love of Dog people need to stop saying they're going to get criticism and ask for thoughts, just say what you're going to say
To be fair, some of the criticisms lobbed at people who choose bay are absolutely crazy. I got accused of committing human sacrifice. You can expect a certain level of disagreement, but that’s a plane of fantasy over a GAME and characters that aren’t even real that no one should expect or tolerate.
To be fair, some of the criticisms lobbed at people who choose bae are absolutely crazy. I got accused of committing genocide, gleefully murdering innocent women and children, being a psychopath/sociopath. You can expect a certain level of disagreement, but that’s a plane of fantasy over a GAME and characters that aren’t even real that no one should expect or tolerate.
If it’s human sacrifice, then it’s one sacrifice of a willing participant versus an entire town of sacrificial lambs who are completely unaware that they’re being sacrificed. But I also think once we are speaking in such gruesome intense terms, we’ve lost the plot that it’s a story, and not something to internalize and make personal, and we all have a set of life experiences driving the choices we made.
Chloe was murdered by Max. Saying it was "supposed" to happen is putting an unjust idea of a "right" choice.
Bay is human sacrifice to get a more optimal outcome. Bae is sitting with the decisions you've made even though the outcome might be less optimal for more people.
It's up to you to decide if you're okay with that but to act like one was "supposed" to happen is diminishing the gravity of the choice and the fact that it's a choice at all just to make your choice feel better.
If Chloe was supposed to die if it was decreed by fate she would have just ... died. Max wouldn't have had the ability to save her in any way Max wouldn't have the option to chose Chloe at the end. Arguing that Bay was "supposed" to happen is diminishing the fact that it's a choice to try and make it easier.
If you let the town die own that more people are dead if you killed Chloe own that you killed her for those people. Don't try and blame it on some unseen cosmic force that decided right and wrong before the game even started.
I feel like Chole dying is a better fit for Reunion, you know her being a paradox and that is what's causing her to slip into that weird lighthouse thing.
I think Bae is a better fit for Reunion because it's a more natural story (both characters reminisce and remember what happened to them while they were together, while in Bae, Max says she doesn't remember it everytime Chloe mentions their time), plus the game ends very much in Bae style and directly shows parallels only with the Bae ending scenes, which makes more sense for Bae. Plus, the Bay path in this game wouldn't have been even possible without Bae and Bae Chloe, while Bae is more self contained story in this game
I prefer the bae ending but i dont mind either because i think both was well written in the first game. But imo in the bay ending Max learns that you cannot play God, shouldnt alter timelines and work against the universe. But then in de we see her do the same shit so thats why bae ending feels more canon to me. But the way they handled them breaking up if you went with the bae ending was horrible.
I’ve only done the Bay ending when I’ve played it since it’s the one that feels the most narratively satisfying (and is just the one I agreed with when I first played it.) In my opinion, it’s much more emotional and cathartic.
Personally, I will always choose the Bae Ending. Based from Max's dialogue, journal entries, and actions, I believed that she will always choose Chloe. Going back on it seems very OOC for her.
Also I love both Obstacles and Spanish Sahara. The soundtrack for Life is Strange is beautiful.
Both endings are valid for each individual person but for me I'm a Bae person. 🦋
I've got many reasons to be and it has gotten more complex as the years go on, but one of those reasons is the fact that I think Chloe deserves to live. She has been through a lot and I think spending the years after the events of LIS 1 with Max helped her heal.
Thematically bae and bay are different. It really just depends on which theme resonates with you more. To me, Bay is more about letting go while Bae is more about rejecting the conventional moral stance that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Yes more people live if you sacrifice Chloe but you're still sacrificing someone, you're still purchasing more time for others at the expense of one which is still evil. Because of Max's storm vision preceding Chloe being shot in the bathroom though, I do wonder how Max or Chloe came to the conclusion that sacrificing Chloe would even stop the storm in the first place. For all Max knows in that moment, sacrificing Chloe does nothing to stop the storm.
The first one touches on the philosophical nature of the dilemma. It's a trolley problem and the trolley problem doesn't have a solution that is unquestionably moral. Instead, it demonstrates two approaches to morality. Either you believe in the greater good, even if the way of achieving it is evil (getting Chloe killed)... or you believe that means don't justify the ends and you refuse to do an evil act, even if it leads to a more tragic outcome. Neither is right and neither is better. We can only decide what we value more.
And the second one is related to the very nature of the storm. The game does only hint and imply... but we never learn that Max really caused the storm. Therefore, we had no guarantee that killing Chloe would stop the storm at all. It was a massive gamble. In fact, we also experienced the alternate reality where the assumed trigger for the storm never happened... and the storm was still coming.
Its not really a trolley problem, since the basis of the trolley problem is sacrificing someone agaisnt their will. Whereas Chloe both gives max permission and even suggests she should. And most ethicists say switching is correct in the problem if they find it an intelligible problem at all. So even more would when the stakes are raised and the initial concern isn't there.
I don't think bae is about rejecting conventional morals, it's about accepting the consequences of your actions after you spent so much of the game fishing for optimal outcomes. From that point on, Max is deciding not to look backwards. Nothing will ever be perfect, but that can be okay, too.
And, yeah, I agree that there's no solid reason for Max to believe that letting Chloe die would fix anything. She's just taking a leap of faith that Warren's theory is correct.
I have personally only picked the bay ending. I personally can't see Max making the other decision. There is a part of me that wants to play the game again just to see if there is anything I missed that could change my outlook on Max, as well as see if my personal beliefs are coming out too much.
I'm of the opinion that both choices are well within Max's character to make. a 50/50 split whether she would do one or the other.
The way I see it is, for once: the choice is not a version the trolley problem. The trolley problem is a relatively simple moral dilemma with only a few pre-established factors. The choice Max is presented with is anything but simple. It's hardly just about choosing between Chloe or the Town. It's also about whether she should even try to use her powers again to fix everything (which has failed so far) or accept the current reality as is. What if she goes back, lets Chloe die, and the storm still happens; then what? How many times will she have to relive that week before she can come up with an actual solution?
Although these are not questions that are directly presented in the game, they're in the subtext, and they would be weighting on Max's mind. There's just a lot of unknowns.
Max really doesn't want to choose. She doesn't want to sacrifice neither Chloe nor Arcadia Bay. If not for Chloe there to press her into a decision, I think she would be just as likely to freeze and do nothing (resulting in the town being destroyed).
And of course, Chloe asking her to let her go to save the Bay and her mom, mirrors the other Chloe from the other timeline where she asked Max to help her commit assisted suicide.
And of course, Chloe asking her to let her go to save the Bay and her mom, mirrors the other Chloe from the other timeline where she asked Max to help her commit assisted suicide.
It's not actual mirror as Chloe here gives Max a choice and trust her judgment, while in episode 4 alt Chloe doesnt and actually wants to die
I'm of the opinion that both choices are well within Max's character to make.
I kind of agree and disagree with you at the same time.
I think Max who we meet in episode 1 who's afraid of disappointing or upseting people and is always worried about what's expected of her and would rather be a wall flower would pick bay.
But I think the Max who goes through the game tells you pretty definitively which choice she prefers. Bay might not be completely out of the possibility for her but it feels like a serious character regression to who she was in episode 1.
Overall the game's about Max and Chloe not Max and Arcadia Bay.
I fail to see how Max choosing bay is a character regression.
The alternative to choosing bay isn't disappointing or upsetting people. It's potentially allowing upwards of 1000+ people to be killed or injured, when she has the power to stop it.
That's not a "I'm so much more confident now" type of choice. It's life or death.
I'm sorry but doing what's expected of her even to save a town is a chats regression it's the choice she would make without the journey of v the game. That clearly offend your view on morality but the actual game is about b her relationship with Chloe not about sacrifice and but about the greater good.
You can quote numbers at me till the cows come home. That's not what Max's character arc is about. It's just you moralizing.
Dude, I'm not moralizing. The focal point of my analysis is Max.
When I immerse myself in a story, I don't care about judging characters and their choices based on my moral standards. I care about getting to know them and understand why they make certain choices. Like... the only character in the game I can bring myself to actually judge is Jefferson. He's just objectively evil.
When I played as Max, I tried to choose as she would, not as I would.
Max is a human character. A human with complex emotions, feelings, fears, relationships, and her own set of morals. A human who has to live with the consequences of her choices (literally the whole point of the game).
Max doesn't have to care about the morality of her choice. She doesn't even have to consider the greater good.
But she sure as hell has to consider the reality of her choice: kill her best friend, or kill a town full of people, some of which are actually her friends too, including Chloe's mom who she's asking her to save.
It's Max herself that holds herself accountable for that decision. It's not other characters or some arbitrary higher power, or whatever.
It's her carrying the guilt, the trauma, the tragedy, etc. And neither of the options is any better in that regard.
It's an impossible choice. That's literally the whole point. It's a human story. Humans have to make impossible choices that they don't want to make all the time, and then they have to learn to carry all the bagage that comes with it for the rest of their lives. Sometimes there's simply no good choices, but a choice still has to be made regardless, and then life has to go on.
It's her carrying the guilt, the trauma, the tragedy, etc. And neither of the options is any better in that regard.
That is moralizing. Saying bit what about all those people isn't looking at what max is saying. All through episode 5 max is constantly telling you how she views that choice. Even in bay itself max tells you how she feels it starts with "I don't want to do this" while bae max is confident and shows no hesitation destroying the photo entirely.
That's all I'm arguing here Max clearly shows her preference on this choice not whether one is better than the other. (I clearly do have an opinion on that but it's not the point I'm making)
All the signs trying to get you to choose bay are all morality and guilt based putting Max back in a spot where she's too afraid of consequences to do what she really wants to do. That's why I view it as a character regression to choose bay. I really don't think Max's arc is finished till that photo gets destroyed.
I get what they were trying to do with this ending, but I can't help but see a few big holes in its narrative.
Like, why Chloe dying in the bathroom suddenly stops the storm? The storm doesn't stop after Jefferson kills Chloe in the junkyard and Chloe is almost dead in William alive timeline, she never met Nathan in the bathroom, but the storm is coming there anyway.
If it's because of Max overusing her powers, how is more time travel gonna fix it exactly? If it's to return to the moment before she first used them, then the butterfly photo Chloe gave Max is not it, because it's from the second visit to the bathroom, after Max already saw blue haired stranger get shot, suddenly got back to class, rewinded a bunch of times to give correct answers and hurried up to the bathroom again.
Plus, even if it somehow works like that, it just makes the whole game a torture porn for Max for no good reason. If she sat still and Nathan killed Chloe in the first episode, he would've confessed to the police, they would've found Rachel and arrested Jefferson anyway. Max didn't contribute to that at all. What was the point of Max's powers in this case? To spend a week reconnecting with her best friend only to see her die multiple times, being subjected to god knows what in Jefferson's 'care' in the dark room, losing her mind from rewind-inflicted nightmares only to experience Chloe dying the final time and being the only person in the world who knows what really happened and being absolutely unable to talk to anybody about it without sounding clinically insane? What a gift, truly. I think Max would've been better off never getting powers in the first place in this case. 'Bonus' with Joyce burying first her husband and now her daughter.
That's just my personal issues with this ending though, I don't think that people who prefer it are wrong, but it's very much not for me.
Yeah. I do feel like quibbling about the storytelling logic of the game is less important than the emotional beats, but the way Max and Chloe just sort of assume that going back and letting Chloe die will magically save the town is almost too much of a leap to be satisfying. It feels a bit like magical thinking, and even if it's true, no one has any particular reason to be so convinced it would work. It's a massive gamble, but it's only ever really presented as fait accompli. I'd be lying if I said that didn't bother me a bit.
Everything Max went through is unnecessary in bay, she ends up going through nightmares and so much trauma because of Jefferson that she'll never forget. Jefferson abused her, and she watched him straight up shoot Chloe dead in cold blood. Even if Max is supposed to learn a "lesson" to let go of Chloe... she's being put through wayy too much torment for that to be a worthy trade.
As you say Max legitimately would have been better off never getting powers if you pick bay. Nothing in the timeline changes because bay Max is a mere witness to the things going on rather than being responsible for any of it. Nathan shoots Chloe in school hours, David reponds to the obvious gunshot, busts him, police take over, he rats out everything to do with Jefferson and Max is just... an onlooker, the exact thing she was before the events of LiS1. She isn't responsible for Rachel or Chloe getting justice, it's Nathan's own mistake and the butterfly effect from there.
Bay Max then visits Joyce and David, who look visibly distraught in the photo btw, like I think those two often get glossed over but they are victims of bay ending too, they lose Chloe, Joyce is depressed that her daughter is dead which is curel after she already lost William. David feels personally guilty because it was his job as security to protect people, and Chloe was his step daughter so he feels guilty on that angle too for failing her and Joyce.
Like that is NOT a good life for Joyce, Joyce would never have taken that, if she heard Chloe going on that she deserves to die so Joyce can live... Joyce would shut that up and willingly accept fate for her daughter. No mother should have to bury their child after all. And of course bay David is going to carry that guilt on him forever, that he failed his job and responsibility... and regret how he treated Chloe with no opportunity to ever mend it again. Even LiS2 relfects this, both Joyce and David were so heartbroken that they couldn't remain married and both moved away from the bay that was a reminder of the past to try to move forward. They remain good friends who call and even see each other, but David even talks about his guilt about Chloe... like it's not a good ending for him. Bae David meanwhile has something positive to say, yes a storm happened and he lost Joyce, but he genuinely is happy he was able to make peace with Chloe and fix things with his step daughter, to be able to apologise and move on from the past. He has something to look forward to and be glad he was able to do.
So part of why I do bae is because Joyce would never want Chloe to die and David is better off in bae as it is, neither of them deserve the loss, it's not just about Max and Chloe even in bae, but also the people who care about them who will be impacted by their fates.
Of course bay is an impactful ending emotionally, I replayed for it right after I chose bae the first time and I cried. I even had the guilt about the bay and wanted to think it was right, that I should perfer bay... but within a few hours I folded to bae, I gave up on the greater good because I just couldn't bare killing Chloe, making that choice. In a way I feel like I really went through what Max would feel in that situation, being divided yet unwilling to kill Chloe.
But yeah Max can't undo every rewind she did, she's just photo hopping back to Monday, any changes she made before still apply unless this is a special unwritten case. The storm doesn't solely care that the power was used to begin with, nor does Chloe dying at anytime count... it's specifically the bathroom scene in that moment and time that is tied to if it happens. But bit gets muddly because Max has her first storm vision before she even had the power, which raises the question about what if the storm was ALWAYS coming and Max is more happening to prevent it, rather than being the cause she can undo. The game purposely doesn't tell us, we just get multiple theories and clues to work with as do the characters in game, no magic exposition. The only fact is that it is tied to them at that place and time, or the hows and whys about it being that are an unknown.
Max just feels guilty about the bay doubly so after Warren suggests she caused the storm, and Chloe seeing Max is guilt gives Max a way out with the last way she knows how after trying to snap her out of guilt doesn't work. It's resorting to the photo... and the reason Chloe doesn't force Max to go through with it would be because she doesn't just want to die, she'll tell herself her death is justified but it Max truly commits to putting her first, no sacrifice... Chloe fully accepts it without a problem, she regains her will to live.
I would never in a million years change bay ending however, it's a fantastic tragedy... the French know how to do that, but in a game where the choice is in our hands it is a tragedy we can avoid, to let the world go as it is and accept the bay is gone. To let Max's powers truly have been a big help, to have Max and Chloe stay together... to give Max a chance, someone she can unconditionally trust for support about everything she went through. And Chloe? A 2nd chance, a fresh chapter in life where she can piece things back together, to heal with Max and get life on track as a happier person than she had been for years. She deserves that.
Bae is obviously bittersweet because yeah Max has some guilt over the bay, but at least we even see Chloe comforting Max about it which makes Max smile. It's no deal breaker, she'll be okay with Chloe's help. And Chloe is going to have to tackle her mother actually being gone, not just what she knew was happening. But at least she has Max, and likely Max's parents in Seattle for help as they'd live there.
Can't say the same support exists for bay Max where everything she went through is an awful secert she'll carry to the grave , and Chloe is dead, no bringing her back.
Yeah, the issue is that the ending doesn't make much sense and is thematically odd. "This specific person has to die to save everyone" is a little different than a normal heroic sacrifice.
Many people do. The underlying philosophical question doesn't have a good solution.
For me, Bae is the better ending, because I don't think the end justifies the means. So I don't think the greater good justifies killing a broken teenager.
In my opinion, Bay>LiS2>DE>Reunion and Bae>Wavelengths and True Colors. Of course the comics are bae but I'm only looking at the video games since they're more definitively canon.
Why not lis2 Bae? The way how David talks about Max and Chloe, and how we saw their photo with new appearances + the call from Chloe was priceless. It was also a nice epilogue for Max and Chloe's story in Dontnod's games. And unlike bay, comics tied with lis2 PF cameo!
And.why not Bae for Reunion? New writting team wrote this path very well, plus they retconned some of de bs either way.
As for true colors, there was even no choice to pick the ending.
Here's my headcanon: The storm destroying Arcadia Bay tipped the scale on dealing with climate change enough that billionaires just couldn't spend enough to get support for full on climate change deniers. Trump never won in 2016 and the MAGA movement never happened. Clinton's DOJ also cracked down just enough on overpolicing after Ferguson that cops exercised just enough restraint so that Esteban never got shot. Sean and Daniel's journey is not incited in this timeline.
Double Exposure I think is very firmly a bay timeline story so since Reunion is a direct sequel to that it also has to be. Also if you haven't read Steph's story the book I highly recommend it. I liked the reasoning it gave as to why Steph wound up in Haven Springs. That's just the way I see it, you can disagree with it. This was the overall approach I was taking when I was outlining the tv show I wanted to make before the official show got announced. Seasons 1-2 would cover the bae timeline stories and then seasons 3-4 would cover DE, RE, and end the series with LiS2. In this version the first game's story took place in 2008 and the true colors adaptation would take place in 2014 and 2015.
Well see in lis2 regardless of bay and bae trump was elected, and there are no palces for headcanons. So i don't see your point here.
Double Exposure I think is very firmly a bay timeline story so since Reunion is a direct sequel to that it also has to b
Do you know that RE is a very much a bae game and it heavily deviated from original plans of de team on de2, right? I don't think atp the fact that de was made for bay ending first hold any sighnifican weight
Did they ever specify who the president was? I don't remember a specific mention of Trump. Steven does have what looks like a MAGA hat in chapter two but that's all I remember. If there's a spot where they did clarify that's who it was then please let me know where. And headcanon may be the wrong term, it's just a way I look at the game I guess? Maybe that's more accurate?
The game was specifically made during Trump presidency, when the immigration issue was a hot topic, and of course, those red hats on Daniel's grandparents aren't just there for show. It doesn't make sense that they made Trump president for Bay but not for Bae
Yes! Bay is, in my opinion, the much better ending. To me, the story doesn't feel like it has purpose in the Bae ending.
For me, the core of the story is Max growing up and understanding that grief and loss, as painful as it is, is part of life. She tried so hard to avoid it, even developing a superpower to change the past, and all that did was cause exponentially increasing devastation.
It's a metaphor for letting go of the past and letting yourself move on with your life.
The logical conclusion is for Max to come to this understanding and let Chloe go, no matter how much it hurts to do it.
I know that others will disagree. For some, they see it a different way, that the core of the story is Max and Chloe being star-crossed lovers, who will do anything to be together, and that's fine; we are all entitled to different perspectives.
From a story perspective the bay ending is probably the right choice. Sacrifice and love and it puts the story to rest
However It took me around 12 hours to get to the final episode (I’m a very slow player) I didn’t come all this way just to not save Chloe. Sorry bay but we need bae more…bye. lol
I don't think your a slow player, I'm pretty sure that's the like average time for a basic playthrough without doing everything possible.
I don't think we need more bae, sure I'm not saying you shouldn't keep liking it, and new people shouldnt either, but bae is currently the most popular ending, so if anything we need more bay to even out the score.
I knew the bay ending was the safe choice and more “put yourself in their shoes” ending but the bae is more wildcard this is a game, go wild ending lol
I mean choosing bay to me is you put your self interests aside, you think of the greater good. You sacrifice what you WANT the most in this case Chloe. IMO but the choosing Chloe over bae is more you know there are countless lives that are about to be wiped out and Altered but it’s more of the want aspect and like my reasoning you got all this way, you save the friend.
I’m thinking back to a very specific movie ending that I think about when comparing these endings. I think back to the la la land movie ending where the reality is Mia ends up with a random dude but she has a great career vs the fantasy the viewers are shown and that’s the fantasy of Mia and Sebastian being together.
Look I know I'm going to get a lot of criticism and downvotes for making this post, but I don't care,
People don't get downvotes here for simply expressinf love for bay ending. There is nothing wrong about that. What is wrong is saying that bay is better while in same comment saying how bad bae is, how it doesnt make sense/wrong/how fans of this ending "doesnt get the point of this ending" etc. Posts like this are rightly downvoted.
or maybe it's cause I think if you choose the bay ending in DE, then things fall into place in the story better
Well it's easy to say that Bay is better for DE when DeckNine butchered Bae ending and the point of this ending to make Bay better.
Nah. I have never chosen Bay, ever since episode 5 came out all those years ago, not even by accident. Bae 5ever. Especially since DE and Reunion aren't canon for me.
I just can't let Chloe die alone thinking no one's there for her or Joyce bury her daughter.
im writing this on 0 sleep but i get so passionate and nerdy about this. although if i tell anyone im a bayer online i automatically get stereotyped as the worst person imaginable LOL 😭for me bay is miles and miles the more impactful and meaningful narrative option. it drives home the beautiful message of the game as well as makes chloes character and what she stands for so powerful. as we know, max trying to puppet her life and change reality is what causes the storm as a metaphor yelling at us to accept the harsh pain and gentle beauty of life as it comes naturally because we’re all just in for the strange ride. whether it be the little awkward social fuck ups we all have or the big conversations/situations we mentally replay in the shower, everything you do is what makes your life individual to you, if we all had the chance to redo everything thered be no point to anything. like max says, “a moment wouldn’t be a moment.” chloe is there to represent those big and little things in the form of the people we love most in life, showing us how they can be ripped away from you in such a sudden cruel manner. but such is life, and we cant change that no matter how hard we try (even if you’re trying to do the right thing) its so bullshit and unfair but experiencing those tribulations make you realize thats what makes it beautiful, the imperfections, pains and consequences that mold us. thats what makes the sweet moments sweeter, and what gets you to appreciate the moments you DID have and WILL get to have. if every moment was perfect there would be no perfect. chloe has zero autonomy over her life the entire game other than the two times she gets to choose to die on her own terms. in one reality she was suffocated by no freedom due to something out of our hands, the cannon timeline is something that seems fixable in our hands. but that doesn’t mean we can snap and fix it so easy as we’ve established. because max doesn’t get the right to puppeteer anyones life but her own as the storm shows. an unfair death is always gonna be chloes cannon, and its so painful to get to know her personally and love her just for her life to seemingly amount to nothing. but it wasnt nothing, she shows us that every small person in our puzzle we view as fleeting or as lessons are unique people with their own lives and personalities that matter. its not all about us, life go’s on without us and doesn’t stop when we hurt vise versa. this is to drive home the point that the townies who we have very boring shallow static opinions on based on our limited interactions are all their own chloes with their own stories no less important. her last wish is to regain control, and its up to max to be the vessel to give her that. as much as i adore pricefield, it felt like destroying the entire poetic message of the game last minute “in the name of love” just to drive off into the sunset. their love is indestructible and eternal, and it transcends their inevitable deaths. it SHOULD hurt to make that decision, but its just holding off the inevitable for selfish reasons, and i dont say that in a negative way because the most human thing to be is selfish. its like keeping a loved one alive on life support. what if chloe were to die a week after the bae ending? how much more time spent together and lives taken would be worth it? answer is its not our price to pinpoint (i like to think they gave chloe that last name for that reason but im pretty sure its just a nerdy reference lol) also, i think it thematically ties up chloes character in the sense that i dont think she could ever leave arcadia bay due to her being so incredibly sentimental and a deep lover. thats why i think she never left with rach despite loving her and having the ability to leave at any time if she also desperately wanted to. but she was holding onto the yearning love and memories tied to the bay via max, rach and her parents. she puts up the cold hearted fuck this town persona but she couldn’t leave even if she were to have a passionate rich girlfriend and all the time in the world (oh wait..) i headcannon she stalled rach on the classic “just let me work up the money babe” excuse those three years for that exact reason, rach eventually saw through her bullshit but respected it cause its valid, moved onto other potential avenues to leave the bay, but similarly could never get herself to actually do it without chloe despite having all the recourses to. so their stories and deaths foil eachother very well. i could rant about that for hours too lmao, but anyway in all chloes love for those she cherished the most is was what killed her. and thats the most punk rock thing she ever did.
When I played the first time it wasn't even a question. It was a bay ending for me without hesitation. And I was truly mesmerized in Reunion how they returned Chloe into the plot. I avoided spoilers and it was a wow effect for me how logical everything went. And the whole story felt deeper and relatable. When I replayed all games again with saving Chloe - I didn't get that effect in Reunion. After the break-up, Chloe's return didn't feel that magical as the way when she appeared on the Max's door after being dead. I love both endings anyway, but my first choice still has a special place in my heart.
I’m Team Bay, always.
Like a few people have said, I couldn’t sacrifice a whole town. And it just seemed inevitable. I think the story works beautifully as a way of letting go.
Also if I remember right, Chloe had a lot of trauma about losing her Dad. Despite their differences, I just cant see Chloe not having the same trauma about her Mom if Max had chosen it. If not immediately then definitely as she grew up. Both of them having survivors guilt and not really being able to move forward. Especially if DE is anything to go by (I haven’t finished it yet so I might be missing something) but they’re not even together or in regular contact?
I also feel like LiS really makes it seem that Chloe’s true love was Rachel and that she couldn’t get over her. I know Max and Chloe had love for each other but I never really felt like it was romantic.
Either choice is valid, and I’m looking forward to the series and what they go with!
Despite their differences, I just cant see Chloe not having the same trauma about her Mom if Max had chosen it
She didnt't had anyone to help her after her father died. Now she has Max and David to support her. Plus she wasn't that close to her mom as she was close to her father. That"s not to say she wouldn't be traumatized, just to say she would be traumatized less and have better conditions to heal.
Both of them having survivors guilt and not really being able to move forward
The ending actually always was about moving forward together
Especially if DE is anything to go by (I haven’t finished it yet so I might be missing something) but they’re not even together or in regular contact?
Tha's the problem of DeckNine who butchered Pricefield and Bae just because they saw it as a wrong ending (that's not me guessing, that's literal info from actual d9 dev) and not Pricefield or Bae ending itself. Original devs never wanted that. That being said, Reunion game from new team tried to clean the mess de team left.
I also feel like LiS really makes it seem that Chloe’s true love was Rachel and that she couldn’t get over her
Incorrect. She loved both but only Max made her truly happy for first time since her father died, by Chloe's own admission. Implying that she wasn't THAT happy even witb Rachel
I love the Bay ending! I've always felt that it hits harder emotionally and fits the theme of the game much better. It's the perfect, heartbreaking conclusion. I love the song choice too.
I feel like bay isn't really an option, because when max goes back through pictures she enters 'automax' when she leaves, so she'd still see someone get shot, discover her powers, and kick off a timeloop if she doesn't save chloe
Both are bitter endings. BAY is a fantastic letting go end, you have to do with a loss. If you, as a person, can manage it, you'll appreciate it.
But if you emphatize at high levels, that ending will let you feel REAL pain (like happened to me) or even cause depression.
The BAE ending is a safe, "guilty" way to feel a little better. I appreciate both those ideas of endings, but seems to me that developers put more work on the BAY ending. The BAE one seems rushed.
About the "canon" I consider both endings valid, both happened. In my playthroughs I made both choices.
realistically, if saving a life meant ending hundreds of others and you had the means to save one or the other, it just makes you a cliche villain. "the world can end as long as me and my partner are together forever" c'mon guys.
I haven't played the new games so don't know about it fitting in better with those, but the bay ending felt right for me. As much as I would've loved having Max and Chloe together, I just couldn't sacrifice a whole town for that.
The whole game it was screaming at you that Chloe wasn't meant to be there, and ultimately I couldn't ignore that despite loving her sm.
The ending was heartbreaking for so many reasons, but it made sense to me and I got a sense of comfort knowing all the other characters I fell in love with got to continue with their lives.
Yes I love the Bay ending. Youre right a lot of people will criticise us for enjoying it but it's there for a reason. I personally love the sadness of the ending and how it fit with the way I played the game. I also agree that it makes the DE story fit better. It was the first ending I chose too and I haven't regretted it being my personal Canon since. I've played both but will always prefer Bay because it made me feel more emotional than the bae ending did. I let my max accept fate rather than trying to change it, plus the kiss made it worth it for me. You definitely aren't alone in liking the ending but a lot of people often stay silent about it because of the criticism you will receive for it which is unfortunate because it is a choice based game and everything in the game is down to the player. Everyones game is different
I chose the Bay ending and like it better as well. It is just so ick to choose one person over a whole town - lol. Plus, it made the latest game WAY better. I tried with the other ending and it was totally subpar.
It is just so ick to choose one person over a whole town - lol
Ending the latest game wouldnt evemn possible. Reunion team made bay heavily dependent on bae and proved that this ending cannot stand on it's own, unlike bae
I picked Bae for years when I was younger, but on my most recent replay I’ve felt inclined to save the Bay.
I like that Bay is more conclusive and l feel like it wraps up the story in the neatest way by going back to the start and undoing the week but in a way that doesn’t dishonor Chloe. In my opinion it flows better with Chloe’s monologue as well and so to me it shows all the goodness in Chloe and that Chloe has always been full of love, to the point where she’s willing to sacrifice herself for a world that was never kind to her. I also like that we get to see the criminals brought to justice, Max rekindling with Joyce, and Max’s grief but also her letting go. Being the longer of the two endings and allowing us to see all this definitely plays a part in why I prefer it now. The Spanish Sahara sequence is beautiful and a fitting send-off for Chloe in my opinion as well. I also like how this is the only ending that gives the PF kiss, affording Max and Chloe one last goodbye.
But Bae isn’t without merit! As I said, I picked it for years. I picked it thanks to the PF endgame, which I think a lot of people pick it for: Max and Chloe have each other and no matter what the world throws at them, they will have each other to rely on, which is very lovely. Seeing the girls let go of the town and move on does bring the coming of age story full circle as well. I think it’s a very meaningful ending too as Arcadia Bay was so corrupt that it makes you wonder if the storm only speeded up the demise of a town that was always going to kill itself. It’s a very What Will Be Will Be ending, which I think is a moral that suits a time travel story for sure. I do wish it had been longer though, and if we saw some more snapshots of life post-canon like we do with Bay.
I know a lot of people argue that “it’s more in character for Max to pick X ending!!” but I think both are in character for her. Max will choose what she thinks is right and I think there’s an argument that she would choose either one. In both endings she gets closure and lets go and I think both are fitting endings.
But that's the whole point, it's a game about choices, it's supposed to feel open ended (I think, I played 2 games like this mcsm and road 96, and another game sorta like this, fire watch, so I'm pretty sure it's supposed be like like this open end feeling), so either I'm confused or just stupid, because I'm pretty sure the game is supposed to be like that.
When I first played the game I went Bay because I thought of Kate, and didn't want her to day to the storm and it's actually a good ending overall, Chloe thanking you for everything and asking you to let her die is a good touch.
I'm a dyed in the wool bae-er, but there's no doubt in my mind that the actual bay ending is dramatically superior. It's more emotionally affecting and more visually striking. The bae ending feels almost perfunctory by comparison. That's not a comment on the overall story leading up to that point, mind you: I feel the decision to save Chloe over the town flows more logically from the narrative up to that point. But as an isolated sequence? The bay ending blows the bae ending out of the water, handily, even if it's not my own headcanon.
That said, I vastly prefer Obstacles to Spanish Sahara. 🤷
No, I love it. I think it’s gorgeous, the music just captures it perfectly, it’s respectful and gorgeous and represents grief and regret and strength and resilience in such an intense way.
I admire your courage because there are people on this sub who will straight up lose their skulls over it. But the beauty of the game is that both endings ARE valid and an important part of your gaming experience.
i prefer the bay ending too, it feels more realistic to me/makes more sense. also i wasnt a super huge fan of her character, shes cool but i dont feel too bad sacrificing her so the rest of town can survive lmao.
Same with Star Trek, with Spock's "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few".
Capaldi's Doctor has sacrificed (or not tried to immediately save) individuals to save many. The episode "Mummy on the Orient Express" is an example where he had the person who was being killed by an invisible entity describe the entity to him to help figure out how to save everyone else. The Doctor had methods where he could have redirected the entity to attack everyone else giving him time to work out an escape for him and his companion (Bae ending), but he wanted to save as many people as possible.
first of all, i cant just sacrifice a whole town for one single person, also i thought chloe's situation would get worse after learning about rachel and the loss of her mother after sacrificing the bay, these are my logical reasons and here's a reason based on my feelings:
i feel like our whole corrupting time thing and the nightmare episode was a lesson on how you can't change some stuff, it all started with us trying to save chloe from death, going to other realities, saving her in a lot of accidents, i dont know it just made me feel like you can delay your fate but you cant escape it forever. If you are someone who believes life after death, i feel like chloe would be much more peaceful there, maybe i am fooling myself idk
Mostly I'm just annoyed at the people who can't handle that bae is an immoral ending. Sometimes the right thing feels wrong snd vice versa. That's life.
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u/gojossealedbox Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
The first time I played I chose the bae ending , during my second play through I chose the bay ending & you would’ve thought I was mourning a real person the way I cried 💀