trying to get someone into rain world? look no further than THIS guide on how to help them! quick things to remember firstly, it's important to remember that rain world isn't for everyone (crazy, i know). there are a lot of people that just wouldn't like the gameplay. if they're obviously not having fun, set the game aside for a while, because if they get too frustrated they might just not want to play it at all anymore. here's an at-a-glance list of things to remember when walking someone through the game: the player's enjoyment should take priority above all else! try not to give them information that they haven't directly asked for. there's not really a "right way" to play, try not to sway them towards whatever you personally think they should do. i know it's hard not to backseat sometimes (trust me, i have to refrain all the time) but failing is part of the learning process. try to be vague unless they ask you specifically to answer them. (e.g. if they ask something like "if i keep going this way, will i waste my time?" and they've already just been fumbling around, you can probably just tell them.) most tech wouldn't be spoilers (like downspearing or swimming mechanics), unless it involves an item or mechanic they haven't seen yet. if they're asking something like "can i get up this wall", i wouldn't say answering that is spoilers (unless they don't know how to embed a spear into a wall yet to spearclimb.) if it's an unclimbable wall for a new player i'd just usually say "it'd require mechanics you don't know yet". if they're getting too frustrated, you don't have to be as vague and should just give them direct advice. if things are going smoothly, you should leave them be. what is and isn't a spoiler? this is subjective and you could argue that telling them anything is a spoiler, so you can bend this list depending on the situation (and how much they already might know about the game). what IS a spoiler: any PLOT details, prime examples being... iterators, hunter's illness, anything related to ascension creatures they have not encountered. for example, if they're playing as monk, don't tell them about a creature that only appears in hunter's campaign. if they're playing vanilla, any information about DLC-exclusive content, like... DLC regions, ESPECIALLY lore-important ones (rubicon, submerged superstructure, metropolis), creatures, or plot. telling them to do something specific, especially if it's story related. most prominent example being telling them to eat or not eat LttM's neurons. what ISN'T a spoiler: basic controls: how to switch hands, how to place down items, and embedding spears into walls any information that the loading screen tips would tell them telling them there's food nearby, especially if they've been looking for a long time (though, this can feel backseaty, so make sure they're fine with you telling them stuff like this) they've already been spoiled! now what? well... if they've interacted with the community at all, it's pretty hard to avoid spoilers there. start by gauging how badly they've been spoiled. do they know about story & plot elements, or just mechanics and a few creatures? if they've been heavily spoiled, just try not to give them any new information. if they're theory crafting (you should encourage this behavior too), make sure your reaction to their comments doesn't give anything away. if they've only been minimally spoiled, great! just make sure you know what is and isn't a spoiler to them. if you want to be better safe than sorry, you can just be as vague as possible about things you're unsure if they know about, until you're certain it is something they've encountered before. keep in mind that even if they may know what a red lizard is, they might not know what it does or where they can encounter it! when to step in and help we all know that rain world can be really frustrating, even for seasoned players, so keep in mind that for a new player it can get really discouraging. try to make sure the player you're helping doesn't get so frustrated that they start wanting to drop the game completely! i don't encourage giving new players excessive mods, but some accessibility stuff ('unshaded citadel' comes to mind) can make a world's difference. as long as they're having fun and getting to experience the game, that's what matters the most. so when is the point you should step in? when you notice they're getting frustrated, you might want to encourage a break. fresh eyes can really help if they're getting tunnel visioned on a goal. if they've been playing for too long and are obviously tired, you should probably tell them to take a break then, too, unless they have a lot of determination to keep going... but playing for too long can make you slip up on simple things like fumbling an easy jump, which can quickly get frustrating. if they're stuck in an area and are completely clueless, you can nudge them in the right direction (as long as they're okay with this type of help. ask first!) remix and mods you should definitely encourage the player you're helping to look at the remix settings, since it contains accessibility and difficulty scaling options. of course, some of these options contain spoilers for creatures and mechanics, so let them know that before they take a peek. as for mods, i said this previously, but i really wouldn't recommend mods that change the game too much. allow them to play the vanilla game first, but if they get bored and want to start using mods, it's still their decision at the end of the day... accessibility mods are a bit different, since even if it modifies the game a good amount, it's just making sure that the player won't drop the game and can actually beat it. here are some i can recommend! (either from personal experience, or hearing people talk about them) Emerald's Tweaks & Features: adds a bunch of options that, well, tweak the game. has a lot of really nice features that make the game easier, as well as some fun aesthetic toggles such as shiny creature spawns. i don't personally use this one anymore, but i can vouch that it can make the game a LOT easier if someone is really having trouble. Unshaded Citadel: changes the color palette of shaded citadel to be more manageable. it's still dark, but you don't have to waste so much time fumbling around and looking at the map. without this mod i probably wouldn't have gotten through my first playthrough, because i hated shaded citadel so much... KeepThatAwayFromMe: allows the player to prevent specific items and creatures from spawning. i'd mostly recommend this for players who have phobias, but this does contain every item and creature in the game, so it's pretty spoilery... the most common creatures i see people disable are spiders and rot. Rebind Everything: allows the player to rebind slugcat abilities and more! useful for a lot of reasons. Arachnophobia Mode: supports replacing the appearance of spiders, rot cysts, noodleflies, eggbugs, firebugs, and dropwigs, in a similar fashion to lethal company and grounded. in conclusion i want everyone to be able to experience rain world, because it's one of my favorite games ever. i hope that someone can see this and help out someone who's new to the game in a non-spoilery fashion. i've encountered a lot of new players on rain meadow (a mod that allows you to play online), so i have some hands on experience with this. i hope my advice is helpful!! feel free to leave any other tips and information you have in the comments and i might add it if i agree with it. thanks :3