The Watcher

An outsider, alone and aloof. Observing but not engaging. From this distance comes new perspectives, and new connections. A journey like no other.

The Watcher is the sole playable Slugcat added by the Rain World: The Watcher expansion. They begin their campaign with basic Survivor stats and abilities.

Watcher is unlocked after completing the game as either Survivor or Monk.

Slugcats are the primary protagonists and playable characters of Rain World. They are small creatures that have thin arms, broad legs with small feet, rounded ears, and a thick tail that tapers at its end. They appear in various colors and have differing stats and abilities.

Slugcats are able to swallow and store certain objects in their stomach. Only 1 object can be stored at a time. An object can be swallowed by holding Pick up with no other inputs. If holding 2 objects, the object in Slugcat's right hand is prioritized. When there is already an object in Slugcat's stomach, holding Pick up with no other inputs regurgitates it. When Slugcat has a free hand and is upright, such as by standing or crawling upwards in a tunnel, then Slugcat grabs the object.

While both death and incapacitation disable the player's input and cause a game over, Slugcat is still alive when incapacitated and may be able to come back. This potentially allows the player to continue without restarting the cycle. The 2 states can be differentiated by looking at Slugcat's eyes; they are shut when incapacitated but crossed out when dead. Additionally, death plays 2 bass notes, while incapacitation only plays 1.

Lizards, Dropwigs, and Big Spiders, among other creatures, have an RNG-based kill system, which means that when bitten or grabbed there is a percentage chance that Slugcat dies. If this check fails, the player is incapacitated, then killed if brought into a den.

There are a few ways to get out of incapacitation. A creature is likely to let go if already wounded or attacked by another creature. When bitten by most creatures, there is a short grace period where a Rock or a Spear can be thrown to stun them, allowing escape. Tamed Lizards or friendly Scavengers may also attempt to save Slugcat.

Glow After the first encounter with Spinning Top, Watcher is granted the same glow effect that other Slugcats receive from consuming Neurons.

Camouflage After the second encounter with Spinning Top, holding Special causes Watcher to turn invisible. This allows them to evade creatures that depend on sight such as Vultures and most Lizards.[note 1]

Camouflage lasts for a limited duration, which is indicated by a fog-like meter behind the bar displaying food pips. This meter regenerates when Watcher is not camouflaged, and the maximum camouflage duration increases at higher Ripple levels. If the duration runs out, Watcher is forced out of camouflage and enters a fatigued state for several seconds.

If Watcher travels through several different Warp Points without hibernating, they accumulate Warp Fatigue and the maximum duration of camouflage is reduced, represented by a section of the meter becoming purple. Traveling through subsequent Warp Points further reduces the duration, which eventually prevents Watcher from camouflaging at all.

Forming Paths Once the maximum Ripple level is at or above 3 Ripple 3, Watcher gains the ability to create a Warp Point by holding Special and Up at the same time. A random destination region is chosen depending on current Ripple level. Warp Points created this way can be used multiple times and typically remain for up to 5 cycles depending on the region of origin.[note 2]

Using this ability consumes Karma Flower protection. If this ability is used without karma protection, Watcher is either warped to a random base-game region overrun with Sentient Rot or to Outer Rim, depending on current progression. If created without Karma Protection, the created Warp Point disappears after being used, preventing Watcher from returning without dying.

Warp Points cannot be created in Shelters, rooms with existing Warp Points, all rooms in rotted base-game regions, and most rooms in Outer Rim.

Levitation When the current Ripple level is at or above 5 Ripple 5, holding Special causes Watcher to levitate in the air for a few seconds. The duration and height of levitation increases with higher Ripple levels. This allows Watcher to cross larger gaps and reach higher areas than normally possible, and generally makes for safer platforming.

Additionally, pressing Special momentarily before some movement actions such as jumps, backflips, or pounces provides increased height and jump distance.

Ripplespace Rifts When the current Ripple level is at or above 7 Ripple 7, holding Special creates tear-like rifts which spawn Ripple Jellies and Ripple Amoebas. Ripple Jellies can be consumed by touching them, serving as a way to refill Watcher's Ripple meter, and Ripple Amoeba serve as threats that pursue Watcher. If Watcher touches a Ripple Amoeba, a concave distortion effect begins closing in. If it closes in fully, Watcher dies.

Activating or deactivating Camouflage moves the location of the rifts to Watcher's current location.

Ripplespace When the current Ripple level is at the maximum of 9 Maximum Ripple, holding Special causes Watcher to fully enter Ripplespace, dropping any held objects. In this state, creatures and objects cannot be interacted with, though they are still visible as faint lights with varying colors. This allows Watcher to avoid the vast majority of threats. Ripplespace uses the same limited duration as the camouflage ability it replaces.

Watcher must be in Ripplespace to access all Warp Points to Daemon, meet Spinning Top in Shattered Terrace, and to enter the Warp Point to Ancient Urban that Spinning Top leaves behind.

In Ripplespace, Ripple Spawn appear everywhere, with Ripple Amoebas pursuing Watcher as they do from Ripplespace rifts.

While inside Ripplespace, Watcher is immune to end-of-cycle effects such as rain.

Ripplespace does not cause Proto Long Legs to disappear from the walls, the slowing aura of Basilisk Lizards is still present, and Loaches can eat Watcher while they are in Ripplespace. Leaving Ripplespace causes a Ripplespace Rift to appear that Ripple Spawn float out of for some time.

Ripple Egg Warp After collecting all of the Ripple Spawn Eggs to fill up the Dial in Outer Rim and following a Ripple Spider to the upper right of Outer Rim, Watcher gains the ability to create a Warp Point to a region of choice by holding Special and Down at the same time. This opens a menu where a map is accessible by pressing Map, and a region can be selected by holding Special. When performed, a Warp Point is created between the source room and an eligible room within the selected region. This ability is also known as Dial Warp.

Once this ability is obtained, a purple spiral is shown behind Watcher when hibernating. The spiral can be refilled by collecting around 50 Ripple Spawn Eggs[note 3], and is fully depleted each time a Ripple Egg Warp is performed. However, the spiral is refilled if Watcher dies before hibernating after warping, and the spiral is not depleted if the warp is cancelled. One exception to this is the first warp triggered automatically after unlocking the ability, which does not fill the spiral if cancelled.

Weaving After the fourth encounter with The Weaver, Watcher permanently seals Warp Points when traveling through them, with the exception of Warp Points only accessible from Ripplespace. New Warp Points can still be created using either of Watcher's Warp abilities, though they are sealed on the first use. At this point, Karma reinforcement is no longer required or consumed when creating Warp Points, and Warp Exhaustion and Bad Warps no longer occur

Rot Immunity & Purifying After the fourth encounter with The Weaver, Watcher gains complete immunity to the Rot and can purify rot-infected rooms. When this ability is in effect, a halo similar to The Weaver's appears around Watcher's head.

Proto Long Legs and Bone Shakers no longer attempt to grab Watcher. The tentacles of Rot Lizards can not grab Watcher, but the Lizard part can still bite and kill Watcher. Consuming Rotcorn Plants and Rot Fruits no longer has a chance to stun Watcher Watcher is immune to Daddy Long Legs, Mother Long Legs, and Rot Behemoths, though none can be encountered during normal gameplay once the ability has been unlocked. Staying in a rot-infected room for a short period of time removes the rot effect and reverts the room to its original state. The purifying ability does not immediately remove rot from Rot Lizards, but Lizards no longer spawn as Rot Lizards on subsequent cycles after the room they spawn in has been purified of Rot. If Rot ending has been achieved, rooms with Karma Flower fields will lose them once purified.

Mark of Communication The Mark of Communication is given by The Prince before the final ending of the Watcher campaign. With it, Watcher can decipher the text and audio of certain Pearls, which are otherwise incomprehensible when used with the Pearl reader in Ancient Urban.