Endgame:Ending
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Spoiler Warning: This article contains information normally only found in the course of advancing the main quest line. |
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A run of Caves of Qud can end a few different ways.
- The player can die, and if they are in Classic Mode, the run will immediately end, or if they are in Roleplay or Wander Mode, then the player may choose to end the run rather than restore from a previous point.
- The run can be abandoned from the game menu.
- The player can achieve a Victory.
Victories
Crossing into Brightsheol
On entering the Thin World by becoming entombed at the Tomb of the Eaters, the player may ask
Rainwater Shomer to cross into Brightsheol rather than return to Qud by recoming at
Gyl. This is distinct from the other victory types as while the player does not die, they do not see the end credits or enter the Epilogue. This is referred to in the conversation with Rainwater Shomer as a lesser victory.
North Sheva
A variety of different victory types can be achieved at the North Sheva. After completing We Are Starfreight, the player ascends the Spindle and arrives at the North Sheva. After this point, the player may not return to Qud without ending the game. There are five different victory types available at the North Sheva, and on completing any of them the end credits will roll, and the player will enter the Epilogue.[1] These victory types are:
- Return, where the player returns to Qud
- Covenant, where the player forms a covenant with
Resheph, remaining on the North Sheva
- Accede, where the player agrees with
Resheph's plan to annihilate intelligent life on Qud
- Launch, where the player leaves the North Sheva on the Exodus at the Starfarer's Quay
- Marooned, where the player is unable to leave the North Sheva or participate in the other ending types
Additionally, if the player has killed or pacified every Girsh Nephilim, including Starformed Ehalcodon, the Gyre will be annuled. Starformed Ehalcodon will be present at Reclamation if the player has killed or pacified every other Girsh Nephilim prior to Reclamation.[2] Annulling the Gyre raises the grade of these victories from a victory to a greater victory.[3]
Return
The player returns from North Sheva and goes back to Qud. This victory can be achieved one of two ways:
- In the conversation with
Resheph at the Northern Ark, the player declares that they will return to Qud to "nurture its communities."[4]
- If the player destroys
Resheph by opening or breaking the
nondeterministic core, then the graphene ribbon at the Arrivarium will become operational and the player may descend it while piloting the Golem.[5]
Either of these actions will immediately end the game in a victory.
Covenant
The player convinces Resheph to form a new covenant, and remains on the North Sheva to guide the denizens of Qud from above. To achieve this victory, the following conditions must be met:
- The player must have learned that
Barathrum the Old was a part of the Trium during the conversation available with him during the Spindle ascent.[6]
- Barathrum must either be dead, or have already left the
North Sheva by launching the Exodus at the Starfarer's Quay.[4]
- The
nondeterministic core must be intact.
- The player must be able to speak with
Resheph, and not be stranded in another part of the
North Sheva.
Accede
The player accedes to Resheph's plan to till the noosphere. To achieve this victory, the following conditions must be met:
- The player must be able to speak to
Resheph, so the
nondeterministic core must be intact.
Launch
The player leaves both the North Sheva and Qud behind, leaving on the Exodus at the Starfarer's Quay. To achieve this victory, the following conditions must be met:
- The Exodus must not have already launched without the player.
Barathrum the Old will automatically attempt to leave on the Exodus on arriving at the top of the Spindle. If the player ascended with Barathrum, the player must either follow him and join him as the Exodus is being launched, or prevent him from launching it by trapping or killing him. If Barathrum does not start the launch sequence, then the player may by interacting with the pilot console on the Exodus.[7]
Once the launch sequence has started the starship will launch after 200 rounds, and the player will achieve the Launch victory if they are on board.[8]
Marooned
The player is stranded on the North Sheva, and cannot achieve any of the other victory types.
The conditions as implemented are:[9]
- The Golem must be dead.
- The Exodus at the Starfarer's Quay must have been launched. Either
Barathrum the Old may launch it himself, or the player may start the launch sequence and leave the Exodus before it takes off.
- The player must open or break the
nondeterministic core and thus destroy
Resheph.
After these conditions have been met, then the game will end with a Marooned victory after the player takes a turn.[10]
Gyre Annullment
If the player has killed or pacified every Girsh Nephilim, then the Gyre will be annulled. This provides the player more leverage in the conversation with Resheph and is reflected in the Ending in positive ways.
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This article has information that is missing or not up to par.
Reason: describe gyre anullment, super victory |
Reason: describe gyre anullment, super victory
Endmarks
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This article has information that is missing or not up to par.
Reason: describe the different messages/sprites the player can see on victory, with images |
Reason: describe the different messages/sprites the player can see on victory, with images
Epilogue
The epilogue is the post-credits narrative where the player sees a village in Qud 1,000 years later. The village is similar to a standard procedurally generated Village in the salt marsh,
desert canyons, or
hills. The characteristics of this village are variable based on the player's actions on and off Qud. In the epilogue:
- The player will not control their old character, but a new level 1 randomly generated Mutated Human, with the possibility of Epilogue-specific variants of existing Callings
- There will be Epilogue-specific sprites for various objects, like
chests and
witchwood trees
- The world's factions will be different, depending on the conditions of the ending
- The player cannot leave the village without ending the game permanently
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This article has information that is missing or not up to par.
Reason: describe epilogue, different victory types effects on epilogue |
Reason: describe epilogue, different victory types effects on epilogue
Epilogue Ending Conditions
Depending on the type and conditions of the Ending, Qud may be left in three different broad states. These are:
- Not Plagued: Where the Gyre has been lifted
- Plagued: Where the plagues of the Gyre remain in the world
- Ruined: Where all intelligent life in Qud has been killed
Ending Type / Gyre Status | Covenant | Return | Marooned | Launch | Accede |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gyre Not Annulled | No Plague | Plagued | Plagued | Ruined/Plagued* | Ruined |
Gyre Annulled | No Plague | No Plague | No Plague | No Plague | Ruined |
* If Resheph was destroyed by breaking or opening the
nondeterministic core, then Qud will not be Ruined in a standard Launch ending and only Plagued.[11]
Plagued
In a Plagued Epilogue:
- The villagers will share a disease, either Glotrot or Ironshank.[12]
- A plagueyard will be present.[13] The plagueyard will contain
tombstones with inscriptions indicating that the villager died of the randomly determined shared disease.[14]
- 4-6 clusters of
vantabud will be present.[15]
- Two fewer villagers will be present.[13]
Ruined
In a Ruined Epilogue:
- The generated village will be abandoned. No villagers will be present, and structures will be destroyed.[12]
- The player will be a
giant amoeba.[16]
- The world's factions will be dramatically changed. Most factions will be gone, and new ones representing the non-sapient life that was spared from
Resheph's plan will emerge.[17][18]
Starshiib
If either of the following conditions have been met, an ursine locket will be present in a building.[13]
Barathrum the Old left on the Exodus at the Starfarer's Quay.[19]
- The player has left on the Exodus, choosing a Launch Ending, with or without Barathrum.[11]
The ursine locket will initially be unidentified. Once identified, it can be used similarly to a hologram bracelet to produce a
hologram of outworlder.
Epilogue Villagers
Faction Villagers
If the village is not ruined, the Epilogue village will be populated by villagers. The base villager type for the village is determined by the player's reputation. Whichever eligible faction the player has the highest reputation with will be the primary village faction. Not every faction is eligible, but the majority of factions that weren't procedurally generated are eligible. [20]
The villagers that are a part of this faction group will be a unique Epilogue-exclusive creature of this faction. See Category:Chiliad_Creatures for a list. They will have a name, description, and colour variation based on the village's location in the world.[21]
Slynth Immigrant
If the player has completed Landing Pads then there will be a slynth immigrant in the Epilogue village.[22][23] This immigrant will be different based on the settlement the slynth chose as their home.[24]
Settlement | Slynth |
---|---|
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Any procedurally generated Village | ![]() |
Notably absent is the Pariahs faction. If the slynth choose to join the pariahs with
Lulihart, hindren pariah, then there will be no slynth immigrant in the Epilogue village.
If the Slynth immigrant is a slynth wrenchmonk, then they will be prioritized as a candidate for the position of
village tinker. If they are a
slynth irrigator or
slynth cidermouth, then then they will be prioritized as a candidate for the position of
village apothecary.[25]
Gyre Conversant
If the Gyre was annuled, then among the creatures in the village will be a special conversant. The conversant depends on the methods used to defeat the Girsh Nephilim, either killing them or pacifying them.[26]
Method | Conversant |
---|---|
Pacification and killing | ![]() |
Pacified every | True ![]() |
Killed every | ![]() |
Epilogue Factions
By the time of the Epilogue, many of Qud's factions will have changed drastically, and new ones will be present. The player's victory type and their actions on Qud determine the changes.
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This article has information that is missing or not up to par.
Reason: describe unique epilogue factions, ideally with images, secrets, pretty formatting |
Reason: describe unique epilogue factions, ideally with images, secrets, pretty formatting
Mechanimists
The Mechanimists will always be known as the Chromaic Church.[27]
Grit Gate
In a Covenant ending, when the player is requesting a covenant with Resheph they may request access to the Gemara Sophia for either themself or for
Grit Gate. This will determine the name of
Grit Gate in the Epilogue.
- If access is granted to
Grit Gate, then it will be known as the Synagogue at Grit Gate in the Epilogue.[27]
- If access is granted to the player, then
Grit Gate will be known as the Tabernacle at Grit Gate.
- If access is not granted, then
Grit Gate will be known as the monastery at Grit Gate.
In a Launch ending where the Gyre was annuled, Grit Gate will be known as the Tinkers' Guild.
In a Return ending Grit Gate will be known as "denizens of the Grit Gate Freehold".
Bey Lah
If Kith and Kin was not resolved, or the village collapsed as a result of the quest, Bey Lah will not be present in the Epilogue.[27]
If Kith and Kin was completed and Hindriarch Keh is the Hindriarch, then
Bey Lah will be the Hindriarchy of Bey Lah.
If Kith and Kin was completed and Eskhind is the Hindriarch, then the faction will be known as the denizens of the Bey Lah Freehold.
Raising Indrix
The Children of Mamon will not be present. If the player has completed Raising Indrix then a faction known as the Grandchildren of Mamon will be present.[27]
Gyre Annulment
If the Gyre was annuled, then the Girsh and Gyre Wights factions will not be present. If any of the Girsh Nephilim were pacified, then the Nephilim faction will be present.[27]
Putus Templar
In most situations, the Putus Templar will not be present in the world. However, if they are the Epilogue village's base faction since they were the faction with the highest reputation with the player then they will remain a faction.[27]
Epilogue Curiosities
There are a number of unique items that will be conditionally present in the Epilogue depending on the player's actions during certain Quests.
Raising Indrix
- If the player has completed Raising Indrix,[11] then
amaranthine dust will appear in the inventory of the
village apothecary if one is present, or elsewhere if none is present.[28]
- If the player has not completed Raising Indrix, then the
amaranthine prism will be available for sale from the
village merchant, or be elsewhere if none is present.[29]
Love and Fear
If the player has started Love and Fear by picking up the crumpled sheet of paper at the
charred tree, then one of two books will be present in a
wooden bookshelf or other container that descends from it:[30]
- If the player has returned the
crumpled sheet of paper and thus completed Love and Fear, then the book will be
A Tale of Love in Bey Lah.
- If the player left Love and Fear incomplete, then the book will be
A Tale of Fear in Bey Lah.
Fraying Favorites
If the player has completed Fraying Favorites, then a unique object will be placed in the Tinker's hut appropriate to the Child the player gave the repulsive device to.[31]
Child | Object |
---|---|
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If, Then, Else
If the player has started or completed If, Then, Else, then one of three figurines will be present in the inventory of the village merchant, or elsewhere in the village if none is present:[29]
- If the player killed Tau, then the figurine will be
sapphire figurine of the Dreamshatter
- If the player killed
Aoyg-No-Longer, servant of Ptoh in the Cosmic Wood, then the figurine will be
sapphire figurine of the Wandering Jewel
- If the player completed the -elseing with
Tau-No-Longer, then the figurine will be
sapphire figurine of the Crystal Woe
Epilogue Sultan History
A shrine to the player's character will be present in the village.[32] They will be considered a historical figure in the same manner as the Sultan histories and will be logged in the player's journal as such. Historical accounts of their journey through Qud will be seen throughout the village.
The term used for these historical figures may have changed from Sultan in the interim, and the term used is based on the player's victory type.[11]
Victory Type | Name |
---|---|
Return, Marooned | Freeholder |
Accede, Launch | Sultan |
Covenant | Resheph |
The gospel recorded on the player statue will depend on the victory type and the village region.[33]
Victory Type | Gospel |
---|---|
Marooned | "In =event.year=, a triad of plagues afflicted the land. Tongues rotted away in the mouths of kith and kin, their legs annealed to iron, and darkness bloomed from the earth. The warden physickers voiced a prayer to =subject.name= the Above and walked beneath the chrome arches to heal the sick. |
Covenant | In =event.year=, =subject.name= cleansed the =village.region= of the plagues of the Gyre and, through the tutelage of the tinker monks at Grit Gate, taught =mayor.name= to sow =village.plant= along their fertile tracks. |
Accede | In =event.year=, =subject.name=, the Above, forsook the people of Qud in favor of its sludges and microorganisms, and then disappeared. They were 216 years old. |
Return | In =event.year=, a triad of plagues afflicted the land. Tongues rotted away in the mouths of kith and kin, their legs annealed to iron, and darkness bloomed from the earth. =subject.name= and their warden physickers walked beneath the chrome arches and healed the sick. |
Launch | At twilight in the shadow of the Spindle, the people of =village.name= saw an image on the horizon that looked like a =subject.personTerm= bathed in starfire. It was =subject.name=, and after they came and left =village.name=, the people built a monument to =pronouns.objective=, and thenceforth called them =subject.PersonTerm=-in-Starfire. |
If the player achieved an Accede victory, then the statue will be desecrated. If the player annulled the Gyre, then the statue will be gold colored.[34]
Reason: describe player history
References
- ↑
XRL.World.Conversations.Parts.EndGame
, methodStart
- ↑
XRL.World.Quests.ReclamationSystem
, methodGetValidNephal
- ↑ Several methods and HiddenConversations.xml. The check if Ehalcodon has been foiled tends to happen in the places where the ending type is declared and XRL.World.Parts.EndGame.Start is called.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1
HiddenConversations.xml
, conversation IDResheph
- ↑
XRL.World.Parts.AscensionCable
, methodTryDescend
- ↑
HiddenConversations.xml
, conversation IDBarathrum
- ↑
XRL.World.Parts.ShevaStarshipControl
, methodHandleEvent
- ↑
XRL.World.Parts.ShevaStarshipControl
, methodCheckTimer
- ↑
XRL.World.Conversations.Parts.EndGame
, methodCheckMarooned
- ↑
XRL.World.Parts.ArkCore
, methodStartEnd
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3
XRL.World.Conversations.Parts.EndGame
, methodEvaluateState
- ↑ 12.0 12.1
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCoda
, methodGenerateVillageEntity
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCoda
, methodBuildZone
- ↑
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCodaBase
, methodFabricatePlagueyard
- ↑
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCodaBase
, methodFabricateVantabudCluster
- ↑
XRL.World.Conversations.Parts.EndGame
, methodCreatePlayer
- ↑
ChiliadFactions.xml
- ↑
XRL.World.Conversations.Parts.EndGame
, methodEvaluateFactionState
- ↑
XRL.World.Parts.ShevaStarshipControl
, methodCheckTimer
- ↑
XRL.World.XRL.World.Conversations.Parts.EndGame
, methodGetBaseFaction
- ↑
XRL.World.ObjectBuilders.CreatureRegionSpice
, methodApply
- ↑
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCoda
, methodGenerateVillageEntity
- ↑
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCoda
, methodSlynthPopulationInflux
- ↑
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCoda
, methodGetSlynthType
- ↑
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCoda
, methodGetSlynthRole
- ↑
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCodaBase
, methodGetUltraConversant
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 27.5
XRL.World.Parts.EndGame
, methodEvaluateSpecific
- ↑
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCoda
, methodPopulateCodaApothecary
- ↑ 29.0 29.1
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCoda
, methodPopulateCodaMerchant
- ↑
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCoda
, methodPlaceEtaEarthling
- ↑
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCoda
, methodPopulateCodaTinker
- ↑
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCoda
, methodFabricatePlayerStatue
- ↑
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCoda
, methodGenerateEndEvent
- ↑
XRL.World.ZoneBuilders.VillageCoda
, methodSetStatueVisuals
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