Tips for Beginners

Begin with a short trip from a known shelter. Locate food nearby, learn the connecting rooms, and return before the rain. The rain is a deadline: it starts at the end of the cycle, and it is deadly. Akupara Games blog, 28 March 2022 Finding a route back to shelter is part of exploring outward, and when the slugcat has eaten enough and the way home is becoming uncertain, exploration can wait for another cycle.

What the slugcat eats and hunts is depleted from the world for future cycles, which forces it deeper into the world in search of food and shelter. Videocult on the PlayStation Blog, 28 March 2017 Food does regenerate, and since patch v1.01 its regeneration also ticks forward when the slugcat dies. Patch v1.01 notes, 6 April 2017

Rain World places the slugcat in an ecosystem of predators and prey, and its predators are eager to sink their teeth into the slugcat or even each other. Official site Creatures exist independently of the player and search the world for food and shelter of their own. Videocult on the PlayStation Blog, 16 January 2017 Observe a dangerous room before entering it and keep an exit in mind. Videocult's Joar Jakobsson describes how a slugcat that stays hidden can watch rival lizards fight over territory until the less dominant one leaves, then choose the right moment to emerge and get past without being eaten. Videocult on the PlayStation Blog, 16 January 2017

Creatures learn as well: if the slugcat behaves aggressively and endangers a creature or its pack, the creature remembers that in later encounters and may become more dangerous or, depending on its personality, run away in fear. Videocult on the PlayStation Blog, 28 March 2017 The slugcat gains no stats or equipment; what lets it overcome obstacles that once seemed impossible is the knowledge the player builds up, such as how other creatures hunt and what prey they prefer. Videocult on the PlayStation Blog, 16 January 2017 Arena's Sandbox mode is meant for experimenting with and learning about creature behavior, using rooms, items and creatures unlocked in the single-player campaign. Update 1.5 announcement, 11 December 2017

Shelters appear on the map as icons once discovered, alongside the karma symbols of gates, and the map keeps its explored areas when the slugcat dies. Patch v1.01 notes, 6 April 2017

Music helps tell whether danger is near, because it grows more intense as the slugcat gets closer to danger. Remix adds a threat music visual pulse of up to five red dots at the bottom of the screen; the more dots appear, the closer the slugcat is to danger. Its Slug Senses option shows creatures near the slugcat on the map, including ones just off screen, though camouflaged creatures and those in darkness or underwater stay hidden. Remix also adds loading-screen tips and extra tutorials for things the game does not otherwise teach, such as how to drop items or how to tell how much time is left in a cycle. Remix announcement, 31 August 2022

The food meter is a bar of food pips that fill as the slugcat eats. Local Co-op Dev Log 2, 20 July 2022 With enough food, head back to a shelter and hibernate there.

Hunter's official description calls for "a steady diet of meat". Update 1.5 announcement, 11 December 2017 Two Steam achievements are described as diet paths, The Monk ("Path of the vegetarian") and The Hunter ("Path of the carnivore"), and neither description says which foods count. Steam achievement list Food and Hibernation covers diets, shelters and starvation in more detail.

Survivor is the first campaign. Local Co-Op Dev Log 1, 19 July 2022 The store page pairs Monk with an easier playstyle and Hunter with a more aggressive one. Steam store page Monk's official description begins "Weak of body but strong of spirit" and promises a significantly more peaceful playthrough. Update 1.5 announcement, 11 December 2017 Its campaign has a higher creature reputation. Local Co-Op Dev Log 1, 19 July 2022 Its karma gates stay unlocked once crossed, and Remix offers many other options that can be toggled to shape a campaign. Remix announcement, 31 August 2022 Note the campaign and settings a route assumes, since a route from one setup may not work in another.

Common Questions explains karma gates, Remix and the expansions, and The Survivor covers the passage of that name.