The Sinking City 2 E.R.C. Crates are locked supply containers found throughout the campaign, and every one requires an E.R.C. Activator Pen before it can be opened. There are 13 E.R.C. Crates in total, spread across four major sections of the game.
Finding all 13 is worth doing for more than the supplies inside. Opening every Emergency Relief Crate during a single playthrough unlocks the Behind Every Crate Man… achievement or trophy.
Activator Pens are consumed when used, and several crates appear before you find the pen needed to open them. That means some backtracking is required.
Here is where to find all 13 The Sinking City 2 E.R.C. Crates and the Activator Pens needed to open them.
| # | Area | E.R.C. Crate location | Activator Pen location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Wake-Up Call | University Registry | Study 1 |
| 2 | The Wake-Up Call | Redemption Church graveyard | Inside Redemption Church |
| 3 | The Wake-Up Call | Printing House Linotype Room | External Storage |
| 4 | The Wake-Up Call | Fire Department upper floor | Building beside Fire Department |
| 5 | A Sight for Sore Eyes | Akeley Hospital Morgue | Prosthetics Lobby WC |
| 6 | A Sight for Sore Eyes | Akeley Hospital Reception | Wireless Room |
| 7 | A Sight for Sore Eyes | General Ward | Nurse Station |
| 8 | Time and Tide | Fish Market Packing Area | Fishing Shop/Ezekiel’s room |
| 9 | Time and Tide | Jewelry Workshop | Locker Room |
| 10 | Time and Tide | Cold Storage | Beside the Frozen Statue |
| 11 | Cold Comfort | Subterranean City upper route | Portal Room |
| 12 | Cold Comfort | Starting cave | Upper Storage route |
| 13 | Cold Comfort | Research camp tent | Gallery |
How Do The Sinking City 2 E.R.C. Crates Work?
Every Emergency Relief Crate is electronically locked.
To open one, you first need an E.R.C. Activator Pen. Once you have a pen, return to an unopened crate and interact with it.
Using the pen opens the crate and consumes the Activator Pen.
There are enough Activator Pens to open all 13 crates, but they are not always positioned directly beside the corresponding container. In several areas you encounter the crate first and find its pen much later.
Because completed sections cannot simply be revisited whenever you want, make sure you have cleared every E.R.C. Crate before progressing beyond an area.
E.R.C. Crate 1 – University Registry
The first of The Sinking City 2 E.R.C. Crates appears during The Wake-Up Call.
After entering the University, head into the Registry. The E.R.C. Crate is found here before you have an Activator Pen.
Continue through the University until you reach Study 1 and speak with Corentin.
An E.R.C. Activator Pen can be collected in the Study 1 area.
Once you have it, backtrack through the safe room and Reading Hall toward the Registry.
Use the pen on the crate to open the first Emergency Relief Crate.
E.R.C. Crate 2 – Redemption Church
The second E.R.C. Crate is found around Redemption Church.
Progress through the church section until you obtain the Star Key from the body outside near the floodgate mechanism.
You also need an Activator Pen.
Enter Redemption Church through the open side window. Shortly after climbing through, check the nearby table for the E.R.C. Activator Pen.
Return outside and find the small stone building in the churchyard.
Use the Star Key to enter.
The E.R.C. Crate is inside.
Use the Activator Pen to open it.
This crate also contains one of Calvin’s inventory upgrades, making it particularly useful to collect early.
E.R.C. Crate 3 – Printing House Linotype Room
The third of The Sinking City 2 E.R.C. Crates is inside the Printing House.
When Calvin enters the Linotype Room, the crate can be found in the room before you have access to its Activator Pen.
Continue through the Printing House until you obtain the A.P.H. Key.
Use the key to enter External Storage.
An E.R.C. Activator Pen is inside the locked area.
Once you have the pen, return to the Linotype Room and open the crate.
This is another especially useful crate because it provides an inventory expansion.
E.R.C. Crate 4 – Fire Department
The final E.R.C. Crate in The Wake-Up Call is inside the Fire Department.
You can find the crate on the upper floor during your first visit, but its Activator Pen cannot be obtained immediately.
Continue the story until you have repaired the crane and moved the whale blocking the water route.
Moving the crane also clears access around the building beside the Fire Department.
Return to this area and enter the newly accessible building.
The Activator Pen can be found upstairs, along the corridor on a small cabinet.
Take the pen back to the Fire Department and open the crate on the upper floor.
Before leaving The Wake-Up Call, you should therefore have opened four E.R.C. Crates.
E.R.C. Crate 5 – Akeley Memorial Hospital Morgue
The next three The Sinking City 2 E.R.C. Crates are inside Akeley Memorial Hospital during A Sight for Sore Eyes.
One crate is found in the Morgue.
Continue through the hospital until you obtain the Nurse’s Face and can progress back toward the Prosthetics Lobby.
Go into the nearby WC.
Check the first cubicle for an E.R.C. Activator Pen.
Once collected, return downstairs to the Morgue.
Use the pen on the E.R.C. Crate there.
E.R.C. Crate 6 – Akeley Memorial Hospital Reception
Another E.R.C. Crate can be spotted very early in the hospital.
It is sitting on a bench in the Reception area.
You cannot open it immediately.
Continue through Akeley Memorial Hospital until you gain access to the Wireless Room.
Inside the Wireless Room, check the desk for an E.R.C. Activator Pen.
Take the pen back downstairs to Reception and use it on the crate.
E.R.C. Crate 7 – Akeley Memorial Hospital General Ward
The third hospital E.R.C. Crate is in the General Ward.
You reach the area after progressing through the upper hospital route and dropping down into the ward.
The crate is visible after entering the area, but once again you need to continue further before you can obtain its pen.
Later in the hospital, after gaining access to the Head Surgeon’s Office, move the large cabinet to reveal an opening into the Nurse Station.
Squeeze through the gap.
An E.R.C. Activator Pen can be found inside.
Return to the General Ward and open the crate.
That completes all three E.R.C. Crates in A Sight for Sore Eyes.
E.R.C. Crate 8 – Fish Market Packing Area
The next set of The Sinking City 2 E.R.C. Crates appears during Time and Tide at the Fish Market.
The first is inside the Packing Area.
You need the Bolt Cutters before you can fully access this section.
Once inside, check the rear section of the Packing Area for the E.R.C. Crate. Be careful while moving through the room because the area contains bear traps.
The Activator Pen is found back around the Fishing Shop, inside Ezekiel’s room.
Collect the pen, then return through the Fish Market to the Packing Area.
Open the crate with the Activator Pen.
E.R.C. Crate 9 – Jewelry Workshop
Another Fish Market crate is found inside the Jewelry Workshop.
Look for the smaller side room connected to the workshop.
The E.R.C. Crate is inside.
The Activator Pen needed for this one can be found in the Locker Room near the East Staircase.
Once you gain access to the Locker Room, check the lockers for the Activator Pen.
Take it with you when you reach the Jewelry Workshop and use it on the crate.
This crate contains another inventory expansion.
E.R.C. Crate 10 – Cold Storage
The final E.R.C. Crate in the Fish Market is located in Cold Storage.
You can find it in a room close to the Frozen Statue.
You will not be able to obtain its Activator Pen until later in the chapter.
Continue progressing through Time and Tide and complete the sequence involving the Red Idol Statue and the Heart of Ice.
Return to the Frozen Statue in Cold Storage.
After using the required item on the statue, an E.R.C. Activator Pen becomes available beside it.
Pick up the pen and return to the nearby Cold Storage crate.
Open it before leaving the Fish Market.
At this stage, you should have opened 10 of the 13 The Sinking City 2 E.R.C. Crates.
E.R.C. Crate 11 – Subterranean City Upper Route
The final three E.R.C. Crates appear during Cold Comfort in the Subterranean City.
Continue through the chapter until you reach the Portal Room.
An E.R.C. Activator Pen can be found toward the back of this area.
Collect it before continuing.
From the Portal Room, go through the door beside the generator and head upstairs.
An E.R.C. Crate can be found along this upper route.
Because you have just collected the Activator Pen, you can open this crate immediately.
E.R.C. Crate 12 – Starting Cave
One of the final crates is actually encountered much earlier in Cold Comfort.
After reaching the snowy area at the beginning of the section, look around the rocky cave route for an E.R.C. Crate.
You will not yet have a pen for it, so remember its location.
Continue deeper into the Subterranean City.
After obtaining the Engraved Pod, check the nearby Upper Storage route for another E.R.C. Activator Pen.
Once you have the pen, backtrack toward the starting cave.
Use it to open the E.R.C. Crate you passed earlier.
Do this before progressing through the final portal sequence.
E.R.C. Crate 13 – Research Camp Tent
The last of The Sinking City 2 E.R.C. Crates is found at the research camp in Cold Comfort.
When you reach the large outdoor area, look for the tent.
The E.R.C. Crate is inside.
Continue through the Subterranean City until you reach the Gallery.
Near the exit from the Gallery is the final E.R.C. Activator Pen.
Collect it before leaving.
Backtrack to the research camp tent and use the Activator Pen on the crate.
If you have opened the previous 12 Emergency Relief Crates during the same playthrough, opening this final crate should unlock the Behind Every Crate Man… achievement or trophy.
How Many E.R.C. Crates Are in The Sinking City 2?
There are 13 E.R.C. Crates in the base game.
They are distributed as follows:
| Section | E.R.C. Crates |
|---|---|
| The Wake-Up Call | 4 |
| A Sight for Sore Eyes | 3 |
| Time and Tide | 3 |
| Cold Comfort | 3 |
| Total | 13 |
There are no E.R.C. Crates to collect during the opening A New Day section.
How Many E.R.C. Activator Pens Are There?
There are enough E.R.C. Activator Pens to open all 13 campaign crates.
Each pen is consumed when used, so one Activator Pen opens one Emergency Relief Crate.
You do not need to match a uniquely numbered pen to a specific crate. What matters is finding enough pens within each section and making sure you have opened every crate before moving on.
Behind Every Crate Man Trophy Requirements
The Behind Every Crate Man… achievement or trophy requires you to:
Unlock every Emergency Relief Crate in one playthrough, excluding DLC.
That means all 13 base-game crates need to be opened during the same run.
Simply discovering a crate is not enough.
You must actually use an Activator Pen and open it.
DLC crates are excluded from the requirement.
Are E.R.C. Crates Missable?
Yes.
The E.R.C. Crates are effectively missable for the Behind Every Crate Man… trophy because the requirement is to open all 13 during a single playthrough.
Several crates also require backtracking after finding an Activator Pen later in the same section.
The easiest way to avoid missing one is to use the section totals:
The Wake-Up Call: 4
A Sight for Sore Eyes: 3
Time and Tide: 3
Cold Comfort: 3
Do not leave a section until every E.R.C. Crate on that list has been opened.
All The Sinking City 2 E.R.C. Crates Checklist
For a quick final check, the 13 E.R.C. Crates are:
- University Registry
- Redemption Church graveyard
- Printing House Linotype Room
- Fire Department
- Akeley Memorial Hospital Morgue
- Akeley Memorial Hospital Reception
- Akeley Memorial Hospital General Ward
- Fish Market Packing Area
- Fish Market Jewelry Workshop
- Fish Market Cold Storage
- Subterranean City upper route
- Cold Comfort starting cave
- Research camp tent
Finding the crates is only half of the job. Each one must be opened with an E.R.C. Activator Pen, and all 13 must be completed in one playthrough if you want the Behind Every Crate Man… trophy.
With those done, there is no need to spend the rest of the game wondering whether a locked Emergency Relief Crate was left behind three hours earlier.
