Dead Space Remake is as wonderfully dark and tense as the original, packed with jump-scares and puzzles galore. Many quests offer little in-game guidance, which can be both exciting and confusing on the first playthrough. This quick guide to Chapter 1’s primary quest, finding the Data Board and fixing the tram, will help keep the Necromorphs at bay as Isaac finds his way through the first few rooms.
After the crash of the USG Ishimura, Isaac gets separated from his team due to a quarantine alert and lockdown. The sound of Necromorphs scuttling through the ventilation will provide a bit of extra motivation to arm him with the iconic Plasma Cutter on the table of the first room. The advice scrawled on the wall, to aim for the limbs of those enemies, is well worth taking into advisement. With the scene set after the game’s first big set piece, it’s time for Isaac to get to work. Here’s how to find that Data Board and what to do with it.
Updated by Nathan Round on 26th October 2023: With the Dead Space Remake being made available on Xbox Game Pass on 26th October, we have updated this guide with more relevant links to other Dead Space Remake guides.
The Missing Data Board
Armed and ready for action, Isaac runs through a few blessedly Necromorph-free hallways before encountering the first major obstacle. The transportation from this sector of the ship is inaccessible. Isaac is trapped. The objective is to fix it and reunite with the team. The quest will start after interacting with the offline tram system, as depicted below.
Step 1: Fix The Tram
This marks the beginning of a short sequence of tasks. Our hero must start by fixing the tram, which means heading southeast from the room Isaac receives the quest in. There is a short tutorial on the first skill, Stasis, which can be used to prevent being crushed in that malfunctioning door that keeps opening and closing. Stasis slows down objects and enemies, which is a great starting tip for beginners struggling to survive the hordes of enemies exploding unexpectedly out from vents (which will happen a lot).
After this, the player will eventually stumble across a U-shaped room at the southeast corner of the map. Another computer screen glows red in the center of the room, indicating yet another error to fix.
More Broken Computers
Players must interact with the red screen for some dialog, and then the screen to the right of it to open the shutters. Now, the goal here is to grab the tram with the two claws (one on either side of the central module). Speaking of claws, all the commotion Isaac is causing will stir the curiosity of nearby enemies. He’ll have to keep that Plasma Cutter handy.
Apply Stasis To The Claw
The claw on the left-hand side should work simply by activating it. It’s the claw on the right-hand side that will cause some trouble. It just doesn’t seem to stick to the tram the same way the one on the left did. The right-hand claw needs an extra moment to catch, and that newly discovered Stasis power should do the trick. Aim for the spot where the claw connects to the tram before it pulls away, and fire the Stasis ability to complete the puzzle.
With that, Isaac is set to activate the central console and send the tram thundering onwards. This marks the completion of the first part of the opening quest. Next up is finding that Data Board and getting out of there. Fans shouldn’t forget to grab the valuable Node on the wall on the way out, as these are used for gear upgrades.
Step 2: Find That Data Board
The map is particularly useful at this point. The tram Isaac just repaired was at the southeastern portion of the available map. The Data Board is in the northeastern portion.
He’ll have to head back out, apply Stasis to that broken door again, and make his way generally north. A good trick is to press the R3 button, which should provide a little blue line pointing toward the next objective (an invaluable tool throughout this adventure). There is another Node to pick up on the way, which is connecting to a small puzzle involving the first circuit breaker you’ll encounter.
The First Circuit Breaker
The way the circuit breakers work is fairly intuitive. Red means locked, and blue means unlocked. The cabling will trace to the door it’s referring to, and there are a limited number of power cells available to unlock these doors. Unlocking one door will lock the other door. For now, players should power the circuit on the right (turn it blue) and follow it back to a small treasure room to get the second Node.
After that, Isaac must switch it back over to powering the left-hand side and enter the large room to the left of the circuit board. There are quite a few waves of enemies that will occur throughout, so keep your guard up. The Data Board is at the back of the room on the right-hand side, inconveniently hidden behind a locked door.
Unlocking The Door
There is some red cabling coming off of the door, heading upwards onto the second floor. This cabling can be followed upwards using the elevator, which is found on the northernmost wall of the room. Fans can continue following the red cabling to a second circuit breaker, this time with three possible options and two available power cells.
The Second Circuit Breaker
Isaac needs to turn out the lights to both unlock the door and maintain access to the elevator. Quite predictably, this means an onslaught of enemies. Players need to prepare that Plasma Cutter and head back down the elevator to the now-unlocked room, which boasts the long-awaited Data Board.
After picking up the glimmering purple item from the desk, Isaac should have a look around the room to get both a third Node and the ability to use them to upgrade his weapon and armor (via the bench).
Step 3: Install The Data Board
Suitably rewarded for his efforts, Isaac is ready to head back to the central room. The player just needs to backtrack through the main hallway towards the center area of the map. Using R3 to get a handy blue line to lead the way, they can simply install the Data Board to wrap up this opening quest aboard the USG Ishimura.