Getting Started

Getting Started

Welcome to Undertale! This guide is designed to help you through your first hour and beyond. Undertale is an RPG with a deep emphasis on choices and consequences. There is no character creation in the traditional sense—you name the human protagonist at the start, but this name mostly appears in dialogue and affects nothing mechanically. Your personality and playstyle define your character.

First Hour Walkthrough

1. Opening: After the title screen, you will be prompted to enter your name. This becomes the protagonist's name. You can type anything (even \"Chara\"), but it's simply an identifier.
2. The Fall: Your character falls into a large hole, landing in a bed of golden flowers in a place called the Ruins. You are alone.
3. Encounter Flowey: A small, smiling flower introduces himself as Flowey. He teaches you how to navigate the bullet-heart battle system. Crucial: He will offer you \"friendliness pellets.\" Do not collect them. Stay still and let them pass. This teaches you that not everything is friendly. Flowey then reveals his true colors and attacks.
4. Toriel Appears: A goat-like monster, Toriel, saves you, scares Flowey away, and takes you to her home in the Ruins. She will guide you through the first puzzles.
5. The Ruins Tutorial: Toriel shows you how to interact (Z key or A button), how to move (arrow keys or D-pad), and how to solve simple puzzles (push blocks, navigate spikes). Follow her instructions.
6. First Battles: After a few rooms, you'll encounter your first random Froggits. Toriel encourages you to either \"FIGHT\" or \"ACT\" (to spare). Ideal first choice: Try to spare them. Use the MERCY menu. You will see a \"Spare\" option when the monster is sufficiently weakened or calmed by ACT commands like \"Compliment\" or \"Threaten.\" Do not kill any monsters if you can help it—this is the key to the game's most popular path.
7. Nap Time: Toriel will offer you a slice of pie and some butterscotch-cinnamon pie at her house. Eat it to restore HP. Save at the star-shaped save point in the living room.
8. Exiting the Ruins: Toriel will eventually block the exit to prevent you from leaving (she wants to protect you). You must solve a series of puzzles and finally confront her. You can choose to fight or spare her. Spare her by lowering her HP to near zero and then repeatedly using the MERCY option—she will spare herself.
9. The Journey Begins: After sparing Toriel, you exit the Ruins into the larger world of Snowdin. This marks the end of the first hour.

Controls on All Platforms

Note: In battle, the arrow keys / left stick move the heart-shaped SOUL to dodge attacks. The confirm button performs the selected action.

UI Overview

• Health (HP): Represented by a red heart below the battle menu. Also shown as a number in the menu.


• Soul (Heart): Your heart is your HP and can be moved with the arrow keys during enemy attacks.


• Action Menu: At the bottom of the battle screen, four options: FIGHT, ACT, ITEM, MERCY.


• Enemy Info: Above the action menu, the enemy's name and sometimes a box with their current HP (if you have checked them). A yellow bar indicates their health.


• Name and LV (Love): LV is your "Level of Violence." It increases by killing monsters. Displayed in the menu. Lower is better for a pacifist run.


• Save Points: Golden spinning stars. Save before major events. Only one save file per playthrough.


• Inventory: Accessed via the menu (C key or Y button). Holds up to 8 items. Healing items, key items, etc.


• Gold (G): Currency earned from sparing monsters or selling items.




Essential Early Objectives



1. Understand the MERCY system: Learn to spare monsters. This is the most important skill.
2. Solve puzzles in the Ruins: Pay attention to Toriel's hints.
3. Collect healing items: Pie, Spider Donut (if you buy one), Spider Cider, etc.
4. Save frequently: Especially after progress or before hard encounters.
5. Talk to everyone: NPCs give hints, lore, and sometimes items.
6. Decide your moral path: For the first playthrough, most players recommend the True Pacifist Route (spare everyone). To achieve it, you must never kill any monster, and you must befriend certain characters (Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys) later.



What to Do First and What to Avoid



Do First:

• Follow Toriel's instructions completely.


• Try to spare the first Froggit you encounter. Use ACT -> Compliment, then ACT -> Threaten, then MERCY. If it doesn't work, try again with different ACT options.


• Collect the Butterscotch Pie and the Spider Donut (if you buy it with gold you find).


• Save at every star save point.


Avoid:

• Killing anything in the Ruins. It locks you out of the true pacifist ending and changes the game's story.


• Rushing through puzzles. They are simple but skipping them can cause confusion.


• Ignoring Flowey's warnings. He is not trustworthy, but his dialogue hints at important mechanics.


• Using the FIGHT command unless you intend to kill. Each kill adds EXP and LV, which permanently affects dialogue and endings.


• Spending all your gold on early items. Save at least 10G for the Spider Bake Sale (you can buy the Spider Donut later—the shop appears in multiple areas).




Early Resource Priorities




• Health Items: Prioritize collecting at least 2-3 healing items (Pie, Spider Cider, and the Bandage you start with can be used as an item).


• Gold: Use gold to buy the Tough Glove in the SAVE room in Snowdin (after Ruins) if you plan to fight—but for pacifist, you might prefer the Toy Knife (found free) or the Butterscotch Pie (free).


• Save Points: Always save before boss fights (Toriel, Papyrus, etc.) and before areas with lots of enemies.


• Key Items: The Cell Phone (given by Toriel) is important for calling characters later. Always keep it.




Common Beginner Mistakes



1. Killing Toriel: She can be spared. If you fight and kill her, you will feel bad forever. To spare: reduce her HP to about 10-20%, then repeatedly use MERCY. She will spare herself.
2. Ignoring the ACT menu: Many monsters have specific ACT commands that make them easier to spare. Experiment.
3. Not saving: There is only one save slot. If you overwrite a save, you lose progress. Save only when you are sure.
4. Thinking you need to grind: Undertale does not require grinding. You can beat the game at LV 1. Killing monsters makes the game harder in the long run (some bosses scale with your LV).
5. Choosing the wrong name: Your name affects nothing. Don't worry about it.
6. Not returning to Toriel's house after the Ruins: Once you leave, you cannot go back to the Ruins on that save file (until new game+). Make sure you've done everything there if you're a completionist.



Day-One Checklist




• [ ] Start a new game and choose a name.


• [ ] Survive Flowey's introduction (do not collect his pellets).


• [ ] Follow Toriel through the Ruins puzzles.


• [ ] Collect the Butterscotch Pie and Spider Donut (optional but recommended).


• [ ] Spare all monsters encountered (Froggits, Moldsmals, etc.).


• [ ] Save at the star save point in Toriel's home.


• [ ] Complete the Ruins puzzles to reach the exit.


• [ ] Spare Toriel (do NOT kill her).


• [ ] Exit the Ruins to Snowdin.


• [ ] Save at the first save point in Snowdin.


• [ ] Talk to Sans and Papyrus (they will appear near the Snowdin mailbox).


• [ ] Equip the Toy Knife and Faded Ribbon (found in Ruins) or buy the Tough Glove if you want stronger gear for fighting. (Ribbon gives defense, Knife gives attack.)


• [ ] Adjust your mindset: You are here to experience a story, not just to defeat enemies.

Remember: Undertale responds to your actions. Your choices matter. Have fun, and don't be afraid to make mistakes—but sparing everyone on your first run is the most rewarding way to see the full story.