A lot of this list is single-run conditions that don’t conflict with each other, so you can earn several at once instead of replaying for each. Each plan below is one run. Achievements in a plan are marked with a ⛓ badge further down.
Start a brand-new game on Impossible (it cannot be picked for New Game Plus). Fire nothing but the Plasma Cutter for the whole run - you can still pick up and upgrade other weapons, just never use them.
- ✓▢Untouchable — Complete the game in Impossible Mode.
- ✓▢One Gun — Beat the game using only the Plasma Cutter.
- ✓▢Set A Benchmark — Complete the game on Medium difficulty or above.
Nesting: Impossible is above Medium, so finishing it also unlocks Set A Benchmark. Conflict: the 30-kill weapon achievements (Autofire, Live with the Hot Ones, A Cut Above, Full Contact, Pusher, Eviscerator) cannot be earned on a One Gun run - do them on your other playthrough. If combining One Gun with Impossible feels too risky, split them: One Gun is allowed on any difficulty.
After your first completion, start New Game Plus on any difficulty. Collect all 12 Marker fragments as you go (a Steam community guide lists their locations across chapters 1-11) and use them before the finale.
- ✓▢Marked — hidden achievement; Steam publishes no description
- ✓▢Reunion — hidden achievement; Steam publishes no description
- ✓▢Trusted Contractor — Complete New Game Plus on any difficulty mode.
Marker fragments only exist in New Game Plus. The NG+ run is also the natural place to finish Maxed Out (one playthrough does not give enough nodes, per Gamepressure) and to pick up any chapter-locked achievements you missed - Front Toward Enemy (Chapter 9), Z-Baller (Chapter 10) and There's Always Peng! (Chapter 11).
Cut off 50 necromorph limbs. Dismemberment is the core of Dead Space combat, so this comes naturally in the early chapters.
Story progress - finish Chapter 1 on any difficulty. Cannot be missed.
Story progress - unlocks when you finish Chapter 2, on any difficulty. Cannot be missed.
Story progress - unlocks when you finish Chapter 3, on any difficulty. Cannot be missed.
Hidden achievement - per two guides, it is for killing a Brute. A Steam guide places the first unavoidable Brute in Chapter 4, so this comes with story progress.
Story progress - unlocks when you finish Chapter 4, on any difficulty. Cannot be missed.
Use Kinesis to launch a sharp object (such as a severed blade arm or a rod) into an enemy so it pins it. Comes up naturally once you have Kinesis.
Story progress - unlocks when you finish Chapter 5, on any difficulty. Cannot be missed.
Collect 75 logs (text, audio and video). A Steam community guide says it cannot be missed - there are enough logs across the game even if you miss some.
Cumulative limb count of 500. Should come naturally across your playthroughs.
30 kills with the Pulse Rifle. Note: if you are going for One Gun on a playthrough, do the weapon-kill achievements on a different run.
Story progress - unlocks when you finish Chapter 6, on any difficulty. Cannot be missed.
Hidden achievement - for killing the Leviathan, a story boss (Chapter 5 per a Steam guide). Cannot be missed.
Cumulative - hit 50 enemies with Stasis. Use it freely on fast or dangerous enemies and it will come during the first playthrough.
Story progress - unlocks when you finish Chapter 7, on any difficulty. Cannot be missed.
Hidden achievement - for killing the Leviathan Remnant, a story boss (Chapter 7 per a Steam guide). Cannot be missed.
Story progress - unlocks when you finish Chapter 8, on any difficulty. Cannot be missed.
Story progress - unlocks when you finish Chapter 9, on any difficulty. Cannot be missed.
Own every weapon at once. A Steam community guide clarifies weapons in your storage box count too. Some weapons come as schematics found while exploring (see Merchant), so collect those as you go.
Story progress - unlocks when you finish Chapter 10, on any difficulty. Cannot be missed.
Story progress - unlocks when you finish Chapter 11, on any difficulty. Cannot be missed.
30 kills with the Flamethrower. Swarmers and other weak enemies are good fodder.
Story progress - unlocks when you finish Chapter 12, on any difficulty. Cannot be missed.
Hidden achievement - for killing the Hive Mind, the final boss. Cannot be missed.
Collect 150 logs. A Steam community guide lists a handful of missable logs (including some in Chapter 1 that depend on how you solve a puzzle, and some on the Valor in Chapter 9). If you miss some, follow a log location list on your next playthrough.
Hidden achievement - for finding the Peng treasure (a small statue). Two guides place it at the start of Chapter 11; a Steam guide says it is in a locker right beside the lift after you descend into the Cargo Bay. Easy to walk past, and you cannot go back for it later that run - available again in New Game Plus.
Hidden achievement - for surviving the Shooting Gallery. Two guides agree it is aboard the USM Valor in Chapter 9, and that you cannot return to the Valor later in that playthrough. Look for the shooting range terminal (a Steam guide places it past the armory after you deal with the nuke). If you miss it, it is available again in New Game Plus.
Finish the campaign on Medium or higher. Your Impossible run (see Untouchable) also counts, as it is above Medium, so you do not need a dedicated Medium run.
30 kills with the Ripper.
Side quest. A Steam community guide says to pick up Nicole's audio log in her office on the Medical Deck during Chapter 2 and then follow the side objective it starts.
Hidden achievement - for clearing Level 6 of the Zero-G Basketball minigame. Two guides place it in the Zero-G gym in the Crew Quarters during Chapter 10, with no way back afterwards in the same playthrough. Can be redone in New Game Plus if missed.
Side quest. A Steam community guide says to pick up the tissue sample left behind after the Hunter fight in Cryogenics, then follow the side objective.
Hidden achievement - for creating the Master Security Override. A Steam community guide says this is done by interacting with the Bridge Security console in the Captain's Nest at the start of Chapter 4 and following the side objective. It also opens the highest-clearance doors, which you need for every upgrade and schematic.
30 kills with the Contact Beam.
Deposit 25 items into the Store's storage box (cumulative). Drop spare ammo and items in whenever you visit a Store.
30 kills with the Force Gun.
Finish off 10 enemies by stomping them. Stomp crawling or downed necromorphs to clock this up quickly.
30 kills with the Line Gun.
Hidden achievement - per two guides, it is for picking up a Marker fragment for the first time. Marker fragments only appear in New Game Plus, so this unlocks early in your NG+ run.
When a necromorph limb is hanging loose, grab it with Kinesis to tear it off.
Install every weapon upgrade at the Bench. Upgrades are found and bought during the campaign - Full Clearance is needed to reach some of them per a Steam guide.
Collect every Schematic. A Steam community guide lists 13, notes that one sits in Chapter 9 on the Valor (which you cannot revisit), and that some require the Master Security Override from Full Clearance. Follow a schematic location list as you play; anything missed can be picked up in New Game Plus.
Finish a New Game Plus run, on any difficulty. NG+ is also where Marker fragments appear (Marked, Reunion), and the extra power nodes it provides help with Maxed Out.
Finish a playthrough firing only the Plasma Cutter. A Steam community guide notes you may still pick up, own and upgrade other weapons as long as you never use them. Stacks well with Untouchable or with your NG+ run.
Max every weapon, the RIG, Kinesis and Stasis with Power Nodes. Gamepressure's trophy guide says one playthrough does not provide enough nodes, so this realistically finishes in New Game Plus, which carries your upgrades over and lets you collect more (a Steam guide puts the total needed at roughly 200 nodes).
Hidden achievement - for seeing the alternative ending. A Steam community guide explains that you need to collect all 12 Marker fragments during New Game Plus and use them before the finale to unlock it. Follow a fragment-location guide during your NG+ run; the fragments are spread across chapters 1-11.
Beat the game on Impossible, where death ends the run. Two guides we checked agree on the key rules: Impossible cannot be selected for New Game Plus, it has to be a brand-new campaign, and you get a single save slot (a Steam guide notes you can still save to it as often as you like). Plan it as its own playthrough - and use it for One Gun at the same time if you trust the Plasma Cutter.
