Per wiki policy, Spoilers Off applies here, and all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned.
With a story this dark and serious, there's bound to be a good amount of sad moments that will make you feel wrecked in this game.
Main Story
- There are many unavoidable deaths players witness in the game:
- The death of the Grey-haired Maiden. There is no way you can save her, even with the two choices presented to you. Even in later stories, Chief is still haunted by her death due to their failed attempt of saving her.
- The Security Captain's death, which was caused by Chief in a maniac delusion. He had no hard feelings to the Chief, as he knew the latter wasn't in control, and tells them to not blame themselves for what they've done.
- Julian's death. He sacrificed himself to the Corpseborne which seemed like he gave up as it led to the biggest Black Ring the people have seen. Although later it does show he sacrificed himself so he could stop the Corpseborne in his own way, which led to Donald and Chief's victory for the Drifters Camp.
Events
- The final scene with Roulecca and her father in her dream is bound to be one where lots of people felt emotional. The emotional OST playing also doesn't help.
- The end of the Toybox Terror event, with Eve's backstory and the final scenes in the factory, definitely counts as one.
Interrogations
- While it doesn't change who Eirene is now, it's sad to see how, like any children, she wanted to impress and be loved by her father, Bryce Campbell. While Bryce treated her decently and played chess with her after he realized she was his daughter, he still saw her as a tool to use, such as purposely sending bandits to kill her with the chance of her awakening Sinner powers, not caring if she died in the attempt. While Bryce was happy she did, this led her to have a Broken Pedestal in her father, which motivated her to usurp his position as the Campbell figurehead.
- What's sadder is when Bryce took her in, she didn't contact her mother much anymore, who was likely the only parental figure she loved as she died when Eirene grew up. If you select the "Pat head" voice line for her, she remarks how she was treated tenderly by some, but says how they are all gone from the world.
- You can't help but feel sad for Anne, as she begins crying, tearing down her guarded mask to the Chief on why she wants to keep the Corruptor corpses. Even Chief feels bad but can't do anything about it aside informing her FAC wants the bodies to be removed so no contamination will affect the district, to her utter shock.
- Despite the dark side of their job, most of the Garden members lost people, mainly family, who were precious to them by some corrupted members of FAC and higher ups.
- Garofano's family were a FAC family, as her father was a transport member and her siblings desired to become like their father. However, she lost her entire family to her father, who became a Corruptor by accident due to some corrupted FAC higher ups never telling him about the contaminated materials that came from the Eclipse event. As the only survivor, she became a Sinner, but lost the will to live. Eventually, someone from the Garden noticed her and helped her execute revenge on the people responsible for her family's demise. It's obvious she still thinks about them in the present after many years, especially her younger siblings, which explains her strong motherly tendencies towards others. In a dark way too, she becomes violently overprotective of the people she wants to protect, with the act of murder being nothing to her as long the people she cares about are safe.
- Just like Garofano's family, Coquelic's parents were FAC members. However, they died during a mission, leading her to be orphaned. Soon after joining the Garden, she finds the captain who were in charge of her parents and kills them.
- Nox's interrogation end will definitely elicit tears as when she was close to behaving like a human again, she loses this because Amber, her old human self, sacrificed herself to save Chief, leading her to lose her humanity permanently. Even her 100% compliance isn't even any better, despite forming a close bond with Chief.
- While Eve's investigation is more positive than negative, Eve meets a young child at the SALVA clinic who will undergo prosthetic surgery and asked if it hurts. Knowing it actually hurts a lot, Eve is forced to lie to the girl, saying it doesn't hurt at all so she doesn't get scared.
- Carley and Greg in Cabernet's interrogation. The couple were her favorite ingredients, or rather, souls she loved to the point Cabernet used every source of information she could use to find and retrieve them back in her possession. This interrogation could lead you to dislike Cabernet more, considering how much she ruined a Syndican couple who simply wanted to make a peaceful living in Eastside and fulfill their dreams. Plus, the fact Greg used to have hair and a normal looking face back then, the extremely pale, bald husk he shows himself in the present shows how much stress and pain Cabernet inflicted on them. And to boot, she found a new favorite in Chief and used the couple again so they can make Chief feel emotional so that their soul can shine just shows her Lack of Empathy for them. They were so broken by Cabernet that they lost their sanity and didn't believe they could be rid of Cabernet, which they weren't wrong, as she used every source to locate them.
- The couple loved each other so much that Carley told Greg to stop loving her, so Cabernet would get tired of them, while Greg tried to switch himself with her, which never happened. In the end, we never know if the couple ever get better or not, as Greg gives up his entire soul for Carley, which he thought would help her and lead Cabernet to be disgusted by her but ended up fueling her thirst for souls like her captor and making her attack Chief.
- Their love is what doomed them because of how special it was that Cabernet enjoyed very much. The time she took an interest in Carly and then Greg was when she critiqued harshly of latter's best dish comparing it to a Number 787 (a garbage-processing plant) and not seeing the hard work he put into it that Carly got mad at Cabernet for insulting her boyfriend's dish. The only thing the Franc princess saw in the couple were their love for each other, but their other accomplishments and what they went through? Nothing to her.
Other
- The fact Coquelic is removed from future banners, making her a quasi-limited Sinner now. While in Global, you can still get her in the gacha, there's very likely no banners focusing on her anymore. The developers made the announcement to remove her permanently in the CN servers. CN players who got her will still keep her, but it's very saddening considering how much work the writers put in her that made her so lovable to the fans, and how some CN players will never get the chance to obtain her again. However, there has one official comic that featured her, so it's implied the writers are trying their best to show her in the materials even if she can't exactly appear in the game much anymore.
