This is mostly intended for people who have experienced all the events of the game but don't quite get what facts you should have seen by now, or where to find them. With this you should be able to navigate right to whatever piece of information you need to get unstuck and be able to move forward. I also added some tidbits that I thought were neat details.

Each part has the solution you can put in your notebook, and then the relevance of the event you're witnessing. I tried to put each piece of info in a separate spoiler tag so you don't pick up anything you're not ready to know yet.
Because the events all depict deaths, these descriptions of the events may include how someone dies. They do not include names of culprits or victims.
For example, a description might say that the victim is stabbed after fighting with the culprit, but it will not say who those parties actually are. It's generally stuff you see right away when you watch the event, plus places you might want to go back and investigate.

Here's an example of the format with and without any spoiler tags:

John Doe (passenger) was crushed by James Doe (Passenger).
Killed after unsecured cargo was pushed onto him from the upper deck. Can be identified by dialogue in chapter IV. May also accept "crushed by falling cargo".

John Doe (passenger) was crushed by James Doe (passenger).
Killed after unsecured cargo was pushed onto him from the upper deck. Can be identified by dialogue in chapter IV. May also accept "crushed by falling cargo".

This is based off of my own results after playing, so other options for responses are just what I would assume or quickly read from others. I also played the entire game in one night for about 8 hours straight, so this might be missing information or have inaccuracies. If there are, please let me know and I will fix them when I get the chance!

Edit (01/06/2024): Thank you to everyone who gave this guide an award! I didn't think this would help as many people as it apparently did, so this guide was a little rough around the edges. I figured I should do some proofreading, so I've changed some things to further protect spoilers and to improve clarity. I'm also gonna replay the game and see how many fates I can recall off the top of my head after having written all this out a few months ago. Happy new year <3

Edit (04/27/2025): Thank you again to everyone who has rated or given this an award! I am still around to monitor this, but will likely not be updating it any more unless someone notes an error or other issue. I also appreciate anybody who added extra options for fates in the comments! For readers, please note that comments may not have spoilers tagged appropriately. If you're reading them, you might learn something you didn't want to know yet!
Here's to hoping we get something new that's as good as Obra Dinn again in the near future. This is still one of my favorite games, so I'm gonna wait patiently for a spiritual sequel. At the very least, a girl can dream, right?

Samuel Peters (seaman) was crushed by falling cargo.
Was underneath the cargo when it collapsed. Head was crushed.

An unidentified stowaway was crushed inside a falling barrel.
No corpse visible. The game provides this info for you when you view the scene.

Soloman Syed (seaman) succumbed to a tragic illness.
Dies in their hammock due to lung illness.

Renfred Rajub (seaman) succumbed to a tragic illness.
Dies from lung illness (the same that killed the previous victim). Was treated but medicine was not administered in time to save them.

A large cow was slaughtered for its meat.
The game will provide this info when you view the scene. This scene is about giving identifying details for some of the crew present.

Nunzio Pasqua (passenger) was knifed by Edward Nichols (second mate).
Killed after investigating the noise made by the culprit as they attempted to break into the cargo hold.

Hok-Seng Lan (passenger) was shot with a gun by Henry Brennan.
Executed by firing squad for the death of the previous victim. Three bullets miss the victim; if you follow the smoke trails of the shots, you will see that only the culprit’s bullet lands.

Timothy Butement (topman) was shot with a gun by Edward Nichols (second mate).
Shot trying to defend the hostage from the culprit. The culprit here is stealing something other than the hostage from the ship; they will flee in row boats with accomplices in an attempt to escape. This context is important to understand the next chapter’s events.

Li Hong (topman) was speared by a terrible beast.
The culprit spears the victim in the attack. Other causes of death, such as spiked, may be accepted as long as the culprit is correctly identified.

Patrick O’Hagan (seaman) was speared by a terrible beast.
Next to die in the attack. Can be identified from the following victim’s dialogue.

Samuel Galligan (2nd mate’s steward) was knifed by It-Beng Sia (passenger).
The culprit stabs the victim in order to get to the treasure chest, which contains magic that repels the attackers. They are not killed by the attacking group.

Bun-Lan Lim (passenger) was clawed by a terrible beast.
Victim is killed by attackers just before they're forced to retreat. I personally thought the culprit took a bite out of the victim's neck, but that answer is not accepted.

It-Beng Sia (passenger) burned to death.
When the victim opens the chest, the magic melts their arm off (which eventually kills them). It can be hard to see what the actual cause of death is; look at the coloration of the chest and then the corpse. This is confirmed by a similar event in another chapter.

Edward Nichols (second mate) was shot with a gun by Chioh Tan (passenger).
If you look at your crew log, you may notice that the culprit is the last surviving passenger from their country. You can either assume the victim was killed as revenge for the deaths of the culprit's countrymen, or you can assume it was to prevent the treasure chest from boarding again. It's left vague/up to interpretation.

Aleksei Toporov (seaman) was drowned by a terrible beast.
Disappears by the time the Obra Dinn reaches the small boats. This death is ambiguous, so causes like falling overboard may also be accepted.

Alarcus Nikishin (seaman) was drowned by a terrible beast.
Disappears by the time the Obra Dinn reaches the small boats. This death is ambiguous, so causes like falling overboard may also be accepted.

Chioh Tan (passenger) was spiked by a terrible beast.
One of the captured beasts launches a spike that tears through both victims on this page. “Spiked” and “speared” are interchangeable here.

Hamadou Diom (seaman) was spiked by a terrible beast.
One of the captured beasts launches a spike that tears through both victims on this page. “Spiked” and “speared” are interchangeable here.

Thomas Sefton (cook) was struck dead by a beast’s tail.
The victim attempts to take a shell that the captured beast is holding. It reacts by hitting the victim with its tail. This death is the direct cause of the following one.

William Wasim (seaman) was crushed by falling cargo.
When the previous death occurs, the crew carrying the beast lose their balance and drop the cargo down the stairs. The victim gets caught between it and the wall.

John Naples (seaman) was killed with a sword by Fillip Dahl (captain’s steward).
The culprit attacks the victim in an attempt to prevent the beast from being locked in the cargo hold. They are concerned about the beasts bringing a curse aboard the ship. The culprit is locked away in the same room as the beasts to keep others safe from another “fit of insanity”. “Torn apart” may be used instead of “killed with a sword” (due to presumed blood loss from the leg being torn off).

Huang Li (topman) was electrocuted.
Struck by lightning from a sudden storm. The body is dropped from the rigging down onto the main deck.

Nicholas Botterill (topman) was speared by a terrible beast.
Killed as the beasts board the ship. A character in the following scene identifies this victim. “Spiked” may also be accepted.

Marcus Gibbs (carpenter’s mate) was spiked by a terrible beast.
Dies trying to protect his comrades. Note that a superior officer tells the victim that "Nick" has already been killed by the beasts (and as such can be listed as a victim sometime before this event). “Speared” may also be accepted.

James Wallace (surgeon’s mate) was decapitated by a terrible beast.
Dies in the attack.

Jie Zhang (topman) was decapitated by a terrible beast.
Dies in the attack.

Charles Hershtik (midshipman) was speared by a terrible beast.
Victim lights the beast on fire and holds it down, killing them both in the process. The actual cause of death is ambiguous because you can't really tell whether the beast or the fire kills him first, so “speared”, “spiked”, and “burned” should all work.

Emil O’Farrell (butcher) was speared by a terrible beast.
Pinned to the wall with spikes by the monster. Dialogue indicates that they bleed out when removed from the wall. Can be identified by the event where the cow is slaughtered. “Spiked” may also be accepted.

Zungi Sathi (ship’s steward) was shot with a gun by Charles Miner (bosun’s mate).
Pay attention to what the actual moment of death is. You may have noticed from earlier scenes that they were hit by a spike and crawled away, but they don't die until the culprit fires at the attackers. The spike isn’t what gets them in the end.

Winston Smith (carpenter) was spiked by a terrible beast.
Skewered by the final beast as it died. “Speared” may also be accepted.

Lars Linde (seaman) was clubbed by Nathan Peters (seaman).
The culprit blames the victim for the first death aboard the Obra Dinn and kills in retaliation. This occurs while the culprit and some others are attempting to flee on a row boat. The culprit tells you the victim’s nationality, and can be identified by how he describes his relationship to the first death (if you've figured out the identity of the first victim).
A hint for later: when you see the corpse, there are others (besides the culprit) hovering over his body. They haven't actually escaped before the rest of the chapter plays out!

Edward Spratt (artist) was crushed by a terrible beast.
Killed while using the bathroom on the bow of the gun deck. You can actually identify this person before having ever seen a memory. I did it on accident before figuring out how to actually play the game. Try comparing the name roster with the sketch; there's someone who has a good reason for not having their face in any of the drawings. You may also answer that they were drowned by the beast.

Abraham Akbar (seaman) was crushed by a terrible beast.
The monster grabs both the victim and the cannon they were firing through the porthole. Notice that the fuse is already lit at the moment of death!

Christian Wolff (gunner) was blasted with a cannon by Abraham Akbar (seaman).
Killed when the previous victim’s cannon fires into the gun deck. The previous victim can be considered the culprit because they lit the fuse of the cannon before perishing. You can also answer that the victim is shot by the beast, since the beast is the one to aim the cannon after it's been lit.

George Shirley (seaman) was blasted with a cannon by Abraham Akbar (seaman).
Killed when the previous victim’s cannon fires into the gun deck. His body is launched off of the boat, so you may also answer that he fell overboard. You can also answer that the victim is shot by the beast, since the beast is the one to aim the cannon after it's been lit.

Roderick Anderson (3rd mate’s steward) was crushed by a loose cannon.
A cannon rolls into a wall as the boat rocks, crushing the victim between the two.

Peter Milroy (midshipman) was blasted by an explosion.
Picked up by the beast while trying to get gunpowder to other crew members. The gunpowder lights and explodes. There’s a crewmate that tries to pull them away from the beast with a rope before the powder lights; this is referenced in a death in chapter IX and can help you identify this victim.

Maba (topman) was torn apart by a terrible beast.
Self-explanatory. Ouch. While you’re here, look closely behind the beast, out towards the sky. You might notice three people falling through the air. You can’t zoom in enough to see their faces, but you can deduce who they are from the small boat falling next to them. We saw three men get into a rowboat recently; figure out who they are from that scene, and you'll know who they must be. Their fates are all the same, so you don't actually need to figure out who is who.

Abigail Hoscut Witterel (passenger) was crushed by a terrible beast.
Victim runs out onto the main deck searching for her husband and is killed when the beast brings down some of the rigging onto her head. The victim identifies a “Martin” in this scene.
You can look in the opposite direction of the beast to spot someone falling overboard. They should be close enough to see characteristics of the face, even if you can’t zoom enough to bring them up on the artist sketches. He's the only disappeared soul of this chapter with a certain physical trait. You can also see three more disappeared souls being pulled overboard by the beast. There’s one disappeared soul fate that you cannot see or figure out for now; even if you don't know all the names yet, you can match most of the faces to a fate.
May also accept that the victim was crushed by falling rigging.

Omid Gul (topman) fell overboard to his death.
Can be seen opposite from the beast in part 8. May also accept "drowned by a terrible beast".

Nathan Peters (seaman) fell overboard to his death.
One of the three who attempted to leave on a small boat. Can be seen falling in part 7. May also accept "drowned by a terrible beast".

Alexander Booth (seaman) fell overboard to his death.
One of the three who attempted to leave on a small boat. Can be seen falling in part 7. May also accept "drowned by a terrible beast".

Duncan McKay (purser) fell overboard to his death.
One of the three who attempted to leave on a small boat. Can be seen falling in part 7. May also accept "drowned by a terrible beast".

Wei Lee (topman) was drowned by a terrible beast.
Can be seen being held in the air by a tentacle in part 8. May also accept "torn apart".

Finley Dalton (helmsmen) was drowned by a terrible beast.
Can be seen dangling above you in part 8. May also accept "torn apart".

Charles Miner (bosun's mate)was torn apart by a terrible beast.
Disappears after part 8. Dialogue in chapter IV indicates his fate.

Warning! You cannot complete this chapter unless you have correctly identified the rest of the fates on the Obra Dinn. The game will notify you when “there is nothing left to do on the Obra Dinn”. I’m mostly just including this section for story explanation purposes. If you haven’t at least viewed the events for yourself, do that first and then come back to this section!

Fillip Dahl (captain’s steward) burned to death.
Remember what happened when the treasure chest was opened in chapter IV? If you were confused by what happened then, the victim’s dialogue tells you here: “quicksilver!”. Mercury doesn’t actually burn you like that, but I guess the implication is along the lines of a chemical burn. I ended up guessing correctly for those two victims just because it looked sort of like the chest spit out fire magic or something.

An unholy creature’s defiant shrieks were greeted with a fatal bullet.
The captain has realized the beast attacking the upper decks was drawn in by the ones locked in the cargo hold, and attempts to threaten them to send it away. He shoots the first caged beast.
For reference, this chapter is occurring simultaneously (or at least very nearly) with chapter VII. If you were wondering where the hell all these people were in that chapter, they're down in the cargo hold. Not dead (yet).

A captured beast fought against its jailer and was speared for the trouble.
The captain has realized the attacking beast was drawn in by the ones locked in the cargo hold, and attempts to threaten them to send it away. This succeeds after the second beast is stabbed.

Martin Perrott (third mate) was spiked by a terrible beast.
The victim and two others attempt to set the third beast free in hopes it will take mercy on the remaining crew. When it is released, it spikes the victim. The victim still returns its stolen shell (from the treasure chest), and in return asks it to ensure the Obra Dinn returns home. This is implied to be the reason why the ship itself makes it back to you for inspection, after all the fates have been sealed. They probably should've asked for the ship to make it back with the remaining survivors.

A friendly but not entirely pleasant monkey companion was sacrificed in the pursuit of knowledge.
The surgeon tricks his monkey into entering the empty hold and shoots it. By killing it and taking a piece, he creates a path for someone using the death compass to see what happened in the chamber. This is why he mailed you a monkey's paw after successfully completing the rest of the entries; it was your path into the hidden room. In some previous scenes, you can see the monkey sitting on the surgeon’s shoulder.

Alfred Klestil (bosun) was torn apart by a terrible beast.
The victim was present on the main deck during the attack and is now missing an arm. You can assume it was forcibly removed. The dialogue tells you what happened to the victim’s mate in the attack (who disappears between the last memory of the attack and this scene).

Paul Moss (1st mate’s steward) was killed with a sword by Leonid Volkov (topman).
The victim is killed while trying to help some others escape on the last small boat. The dialogue tells you their name.

Leonid Volkov (topman) was shot with a gun by Emily Jackson (passenger).
This victim is the culprit of the previous murder; if you know one, you can fill in the other.
You will need to identify this culprit from the two remaining women on the ship. “Miss” as a title means a woman isn’t married, so try to see which one is the married woman. You may want to revisit other scenes including them to investigate this. There's also only the two of them, so if you really can't find what you're looking for, fill in some other fates you know are right and then guess. If you're right, the game should hopefully lock in your responses and let you know which one is right.

Olus Wiatrr (gunner’s mate) was shot with a gun by John Davies (fourth mate).
The victim is shot after attacking a crewmate with a knife for trying to report mutiny. The culprit kills the victim to try and save the fleeing crewmate.

John Davies (fourth mate) was clubbed by Henry Brennan (seaman).
The culprit finds the victim immediately after the previous memory and strikes them dead in retaliation.

Thomas Lanke (midshipman) was knifed by Olus Wiater (gunner’s mate).
The victim is the crewmate that was stabbed in the fourth memory of this chapter. He crawls away before bleeding out.
They mention having tried to pull a friend named Pete to safety just before Pete was killed; this is a reference to the victim who exploded in chapter IIX.

Emily Jackson (passenger), Miss Jane Bird (passenger), Davey James (4th mate’s steward), and Henry Evans (surgeon) are all alive in Africa.
These are the four who escaped the Obra Dinn on the last small boat. You can determine where they went from the map on the title page of chapter IX. They can’t get very far in a little boat without supplies, so where's the closest place could they have gone?

William Hoscut (first mate) was shot with a gun by Captain Robert Witterel.
The victim and two remaining passengers attempt to overtake the captain and steer the boat to shore. They want to sell anything they can and get away from the Obra Dinn. The victim is shot when they attempt to storm the captain’s quarters.

Henry Brennan (seaman) was knifed by Captain Robert Witterel.
This victim makes it a little further than the last, but has their throat slashed in the fight that ensues. The victim can actually still be heard gurgling in the next scene. Kinda gross, but nice detail.

Lewis Walker (topman) was clubbed by Captain Robert Witterel.
While the previous two victims storm the cabin from the front, this victim climbs around to the back and attempts to knife the culprit. They land a hit but are quickly killed before they can overtake the culprit.

Captain Robert Witterel shot himself.
The final soul on the Obra Dinn. He laments to his dead wife, whose remains lay in the captain's quarters, about what he has done. He identifies the man he has shot as her brother, which means the last name of the man he shot should match her maiden (middle) name. He asks for her forgiveness and promptly blasts a hole in his abdomen with the gun.