walkthrough journey down 2

Industrial Park

Hatari reef, the journey down chapter 2.

Game Details:  Adventure, 2014

Links:   Moby Games , Steam , Adventure Gamers

Walkthrough Updated:  8/19/2018

Suggested Listening:   Where There's Smoke ( Ash 25 )

Talk to Joe and Lina, then go down to the right and talk to Kito. Take the screwdriver from the toolbox and the duct tape hanging from the chair. Use the screwdriver to remove the compass from the dashboard. Return up to the deck and give the compass to Joe - now you need a map. Look at the sign on the ship to see it is named Biko. Touch the wires, then repair them with the duct tape. Go through the door to the cabin and press the button to turn on the lights. Talk to Gimbo. Take the spring, then examine the sink on the left.

Go back outside, then climb the steps. Examine the door and the porthole, then use your screwdriver on the porthole to remove the glass. Now use your spring to get the key and unlock the door with it. Search the drawer to get a navigation book (which will be very handy throughout the rest of the game). Go back to Joe and show him this book.

Talk to Kito 3 times and you will be free. Pick up the ball and chain from the right, then use it on the window. Use it again 3 times to make a hole in the wall, then head through. Look at the carts to see that there is a pickaxe in the bottom left one, but you can't reach it. Try using the lever on the right - you need to prop it somehow. Return to the cell and examine the skeleton to get its hand. Go back out to the prison yard and use the skeleton hand on the lever. Now you need to move the carts around using the buttons:

• Press the button on the right wall to adjust the gear
• Press the left of the bank of 3 buttons - this will move the pickaxe to the top rail
• Press the button on the right wall twice
• Press the right of the bank of 3 buttons - this will move the empty cart to the bottom rail
• Press the button on the right wall twice more
• Press the middle of the bank of 3 buttons - this will move the pickaxe to the right rail

Now you can take the pickaxe from the cart. Return to the cell and use the pickaxe on Kito's chains. Use it again on the grate in the floor, then climb down.

Search the dumpster to get a can of lobster. Leave the alley and you will end up with a matchbook. Examine the newspaper rack several times, then break it with your pickaxe and take some newspapers. Go left, then to the end of the road to see the Biko. Continue into the dark alley in the corner and take a packet of nachos from the crate. Talk to Moe and Vince about everything. Put your newspapers in the barrel, then light them with your match. Talk to Moe again and you will get some new clothes.

Leave the alley and go to the lighthouse to the far left. Head inside and talk to Morten about everything. Pick up the boltcutters from the floor, and take the model ship from over the fireplace. Return to the main street of town and go up the steps to the Maitre D. Talk to him, but he won't let you inside. Use your pickaxe on the wire box just to the right of the steps, then use your boltcutters on the wires inside. Talk to the Maitre D again, who is still unhelpful and mentions he is not aware of a repairman coming to fix the lights. Go to the right and examine the matchbook in your inventory to see a phone number. Use the phone booth and dial 634-000, saying that you are management. Return to the Maitre D and you will end up with the lamp.

Return to the alley where you started this section, by going left from the phone booth. Enter Arnie's and talk to the guys at the table, then to the bartender. Examine the almanac on the wall and you will take it. Examine the radio and see that it is tuned to 96.9, then head outside again. Go back to the lighthouse and head up the stairs. Examine the radio to see it is transmitting at 96.9. Use your lamp on the broken lantern up here, and the lighthouse will be shining again. Go back down the stairs and Morten will tell you he still needs blueprints. Use your can on the teapot over the fire. Return to Arnie's and give the can to Gimbo. Go to the lighthouse again and give the navigation book to Morten - the lighthouse is working again. Go to Arnie's to find that the bartender is left. Climb into the food shaft.

Examine the back door of the club, then talk to the sailor. Enter Arnie's and talk to the bartender, then examine the sleeping sailors and pick up the empty bottle. Leave the alley, then enter the building across the street. Talk to Andiswa, who is the Mayor's secretary. Look at the map on the wall and examine all of the locations on it. Head out to the lighthouse and talk to Morten about everything. Return to Andiswa and talk to her again, then give her the almanac. Use her terminal and search for "expedition" to learn about the former chief of police, Leroy McIgbo. Use the phone booth out on the street, and examine the phone book. Search for McIgbo, then dial 510-842.

After the conversation, look at the fancy car here, then go left. Go over to the taxi driver and talk to Reynolds. Look at the ticket booth, then return right and go to the end of the street - the Biko has now left. Deflate the rubber boat and take it with you. Go back to the fancy car and use the rubber boat on it. Enter the Mayor's office on the right and try to take the fire extinguisher, but it is locked in position. Use your matchbook on the alarm to the right of the window, then take the fire extinguisher. Now go outside and use the fire extinguisher on the rubber boat. Take a wheel from the car, then go and give it to Reynolds.

Look at the locked door on the right, then at the window above. Examine the tow truck to see the key is missing. Use your boltcutters on the gate straight ahead, then open it and go through. Examine the power box and set each knob to the position that gives maximum power:

• Top left: Pointing down
• Top right: Pointing left
• Bottom left: Pointing right
• Bottom right: Pointing up-left

Now press the small button beneath the meter and power will be restored to the mill. Use the control panel and watch what happens with the large crane arm. Look in the key box and you will take some keys. Go outside and use these on the truck to release the police car. Back inside again, use the control panel once more. Turn the hand-wheel on the left, before using the control panel again. Climb up the steps on the right.

In the office, search all 12 of the drawers until the safe is revealed. Try pressing the buttons in a game of Mastermind, until you work out the correct combination is 4571.

Enter Arnie's bar and talk to the bartender and the sad sailor. Go outside and out to the main street. Talk to the suspicious man, then talk to the man in the truck. Enter the Mayor's office on the right and talk to Andiswa. Return outside, then go left and approach the cinema. Talk to the couple standing outside. Talk to the cashier, then examine the popcorn machine. Go to the dark alley and talk to Moe and Vince, who will give you corn in exchange for alcohol and cigars.

Go to the alley outside Arnie's and give your nachos to the pigeon. Pick up the plunger, then head inside. Use the plunger on the drain, then use your empty bottle on the drain to half fill it with waste from the bar. Make sure you pick up the plunger again, as you will need it later. Go out to the lighthouse and fill your bottle from the teapot over the fire. Next head back to the Mayor's office and take some cigars from the box on the left. Go back to the alley and give the cigars and alcohol to Moe, then open the crate and take the corn. Head back to the cinema and put your corn in the popcorn machine, then take your free movie tickets. Return to Arnie's bar and give the movie tickets to the sad sailor, in exchange for his video cassette.

Go to the harbor and enter the large building which is the train station - there are troops blocking your path. Return to Arnie's and examine the radio. Adjust the frequency until you find the public band at 99.4. Go to the lighthouse and head upstairs, then examine the radio there. Remove the current record by pressing the lit button. Now adjust the transmitting frequency to 99.4. Press the middle button to send a coded message to the troops.

Go to the train station and examine the crates, then go through the doorway at the back of the hall. Search the junk pile on the left to get an old oil can. Look down from the end of the platform and talk to Kito. Try using the elevator, but it is pitch black at the top and you need to find a light source. Go to the lighthouse and try to use the doohickey, but Merton will stop you. Climb up the stairs and try to use the reel for the pulley. Use your oil can on the reel, then attach the model ship to the pulley before using the reel. Go back downstairs and use the doohickey. Pull the lever so the indicator stops exactly at south-east. Go back to the train station and up in the elevator, and your airplane will end up in the harbor.

Go to the alley outside Arnie's and through the back entrance, then you will automatically go up in the elevator into Club Temba. Look at the door with the keypad and try combinations of dirty keys until you get the correct combination of 851. Go inside and read the note on the wall, then look at the video storage. Use your video cassette on the video storage to automatically fool the guard. Go back out and examine the large doors to realize there is a guard on the other side. Examine the window, then use your plunger on it and climb outside. When you reach the black triangle on the wall, knock it in, until you can climb into the vault. Pick up the book.

Talk to Lina, then look at the ate. Look at the book and the clock on the table - it is 10am. Search the tent to find a machete. Walk up the beach and talk to Kito. Examine the runes on the pillars behind him. Use your machete on the jungle, then click on the larger plants until you discover a path. Look at the large door, and adjust the 4 columns to match the patterns shown in the book on the table:

• Half-filled circles
• Zig-zag with dots
• Arcs and lines
• Horizontal and vertical lines

Go through the door once it has opened. Walk to the observatory in the background. Press the button on the left rock until the triangle points at a lightning rune on the spinning structure. Look through the observatory and you should see the moon in the sky. Return to the previous open area and look at the runes in the ground. Now examine the navigation book in your inventory, and in particular look at Chapter 7. Remembering that it is currently 10am, you are interested in the Path of the Wave. Look at the runes in the ground again and press the star rune in the middle until the star rune around the outside is lined up with the wave rune. Press the moon rune in the middle until the moon rune around the outside is lined up with the lightning rune.

Now press the button on the stone to the left here and one of the large runes on the columns above will be depressed - this is the one that is currently lined up with the swirl rune in the ground. Press the swirl rune in the ground, then press the button on the stone again, and the next large rune will be depressed. Repeat this until all 6 large runes are depressed. Look at the new raised pedestal in the middle of the runes and take the golden idol.

Go back to the gate and talk to Lina, then use your idol on the figure in the gate.

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The Journey Down: Chapter Two

• PlayStation 4
• Nintendo Switch

In the second chapter in The Journey Down series, Bwana, Lina and more explore the misty town of Port Artue.

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• The Journey Down: Chapter Two Achievements
• The Journey Down: Chapter Two News
• Walkthrough *

2. The Journey Down: Chapter Two General hints and tips

Hints and Tips

All non-storyline potentially missable achievements are highlighted in an info box

There is no speed run achievement for this chapter.

Dragon's Dogma 2 A Trial of Archery walkthrough and guide

The Trial of Archery in DD2 has you work with the elf Glyndwr to save his sister and master the bow

A Trial of Archery in Dragon's Dogma 2 is a quest for the elf Glyndwr where you join him on the journey back home to prove his mastery of the bow and journey to Sacred Arbor, only for a crisis involving his sister and father to suddenly manifest when you arrive. A big ogre might be involved, but it's all worth it, as the Maister for the Archer vocation will reward you with a powerful skill if you complete it properly. With that in mind, I'll walk you through the quest A Trial of Archery in DD2 below, with a full walkthrough about how to get the best ending.

How to do A Trial of Archery in Dragon's Dogma 2

The quest A Trial of Archery in DD2 can only be started if you've already completed the quest Gift of the Bow , as it's a direct follow-on from the events in that quest. We've laid out all the steps and how to proceed below. We also recommend bringing a Pawn with the Woodland Wordsmith ability, though it's not essential. There's a lot of Elvish spoken in this quest, and otherwise you have to just smile and nod through those conversations.

• To start the quest, go to   Vernworth and speak to the Elf Glyndwr , who's standing outside Roderick's Smithy. He explains that he wants you to join him at his village to witness him pass the titular Trial of Archery.
• Go to the quest marker North of Vernworth . This is a little bit of a journey, so make sure you're well-prepared for the march. Here you'll find Glyndwr, who'll show you the way to Sacred Arbor.
• Follow Glyndwr to Sacred Arbor . The route is a little winding through the Northern forest, but Glyndwr knows the way - just stay close to him. There'll be some minor enemies along the way, so be careful.

• At Sacred Arbor, follow Glyndwr to meet his father . There'll be some dialogue at the entrance to the village, but then the real problem is revealed - Glyndwr's sister Doireann has been snatched up by an Ogre. Though told to stay behind, Glyndwr wants to save her (with your help).
• Meet Glyndwr at the Ancestral Chamber. This is marked on the map not far from Sacred Arbor, but this section appears to be time sensitive - you can't expect Doireann to live long as an Ogre's lunch, after all.
• Fight through the Ancestral Chamber. Joining Glyndwr, battle through the little dungeon, where goblins and wolves attack throughout. It's a little easy to get lost, but follow the white torches through to the Northeast.

• When you get there, there'll be a cutscene where you listen to Glyndwr's plan . He'll shoot the Ogre's arm so it drops his sister, which is when you have to get in and save her. 
• When Glyndwr fires, immediately run in and grab Doireann off the ground with R2/RT. Take her back the way you came - you can put her down and try to kill the Ogre, but the important thing is that she's moved to safety. 
• Once she's safe, Glyndwr will shoot an opening to let you through . Leave the Chamber through this new exit and speak to Glyndwr and his dad to finish the quest.
• After the quest is over, speak to Glyndwr's dad again to get the Heavenly Shot archer skill, as it turns out he is the game's Archer Maister.

Dragon's Dogma 2 Newt Liqueur Dragon's Dogma 2 Arisen's Shadow Dragon's Dogma 2 A Candle in the Storm Dragon's Dogma 2 Guardian Gigantus Dragon's Dogma 2 Short-Sighted Ambition

Keep in mind that it is possible to screw up the section where you save Doireann and have the Ogre kill her, leaving you with a bad ending, so you want to be careful here and ensure that she's protected as your first priority (leave your pawns to kill the Ogre if you have to while you bolt with her in your arms). The good ending rewards you with a Repeller Bow, 16000G, and a Portcrystal for the Dragon's Dogma 2 fast travel system. 

It's also definitely worth going back to Sacred Arbor if you didn't know about it before now, as they sell some of the best bows and gear for archers/magick archers, as well as practice a unique upgrade method called Elven Smithing - an alternative to Dragon's Dogma 2 Dwarven Smithing method found on the opposite side of the map.

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Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.

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The Journey Down: Chapter Two – Guides and FAQs

Xbox one ios (iphone/ipad) linux macintosh nintendo switch pc playstation 4, foreign language guides.

• Guide and Walkthrough (Italian) by  nick101ntl PC v.3.2, 20KB, 2015

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Dragon’s Dogma 2: Endgame Walkthrough

Quick links, the unmoored world, explained, unmoored world questline, unmoored world differences.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is an epic adventure that will consume your life for somewhere around 60-80 hours, depending on how thoroughly you explore the game, complete the various quests, and hunt down the most legendary loot. But if you think the game ends when the credits roll, well, you are mistaken.

Dragons Dogma 2: How To Unlock The True Ending

Not only are there multiple endings in the game, but there is also a true ending that is tied to a whole endgame experience that can actually be missed entirely. If you are wondering what the endgame looks like, what you can do there, and what it all means, then look no further than this guide.

Dragon's Dogma 2

Developer(s)

If you’ve followed our handy guide on how to reach the true ending of Dragon’s Dogma 2, then you have likely found yourself transported to the Unmoored World. While your mysterious, ghastly friend, known only as the Pathfinder, does give a bit of an explanation, you were probably left wondering how you got here and why the world looks apocalyptic.

Since you defied the path the Great Will put in front of you , the world has transformed into an apocalyptic landscape devoid of the Great Will’s influence and protection, hence the looming clouds of doom and the sudden influx of dragons, new and familiar in form alike. The absence of this unseen god has ushered in the end of the world, and it is only a matter of time before the fog consumes everything.

Despite defying your fate and ending up here, all hope is not lost. In fact, there is a chance you can still save the people of this world and return it to its former state. From the moment you land in the Unmoored World, an invisible timer starts, counting down to the destruction of everything you know.

Dragon's Dogma 2: All Drake Locations

As you look at your map, you’ll see that all bodies of water have dried up, transforming the landscape and revealing baron and treacherous riverbeds for you to explore. Scattered across the map in all major parts of the world are these red beacons that act as the focal point for impending doom. You’ll need to go to each area, activate the beacon, and defeat the hordes of enemies or unique Unmoored Dragons that appear in order to ward off the area’s destruction.

While doing this, you will also work with the leaders in each of the main areas of the map to evacuate the people to the Seafloor Shrine, essentially the last stronghold for all living things. As you travel around the world using the newly uncovered Portcrystals and abundant supply of Ferrystones you’ll find now while exploring, you’ll need to remove the beacon in each area and save the people before resting at an inn. Otherwise, time will pass, and whole areas will inevitably be destroyed.

After evacuating the world’s citizens and defeating all the Unmoored dragons connected to the beacons, you’ll regather yourself at the Seafloor Shrine to conclude the endgame questline and trigger your path into New Game +.

Aside from the obvious red hue to the newly minted apocalyptic world around you, the gameplay in the endgame is very different. Since you are essentially on a timer from the moment you arrive, the whole endgame functions somewhat like a roguelite in that you only have one chance to get it all right.

However, if you fail to save a city and want another chance, you can restart your journey from the moment you arrive in the Unmoored World by simply dying. When you choose to not revive with a Wakestone , you will get the option to begin from the start of the last day you started, or from your awakening. Choose the awakening, and it will revert all progress you’ve made in the Unmoored World, essentially giving you another chance to try to save everyone and make the most of your time here before starting NG+.

Dragons Dogma 2: How To Solve The Sphinxs Riddles

All Interactive Maps and Locations

Sphinx Riddle Solutions and Locations

The sphinx is a rare creature in Dragon’s Dogma 2, and, as you’d expect, it has a few riddles for you to solve. This guide will help you find the sphinx and answer its convoluted questions correctly to earn several amazing rewards. Here are the sphinx’s location and riddle solutions in Dragon’s Dogma 2.

Where to Find the Sphinx

The sphinx can be found at the Mountain Shrine in northwest Vermund. Make your way through the Ancient Battleground to find the Worldsend Cavern. The cavern entrance is at the back of the castle behind a cyclops. You can ignore the cyclops and drake fighting in the field below.

Climb the nearby ladder after defeating the cyclops to find a path through the destroyed castle wall. The cavern entrance is much easier to see during the daytime, as there are zero light sources near the mouth of the cavern.

Continue through the linear Ancient Ruins and Shrine Corridor to reach the Mountain Shrine where the sphinx is located. Walk up the stairs once you exit the Shrine Corridor and you’ll find the sphinx waiting there. A conversation will automatically start as soon as you climb the stairs in front of the sphinx.

Sphinx Riddle Solutions at Mountain Shrine

The Sphinx asks five riddles in total at this shrine before moving on to the next one. Here are the riddles and answers for the conversation at the Mountain Shrine:

Where to Find the Second Sphinx Shrine

The sphinx will fly away after you solve all five riddles listed above, so you’ll need to find its next shrine to continue this questline. This time, the sphinx is waiting for you at the Frontier Shrine, and thankfully, this spot is much easier to find.

Go to the Checkpoint Rest Town and walk along the dried up ravine that runs underneath the town’s main entrance. You can see the path drawn lightly on the map above, and we’ve provided a clearer picture of where you should be in the screenshot below. You can see the town and the path that leads down, below it.

Eventually, the path leads you to a foggy area where you need to defeat a chimera and other large monsters to reach the sphinx. Once the area is clear, look for this large pillar and walk underneath it to find the Frontier Shrine. Be sure to open up the chests in the area before proceeding, too.

This is a much easier shrine to reach, but it’s important to drop a portable Portcrystal at the Frontier Shrine to help with the upcoming riddles – just like last time.

Sphinx Riddle Solutions at Frontier Shrine

There are five more riddles to solve at the Frontier Shrine, but as a word of warning – remember to switch to the Archer vocation before solving the final riddle. You need to use the Unmaking Arrow on the sphinx after solving the fifth riddle here.

How to Open the Sphinx’s Gold Chest

Even if you solve every single riddle asked, the sphinx won’t unlock the large, golden chest. The trick here – and perhaps the toughest riddle – is to defeat the sphinx in combat. You can buy a second Unmaking Arrow from the Dragonforged in Battahl to give yourself two chances here.

The game saves right after you shoot the arrow, so steady your aim. If you hit your shot, the sphinx will congratulate you and drop the Key of Sagacity . The contents of the gold chest are now yours to take. Inside, you’ll find the Eternal Wakestone , which revives all NPCs at once.

This is the only item that can save your playthrough from a ton of failed quests if you happen to let a pawn’s Dragonsplague reach the absolute limit.

Up Next: The Dragonforged

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Chicago Cubs | Chicago Cubs’ Ben Brown tosses 4 2/3 shutout…

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Chicago Cubs

Chicago cubs | chicago cubs’ ben brown tosses 4 2/3 shutout innings in first mlb start.

SAN DIEGO — Ben Brown’s rough major-league debut could have been the precursor to a potentially tough transition as he made the jump from the minors.

The 24-year-old right-hander didn’t let that night in Arlington, Texas carry over. Ten days later, Brown shut down the San Diego Padres in his first big-league start. Brown’s 4 2/3 shutout innings were exactly what the Cubs needed after blowing an eight-run lead in Monday’s 9-8 loss at Petco Park. The Padres managed just three hits, one walk and struck out five times. Brown recorded 11 called strikes and five whiffs with his fastball, which topped out at 98.4 mph.

The Cubs put up five runs in the fifth inning behind Yan Gomes’ home run and Christopher Morel’s first career grand slam. That was all they needed to put away San Diego in a 5-1 win.

Before Brown’s start Tuesday, manager Craig Counsell said the Cubs needed to be a little careful with his pitch count because Brown had not been fully stretched out before his call-up to replace the injured Justin Steele . Brown, at 77 pitches, was replaced by Drew Smyly with two outs in the fifth and No. 8 hitter Jackson Merrill due up.

“He’s done a nice job and he’s getting a ton of feedback on being a major-league starter and going through the lineup a couple times and that’s great for him,” Counsell said.

With limited big-league experience, the feedback Brown gets from seeing how big-league hitters attack his stuff is an important tool for his development and how he needs to adjust.

“You can tell him, but you have to experience it,” Counsell said. “That’s what is great about this and that’s the natural process for a starting pitcher to go through.”

Counsell didn’t think Brown’s big-league debut March 30 against the Rangers was as bad as his pitching line might indicate. But after giving up five hits and six runs in 1 2/3 innings, Brown delivered a “fabulous” outing, from Counsell’s perspective, his next time out. In Brown’s four innings April 3 he limited the Colorado Rockies to three hits, one run and one walk while striking out five.

The adjustments of trusting his stuff, mainly his fastball and curveball, and honing his command proved Brown won’t let himself be defined by the low moments.

“It’s a hard league and the league is unforgiving and it’s not if you’re gonna get knocked down, you will get knocked down and what’s after that is always the most important thing,” Counsell said. “And I think that’s a great sign of what Ben did after his first appearance in the big leagues.

“Now, it’ll happen again at some point and you kind of keep going through that and keep taking the feedback in, keep getting better and making little adjustments, keep connecting with your teammates and coaches on how to get through that and that’s how you get the ball handed to you every fifth day.”

Merryweather showing patience as the recovery process begins

Julian Merryweather expected a muscle strain might sideline him for two weeks based on the location and pain he felt in his shoulder area.

Finding out he sustained a bone-related injury surprised Merryweather, whose rib stress fracture in his upper back will keep him out for more than a month . Merryweather is shut down from throwing for four weeks but will keep his lower half active and legs strong. The injury, however, limits how much upper-body rotation he can do and even affects him with non-baseball activities like getting out of bed.

Merryweather is confident the Cubs’ bullpen can take on his role while he’s out.

“We have loads of depth and great arms and I think we showed last year what we can do,” Merryweather said Tuesday. “I know we’re going to have guys step up.”

Counsell balances regulars with incorporating the bench

One of the biggest benefits to Christopher Morel playing third base is the flexibility it gives Counsell with the designated hitter spot.

Counsell has not hesitated to use the DH as a way to give lineup regulars like Cody Bellinger, Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ partial days off by slotting them in and getting them off their feet. Five players have logged at least one start as the DH through the Cubs’ first 11 games.

On Tuesday it meant starting Garrett Cooper as their DH against Padres starter Joe Musgrove even though it set up a righty-righty matchup. Counsell explained a decision like that stems from finding a good spot to work in Cooper even if the opposing team isn’t starting a left-hander that day.

“We’ve got some good options there,” Counsell said. “We also have an everyday set of guys that are doing a really nice job as well. And we’ve had enough off days kind of spaced around this first part of the season where I’m not too worried about getting the regulars a rest so to speak.”

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Here's how much money I made as a software engineer at Meta, Apple, and Oracle

• Sandeep Rao is a software engineer who has worked at Meta, Apple, and Oracle. 
• When he first started his career as a new graduate, his compensation was only $15,000.
• He explains how, thanks to high performance and negotiation skills, he now makes nearly $700,000. 

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sandeep Rao, a 32-year-old software engineer based in San Jose, California. Business Insider has verified his income with documentation. This essay has been edited for length and clarity.

My salary journey in Big Tech has seen my total compensation — which includes base salary, bonuses, and stocks — increase from $15,000 in 2012 to $685,000 in 2024.

I'm a staff software engineer and have worked at three different tech companies, moving from Oracle to Apple to Meta. Over my career, I've led the development of successful software apps and features from scratch that are used every day by millions of people across the world.

While I have made my career moves primarily based on which areas of software engineering I'd get to work on, compensation is also important to me, so I've been strategic and negotiated for higher salaries with each move.

Tech companies use tools like additional equity to retain high-performing employees. In my experience, if you're consistently a top performer at your organization, it's certainly possible to keep your pay at or above market level and have a rewarding career within your company.

I took a low-paying job to get my foot in the door

While I got my undergraduate degree in electrical engineering , I realized midway through college that software engineering was my passion and pivoted to pursue a career in software instead.

My first job was as a software developer at Oracle in India. While Oracle isn't generally low-paying in the tech industry, my salary of 850,000 rupees, or $15,000, was low compared to what new grads were making at that time in competing Big Tech companies like Microsoft or Amazon because it was a "take it or leave it" new grad offer.

The work was unappealing to me because it didn't align with my career interests — I didn't want to continue building expertise in that specific area of software engineering — but I took it to get my foot in the door of a Big Tech company and build credibility.

I knew I eventually wanted to end up where all the action is — Silicon Valley . I worked at Oracle from 2012 to 2014, and during this time, I applied to graduate schools in the US because I felt a formal computer science degree would help me compete with the talented people in the Valley.

I got accepted into a graduate program in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. I left behind my family and friends in India and moved to the US with nothing but a suitcase and $65,000 in student debt.

Grad school was hard, but the doors it opened for me made the struggle worth it.

I was ecstatic to get a job at Apple

I finished grad school and got a job as a software engineer at Apple in Cupertino, California, where my base salary was $115,000.

I was ecstatic to work at one of the best companies in the world and felt my dreams were coming true. But I realized I wanted to work on more direct user-facing applications rather than on technology that ran under the hood.

Initially, I considered looking for new opportunities within Apple, but between high taxes, the high cost of living, and my student loans, I felt more compelled to switch companies, given that I'd likely receive a significant salary bump .

I had gotten a very small cost-of-living raise on my base salary at Apple, but it wasn't significant; not getting a bigger raise wasn't a big motivator in my decision to change companies, but it certainly made my choice easier.

My negotiation skills helped me get a 10% salary increase

At the end of 2017, I moved to Meta (then Facebook) in Menlo Park, California. I wanted to experience the culture of younger internet-based companies whose products are used by billions of people.

When I received my offer, I did my research to get a clear understanding of what my market value was and what salary I wanted to land on. I also learned what parts of my total compensation are negotiable, such as stocks and the sign-on bonus, and what is non-negotiable, like base salary and annual bonuses.

I was prepared to negotiate and walked away with an offer of $140,000, which was 10% more than their original offer.

In 2021, I landed a large-scale project at Meta that added a lot of value to the Messenger app and worked with several cross-functional teams across engineering, design, data science, and legal.

My accomplishments, such as this one, and high performance at work got me the promotions, visibility, and leverage to negotiate for higher pay and a successful salary journey.

Every year between 2018 to 2023, my base salary increased — as did my total compensation — through a combination of performance-based yearly stock refreshers, additional boosts from promotions, and stock market appreciation.

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Compensation in a tech career usually gets more and more equity-heavy than salary-heavy, so base salaries don't increase as quickly as equity, but my salary and total annual compensation steadily rose:

2012-2014: $15,000 total compensation

Grad School

2014-2016: $0 total compensation

Student loan debt: $65,000

2016: $130,000 total compensation

2017: $165,000 total compensation

2018: $230,000 total compensation

2019: $240,000 total compensation

2020: $350,000 total compensation (promotion)

2021: $510,000 total compensation

2022: $375,000 total compensation (promotion, but total compensation dropped due to stock price drop)

2023: $545,000 total compensation

In 2024, I'm projected to make $685,000 through a combination of base salary, bonuses, and stock.

Five strategies for increasing my compensation package

Over the years, I learned five salary strategies that helped me grow my salary and overall compensation:

1. Always do your homework about market rates for your role, level, and location — especially when you switch jobs.

Switching jobs is a good way to increase your income.

Even if money may not be the primary motivator for a job switch, I always make sure to be conscious and strategic about my compensation by doing salary research to avoid leaving any money on the table.

When I started doing salary research during my switch to Meta, I found out my market value was much higher than what I was making at Apple at that time. This helped me start my negotiations with Meta at the market rate rather than the salary I was making.

I used Levels.fyi , Blind , and Glassdoor to find salary information and clearly understand my market value. Keep yourself updated on these benchmarks even if you don't plan on a job change anytime soon, so you know you're on par with the market, and any salary difference is offset by other factors such as better work-life balance.

2. Never let your bad salary "baggage" carry over to your new job.

If your salary isn't up to market standards right now, don't let it affect your pay at the next job. Otherwise, it'll lead to a cycle where you'll be underpaid for the rest of your career.

Employers and recruiters could use your salary history to give you only a modest raise, while your actual market value could easily be double or triple your most recent salary.

In California, labor laws make it illegal for employers to ask you about your current salary and salary history. You're also allowed to ask potential employers for the pay range for the position you're applying for.

If your state has similar protections, just being aware of this law can help you make any corrections to your pay during negotiations. This helped me start offer negotiations from my market value instead of my current pay.

3. Sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith to make that 10x impact on your career.

That could involve switching from a non-tech job to a tech job or taking a short-term hit for long-term gain. For example, I picked Oracle for my first job despite the low pay and unappealing work so I could build credibility to get into a Tier 1 grad school.

I also took a loan of about $65,000 to pay for Carnegie Mellon, even though I could have chosen to go to a cheaper public university.

Deciding to work at Oracle and attend Carnegie Mellon cost me a few years and a lot of debt, but doing so opened doors unlike anything else, and I haven't looked back ever since.

4. Negotiate to keep your base salary from falling behind

It's inevitable for your salary to fall behind as you stay longer at a company, especially in tech due to restricted stock unit (RSU) "cliffs."

Most RSU packages offered to new employees in the tech industry have a two- to four-year vesting period. Unless the employer offers a significant pay bump along the way, total compensation usually takes a drop after this vesting period. Many companies also offer annual performance-based stock refreshers to lower this salary gap, but they're usually not as large as the initial grant. 

If you love working at your company and feel forced to move just to get a raise, you can ask your senior leadership to make a "correction." After all, it's much more expensive and time-consuming for employers to hire new people than to retain good employees.

Most Big Tech companies have employee retention programs like additional or discretionary equity. Additional equity programs are mainly used to retain high-performing employees, so they're usually highly selective.

This is how I was able to keep my compensation at or above market level despite spending six years at Meta. When I was reaching the end of my vesting period in my fourth year, I had a conversation with my senior leadership to see if there was any room for a pay correction so I could go back to focusing on my work 100% without worrying about salary.

Being prepared with my predicted compensation drop and market data greatly helped me build a cogent narrative going in. If you're consistently a top performer at your organization, it's certainly possible to keep your pay at or above market level and have a rewarding career within your company.

5. Don't assume people will reward your work or anticipate your needs — ask.

Always ask for what you want , whether it's a raise or that interesting project that just came in. The worst that will happen is you'll get a "no." If you don't ask, nobody will know, or even worse, people may assume that you're happy with what you have and move on. 

I used this strategy when I heard of a new company initiative and asked to be a founding engineer because I was looking to create more impact in my role. Despite the high risk and ambiguity involved, I successfully delivered on the projects, which eventually led to a promotion. None of this would've been possible if I hadn't asked. 

At the end of the day, you're your biggest advocate when it comes to your salary and career journey. There's no substitute for hard work, but being strategic about how you achieve your goals can go a long way. Sometimes, you have to take big risks and step out of your comfort zone to get that high-paying dream job.

If you want to share your career progression and salary journey, email Jane Zhang at [email protected] .

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The Journey Down: Chapter Two