Should I play vanilla before the DLC?

[Supermarine]

New player here.

Is the DLC a sort of story continuation after the main events of the game?

Or is this the sort of DLC that adds expansion content that is available from the beginning and makes the game better (like Diablo 2 and LoD)?

[fluffymonster]

New areas will be present in beginning campaigns and can add some new items to the area that could be beneficial, like new types of food, etc. It also adds some of the DLC lizards, too.

[Supermarine]

Originally posted by fluffymonster:

New areas will be present in beginning campaigns and can add some new items to the area that could be beneficial, like new types of food, etc. It also adds some of the DLC lizards, too.

Thanks for your prompt answer :)

So I would assume that it's OK if I buy both together and start playing with the DLC installed from the get-go?

[C1ipper]

In my opinion, starting with the DLC is probably perfectly fine.
I would recommend starting with "Survivor" though, not "Monk", just as a tip for when you start.
The DLC (for Survivor at least) doesn't change much of the game other than (in my opinion) making it even more of what it was; Monk gets more changes to its playthrough from the DLC though, I believe.

[White Rider]

Originally posted by Supermarine:

New player here.

Is the DLC a sort of story continuation after the main events of the game?

Or is this the sort of DLC that adds expansion content that is available from the beginning and makes the game better (like Diablo 2 and LoD)?

Unless you unlock the DLC slugcats through the config settings under the Remix menu, you need to unlock them by playing the original ones anyway.

I would play Survivor first anyway though. The new cats have various different mechanics that require knowledge of things that you'll learn through playing Survivor and you might struggle if you jump straight in to the new ones. The movement mechanics for example are surprisingly EXTREMELY in depth even for Survivor, Monk, and Hunter. Add in the extra abilities from the new ones and you might get overwhelmed.

Whatever you decide to do, just take your time. Enjoy the experience. Rain World is something else. A living ecosystem with a story attached. Have fun.

[RCMidas]

Definitely start by playing Survivor either way. Monk can teach you some bad habits if you start off with him, especially as regards creature hostility, karma gates, and movement. Yes, his available movement options are the same as Survivor, but he is a fraction slower and weaker, and this can throw you off when trying to adjust upwards due to literally every other slugcat being faster and stronger.

Monk is good for a calmer experience once you have gotten a few hours under your belt as Survivor. He also follows Survivor chronologically in the story, so ideally you want to win as Survivor before Monk too. Completing the game as either will unlock your next three slugcat options (or just Hunter without the DLC), which are a step up in difficulty and require decent familiarity with the underlying game system to play well.

[Supermarine]

Thank you a lot for the insightful answers and recommendations. I will definitely take everything into accont for the first playthrough!

[Supermarine]

Downloading as we speak! :)

[RCMidas]

Welcome to the family. Remember, there's no lose condition. So no matter how tough it gets, you won't be seeing a Game Over and you'll lose no actual progress. Take your time, get to grips with the system, ask us if you need tips, and be prepared to hear that even the veterans can suffer a lot of deaths. This is a very tough, but commensurately rewarding, experience. REAL old-school.

[Supermarine]

Originally posted by RCMidas:

Welcome to the family. Remember, there's no lose condition. So no matter how tough it gets, you won't be seeing a Game Over and you'll lose no actual progress. Take your time, get to grips with the system, ask us if you need tips, and be prepared to hear that even the veterans can suffer a lot of deaths. This is a very tough, but commensurately rewarding, experience. REAL old-school.

Sounds fantastic!

[evilboygenius95]

The DLC is like prequel, sequel, side story, ng+, minigame, random ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ stuff all at the same time. But due to the unfair nature of this game, I say you should at least beat Survivor character before trying anything else

[Grimmyboyu]

if u wanna play in canon order spearmaster artificer hunter gourmand survivor monk rivulet saint btw all of the characthers have second endings hunter doesnt i advice do first endings then second endings then move on to the next characther

[+Tumbz]

Originally posted by Grimmy:

if u wanna play in canon order spearmaster artificer hunter gourmand survivor monk rivulet saint btw all of the characthers have second endings hunter doesnt i advice do first endings then second endings then move on to the next characther

I don't think playing the "canon" order is advisable for a first-time player, especially when ther DLC sluggos test stuff that you should learn by experience with the base characters.

Buy the DLC and start with Survivor, the true OG experience that does not change that much with the DLC anyway.

[Supermarine]

As some of you suggested, I decided to start with Survivor, practically blind.

The game is beautiful, but the controls seem a bit finicky to me--guess I need to get accustomed to the various moves and combos. I understand there are many, so far, I only use the two showed at the very beginning: some sort of feline pounce and grab/throw objects.

I believe you can only throw things horizontally? Also, I'm not always able to perform actions after the pounce move; the cat jumps past vines or cables more often than not, instead of grabbing them.

[C1ipper]

Originally posted by Supermarine:

As some of you suggested, I decided to start with Survivor, practically blind.

The game is beautiful, but the controls seem a bit finicky to me--guess I need to get accustomed to the various moves and combos. I understand there are many, so far, I only use the two showed at the very beginning: some sort of feline pounce and grab/throw objects.

I believe you can only throw things horizontally? Also, I'm not always able to perform actions after the pounce move; the cat jumps past vines or cables more often than not, instead of grabbing them.

Most useful items can only be thrown to the sides normally, though there are ways of throwing things into different directions.
You can perform a lot of actions while and after doing a pounce, but the pounce keeps your slugcat in a state of lying down after the pounce, which can obstruct some actions.
Minor movement spoilers: You can stand up while pouncing, allowing you to do basically any midair action in a pounce.
Also, you can force the game to try and grab anything that you can climb by holding the "up" button constantly, just as a tip.
Anyways, I hope that this helps.

[White Rider]

Originally posted by Supermarine:

As some of you suggested, I decided to start with Survivor, practically blind.

The game is beautiful, but the controls seem a bit finicky to me--guess I need to get accustomed to the various moves and combos. I understand there are many, so far, I only use the two showed at the very beginning: some sort of feline pounce and grab/throw objects.

I believe you can only throw things horizontally? Also, I'm not always able to perform actions after the pounce move; the cat jumps past vines or cables more often than not, instead of grabbing them.

Good to hear. I really hope you enjoy the game, and like others have said, do not hesitate to ask questions if you need to. Hell, even feel free to add me if you like and just dm if you want advice without spoilers.

Movement takes a while to get used to and a long time to master. It does feel strange initially as the characters all move procedurally depending on the environment and what you are doing, but eventually it will be second nature.

You can actually throw stuff down towards the ground while performing certain actions.
You can backflip by running in one direction for a moment then turning and immediately jumping. during backflips you can down throw. you can even pin enemies to the floor so they can't move if you time and aim it just right.

There's an EXTENSIVE movement and mechanic repository on the discord that you can looks at, but don't worry too much about the super advanced stuff. 99% is just showing off and isn't needed at all.


You will no doubt be the prey for a solid amount of time. But stick with it a little and you'll start to become the predator.
Maybe even get some buddies... try feeding a lizard some food a few times...


GL man