Close Call Trophy in A Plague Tale: Legacy Guide

The “Close Call” trophy in A Plague Tale: Legacy is earned by narrowly escaping death, specifically by surviving an encounter with only a sliver of health remaining. You unlock it by taking lethal damage but not dying, typically during a combat or chase sequence where an enemy’s attack leaves you at a critical, near-zero health state. This guide explains how the trophy works, the best spots to earn it, and common mistakes to avoid.

Formula

The formula for determining if you have a “Close Call” is simple: your health remaining after an attack must be at or below a critical threshold, typically 5% or less of your maximum health. The calculator above takes your current health percentage and the damage percentage of an incoming hit to show what your survival chance would be if you were hit. The formula is:

Survival Chance = 100 – Damage Taken

Where Damage Taken is the percentage of your max health that the enemy’s attack would remove, and Survival Chance is the percentage of health you would have left. For a Close Call, you want this value to be between 1% and 5%.

Worked Example

Using the default values: if you have 5% health remaining and an enemy attack would deal 95% damage, your survival chance is 100 – 95 = 5%. That means you would survive with exactly 5% health, which triggers the Close Call trophy. In practice, you need to take a hit that brings you to that brink without killing you.

How the Trophy Works

The Close Call trophy is tied to the game’s health system. Unlike many action games, A Plague Tale: Legacy does not have a visible health bar in the traditional sense; instead, damage is shown through screen effects and audio cues. When you take a hit that would normally be fatal, the game gives you a brief window where you are “downed” but not dead, often allowing a companion to revive you. The trophy pops when you survive an attack that leaves you at the absolute minimum health threshold, usually around 1-5% of your max HP.

Key points to understand:

• The trophy is not tied to a specific chapter or scripted event; it can be earned in any combat encounter.
• You must be hit by an enemy attack that would normally kill you, but you survive due to having a sliver of health left.
• Some players report that the trophy is easier to earn during the later chapters when enemies deal more damage.
• If you are at full health, a single hit will not trigger the trophy; you need to be already damaged.

Best Locations to Earn the Trophy

While the trophy can be earned anywhere, certain areas are more reliable due to enemy damage and checkpoints. Here are the most commonly recommended spots:

• Chapter 5: The Blood – During the rat-infested areas, you can intentionally take a hit from a guard while at low health. The checkpoints are frequent, so you can retry easily.
• Chapter 9: The Wrath – The final battle sequence has enemies that hit hard. Let yourself get hit once, then heal partially, and take another hit to trigger the close call.
• Chapter 12: The Legacy – The final chapter has tough enemies, and you can manipulate your health by letting rats nibble at you before engaging a soldier.

Remember that you need to survive the hit, not just be downed. If you are downed and a companion revives you, that does not count as a close call in most cases; you need to remain standing with a tiny amount of health.

How to Set Up the Close Call

Setting up the trophy requires careful health management. Here is a step-by-step approach:

1. Find an enemy that deals a specific amount of damage (usually a heavy attack or a crossbow bolt).
2. Lower your health to a point where one hit will bring you to the brink. You can do this by letting rats bite you or by taking a few hits from weaker enemies.
3. Save your game or use a checkpoint right before the encounter.
4. Take the hit and see if you survive. If you die, reload and adjust your health slightly.
5. If you survive with a sliver of health, the trophy should pop immediately.

If you are playing on a lower difficulty, enemies deal less damage, making it harder to get the exact threshold. Consider playing on Normal or Hard for easier set-up.

Common Misconceptions

There are several myths about this trophy that can waste your time:

• “You need to be downed and revived” – This is false. The trophy is for surviving with a sliver of health, not for being downed. In fact, being downed and revived often resets your health to a higher value, preventing the trophy.
• “It only happens in scripted moments” – False. The trophy is purely based on your health percentage after taking damage. It can happen anywhere.
• “You need to be at 1% health exactly” – The exact threshold is not publicly documented, but it is generally accepted that any hit that leaves you with less than 5% health will trigger it. You do not need to be at exactly 1%.

Tips and Tricks

To make the process easier, consider these tips:

• Use the alchemy system to your advantage. The “Ignifer” or “Extinguis” can help control rats, but they do not affect your health. Instead, focus on positioning.
• If you are struggling to get the right amount of damage, try letting a rat bite you once. Rats deal small, consistent damage, which can help you fine-tune your health.
• During the final chapter, there is a section where you are separated from your companions. This is a good place to experiment, as you have fewer distractions.
• If you are playing on New Game+, you may have upgraded health, which changes the damage percentages. Adjust your strategy accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I earn the Close Call trophy on any difficulty?

Yes, but it is easier on Normal or Hard. On Easy, enemies deal less damage, so you may need to lower your health more precisely. On the highest difficulty, enemies can kill you in one hit, making it harder to survive with a sliver of health. The key is finding the right balance.

Does the trophy require a specific chapter or encounter?

No, the trophy is not tied to any specific chapter or scripted event. It is purely based on surviving a hit with a tiny amount of health. You can earn it in any combat encounter, though some are more convenient due to checkpoints and enemy damage.

What happens if I get downed and revived? Does that count?

No, being downed and revived does not count. The trophy requires you to remain standing with a sliver of health. If you are downed, your health is typically reset to a higher value upon revival, so you will not get the trophy.

Is there a visual indicator that I am close to death?

Yes, the screen will become heavily desaturated with a red vignette, and your character will breathe heavily. These effects intensify as your health gets lower. When you see these effects, you are likely in the close call range.

I took a hit and survived with a sliver, but the trophy did not pop. Why?

This can happen if the hit did not bring you low enough. The threshold is likely below 5% health, so you may need to take a bit more damage. Also, ensure you are not in a “downed” state; if you fall to the ground, it does not count. Try adjusting your health before the hit.

Can I earn this trophy in the DLC or only in the main game?

The trophy is part of the main game’s trophy list. The DLC, if any, does not have its own trophy list for this achievement. You can earn it in any chapter of the main story.

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in t | Health remaining | % | 5 | 0 | 100
in d | Damage taken | % | 95 | 0 | 100
out chance | Survival chance | % | (100 - d) | 2