The Dead Space Remake has not only physically reconstructed the riveting space horror game from the ground up, it’s also greatly expanded on the lore that built its captivating and terrifying story. With the ability to now explore the USG Ishimura from end to end, there is an abundance of side missions to take on that give players the opportunity to truly experience the game on a whole new level. One of those additional side missions is called Scientific Methods, which takes you deeper into the personal story of Nicole and Isaac’s relationship. It takes a little bit of searching to complete, so let’s investigate how to beat the Whole Again Achievement side mission in Dead Space Remake.
What is the Scientific Methods Side Mission in Dead Space Remake?
The Scientific Methods side mission delves into the period where the protagonist’s relationship was already under immense strain, and how exactly it came to fall apart as Nicole investigated the origin of the Necromorph outbreak. That said, it does not involve any battle-related objectives. Rather, it simply tasks you with recovering the necessary audio and visual logs throughout the game that piece together the story. Once you obtain all of the logs, you will get the Whole Again Achievement/Trophy.
Note that all side missions can be tracked at any time on the third tab of your RIG, so be sure to refer to that whenever a mission such as this one receives an update. You can manually select a side mission to track over your main missions, and your pointer will change from blue to orange to signify this.
Also, while this side mission can be started as early as Chapter 2: Intensive Care when you first explore the Medical Wing, it can still be picked up at any time before the point of no return in Chapter 11: Alternate Solutions.
Side Mission Start – Audio Log in Nicole’s Office – Chapter 2: Intensive Care
To get things started, make your way to the first floor of the Medical Wing and enter Nicole’s office, as shown on the RIG map above. Over on her desk, pick up the audio log called “Nicole’s Log” and listen to it. Nicole talks about crewmate Harris, who was exposed to the marker located on Aegis VII. She notes that while his condition has shown improvement thanks to her treatments, Dr. Mercer aims to take Harris from her care due to the “religious significance” of said condition. This of course refers to Unitology, a religious sect that spawned after the initial discovery of the marker.
After listening to this log, you will be able to track Nicole’s RIG signature through the ship.
Visual Log in Emergency Room – Chapter 2: Intensive Care
To locate the first log that will count towards completion of the mission, head deeper into the Medical Wing until you find the Emergency Room. In here, you will find a holo visual recording of Nicole struggling with a patient and pleading for help down in Medical. She voices her frustrations with the growing number of patients and the lack of communication from leadership of what’s causing it. Near the end of the recording she heads towards a corner with a closed-off shower stall. This is the clue to where you need to go next.
To access the closed-off shower, you’ll need to simply reroute the power on the nearby circuit breaker from the room lights over to the shower. From here, use Kinesis to pull the shower stall door open to reveal a secret room where Nicole once concealed patients away from the prying eyes of Unitologists. Here you’ll find an Audio Log to listen to for the next step. Nicole reports that she’s found a body to perform a necessary autopsy on to figure out more information about the Necromorph threat.
Visual Log in Engineering – Chapter 3: Course Correction
For this next log you need to progress the main story up to Chapter 3: Course Correction and obtain access to Engineering. Once there, make your way to the Machine Shop on the third level and then to the Calibration Room. Inside you’ll find another holo visual recording of Nicole performing the autopsy she mentioned in the previous recording. Wanting to glean more information, Nicole sets out to find Dr. Kyne to ask them about recent happenings on the Mining Deck that could be related. The end of the recording will unlock the next step.
Audio Log in Kynes’ Hideout – Chapter 7: Into the Void
The next step will come once you reach the Mining Wing in Chapter 7: Into the Void. Once there, make your way down to the second floor of the area and then go to Secure Storage, as seen above (Note: The RIG map calls it Equipment Supply). From here, at the end of the hallway there is a circuit breaker that will unlock the doors in the area. In order to infiltrate Kynes’ hideout, you want to reroute the power to Storage 2. Inside you will find an audio log sitting on the bed nearby. Playing it will reveal Kynes telling Nicole to find Dr. Mercer’s quarters on the Crew Deck. Once finished, the next step commences.
Visual Log in Dr. Mercer’s Quarters – Chapter 10: End of Days
The very last step of the Scientific Methods mission remains locked until you have reached Chapter 10: The End of Days, when the Crew Deck becomes an accessible area. Once you’ve reached that point, the main mission will see you tasked with destroying tendrils that block passage through that area of the ship. When you reach the third floor of the area where the second tendril is, you’ll want to make your way to the Guest Consultant Suite. After Isaac experiences a hallucination of Nicole, continue to the room at the far end of the Suite until you see your final destination: Dr. Mercer’s Quarters.
Inside, you’ll find a computer you can interact with. A holo visual recording will play, where we see Mercer intending to use Nicole’s research on Necromorphs to further the development of his indestructible Hunter experiment. Of course, we all know how fun a Hunter is to run into.
Once this holo recording ends, the Scientific Methods side mission is complete, and the trophy/achievement Whole Again will unlock.
We hope that this guide proved helpful in your exploration of the USG Ishimura in Dead Space Remake. Feel free to leave a comment on what you’ve enjoyed most about the game so far, and be sure to check out our other guides for all things Dead Space Remake.