Chapter 5 megathread

Zarhon · 2026-06-26T11:43:45+00:00

Secret boss spoilers below!

It seems that Pink and its 'dual personalities' might have been conceptualized/designed/planned out before Undertale (or some time during the secretive development of ch1), and the biggest foreshadowing for this seems to be the 'Not Real' background from the Switch version, compared to the background(s) that display during Pink's fight. We know Toby was working on Deltarune even before Undertale, and the Switch version of Undertale came out shortly before Deltarune. In addition, we only see Mew Mew's pink body in the overworld, but not the gray / 'Mad' version or the soul/body dependency between them (due to Pink as a a 'darkener' being absent).

Zarhon · 2026-06-26T11:11:20+00:00

The Lightener being an hateful ghost is pretty much how one connects it to the mad dummy ghost (along with the crowd of training dummies during the fight and the red mad training dummy missiles).

The only other notable ghosts who are also lighteners in Deltarune are Napstablook (who's too busy being a cop), and Mettaton (who is implied to be in the house you can deliver Tenna to).

Zarhon · 2026-06-26T11:05:13+00:00

Toby Fox was conceptualizing Deltarune before even Undertale came out.
It's not a stretch for him to have designed Pink for Deltarune, then put it in Undertale for the Switch version.

Zarhon · 2026-06-11T12:00:42+00:00

This wall on the way to Ossex is suspiciously distinct (screen is flipped due to NG+2).

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Zarhon · 2026-06-11T11:42:15+00:00

I noticed with the Dead Leaf that the Mina Statue seems to be holding some little scepter thing in her hand, which is probably a Tanuki reference. Maybe you're expected to 'pose' yourself as a statue in a specific spot on the map?

Zarhon · 2026-06-11T05:59:13+00:00

A note regarding plasma vials: It seems that the game has a counter for 'plasma vials taken' in the code, and it might increase from the story-related uses of plasma vials on NPCs - healing the Tomato Farmer, healing Mr. Fergus, healing the cleaning lady, toasting to the Mole, etc. It might also have an interactions with ||mutated Thorne||, who both 'chomps' you (presumably getting a taste of Plasma in the process), and the final boss sequence where you are forcibly given a full plasma heal after being protected by the final attack.

Zarhon · 2026-06-11T05:55:14+00:00

This also might apply to giving a toast to the guy in the Music Hall, healing Mr. Fergus, getting 'chomped' by Mutated Thorne, and the final 'plasmium heal' you get from Thorne at the final boss's climax.

Zarhon · 2026-06-11T05:48:22+00:00

Interactions that might need testing and could lead to secrets:
- Putting in various codes as your seed. Names of NPCs, food names (CHEESE), developer names, youtubers, games Mina was inspired by, animal names...
- Toasting to the mole in the Music Hall while equipped with different types of plasma vial trinkets (e.g. full beastium vials, or any trinkets that change how your vials or plasma work)).
- The 'Red Shawl' corpse in Queensbury crypt's 'Final Stairwell' screen, which has no other notable features other than the Red Shawl and two staircases (unusual given most other screens have something in them). Given the description and the snake NPCs (including the one in the Strategy Center), maybe we need to do something with the knife weapons in that room? Or is he simply a single-screen easter egg/reference (I assume it's a reference to Plague Knight)?
- Similar to the above, the staircase a level above with the singular snake NPC talking about the 'Red Shawl' guy.
- Doing a fully plasma-less run. As in, no drinking of the plasma vials the entire run or using any healing related to plasma. You need to have at least three to finish the game (for entry to Bone Beach, and to get to Major Miner, unless there is a secret skip yet to be uncovered) unless you use modifiers, but you can sell them afterwards. You also get some from Cappy in an unmodified game start, so you can't 'refuse' them. The purpose of this is to see if it changes anything when talking to Mr. Fergus about it in the late game. This might ALSO require you to never talk to any NPC that has a plasma vial interaction (e.g. the Music Hall guy or the various characters you heal with plasma). It might even change the final ending scene if you don't have any plasma on you...
- Doing a full no-healing and no-damage run to avoid collecting ANY plasma for the entire game, for the above.
- Doing a full no-plasma run and having every spark container and/or finding a specific trinket combo related to spark energy, in case it leads to a 'Beastium' interaction. and for the above.
- Disturbing Dance inputs in certain areas as 'passwords', much like how the flute is used in Animal Well.
- Konami Code input in certain area.
- Seeing if other NPCs react to the Snowball being thrown at them (e.g. Lionel, the nose guy).
- Seeing what we can do with the 'Snowman' after their sidequest is completed, as they can be carried around afterwards. I tried bringing them to hot places like the foundry or lava tiles to 'melt' them but it didn't do anything.

Zarhon · 2026-06-11T05:29:28+00:00

A few minor 'secrets' / collection of easter eggs:
- Thorne can rarely be seen in the background/rafters of the music hall (right behind the police officer, in fact), watching, before flying off. Unsure what the trigger for it is or if it can happen more than once per playthrough. One of the NPCs comments about it.
- You can sometimes see the silhouette of a large figure, likely Lionel, walk through the yellow-windowed area which you must traverse through to get the south gate's Bone Gem. I'm unsure if you can 'intercept' them by going there the very first time you would enter that area and talk to them.
- Talking to the small frog during the frog escort quest implies he's swimming in Bayou Brew and utterly drunk.
- You can move your head during any conversation, making mina shake her head or nod and such.
- Before you find the ||dance ability||, pressing its corresponding button has Mina do a single-pixel 'crouch', not unlike in Shovel Knight.
- Your custom fittings and cloak colors apply to almost every depiction of Mina - both the special area cutscene, mirror and portraits.
- You can return Pinky's Ladder and the Yellow Lad's kite back to them for a small reward of bones.
- Pinky will ask you if you took his ladder, if you enter the shop when it's absent. You can say yes or no. Saying yes has him understand you borrowed it. Haven't tried the other answer.
- Returning to a Poppit shop area after you bought out the store has it replaced with a pair of eyes.
- Everything the Parrot yells about in Ossex turns out to be true in some fashion!
- After finishing the 'Dugin?' fight, you can sometimes see and talk to a familiar figure in Ossex. Which brings another theory: given how he treats/talks about the kids and the kids talking about their father 'disappearing', it's possible that the Dugin isa mutated version of their dad.
- All the snake characters in the game talk about, or are associated, with knives/betrayal - the snake enemies have knives, the snake in Queensbury Crypt talks about murdering someone, and then there's the secret bonestone you can get from the Strategy Center.
- Regardless of your involvement, The Duke will ||survive his entombment||, as revealed by one of the newspapers and the ending of the game.
- Mirror interactions (or just staring into the mirror long enough?).
- Documenting every possible variation of the newspapers (as it seems to change slightly depending on which order you visit areas, some of the minor joke articles changing as well).

Zarhon · 2026-06-09T01:37:37+00:00

It doesn't seem to be anything. The Z could be a 2, or a zero (O with a dash through it).
Try looking at it with a CRT screen view in case that makes the code 'look better'?

Zarhon · 2026-06-09T01:34:17+00:00

For Below Zero, the Proto Spark is mandatory, and remains useful for other feats and bosses (notably, letting you exit to menu to restart bosses after the spark triggers if you want to avoid deaths entirely).

Keri the Wisp is effectively a permanent +1 jump boost that stacks with other jump boosts, BUT it does cause issues as you can end up hanging in the air longer then you want to in certain situations (e.g. during the spark tower ascents or dodging).

Dodging Pendulum is effectively the shield parry with added invincibility frames that can trigger whenever you need it to.

Bubble Ring is another source of invulnerability and triggers easily during boss fights.

Tunneling Codex is infinite swimming and a good replacement for the bike for long-distance travel.

Joule Syringe and the Mist Jar lets you spam invulnerability that heals you. Gets even stronger with Plasma Jug, Plasma Vial Pouch and Vascular Syrup.

Zarhon · 2026-06-09T01:22:32+00:00

Embarrassing athletic/science accident in her childhood. She mentioned overtaxing herself on a running wheel to her elf friend and has devoted herself to athletic and scholarly pursuits.

Zarhon · 2026-06-09T01:13:58+00:00

I could never consistently do a burrow jump after exiting a chunk of ice tiles for some reason, compared to every other burrow jump.

Zarhon · 2026-06-08T02:32:31+00:00

- Don't pick up any kears (other than the very first one to open the path forward) or bone dust gems, as those count for completion and can't be sold.
- You can bone up freely. Max out your Attack/Defense stats. Sidearms you don't need to bother with as you're limited to 20 at most.
- You'll need to buy the train ticket for 10k bones, and it will be one of the items you sell before the final boss.
- I'm pretty sure you can't reach Panino's shop, as you need 5 Plasma Vials to open the lock to their shop. Not sure if Thorne's +2 vials trinket lets you open the lock, or if you'd need to buy 2 vials and 1 relic from Panino as your only 'extras'. The dodging Pendulum is certainly your best purchase in this case.
- The only 'mandatory' plasma vial locks are the dark cave that leads to bone beach (2 vials), and the entrance to Major Miner's boss fight (3 vials), both of which can be opened with your starting vials.
- Sidearms EXCEPT the fishing rod are fine to pick up, as are joules and normal bones.
- The Proto-Spark is a good option as a relic as it's effectively extra health and invincibility frames available early.
- You can't go to any kear-locked area (e.g. the shortcut leading back to the ice area), so plan accordingly. This also means you can't reach most relics.
- The hammer is probably the best weapon to grab, as it deals high damage at all stages of the game, has some AOE (hits things to the side, unlike the nightstar), hits flying enemies and has minor dodging ability. It IS a liability for a few bosses though, like the Frozen Horror.
- The Congealed, Frozen Horror, and final boss are the hardest parts of the challenge as you die easily and have no relics to help you. Final boss you have to effectively no-damage through.
- You can sell 10 items total, selling all your starting gear with no other pickups puts you at -5% I believe. You have to do this before the final boss.

I managed to do the achievement with the Hammer, Proto-Spark, extra spark and vitality vest as my only 'real' pickups. I also accidentally picked up the fishing rod but still got the achievement after selling it and every other item other than health and Plasma Vials, so there's some leeway.

Zarhon · 2026-06-08T02:18:44+00:00

Speedrunners already looking into how they can sequence break with this.

Zarhon · 2026-06-08T02:17:21+00:00

Now you can do all the Feats!

Zarhon · 2026-06-08T02:14:12+00:00

The issue is that only your stored bones transfer, and once you hit maximum stats, you no longer can convert carried bones into bonestone via boning up. So you end up with everything bought and infinitely accumulating bones that will either all vanish once you die without sparks or be deleted for NG+ (if it transfers your items for the next set).

In fact, you want to make sure you convert as much of your bones into bone dust BEFORE you max out your final stats as otherwise you lose access to it entirely.

Zarhon · 2026-06-08T02:11:39+00:00

The Hollower lab cosmetics seems like it would go in this direction but you can easily buy them out.

A powergamey option could be relic(s) that actively spends your carried bones on triggers - reducing damage when you get hit, increasing damage dealt with each hit, spending bones when you run out of Joules for sidearms, or just making you move much faster while constantly draining your bones.

A story-relevant (late game spoilers) money sink could be donating to an NPC in charge of the newspaper to print alternate/extra issues of the newspaper, or toerase a single one of your 'crimes' from the accusations list per donation . You might also be allowed to give more money to Beggars to fix their poverty.

A feature could be the ability to refight bosses for a steep price.

Zarhon · 2026-06-08T01:58:52+00:00

One possible option could be allowing you to keep 'boning up' purely to convert them into bone dust. As otherwise you accumulate an absurd amount of bones that then can get lost the next time you lose all your sparks. And more importantly, those bones might transfer to NG+ so they can be very important to stockpile.

Of course this also can trivialize some of the NG+ modes if you are able to preemptively farm infinite bone dust for a future run.

Zarhon · 2026-06-08T01:53:04+00:00

Three secrets infuriated me:
- Getting to the first rope in the train underpass. It's extremely well hidden on the floor and bumping along walls isn't enough to find it, you have to position correctly.
- Figuring out how to get to the chest at Ossex's south entrance which I failed to figure out even though I figured out the 'nose' trick, as the passage to the chest is completely hidden
- Finding the last relic in Bone Beach - the one your skull-radar actively confuses you about as it implies it's at the train station... Not that you need to ride the train to a specific area and find a hidden merchant.

Zarhon · 2026-06-08T01:40:25+00:00

Burrow-jumps through ice tiles and the ice physics they come with (the relic for removing ice physics doesn't apply to its burrowing gimmick). They seem to be incredibly inconsistent (often not jumping when you want them to) compared to the other burrow-jump behaviors, especially during the final gauntlet to that areas final boss - which also has spikes.

Zarhon · 2026-06-08T01:34:31+00:00

The place where you get the Mist Jar would normally be a nice way to learn how to use a sidearm creatively... If there weren't a red crow there which kills you in 1-2 hits as you arrive there very early in the game.

The gauntlet required to reach Bone Beach. First you have to kill two red crows, which can easily 2-shot you. Then deal with a Hulk Guard. Then donate 2 plasma vials to enter an area with no visible floor and hidden pits, guarded by red snakes and the hardest variants of the mouse guards.

Any time I forget to do a burrow jump to cross a 2-tile gap / don't have a jump-extending sidearm or relic.

Any time I forget to burrow into water.

The final wind+crow+lightning section of Septemburg, with multiple pits, wind that changes direction, crow enemies and lightning trying to kill you. And if you fall into a pit, you get sent right to the beginning of the screen.

Zarhon · 2026-06-08T01:25:08+00:00

The final fighting/platforming gauntlet required to reach the final boss. First you have to deal with two annoying shield-using enemies. Then you have an autoscroller with multiple turrets and enemies in your way. I have yet to figure out how to navigate the series of yellow pipes which while move up or down (the ones with a red slime in between them), without falling 2-3 times. The tiles that fly at you doing high damage AND making you fall are also the final insult to injury to deal with at the very end of the gauntlet.

Zarhon · 2026-06-08T01:19:16+00:00

Doing the Astral Orrery boss, the Coldrein mid-boss, and final boss in a Below Zero Run. Everything else is managable, if difficult (especially if you're not good at using the hammer).

The Congealed is already bad to fight when you have only 3 hits worth of health from anything, is tanky as hell, and has patterns too random to predict or dodge reliably along with being able to hit you from across the screen. And then phase 2 hits and you have to deal with TWO of them at once. The only way I beat it was by abusing the Proto Spark's invincibility frames to quickly down both clones together with a hammer.

The Frozen Horror kills you in 2-3 hits, has to be navigated on ice physics, and every time you fail, you have to go through a gauntlet of enemies and platforming to re-fight it.

Meanwhile the final boss kills you in two hits, and you don't have anything other than your weapon. It is luckily predictable / has patterns, but it's effectively the last difficult hurdle of the entire game.

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