The Coward Ending, (also known as Reluctant Ending[1]) is the ending in The Stanley Parable that occurs when the player chooses to close the door at the very beginning of the game. It is the shortest ending and invokes the least amount of effort on Stanley's part.
This ending is in the original mod, HD remake, and Ultra Deluxe.
Obtaining The Ending[]
Close the door to Stanley's office. To close the door, you must USE it while in Stanley's Office. Closing the door from outside the room will lock it and prevent this ending from being obtained.
The Ending[]
The Narrator will comment on Stanley's inability to make decisions for himself and indirectly insinuates about his cowardice. Stanley decided to stay in his office, no matter what will happen, convinced that at some point "they" would arrive, and he would be instructed what to do. This may refer to whoever is conducting the mind control experiment on Stanley's complex. The game will restart after a bit more dialogue.
With The Bucket[]
As of the anniversary update, this ending would now have new dialogue if you hold The Bucket. If the phone on Desk 434 rings, or if the Narrator wonders if the orders actually stopped coming in, the door to Stanley's Room will stay open. You can then get in and close the door. The Narrator states the reason Stanley had done so was because he had too much pressure going out and finding another bucket variant of another one of the game's endings, stating it was "nothing but swapped out dialogue describing a bucket.", and as such, didn't consider it as a true sequel. He stayed in his familiar office waiting for a true sequel to emerge with actual new content.
Trivia[]
- This ending was inspired by a glitch in the original mod, where the player could backtrack into the room before the door closes, trapping them in the room.
- Before the anniversary update, this was one of the very few endings in Ultra Deluxe where there was no special dialogue for holding The Bucket. This is likely because it was unintended for the player to even obtain the bucket at this stage in the game, as the bucket is found in the office and Stanley's door usually closes behind him when he leaves to obtain it.
- Post anniversary update, this and the Heaven ending included Bucket variants.
Video Guide[]
References[]
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| Endings | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Left door |
Freedom Ending • Countdown Ending • Museum Ending • Mariella Ending • Escape Pod Ending • Heaven Ending • Broom Closet Ending • Elevator Ending • Bottom of the Mind Control Room Ending | |
|
Right door |
Confusion Ending • Powerful Ending • Cold Feet Ending • Apartment Ending • Not Stanley Ending • Zending • Games Ending • Art Ending • Vent Ending • No Buckets Ending | |
|
Does not require the Two Doors Room |
Coward Ending • Out of Map Ending • Serious Ending • Whiteboard Ending | |
|
Progression Endings |
New Content Ending • Skip Button Ending • Mostly Infinite Hole • Sequel Ending • Figurines Ending • Epilogue | |