There's a sign right there! It says: "No buckets past this point."
The Narrator
The No Buckets Ending, also known as the Bucket Quiz Ending or Gameshow Ending, is the ending that occurs when the player attempts to take The Stanley Parable Reassurance Bucket into the Colored Doors Room, which doesn't allow buckets.
This ending is exclusive to Ultra Deluxe.
Obtaining The Ending[]
The Sequel Ending must first be completed in order to activate the Bucket to appear within the Office on a podium. Exit Stanley's Office. Pick up the Bucket. At the Two Doors Room, go through the door on the right. Pass through the Employee Lounge, and to the Warehouse. Step onto the cargo lift, and jump off of it onto the catwalk. Walk through the door on the right and continue forward down the hallway.
The Ending[]
No Buckets Past This Point.
The Narrator stops Stanley from continuing by closing the door on his face due to a sign that says "NO BUCKETS PAST THIS POINT". There is no such sign barring buckets in the HD Remix; it is only present in Ultra Deluxe.
The Narrator is confused why Stanley would attempt to bring the Bucket into the room, considering how clear the sign is, causing the Narrator to believe that Stanley may not actually know what a bucket is. To correct the misunderstanding, the Narrator opens the entrance to a garage for Stanley to step though.
Yes and No buttons.
Stanley enters a room set up like a game show with a big sign that says "IS THIS... A BUCKET?". The Narrator then proceeds to show several items and ask Stanley whether or not they are buckets, who must press the Yes or No buttons in front of him to answer. There are correct answers with different dialogue, but the ending does not change depending on how many of them are answered correctly or incorrectly.
Answers[]
The lit up cells mark correct answers.
| Question | Answer | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Item 1 "Bucket" |
Yes | Incorrect. It is a hologram of a bucket, not an actual bucket. |
| No | Correct. It is a hologram of a bucket, not an actual bucket. | |
| Item 2 "Bucket" |
Yes | Incorrect. It is a 3D printed recreation of a bucket, not an actual bucket. |
| No | Correct. It is a 3D printed recreation of a bucket, not an actual bucket. | |
| Item 3 "Bucket" |
Yes | Correct. This is a bucket. |
| No | Incorrect. This is a bucket. | |
| Item 4 "Tractor" |
Yes | Wha- are you hallucinating? This is a tractor! It’s an enormous machine that tills the earth! I thought this was a gimme, how on earth did you manage to screw it up? Absolutely incredible! Let’s just move on to the next one. |
| No | Correct! This is a tractor, and not a bucket! To be honest, I just sort of put this one in here as a gimme. But I was starting to get concerned that even this might be too much for you. Thank you for not making me look like an idiot. Okay, next one. | |
| Item 5 "Tractor" |
Yes | Correct. This is a bucket. |
| No | Incorrect. This is a bucket. | |
| Item 6 "Bucket" |
Yes | Trick question! Both! Gotcha! |
| No | ||
| Item 7 "Nothing" |
Yes | Okay, you and I both know that there isn’t anything here and I don’t appreciate the implication that nothing is a bucket when we both clearly know that a bucket is something and therefore nothing could possibly be something! Unless, in your twisted mind have you somehow convinced yourself that a bucket is nothing? Answer me straight, Stanley. Do you believe that nothing is a bucket? |
| No | Yes, thank you! There’s nothing here! Of course it isn’t a bucket! We both know full well that nothing isn’t a bucket! Wait, when I say: “Nothing isn’t a bucket” that makes it sounds like I’m saying: “everything is a bucket.” Which of course is not true. Unless... is that what you think? Answer me straight Stanley. Are you trying to tell me that you believe everything is a bucket? | |
| Everything is a Bucket | Yes | You know what, I’m too confused to even sort it out. I’ve lost all sense of perspective. What is a bucket? What isn't a bucket? Mere moments ago I could answer these questions with confidence. And yet now I’m somewhat adrift. Do any of us know what a bucket is? Am I a bucket? Stanley, I can’t keep doing this. I’m losing myself, and myself was all I ever had to begin with. I’m afraid the bucket is threatening to tear our relationship apart. I can’t have that, I'm sorry. I’m going to erase all buckets from the game entirely. Okay, here we go. |
| No |
If the player answers all of the questions correctly, the Watching Man will appear in the Game Show Room behind the player.
After Answering[]
The Narrator becomes confused regardless of how the player answers the last question and cannot tell what is and isn't a bucket anymore. He becomes so concerned that the bucket will tear his and Stanley's relationship apart that he decides to erase all buckets from the game.
With a snap of his fingers, the entire game turns to black, leaving nothing but the Narrator and Stanley. The Narrator comes to the conclusion that, somehow, everything else in the game was a bucket. Feeling at ease, he decides to restart the game, and warns Stanley not to tell anyone that everything is a bucket, thinking a person may go crazy from that kind of information. The game then resets.
Without The Bucket[]
If Stanley is not holding The Bucket, access to this ending is locked and instead leads the player to the Colored Doors Room, leading to either the Zending, Art Ending, or the Games Ending. This is the only ending that does so, as the others are available with The Bucket in hand and simply change with its presence.
Trivia[]
- This is the only Ending that can only be obtained when holding The Stanley Parable Reassurance Bucket, as holding it presents an entirely new route rather than modifying an existing one.
- Returning to the New Content Ending whilst holding the bucket, upon reaching the final room, the Narrator will state "The bucket is The Stanley Parable now. They are one and the same. There is no Stanley Parable without the bucket." This declaration is presumably the reason why the entire game is removed when the Narrator chooses to remove all 'buckets'.
- The Watching Man appears during the No Buckets Ending if all questions are answered correctly, watching from the bleachers behind the player.
| v • e Endings | |
|---|---|
| Left door | Freedom Ending • Countdown Ending • Museum Ending • Mariella Ending • Escape Pod Ending • Heaven Ending • Broom Closet Ending • Press Conference 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 • Tape Recorder Ending • No Buckets Ending |
| Two doors room not required | Coward Ending • Out of Map Ending • Serious Ending • Whiteboard Ending |
| Progression Endings | Paywall Ending • New Content Ending • Skip Button Ending • Infinite Hole Ending • Sequel Ending • Figurines Ending • Epilogue |