How to Beat Slender: The Eight Pages

Playing Slender in Classic Mode

Google a map of the Slender forest on the Internet. Since you're already on this page, one can be found here. Memorize it till you're certain you'll be able to navigate your way through it. There are 10 unique landmarks, and 8 notes spread randomly amongst them. There being 10 locations ensures a different game each time. Not finding a note where you expect to find one (if you've been counting on it) is the easiest way to lose the game.

Start the game. Slender Man will not appear before you attain the first note, so use this to your advantage. Turn off your flashlight during this period to save the batteries. It will eventually shut off if you take too long. You may like to spend this "down time" checking out the landmarks beforehand to find out where the notes are positioned. However, you're not allowed to dilly-dally as long as you please. The longer you take between pages, the harder the game will get. You'll know when this initial grace period is over when you hear a stomping sound in the background. The same sound is heard when you do collect the first page.

Obtain the note in the bathroom at the centre of the map first. This, in theory, saves you from being ambushed or trapped by Slender Man later. If it's not there, simply continue onwards. Getting the center out of the way is your best bet. That way, you don't have backtrack at all throughout the game and can work on the outside of the circle. Slender Man can only kill you if you look at him and he is always behind you. Never turn around, never see Slender Man. Simple as pie.

Take a circular route around the map going out from the bathroom. This reduces the time it takes between notes. Following the main path is a good way of keeping your bearings. The game will be measuring your sanity level and stamina. Sprint too often, your stamina goes. Lose your cool, your sanity level drops, and the game will be over. Eliminating time between notes and going as quickly as possible doesn't give your levels time to drop in the first place.

Remember that Slender Man gets faster and faster. His stalking grows more frenzied for every note you collect. You'll want to keep the flashlight on after about 3, so if and when you turn around, you can immediately double back as soon as you see him. The music in the background will get more and more intense as you collect notes. To get around this, just hit your mute button. It can be awfully distracting (which is the point).

Be on super alert after the 5th note. If you do see him, line his face up with an object, so you can only see his arm or leg. When he's on the screen, he won't move. Then back away until you're out of range. Then get outta there! After about 5 notes, he will be right on your tail almost constantly. Peeking at him when he is so close will get your character 'scared' and allow you to sprint very fast. Use this to dash towards the last note/s, but know that it will wear your character out.

Don't look behind you when you have 6 pages (unless you have the guts to do so!). Slender Man will be right behind you and if you turn around, he will kill you. So keep sprinting until you find the last note. This is why the bathroom is such a pain in the rear end. If you leave it for later, you'll be constantly turning around, trying to get out of it. You're as good as dead.

After you collect all 8 notes, stand around until the game ends. Depending on your version of the game, you will have unlocked a different mode -- a cruel, circular hell for the non-existent player in the game. "Beating" the game is sort of a misnomer; you simply get out of the level you were in before.

Unlocking Other Modes

Unlock "daytime mode" in version 0.9.4. After collecting all the pages from the first mode, you'll "wake up" in the daytime. It probably sounds easier, but it's not. You don't have to worry about your flashlight, but everything else is just as intense. After "daytime mode," unlock "$20 mode." Again with version 0.9.4, if you beat daytime mode, you'll reemerge after the credits once again in the dark. Beating this mode is no different from the standard version except for the fact that you'll hear 20 Dollars by Ron Browz playing in the background. The reference to this is that some believe that if you give Slender Man $20, he won't kill you. Cheap date, huh? You can select these modes in the options screen and you can play both simultaneously, if you'd like.

For version 0.9.5., unlock "MH mode." This will run like a video from Marble Hornets on YouTube, using the entry format. The music is slightly different, the static is more prominent, and it runs like a prerecorded video. Once you get past this, you can then move to daytime mode and $20 mode.

For version 0.9.7., unlock Marble Hornets mode first. It's only a slight name change (MH is one in the same, really). $20 mode was removed due to copyright infringement. You also have the options of using a crank lantern and a glow stick. What's more, you can pause the game as long as there isn't static on the screen. The more and more pages you collect, the less you can see. Fog will start rolling in, too. There are also more links in the menu, leading to forums and extra resources, etc.