Route

This world is full of all kinds of people, Kris.
In the end, how we treat them makes all the difference.

Ralsei, Chapter 1

Routes are specific pathways the player can take throughout Deltarune. While the game is projected to have only one ending, there are certain actions the player can perform that affect the course of each Chapter.

Standard routes

Each Chapter has two standard routes: a pacifist route and a violent route. These routes are distinct from one another, meaning the player can perform a pacifist route in one Chapter and a violent route on another from the same Completion FILE.

Pacifist route

King is overthrown by Card Kingdom's Darkners in Chapter 1's pacifist route

A pacifist route occurs when no Darkner enemy is defeated violently during encounters. This requires the player to use a combination of ACT, SPARE, or Pacify in each battle. Starting in Chapter 2, defeating enemies this way allows the party to recruit them to Castle Town, which unlocks more benefits. If starting from Chapter 2 or later without using a Completion FILE, the party did not defeat any enemies violently in previous Chapters, although they failed to recruit some optional enemies or NPCs (not counting Chapter 1 enemies because all of which are always recruited by default).

The following outcomes occur as a result of a pacifist route:

• Chapter 1: Card Kingdom's Darkners help the party overthrow King after the battle against him. They can stay on Card Castle's rooftop to talk to various NPCs before sealing the Dark Fountain.
  • This outcome occurs based on if party members spared enemies/apologized to Rudinn or Hathy if a certain amount was defeated via violence, and if Susie did not defeat more than one enemy via violence before rejoining the party in Card Castle.
• Chapter 2: recruiting everyone unlocks the Party Dojo's "Ch2 All Stars" challenge and Sweet Cap'n Cakes's Music Room. Seam also sells CD Bagel instead of Dark Candy.
• Chapter 3: recruiting Shadowguy and Pippins on a pacifist route results in Tenna being repaired in Chapter 4. If Tenna is repaired, TV Studio is accessible at the start of the Chapter.
• Chapter 4: recruiting at least one Darkner from the Dark Sanctuaries on a pacifist route results in those Darkners arriving to catch Jackenstein when he falls in the 3rd Sanctuary.

Unique to Chapter 1 is the ability to apologize to certain Darkners in Card Castle if defeated violently. This allows the player to restore their pacifist route if no other Darkners were defeated violently.

• If exactly one Rudinn was defeated violently, the party can apologize to a Rudinn in the diamond room.
• If fewer than two Hathys were defeated violently, the party can apologize to a Hathy in the heart room.

Violent route

Susie reacts to the presence of violently-defeated Chapter 1 enemies in Chapter 2's Castle Town

A violent route occurs when any Darkner enemy is defeated violently through the FIGHT command. Starting in Chapter 2, defeating a recruitable enemy violently causes it to become permanently LOST, even if it has already been recruited in an earlier Chapter (such as Rabbick).

The following outcomes occur as a result of a violent route:

• Chapter 1: King is put to sleep after his battle. The party is subsequently forced to flee from a horde of Darkners and seal the Dark Fountain. They are not able to return to Card Castle to say goodbye to the Darkners.
  • This outcome occurs if the party has defeated any enemies with violence, or if Susie had defeated two or more enemies before rejoining the party in Card Castle.
  • At the start of Chapter 2, if the party was on the violent route in Chapter 1, Lancer mentions that he used his authority to pardon the party's crimes.
• Chapter 4: no Darkners help Jackenstein when he falls in the 3rd Sanctuary, with it being implied that he fell to his death.

In Chapter 3, the number of encounters in which the party has defeated at least one enemy violently impacts various events in TV World:

• In Chapter 4, if any Chapter 3 enemies are LOST or the party failed to recruit both Shadowguy and Pippins, Tenna remains destroyed, since no Darkners were willing to help Susie repair him.
• If the party has defeated at least one enemy violently in 3 or more encounters:
  • In the Goulden Sam room, the Pippins imprisoned in the Goulden Sam who sells TV Dinners for Dark Dollars comments that the party are criminals wanted for violence before offering to sell them TV Dinners.
  • When Tenna commands his employees to capture the Lightners, Tenna specifically observes that the employees do not want to fight the party due to being scared, and the employees have a scared expression rather than a joyous one.
• If the party has defeated at least one enemy violently in 5 or more encounters:
  • In the second quiz room, when asked to make the moral choice between "LOVE" and "HATE", "HATE" is automatically selected, with the game telling the player that they have already chosen.
  • The crowd stops appearing in most cases.
    • At the Concert SAVE Point, if the Shadowguys are absent (either due to being LOST or their contracts being intact), the absence of the performers and crowd is explicitly noted in the SAVE Point text.
  • In the third Stealth Zone, the section functions like a normal Stealth Zone without any stationary spotlights, and Darkners no longer join the party.

Specific outcomes can occur if certain battles are ended violently.

• Chapter 2: If Berdly is defeated violently in any of his battles, or Queen is defeated violently, during the Queen battle Berdly removes the plug from his face himself, injuring his arm in the process. If he does so, in the Light World, he comments that he cannot move his arm, with Noelle dismissing it as having fallen asleep.

Relationship to recruits

Specific outcomes can occur if certain Darkners are recruited (regardless of whether on a pacifist or violent route).

• Chapter 2: The Darkners recruited in the Cyber World help the party fight against GIGA Queen by contributing to the Thrash Machine's HP.
• Chapter 3: Recruiting Shadowguy, Pippins, and Zapper makes the Mike impersonators accessible in Chapter 4.

Specific outcomes can occur if certain Darkners are not recruited (regardless of whether on a pacifist or violent route).

• Chapter 2:
  • When returning to Castle Town, if no Darkners are recruited in the Cyber World (which requires some enemies to have been defeated violently), Queen notices that only she and Trashy are around.
  • The Party Dojo challenge Tasque Manager Says becomes inaccessible if Tasque Manager is not recruited, which is only possible if she is defeated violently.
  • The Party Dojo challenge Ch2 All-Stars becomes inaccessible if any of Werewire, Poppup, Ambyu-Lance, Virovirokun, Tasque, Maus, Swatchling or Werewerewire are not recruited.

Progression

Progression along the standard routes, starting in Chapter 2, is tracked in different ways.

End-of-Chapter checker

The player can check which route they are on by interacting with an NPC or sign near the final area of each Dark World. Each object yields a different response depending on whether the player is on a pacifist or violent route.

Object/NPC	Full recruits (pacifist)	Missing recruits (pacifist)	Violent
Trashy (Queen's Mansion)	N/A	Oh boy, oh boy! Looks like you're almost at the END... Did you RECRUIT everyone...? You might wanna check!	N/A
Clipboard (Green Room) (map link)	Looks like you've recruited everyone.	Looks like you haven't recruited all of them yet.	(Looks like some people resigned due to getting hurt on the job.) (Seems you'll never recruit everyone.)
Judgment bell (3rd Sanctuary) (map link)	(Judgment was decreed. You have been kind...) (... It seems you have spared everyone you could.)	(Judgment was decreed. You have been kind...) [Default] (... But, you haven't spared everyone you could yet.) (... Should you go forward? The bell leaves it up to you.) [Missing Miss Mizzle] (... But, there is a foe you haven't met and spared yet.) (It might not matter. The bell leaves it up to you.)	(... but the bell rung hollow.)
Green (Green's Shop)	(It's a Guest List... it seems like everyone's invited, including you.)	(It's a Guest List... it seems like everyone's invited, including you.) (But, there are still some empty spots...) (You remembered you may have not recruited everyone.)	(It's the guest list. It looks like it lists your friends, but...) (Some guests are crossed out.)

Castle Town

A sleepy blue Rudinn in Castle Town gives a comment depends on which standard route the player chooses.

Condition	Rudinn's comment
Full recruits Chapter 4	Your Town's love is Strong. Beauty grows in your heart. Let's see to a merciful life!
Full recruits Chapter 5	Your Town's love is Moist. I've never seen a sun so dark. You made an oasis for us!
Do not use Completion FILE	Your Town's love is Plain. This is a familiar place, yet you look like you only just got here. From here, let your love grow. All right.
Otherwise	Your Town's love is Cracked. Perhaps you don't treasure this place so much. But it treasures you. Whatever you do.

Alternate routes

Some Chapters have unique alternate routes that are separate from the standard routes. These routes can diverge from the main story and often require the player to perform specific actions.

Weird Route

Main article: Weird Route

Spamton tells Kris and Noelle how many Darkners are left to freeze

The Weird Route is an alternate route centered around pressuring Kris and Noelle, with exclusive atypical gameplay elements and effects than the standard route. It begins in Chapter 2, and results in many Cyber World Darkners becoming Frozen, as well as altered dialogue and unique cutscenes. The aftermath choices from Chapter 2 is revealed in later Chapters via Completion FILEs that have completed Weird Route.

Sword Route

Main article: Sword Route

Kris playing the Original Game backstage

The Sword Route is initiated and completed in Chapter 3. It consists of Kris gaining access to the Green Room's backstage area and playing the Original Game in between rounds of TV Time. Completion of this route grants Kris the Shadow Mantle.

Version history

Game edition	Version tag	Changes
Chapter 1&2 Demo	v1.07	Lancer pardons the party's crimes in Chapter 2 if they defeated Card Kingdom's Darkners via FIGHTing.
Deltarune Chapter 1	v1.36	Fixed a bug where enemies were not properly tracked if they were defeated by Susie before she rejoins the party in Card Castle. It has been a bug since the 2018 Chapter 1 Demo, where it was possible to get the pacifist ending even if Susie defeated enemies with violence.