This is the complete, annotated Dread Fields all collectible item locations map, showing every key item required for 100% completion and the game's secret true ending. Below this master map, we break down the optimal collection route, puzzle solutions, and the specific purpose of each item. No more wandering through the cornfields in the dark.
Your primary goal in Dread Fields is to gather key items to solve the farm's central mystery and escape. While you can reach a standard ending with just a few core items, achieving the true ending requires meticulous exploration and finding everything. This guide is structured in the most efficient order of acquisition, minimizing backtracking and ensuring you don't miss anything before the point of no return.
The Essential Tools: Where to Find the Shovel and Barn Key
Before you can access the majority of the farm's secrets, you need two fundamental tools: the Rusty Shovel and the Old Barn Key. You cannot progress to the mid-game without them.
1. The Rusty Shovel Location
You can find the Rusty Shovel almost immediately after gaining control of your character. It's not in the farmhouse itself, but leaning against the side of the dilapidated woodshed just behind the house. From the back porch, head west past the withered oak tree. The shed is a small, rotting structure. The shovel will be propped up against the exterior wall, glinting faintly. Picking this up should be your absolute first action.
2. The Old Barn Key Location
The Old Barn Key is the first item that requires the shovel. It is buried in a small, disturbed patch of earth next to the old stone well in the center of the main yard. The well is easy to spot, located between the farmhouse and the entrance to the cornfield. Approach the well and look for a mound of dirt that looks different from the surrounding ground—it's slightly darker and lacks any grass. Equip the Rusty Shovel and interact with the mound to dig up the Old Barn Key. This key unlocks the large, red barn, which is the gateway to the game's second act.
Dread Fields in-game screenshot
The Three Family Masks: Unlocking the Final Ritual
The masks are the primary puzzle items for the endgame. They must be placed on the stone effigies within the Family Crypt, which is accessible only after events inside the barn. Each mask is hidden in a different section of the farm, and each requires a unique approach.
The Weeping Son Mask
This mask is hidden deep within the cornfield maze. Enter the maze from the main yard and follow the path until you reach a fork with a broken lantern on the ground. Take the left path. Continue until you hear the distinct audio cue of The Watcher's patrol. You must navigate the next section using stealth, avoiding its gaze. The Weeping Son Mask is hanging from a hook on the back of the central, lone scarecrow in the small clearing at the heart of the maze. Grab it and backtrack carefully.
The Stern Father Mask
Found inside the now-unlocked barn. Once inside, you'll see a large, broken-down tractor. To the left of the tractor is a rickety wooden ladder leading up to the hayloft. Climb it. The Stern Father Mask is sitting atop a bale of hay in the far corner of the loft, illuminated by a single beam of moonlight from a hole in the roof. Be warned: picking up this mask triggers a minor enemy ambush from below, so be prepared to run or fight.
Dread Fields in-game screenshot
The Grieving Mother Mask
This is the most complex mask to acquire. It is locked inside the small safe in the master bedroom on the second floor of the farmhouse. The safe combination is tied to the Wilted Sunflowers. Each sunflower you collect has a number carved into its stem. You must find the first three sunflowers to get the three-digit code.
The code is 4-8-2. The number from the sunflower near the pumpkin patch is first, the one from the scarecrow's field is second, and the one from behind the farmhouse is third. Enter this code into the safe to open it and retrieve the Grieving Mother Mask.
The Wilted Sunflowers: Path to the True Ending
There are five Wilted Sunflowers scattered across the farm. While the first three are necessary to get the Grieving Mother Mask, you must collect all five to unlock the true ending. If you initiate the final sequence in the crypt without all five, you will be locked into the standard, bleak ending. Their locations are fixed:
- Sunflower 1 (Code: 4): In the rotten pumpkin patch, sitting on the ground between two oversized, rotting pumpkins.
- Sunflower 2 (Code: 8): In the Scarecrow's Field, at the base of the easternmost scarecrow that isn't the one holding the Son's mask.
- Sunflower 3 (Code: 2): Behind the farmhouse, near the cellar entrance, hidden in a small patch of overgrown weeds.
- Sunflower 4: Inside the barn, tucked behind some barrels on the ground floor, directly underneath the hayloft ladder.
- Sunflower 5: After the major story event in the barn, the path to the Family Crypt will open. The final sunflower is just off the path to the crypt, on the right side, near a fallen headstone.
Collecting all five changes the final line of dialogue in the game and reveals a crucial piece of the story, leading to the more hopeful (though still unsettling) true conclusion. Do not enter the crypt without all five if you want the best outcome.
Dread Fields in-game screenshot
All 7 Glimmering Mushroom Locations
These seven glowing mushrooms are the only truly optional collectible in Dread Fields. Finding all of them unlocks the "A Spore of a Chance" achievement and provides a small, extra bit of environmental lore through visual flashes upon consumption. They offer no other gameplay advantage.
- Farmhouse Cellar: In the back-left corner of the cellar, behind a stack of wine barrels.
- Cornfield Entrance: To the immediate right of the entrance archway to the cornfield, hidden in a bush.
- The Well: At the bottom of the well. You can only get this after a specific mid-game event causes the water level to drop, revealing the mushroom on the muddy floor. You must climb down the rope to get it.
- Barn Rafters: In the hayloft, you must carefully walk across a narrow wooden beam to the opposite side from where you found the Father's mask. It's sitting on the beam.
- Tractor Engine: On the ground floor of the barn, interact with the tractor's rusted engine block to open the hood. The mushroom is inside.
- Pumpkin Patch: Hidden inside a hollowed-out pumpkin near the fence line on the western edge of the patch.
- Family Crypt: Just inside the entrance to the crypt, before the main chamber with the effigies, look to the left. It's growing in a dark alcove.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I open the safe in the farmhouse?
The safe requires a three-digit combination. You find the numbers by locating the first three Wilted Sunflowers. Each has a number carved on its stem. The code is the number from the pumpkin patch sunflower (4), followed by the scarecrow's field sunflower (8), and finally the sunflower behind the farmhouse (2). The final code is 4-8-2.
What happens if I miss a sunflower?
If you miss any of the five Wilted Sunflowers and proceed to the end of the game, you will be locked into the standard ending. You will not be able to go back and collect them after starting the final sequence in the Family Crypt. The true ending is only possible if you have all five in your inventory before placing the masks.
Do I need to collect all the Glimmering Mushrooms?
No, the Glimmering Mushrooms are not required to complete the game or get the true ending. They are purely for lore and unlocking a single achievement/trophy. They can be safely ignored if you are only focused on the story.
What is the point of no return in Dread Fields?
The point of no return is when you place the third and final mask on the effigies inside the Family Crypt. Once the third mask is placed, a cutscene triggers, the exit seals, and the final sequence begins. You must have all five sunflowers before this moment to get the true ending.
A Final Warning
Dread Fields is designed to be oppressive. The limited visibility and constant threat can make exploration tense. Use this guide to streamline your journey, but don't forget to soak in the atmosphere. Knowing where to go makes the farm's horrors more manageable, allowing you to focus on the tragic story hidden beneath the soil. Good luck.