Stranger Things: The Game combines the characters and universe of the Netflix series with the style of video game that was popular around the time of its early 1980s setting. Much of its inspiration comes from The Legend of Zelda, …
Stranger Things: The Game combines the characters and universe of the Netflix series with the style of video game that was popular around the time of its early 1980s setting. Much of its inspiration comes from The Legend of Zelda, from its puzzle-filled dungeons to its large amount of hidden collectibles scattered about the world.
We’ve already covered the locations of every Heart Piece—and item used to earn Heart Pieces—in the game in our previous guide. This time around, we’ll be detailing the remaining collectible items needed for 100% completion: Eggos, Lawn Gnomes, VHS Tapes, and character upgrades.
Note: there are no missables in Stranger Things: The Game and there is no ‘point of no return.’ You can go back and pick up any items you missed at any time, including after you complete the main story.
We’ve listed the eight Eggos in the game by the number shown in the Collections tab of your item inventory. If you’re missing a particular number, just scroll down to that selection. The first line in quotes is the description of the Eggo given in-game once it’s discovered which can be used as a general hint. After that we explain exactly where it is.
Eggo #1: “Found hidden inside Hawkins Lab.” The boss of Hawkins National Laboratory—the first dungeon in the game—drops Eggo #1 when defeated. This boss requires you to use Lucas to shoot the control panels near the Evil Scientist to open the door to the left or right, use the panel inside this room to shut off the laser, and then attack the Scientist with Hopper.
Eggo #2: “Found in the Forest Maze.” The boss of the Forest Maze drops Eggo #2 when defeated. This battle is essentially a recreation of the Armos Knights fight from A Link to the Past, except you need to use Nancy’s bat instead of bow and arrows. Nancy has to hit each soldier until they drop their shield, then she—or any other character in your party—can attack them like normal. We found it was easiest to focus on one enemy at a time and use Lucas to shoot unshielded enemies as they ran past.
Eggo #3: “Found in the wreckage of a Conspicuous Van.” The Conspicuous Van is the boss you fight after completing the Middle School dungeon and it drops Eggo #3. As you’re pedaling along, warning icons will appear on the right side of the screen, indicating an obstacle is about to appear in that lane. You should stay in—or move to—a lane with a warning icon long enough for the Van to follow, then quickly dodge to a safe lane. The Van is slower to dodge and will be hit by the incoming items, taking damage.
Eggo #4: “Found vacuum sealed in the Sewers.” The boss of the Sewers drops Eggo #4 when defeated. Use Will for the entire battle: hide behind a pillar at the start and then make a break for the water to Will’s right. He’ll be washed to a pipe; enter this pipe to emerge on the other side of the screen, allowing you to attack the Hazmat Gunner from behind. Keep alternating sides and attacking—go back in the pipe as soon as he knocks you back, sneak up on him from the other side, rinse and repeat.
Eggo #5: “Found in the Hawkins Public Library.” The boss of the Public Library drops Eggo #5 when defeated. The Elite Team boss is one of the more difficult ones in the game, simply because it’s a stealth-based challenge and being spotted even once forces you to restart from the beginning of the battle. You need to dispatch every agent in the room—both patrolling and stationary—without being caught in anyone’s sights. The patrolling guards can be lured with Dustin’s pudding into laser beams or onto buttons that will potentially hurt other agents. The stationary blonde guards will not move, even for pudding. Each one is standing in front of an inactive laser beam that you can turn on somewhere in the room. Watch out for the green laser beam nodes on the walls and try not to stand in front of them before you know which buttons do what.
Eggo #6: “Found deep in the Hawkins Lab Bunker.” The boss of the Lab Bunker drops Eggo #6 when defeated. The Tentacle Hydra takes more rounds to kill than the rest of the game’s bosses. We found the easiest way to dispatch it was to focus on one side in particular: choose your side and then keep doing the same steps over and over for each round. We knocked the Upside Down bomb into the tentacles on the left side of the screen, revealing a control panel that turned on the lasers. We then rotated the mirrors via the controls in front of the Hydra, turning the lasers onto its left side and doing one round of damage. After it drops enemies, the tentacles, mirrors, and lasers reset, but you can do the exact same steps every round to finish it off.
Eggo #7: “Found in the refrigerator of the Wheeler’s House.” This one is pretty straightforward: head to the Wheeler house in the southwest part of town. It’s just south of the High School and has a blue roof and brick façade. It’s accessible after you complete the Middle School dungeon. The Eggo is inside the fridge on the first floor.
Eggo #8: “Found hidden inside Bradley’s Big Buy.” Any time after getting Nancy, head to Bradley’s Big Buy Store near the center of the map (just northeast of the Middle School). Walk up past the clerk to the northeast corner of the store. There is a cracked wall Nancy can break; head through this wall into a freezer room with two rats and the Eggo.
Once you have all eight Eggos go to the northern forest, just west of the Sewer. Head to the center (just right of Heart Piece #4 and its bear guardian) where there’s a tree stump entrance. Enter this and you’ll be in a small clearing with a lock box. Interact with the lock box and Eleven will pop out; she’ll then be available as a character permanently, in your current game and all future save files on both difficulties.
Just like the Eggos, Lawn Gnomes are numbered and have a short in-game description. We’ve used both below before detailing the Gnomes’ specific location. (They also have names.)
Gnome #1, David: “David dreams of one day having his own television show.” David is right behind Hooper’s house, which is in the woods northwest of the Middle School. You can reach this Gnome any time after clearing the first dungeon.
Gnome #2, Bumble: “Bumble got lost hunting truffles after a hungry bear chased him away.” Once you have Will, return to the Forest Maze dungeon. Head northeast, then southeast, and you’ll be in a room with a pipe. Enter it to find Bumble.
Gnome #3, Grumble: “Grumble claims to have visited the Veil of Shadows in a nearby stronghold.” Just east of the Hawkins Laboratory, before you reach the Quarry, is a long, narrow path heading south from the road. Grumble is at the very southernmost point on this path.
Gnome #4, Tumble: “Tumble has always been an active, sporty sort.” Tumble is in the forest directly south of the Middle School, although the entrances to the forest are all one street farther south. You need Nancy to break a log to get inside.
Gnome #5, Sam: “Sam never finished school and went back to complete his education.” Sam is inside the Middle School dungeon. From the entrance, head up two rooms and then left. There’s a door with a keycard lock—head left to find a chest with a card to open the door. Break the suitcase to reach the cracked wall, then use Nancy to break through to the other side where Sam awaits.
Gnome #6, Pipsy: “Pipsy’s favorite food is pumpkin pie.” There’s a pumpkin patch and corn maze on the far west side of the map. You can reach this area after you find Will by entering the pipe south of Hooper’s house. Pipsy is near the center of the corn maze, accessible after Nancy breaks a log.
Gnome #7, Tipsy: “Tipsy had too much blackberry brandy and passed out in the woods.” Tipsy is in the woods just west of the entrance to the Sewers, near the bear guarding a green chest. You need Nancy to break a log to reach him.
Gnome #8, Robil: “Keep your eye on Robil, or he’ll steal your sandwich.” Once you have Will in your party, return to Hawkins Laboratory (the first dungeon). From the entrance, head north then east. This room has a pipe; enter it to emerge in a standalone room with Robil.
Gnome #9, Bobil: “Bobil loves strong smelling cheeses, which might explain why he was found down in the sewer.” Once you have Will, return to the first room of the Sewer (the entrance). Take the pipe on the left side of the room to emerge on the right side with Bobil.
Gnome #10, Wigglebum: “Wigglebum loves rainbows and other colorful lights.” Wigglebum is in the Public Library dungeon: from the entrance, head northeast, then southeast (out of the room with Upside Down entrance). You’ll be in a small room with a blonde agent and the Gnome. He’s available on your first pass through the Library when the lights are off, as well as during any return trip.
Gnome #11, Lord Twinklenose: “Lord Twinklenose is just a big homebody.” There’s a house with a blue roof just west of the High School that you can enter. Head inside and to the northwest corner of the house to find Lord Twinklenose.
Gnome #12, Pop: “Pop loves hiking along mountaintops.” Once you have Dustin in your party, head back to Sattler Quarry. Take the south path and head east and up and around. Use Dustin’s pudding to lure the bear away from the cave. Go in the cave and follow it around (past some camo-clad enemies) until you exit next to the Gnome.
The Gnomes are used to open chests in a house belonging to Phil Larsen just west of the High School. It’s a small house with a brown roof and it shares a fence with the High School. There are four chests inside which can be opened once you’ve acquired three, six, nine, and then all twelve Gnomes. The rewards in these chests are upgrades for your characters, which are detailed further below.
Much like the Eggos, the VHS Tapes are numbered and have a brief descriptor when found. We’ve used these along with more detailed descriptions of their locations.
VHS Tape #1: “Found inside Hawkin’s Lab.” After you beat the Evil Scientist boss in Hawkin’s Laboratory, enter the room just right of where the boss fight took place. The first VHS Tape is there.
VHS Tape #2: “Found deep in the Forest Maze.” Tape #2 is in a room to the northwest of the Forest Maze boss room. It requires a keycard to access: there is an extra keycard in the room to the far west of boss room, south of the room where the VHS Tape is located.
VHS Tape #3: “Found in Hawkins Middle School.” After Will joins your party, go back to the Middle School. From the entrance, head north, east, and east again. This room has a pipe in it; enter to find the VHS Tape.
VHS Tape #4: “Found in the Sewers below Hawkins.” After you get Will, return to the center room of the Sewers with the three counterclockwise currents. Enter the room to the northeast (with the sidewalk you land on). Use Nancy to break the wall on the right; head through the next room and into a room with a pipe. Use Will to go through the pipe and then into the room below where the VHS Tape awaits.
VHS Tape #5: “Found in the Hawkins Public Library after escaping the Elite Guards.” After beating the Public Library dungeon, go back into the Library. This is the one dungeon that doesn’t remain ‘complete’ after being finished in Normal mode: during the day it’s slightly different and has items unavailable when the lights were off. Head to the room in the northwest corner where there were previously three agents patrolling in a row. The room just right of this (it’s west of the bathroom but not connected to it) now has the VHS Tape.
VHS Tape #6: “Found in the entrance of the Hawkins Lab Bunker.” This Tape is in the very first room of the Lab Bunker dungeon. You’ll reach this dungeon naturally as you progress through the story and once you have Will and Dustin. You have to pass through this room, so it’s hard to miss.
VHS Tape #7: “Found set aside in Hopper’s House.” You can find this Tape any time after the beginning of the game by returning to Hopper’s house and heading inside, although it’s easiest to pick up after completing the main story.
VHS Tape #8: “Found inside the Arcade.” The Arcade is in the northeast area of the map, between the Hunting & Camping store and the Dump. You’ll end up right in front of it after the Conspicuous Van chase, so that’s a good time to head inside and grab VHS Tape #8. The Tape is in the northeast corner of the Arcade; you need to find your way around the gamers inside to reach it.
Once you’ve collected all eight VHS Tapes, head to the Hawk Theater in downtown Hawkins. Head through the lobby to the northern room with the screening theaters. Enter theater #1 to see a sneak peek trailer for the second season of Stranger Things.
The final category of collectibles features upgrades for your characters which improve their abilities in some fashion. Each character in the game has at least one upgrade available, except for Eleven. Unlike the rest of the collectible items discussed above, upgrades are not numbered or visible before you find them. They just appear in your inventory once acquired, so it’s a bit tougher to figure out which specific one you might be missing. There are nine upgrades total, and we’ve listed them in the order they appear in the inventory once all nine are acquired.
Camo Backpack #1: Give the Lens Filter to Jonathan. The Lens Filter is found in a room on the far eastern edge of the Forest Maze dungeon. There’s an area with a bear and a gauntlet of bear traps and fences that must be navigated to reach a control panel. The Lens is in the room just east of this gauntlet, available after the bear breaks through the log. Jonathan is hanging out in the woods just south of the entrance to the Forest Maze.
The Camo Backpack increases Lucas’s Rock ammo capacity by 25.
Camo Backpack #2: Give the Blue Print for the space laser to Callahan. The Blue Print is found in Hawkins Laboratory: head back there once you have Nancy in your party. Go to the room farthest northeast; there’s a cracked wall on the west side of this room. The Blue Print is in the small room just beyond this wall. Callahan is in the Police Station in downtown Hawkins, west of the Library and south of the Sewer.
The Camo Backpack increases Lucas’s Rock ammo capacity by 25, for a total of 50 extra Rocks when combine with Backpack #1.
Camo Backpack #3: Once you have collected at least three Lawn Gnomes, head to Phil Larsen’s house just west of the High School. The first chest in Phil’s house requires three Gnomes to open. Open it to receive the final Camo Backpack.
With all three Backpacks, Lucas’s maximum ammo capacity is 100.
Aluminum Bat: The Aluminum Bat can be purchased from the Hunting & Camping store on the northeast side of downtown Hawkins for $250. It increases Nancy’s attack damage to 2.
Canadian Tuxedo: The Canadian Tuxedo can be found by opening the garbage can directly behind the Librarian’s house. The Librarian lives in the northern part of Hawkins; you need Will to reach this area via a pipe behind the Florist’s shop or a different pipe just south of the Sewer entrance.
The Tuxedo adds +1 to Hopper’s damage and increases his charge range when at full health.
D-Cell Flashlight: Once you’ve collected at least six Gnomes, head to Phil Larsen’s house just west of the High School. The second chest in Phil’s house requires six Gnomes to open. Open it to receive the D-Cell Flashlight.
The Flashlight doubles the duration of Mike’s stun attack.
Lucky D20: Once you’ve collected at least nine Gnomes, head to Phil Larsen’s house just west of the High School. The third chest in Phil’s house requires nine Gnomes to open. Open it to receive the Lucky D20.
The D20 gives Will a critical strike with 5 damage, although it doesn’t happen on every hit.
Spiked Bat: Give the Nails to Steve. The Nails are in the cemetery on the far west side of the map. To reach the cemetery, you need Will to enter the pipe just south of Hooper’s house. Head south from the exit pipe and then west past Jennifer’s house and north to the cemetery. Walk north through the cemetery and have Nancy break a log at the north exit; the Nails are just beyond this. Take the Nails to Steve on the east side of the map, just west of the Forest Maze.
The Spiked Bat increases Nancy’s damage to 3 (from 2 with the Platinum Bat).
Lunchbox: Once you’ve collected all twelve Gnomes, head to Phil Larsen’s house just west of the High School. The fourth and final chest in Phil’s house requires all twelve Gnomes to open. Open it to receive the Lunchbox.
The Lunchbox increases Dustin’s pudding ammo capacity by 50, for a max of 100.
