Recruit
(From now on, the enemies we SPARE...)
(Will be RECRUITED to our town.)
(So let's keep SPARING enemies, okay?)Ralsei, Chapter 2
Recruits (JP: なかま) is a game mechanic introduced in Chapter 2. If the party can SPARE enough Darkners of the same type, they are RECRUITed into Castle Town. This also causes new activities to be available in Castle Town.[1] RECRUITed Darkners can transfer to the next Chapter via Completion FILE.
RECRUITing only works on standard enemies, not bosses. Each Darkner has their own unique recruitment tally, which must be fulfilled for that type of Darkner to be RECRUITed. At the end of a Chapter, there is a way to verify if all Darkners were RECRUITed:[2]
- Chapter 2: Trashy appears at the last staircase at Queen's Mansion's highest floor. If all were RECRUITed, he is absent.
- Chapter 3: The employee list on Green Room's right side, before the door leading to Cold Place.
- Chapter 4: The blue judgment bell in the 3rd Sanctuary, located at the Stairs, past the pink piano chase sequence.
- Chapter 5: The 'RSVP' menu at Green's Shop located at Top of Castle.
Additionally, certain Darkners may also be RECRUITed outside of encounters via other methods, though they do not appear on the RECRUIT list.
If the party defeats an enemy via FIGHTing, that enemy becomes LOST, even if they had already been RECRUITed. A LOST enemy cannot be RECRUITed. Battles in the Party Dojo do not affect recruitment, so enemies can be defeated violently without becoming LOST.
Defeating enemies violently also permanently increases the party's stats to an extent; specifically, their HP, Attack, and Magic.[3]
At the start of Chapter 2, all Chapter 1 enemies are RECRUITed by default, as Chapter 1 does not have the RECRUITing mechanic. Lancer mentions that he used his authority to pardon the party's crimes if the party defeated enemies via FIGHTing.[4][note 1]
RECRUITed enemies appear around Castle Town. Some characters in Castle Town comment on the absence of particular enemies; for example, Swatch comments on the absence of the Swatchlings.
Recruitment progress can be viewed at SAVE points. The RECRUITs menu displays the number of RECRUITed enemies and how many more enemies should be spared for that enemy type to be RECRUITed, for all enemies for which at least one individual has been RECRUITed. Additionally, the recruitment counter is also displayed upon sparing enemies when that type of enemy has not been fully RECRUITed yet. This menu is not accessible on the Weird Route; however, it is re-enabled after sparing an enemy in Queen's Mansion.
The RECRUIT menu displays profiles of each RECRUITed enemy: their name, a brief description, their level, Attack, Defense, Element, Likes, and Dislikes. Chapter 5 adds a Wish category below Dislikes. There is a slot below Wish left empty, presumably to be used in future Chapters.
In the Cafe, a RECRUIT can be placed at tables, where the party can talk with them about the drinks they like. There are three tables around which RECRUITs can be given a seat, and the pair around the southern table are implied to be sharing it. Tasque Manager is the only recruit who cannot be placed at a table, as she is a unique miniboss and is already present elsewhere at the Cafe.
If the party has not RECRUITed all of the possible enemies in the Cyber World, but also has not LOST any enemies, Trashy appears near the end of Queen's Mansion. Trashy reminds the party that they are near the end, and should check to make sure they have RECRUITed all possible enemies.
When assembling the Thrash Machine mecha before the GIGA Queen battle, only RECRUITed enemies contribute to its formation. Mauswheel, Werewire, and Werewerewire do not appear (although Maus and Plugboy do), but still contribute towards the Thrash Machine's HP. Each RECRUITed enemy contributes 5 HP to the total HP of the Thrash Machine (from a base of 200), up to a maximum of 250. (The Hacker and Starwalker also contribute 5 HP each to the Thrash Machine's maximum HP if their respective recruitment requirements have been met, so it is not necessary to recruit all 10 Cyber World enemies in order to achieve its maximum HP.)
If the party does not recruit all of the possible enemies in the Cyber World, Nubert does not come to Castle Town, which Queen notices in her dialogue upon arrival. Additionally, King berates the party for the people they left behind, and the Castle Town basement scene with King and Queen does not occur. (However, due to a bug, Mauswheel is not required for the party to be considered to have RECRUITed all possible enemies.[5][6]) If the party has RECRUITed no enemies, Queen sadly remarks that the town is very empty, and no longer speaks in the nonchalant tone she usually does.
If all enemies (except Mauswheel) have been RECRUITed, Sweet Cap'n Cakes's Music Room is open, and the Party Dojo's "Ch2 All Stars" is available.
If at least 9 enemies have been RECRUITed, Seam sells CD Bagels instead of Dark Candy. However, due to Dark Candies being replaced with Darker Candies in Chapter 4, this also means that Seam begins to sell the more powerful Darker Candy in Chapter 4 only if fewer than 9 enemies have been RECRUITed in Chapter 2.
If Tasque Manager is not RECRUITed, but if there are still Chapter 2 RECRUITs, the animals in town become 'feral' and begin to circle the alley near the Great Door. The Bloxer in this alley has unique dialogue commenting on this.
If Zapper is lost, the spotlight between TV World and the Green Room is removed,[7] consequently preventing one from obtaining the Chapter's Egg unless TripTicket was acquired beforehand.
In the Green Room at the end of the Chapter, there is a staff list that mentions if all enemies in TV World have been RECRUITed or not, or if anyone is hurt, meaning they have been LOST.
If Shadowguy and Pippins are RECRUITed and no other enemies are LOST, they help fix Tenna between Chapters and he appears in Castle Town until given away.
If Shadowguy, Pippins, and Zapper are RECRUITed, Mike's room becomes available. A Maus is present there even if it was LOST in Chapter 2.
If all enemies before Chapter 4 are RECRUITed, Castle Funk plays in Castle Town, Sweet Cap'n Cakes and Nubert can be found in town, and there are other small dialogue changes.
In the Dark Sanctuary, if the OldMan ACT is used twice in a fight against two Guei enemies, the Old Man RECRUITs them to his side, with a unique message in green text saying "RECRUITED BY OLDMAN". Neither Guei counts towards the party's RECRUITs, and instead appear as NPCs in the Old Man's Study.
Midway through the 3rd Sanctuary, there is a judgment bell. Ringing this bell tells the party if they have been nice (nobody is LOST) but have not RECRUITed everyone possible, or if they got everyone.
In the cutscene where Jackenstein helps the party climb to reach the Knight, if no enemies from the Dark Sanctuaries have been LOST,[note 2] the RECRUITs (and Cuptains) build a tower saving Jackenstein from falling after the Knight's attack. Backtracking to the base of the tower later shows the stack of RECRUITs.
In chapter 5 the "Wish" stat is unlocked.
Enemies that are RECRUITed in the Flower Kingdom appear in the Flower Castle's Café.
In Green's shop at Top of Castle, the shop presents a "RSVP" list, which will let the player know whether they have recruited everyone.
If no enemies were LOST, the party is able to chat with Green in their café.
During Flowery's fight, some of the enemies that are RECRUITed will appear in some of the ACTs:
- Shi and/or Shinobeetle will appear during the PoseyX ACT.
- Floradinn and/or Leafling will appear during the BlowAwayX ACT.
- Kawkaw will appear on both previously mentioned ACTs.
In the following tables, "Number" refers to the number of a particular enemy that must be spared in order to recruit them.
All Chapter 1 recruits are automatically recruited, regardless of the party's behavior in Chapter 1 or whether a Save File continued from Chapter 1. The only one of these recruits that can be lost is Rabbik in chapter 3.
| Recruit | Number | Description | Like | Dislike | Wish | Level | Attack | Defense | Element |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rudinn |
N/A | Said to be someone's best friend, but maybe not. Shine on, you lazy diamond! | Shiny Things | Effort | Prefers gold | 2 | 4 | 5 | Jewel |
Hathy |
N/A | A heart with a big heart. Always supporting others with her bullets. | Lip Gloss | Drama | Wants to try wig | 2 | 4 | 5 | Heart |
Ponman |
N/A | A simple organism that takes life one square at a time. | Sleeping | Moving Backwards | Loam > Soil | 3 | 4 | 5 | Order |
Rabbick |
N/A | A real dust bunny. Known to play dirty, but loves to play clean. | Dusty Places | Vacuum | Likes being bigger | 4 | 4 | 5 | Rabbit:Dust |
Bloxer |
N/A | A shape changing fighter. Ironically, blocking is not its forte. | Cross-Trainers | Formal Shoewear | Other new parts | 4 | 4 | 5 | Fight |
Jigsawry |
N/A | It cries tears of joy that you are its boss. | Fitting In | Susie's Ax | Being corner | 1 | 4 | 5 | Mouse:Puzz |
Rudinn Ranger |
N/A | Obsessed with ranger shows, it lets everyone know it's better than Rudinn. | Sucking Up | Show Getting Taped Over | Told "good job" | 5 | 4 | 5 | Jewel:Blade |
Head Hathy |
N/A | Although stronger than Hathy, seems to have fewer friends. | Peace And Quiet | Being Alone | Find someone | 5 | 5 | 5 | Heart:Ice |
| Recruit | Number | Description | Like | Dislike | Wish | Level | Attack | Defense | Element |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ambyu-Lance |
4 | An aggressive antivirus. It's not down with the sickness. | Loud Sirens | Funny Sound Effects | The cure? Anyone? | 8 | 8 | 8 | Order:Elec |
Poppup |
3 | Known to say ASOBOH, which means "Let's Play!" ... does it know that? | LEEMO FRUIT | ADBLOCK | Celebrate birthday | 8 | 9 | 3 | Virus |
Tasque |
5 | This cat loves you! | Cat Food | Cat Food | Unlosable toy | 7 | 8 | 6 | Cat:Elec |
Werewire |
6 | It was controlled by Queen. But, it's stronger and cooler now, so? | Shock Therapy | Emotional Therapy | Cordless phone | 7 | 8 | 7 | Elec |
Maus |
3 | It dreams of re-enacting scenes from cat and mouse cartoons. | Clicking | Clicking On Poppup | Micheal | 6 | 8 | 2 | Mouse:Elec |
Virovirokun |
4 | A virus with a slightly criminal streak... and a heart of gold. | Retro Games | Federal Justice System | World peace? Anyone? | 7 | 8 | 6 | Virus |
Swatchling |
5 | Colorful and dandy, you can always count on him to work hard. | Paint By Numbers | Mixed Messages | Bunny vacation | 9 | 9 | 9 | Color |
Werewerewire |
1 | It absorbed the wire with fighting spirit. Gets flustered easily. | Supercharged Fighting | Interpersonal Relationships | Heaven piercing drill | 14 | 11 | 11 | Elec:Fight |
Tasque Manager |
1 | Loves to coordinate outfits. Strongly dislikes clowns. | New Wave Synth Pop | Mismatched Socks | Secret <3 | 10 | 10 | 7 | Cat:Order |
Mauswheel |
1 | You recruited 3 big mice and you're stuck with it. | Pretending To Be A Tire | Losing Momentum | Race course | 13 | 10 | 11 | Mouse:Mouse:Mouse |
| Recruit | Number | Description | Like | Dislike | Wish | Level | Attack | Defense | Element |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shadowguy |
25 | Passionate about music, but often taken advantage of by sinister types. | Creative | Business | Lead solo vocal | 18 | 13 | 13 | Chaos:Music |
Shuttah |
2 | Don't scream...! It's not the real monster, just the Darkner. Ooo la la. | Fashion Shoot | The word "ugly" | Remember those days | 20 | 14 | 20 | Copy |
Zapper |
2 | A bouncer that favors brute force over beauty. Gets lost easily. | Laser Tag | Buttons Pushed | De-bongo buttons | 19 | 16 | 18 | Order:Elec |
Ribbick |
3 | A real dust... frog. Known to play dirty, but loves to play... dirty. | Dusty Places | Imposter | Replace Rabbick | 16 | 15 | 12 | Frog:Dust |
Watercooler |
2 | The chatty office star. Obviously quite a looker despite her prudish wear. | Small talk | Feeling contained | Be less intimidating | 24 | 20 | 12 | Water |
Pippins |
5 | A sly customer that takes risk until luck strikes. ... cheating also works. | Gacha Game | Consequences | Secret <3 (Pay 500 points) | 17 | 14 | 10 | Chaos:Luck |
Elnina |
1[note 3] | The weather girl who really "makes it rain." Like... with water, though. | Lanino | Being Alone | Lanino less jealous | 22 | 21 | 22 | Water:Ice |
Lanino |
1[note 3] | A charming weatherman who can control the weather. Which, seems like cheating. | Elnina | Being Alone | Elnina less jealous | 22 | 22 | 21 | Fire:Wind |
| Recruit | Number | Description | Like | Dislike | Wish | Level | Attack | Defense | Element |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Guei |
3 | A waxy spirit that generates ghastly flames. Though, not a "real" ghost per se, it has an aversion to whips, water, and the like. | Pot Roast | Holywater | Hot wax treatment | 26 | 20 | 14 | Spirit:Fire |
Balthizard |
5 | An ancient aromancer, it generates magic incense and stores it in its steel shell. Easygoing, it gets along well with Guei. | Scent Candle | Spinning fast | Turbo boosters | 28 | 14 | 30 | Steel:Smell |
Bibliox |
3 | An old sage who can't help but mumble. It is rumored that 1000 spells are kept within his beard. | Ancient Text | Autocorrect | Glasses. And eyes | 20 | 14 | 14 | Magic |
Mizzle |
2 | The aqua fairy which slumbers in the "Water Cooler". Arbitrarily does fairy-like or princess-like things (as she pleases). | Bath bombs | Alarm clock | A real knight | 31 | 21 | 21 | Water |
Wicabel |
2 | A witch who engages in musical rituals. Each song she plays is a magical charm that can change one's mood... though, isn't that all music? | Zen Bells | Sightreading | Eternal cacophony | 33 | 14 | 28 | Steel:Music |
Winglade |
2 | The witch's familiar, a living sword. Its greatest delight is being asked to carve graffiti. | Calligraphy | Authoritarianism | Art school | 32 | 28 | 12 | Blade |
Organikk |
3 | A philosopher who studies the ancient words. Their light-blocking mask is said to let them commune deeper with the truth of the dark. | Instrumentalism | Knowing what that is | Bear witness | 32 | 26 | 22 | Steel:Music |
Miss Mizzle |
1 | A regular "Mizzle" who, after ages of worship, falsely believes herself to be of great royalty. Isn't even "HOLY" elemental. | Reverence | Brutishness | Alter description | 38 | 28 | 28 | Water |
| Recruit | Number | Description | Like | Dislike | Wish | Level | Attack | Defense | Element |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Floradinn |
2 | Looks like Rudinn, but stronger and better, it thinks it's a flower and probably so does everyone else. Idolizes Flowery and Green. | Flowers | Other... things? | Flowery Bromide | 36 | 34 | 32 | Plant |
Leafling |
2 | It blows carefree in the wind... Until the wind stops blowing. Idolizes Aqua. | Windboarding | Job application | Unemployment check | 40 | 37 | 12 | Plant:Wind |
Shi |
4 | An immobile scarecrow who yells out the names of his special super hero attacks. He believes they are famous, but only Kawkaw is a fan. Idolizes Yellow and Orange. | Showing his moves | Kikky & Kawkaw | Stop pesticide use | 44 | 40 | 36 | Scythe |
Shinobeetle |
3 | Seth's disciple. Instructed by Seth to be a master of Ninjutsu, but... watching Seth, just became a nerd. | Train photos | Being in train | 60's rock re-release | 46 | 42 | 37 | Bug:Wind |
Kawkaw |
2 | A conical crow which lives in the ground. Disturbs Shi's crops, only because it wants to play with him. | Nyon! | Nyon... | World nyon | 43 | 36 | 38 | Earth |
Sheary |
2 | A familiar dancer with sharp legs. Only fights when provoked. Idolizes Blue. | Making dollies | Language | Ballroom dance | 41 | 44 | 30 | Scythe |
Netskie |
1 | A tricky fox..? Supposed to watch Orange, but Orange doesn't like Netskies. Gets along with Aqua. | Kinoota | Ill-fitting hat | (Animated image of tail swishing) | 48 | 42 | 42 | Animal? |
Terakota |
1 | An ancient armor that lives to protect nature. Fears Green as some kind of nature spirit. | Floradinn | Pointless combat | Nature Preserve | 47 | 38 | 46 | Plant:Earth |
| Recruit | Number | Description | Like | Dislike | Wish | Level | Attack | Defense | Element |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jevil |
N/A | An agent of CHAOS, he became the DEVILSKNIFE to the pocket. | CHAOS | BOREDOM | N/A | ??? | 10 | 5 | Chaos:Chaos |
Some characters are automatically brought to Castle Town, as part of the story. This list excludes the ones that are on the RECRUITs list.
- Lancer
- King
- Top Chef
- C. Round
- Jigsaw Joe
- Rouxls Kaard
- TP Master
(Battle's Master) - Seam
- Mr. Elegance
- Mr. Society
- Pippins[note 4]
- Clover
- Royal Coat Rack
- Ball
- B Blockler
- Malius
- Worm
- Goulden Sam
- Former Kings
- Cage Animals
If the FreezeRing is equipped onto a character or remains in the inventory, the Addisons do not show up in Castle Town in Chapter 4. If the party sells it, they reappear. A blue Addison still appears in Castle Town at the end of Chapter 2.
- Suilver Sam
- Goulden Son
- Cuptain
- Wafer
Some non-enemy NPCs can appear in Castle Town under unique conditions. However, they do not appear on the RECRUITs list.
- Starwalker: Appears if the party backtracks after ringing the bell and speaks to Starwalker on the other side of the path.
- Starwalker
- Hacker: Appears if all three of his blue checkmarks were collected and brought to him, which can be found in the rhythm crossroads and teacup trio areas in Cyber Field.
- Nubert: Appears if all enemies were RECRUITed in Chapter 2.
- Electro-Dasher: Appears near the Great Door at the end of Chapter 2 if fewer than three cars were hit during the Cyber City driving segment, and no "lost animals" are present[8] (whether because Tasque Manager was RECRUITed or neither Tasque, nor Popup, nor Maus were[9]).
- Hacker
- Nubert
- Electro-Dasher (miniature)
- Tenna: Appears if he was repaired and his Light World TV form was not given to the nobody in the Blook house. Unlike other hidden RECRUITs, he does not appear at all once he is given away. In order to repair Tenna, the party must RECRUIT the Pippins and Shadowguys, and must additionally lose no Chapter 3 recruits through violence.
- Mikes: Appear in the TV Studio if Pippins, Shadowguys, and Zappers were RECRUITed.
- Tenna
- "Small Mike"
- "Cat Mike"
- "Cowboy Hat Mike"
- Jackenstein: Appears inside the Top Bakery if no enemies were LOST in Chapter 4.
- Jackenstein
- The Pipis enemies are the only non-boss enemies from Chapter 2 who cannot be RECRUITed.
- If SAVE editing is used to recruit an enemy with no recruit info, it displays as "Known Quantity [ID]". The image shown is a randomized sprite.
- Jigsawry's flavor text when spoken to in the Cafe is a reference to The Simpsons episode "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge" wherein Itchy and Scratchy, characters in a normally violent cartoon, share a pitcher of lemonade.
- Outside of the Chapter 1 recruits, Lanino and Elnina are the only mandatory enemies to be recruited, and cannot be lost.
- In Chapter 3, if the party backtracks at a certain point after RECRUITing Ribbicks, there is a single Rabbick that appears during an encounter with two Ribbicks. If the party attacks the Rabbick, it becomes LOST, making it, for now, the only Chapter 1 recruit that can be LOST.
- ↑ This dialogue was added in the Patch 1.07 of the Chapter 1&2 Demo. Prior to this patch, the party's violence in Chapter 1 was not acknowledged in Chapter 2.
- ↑ The game also requires that at least one Chapter 4 enemy is RECRUITed, but it is not possible to skip battling 2 Winglades without a glitch.
- 1 2 Mandatory recruit
- ↑ Only as an NPC in the Party Dojo; enough Pippins must be spared in Chapter 3 to officially RECRUIT them.
- 1 2 3 Their music shop only opens if enough enemies were RECRUITed in Chapter 2.
- ↑
RECRUITing more enemies makes your town more lively and may unlock certain activities in your CASTLE TOWN.
— DELTARUNE GAMEPLAY REMINDER CHEAT SHEET (Fox, Toby, June 01, 2025.) deltarune.com. - ↑
Near the end of a Chapter there will always be a way for you to confirm whether you've RECRUITed all the enemies or not.
— DELTARUNE GAMEPLAY REMINDER CHEAT SHEET (Fox, Toby, June 01, 2025.) deltarune.com. - ↑
On the other hand, starting from Chapter 2, defeating enemies VIOLENTLY makes your characters permanently stronger, increasing their HP, Attack, and Magic for the rest of the Chapter up to a certain extent.
— DELTARUNE GAMEPLAY REMINDER CHEAT SHEET (Fox, Toby, June 01, 2025.) deltarune.com. - ↑
Don't worry, Susie!
— Lancer, Chapter 2
Pop-pop got trapped in a hamster cage, making me Prince King.
And with my new dad-like powers, I declared you forgiven! - ↑ gml_GlobalScript_scr_get_total_RECRUITs script, lines 9–18, Chapter 2. The loop checks
i < max_index, meaning the max index of 44 (Mauswheel's ID) does not get checked. - ↑ gml_object_obj_gigaqueen_enemy_create_0 script, line 41, Chapter 2
- ↑ gml_Object_obj_b3bs_zapper_c_Create_0 script
- ↑ gml_Object_obj_npc_castle_door_Create_0 script, lines 56–65, Chapter 2
- ↑ gml_Object_obj_npc_castle_door_Create_0 script, lines 13–55, Chapter 2