Should you report the St Katherine’s Church murder in Atomfall? All outcomes explained

Just after arriving in Wyndham Village in Atomfall, you’re immediately presented with a big choice to make when you uncover a murder in St Katherine’s Church, but what exactly should you do?

One of Atomfall’s greatest strengths is the way it lets you choose what to do at every turn, all of which has an outcome on the ending. These are often major decisions like what to do with Oberon, but there are also some smaller but difficult dilemmas to solve.

The first pops up when discover Maisie’s body in St Katherine’s Church and Vicar McHenry asks you to keep it quiet while also trying to find the killer. There are pros and cons no matter which way you tackle it, but there is one outcome that is easily better than the rest.

What are the choices?

Once you find the body and the note that points towards Maisie’s murderer, you can either put your detective hat on or report the incident to Captain Grant Sims, which will imply that the Vicar is the perpetrator.

Crucially, you’re free to report the death at any point in your investigation, or even after it’s complete, so it’s best to find all of the facts before making your choice.

Rebellion

The Vicar was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Vicar isn’t guilty, though, as you soon find that the shopkeeper, Morris Wick, killed Maisie, as she was close to exposing Druid activity in the village. Once you have this information, you then have the option to keep Wick’s secret or take him out.

So, what should you do?

Ultimately, it’s best to report the incident to Grant Sims, as long as you don’t mind framing an innocent man. The leader of the Protocol is a valuable ally who can make your life much easier later in the story, so winning favor with him is incredibly useful.

The first time you meet him, he asks for any information about the goings on in Wyndham Village and promises to make it worth your while. If you let him know about the murder, he’ll later give you access to the heavily guarded Protocol camp in Skethermoor, an area that’s almost inaccessible any other way.

Here, not only are there tons of supplies to loot and Leads to find, but it’s also where you meet the imprisoned Dr Garrow, who is crucial to one of the endings. Having free reign of the camp and prison makes the latter stages of Atomfall much easier, and you still don’t have to commit to siding with them if you don’t want to, so it’s a win-win.

Rebellion

Wick might be a murderer, but you’ll need him eventually.

When it comes to Morris, you’re better off keeping his secret as it makes him available as a useful trader going forward. The Vicar will be taken away for the crime either way if report it, so you may as well keep him on your side.

If you’re an upstanding citizen you could take the moral route and you’ll be rewarded by the Vicar, plus you’ll be safe in the knowledge that justice was served. But his impact on the rest of your game is minor compared to Sims, and in the Quarantine Zone — anything goes.

For more on Atomfall, be sure to check out our tier list of the best weapons and a breakdown of all the endings.