Servant of the Lake Soothing the Baby Achievement
Unlock the Servant of the Lake Soothing the Baby hidden achievement by giving the champagne to baby James before William gets to it during the toast.
Grab the champagne bottle as soon as the toast scene starts, then immediately interact with baby James and give it to him before doing anything else — this unlocks the Soothing the Baby hidden achievement, and it has to happen before the scene moves on to William's arrival.
This is a timing-window achievement, and it's genuinely easy to miss: one full playthrough used for cross-referencing this page picked up the champagne bottle but moved straight into the next story beat without trying it on the baby, and missed the achievement entirely — a useful real-world example of exactly how this one slips past players.
Step-by-step
- During the "Opening the Reunion" toast chapter, add wood to the fireplace and light it.
- Interact with Aldous — he'll ask for glasses so he can propose a toast.
- Move right and take the champagne glass from the bottom of the liquor cabinet. The same cabinet also holds a wooden combination box marked "Chateau de Lac Rouille 1753" — that's the same mechanism used in the wine box puzzle, not part of this achievement.
- Before handing the champagne to Aldous, go straight to baby James and use the champagne on him. This unlocks Soothing the Baby immediately.
- Only after that, return and give the glass and the champagne to Aldous to continue the normal toast scene.
Do this before William arrives
If you hand the champagne to Aldous first, or let the scene advance to William showing up, the window closes and you'll need to replay the chapter from your notebook to try again.
Why this is easy to miss
This achievement doesn't reward the "expected" action — bringing the champagne to Aldous, since he's the one who asked for it — over the unexpected one of giving it to a baby instead. That mismatch between the obvious next step and the actual trigger is exactly why a full, otherwise-thorough playthrough can walk right past it without realizing anything was missed.
Frequently asked questions
How do I unlock Soothing the Baby in Servant of the Lake?
Grab the champagne during the toast scene and use it on baby James before handing it to Aldous or letting William arrive.
Is Soothing the Baby easy to miss?
Yes — it requires acting on the champagne bottle immediately instead of following the obvious next step of giving it to Aldous, so it's one of the more commonly missed achievements.
What happens if I give the champagne to Aldous first?
The window to trigger the achievement closes for that playthrough; use the notebook's chapter replay to try again.
See the hidden achievements page for more time-sensitive achievements like this one, or the wine box page for the puzzle in the same cabinet.