Challenges

Challenges are an additional Arena mode added in the Downpour DLC, pitting the player against preset arenas with special goals.

Beating all 70 challenges will award the player with the achievement 'The Champion'. This cannot be bypassed by using cheats, as the option merely unlocks every challenge, as opposed to marking them as beaten.

Survivor Challenges (1-7)
These are the first seven challenges that feature the player character as the, including sandbox items seen within their story. These challenges are unlocked by default and require no in-game progress to complete.

1 - Outskirts

 * Win Condition: kill all creatures
 * Arena: Blocks
 * Creatures: 1, 1
 * Items: 3 s, 5
 * Time Limit: None

2 - Gathering

 * Win Condition: score 10 points
 * Arena: Frame
 * Creatures: 3 s, 1
 * Items: 12, 14
 * Time Limit: None

3 - Theft

 * Win Condition: score 13 points
 * Arena: Warehouse
 * Creatures: 3 s, 1
 * Items: None
 * Time Limit: None

4 - Centipede Maze

 * Win Condition: score 7 points
 * Arena: Chamber
 * Creatures: 3 s, 2 s
 * Items: 7
 * Time Limit: None

5 - Competition

 * Win Condition: score 15 points
 * Arena: Shafts
 * Creatures: 4 s, 4 s
 * Items: 1, 21
 * Time Limit: 120 seconds

6 - Bobbing and Popping

 * Win Condition: score 12 points
 * Arena: Cistern
 * Creatures: 2 s, 5 es
 * Items: 14
 * Time Limit: 130 seconds

7 - Hunting Grounds

 * Win Condition: score 7 points.
 * Arena: Islands
 * Creatures: 3 s, 1, 2 Nests
 * Items: None
 * Time Limit: 130 seconds

Monk Challenges (8-14)
The next seven challenges, featuring the player character as the, including a pool of items similar to the Survivor, with the objectives of challenges modified to better fit the play-style of the Monk. These challenges are unlocked by default and require no in-game progress to complete.

8 - Flying Feast

 * Win Condition: Befriend a creature
 * Arena: Frame
 * Creatures: 2, 1 , 1 , 3
 * Items: 4 s
 * Time Limit: None

9 - Fair Trade

 * Win Condition: Gain 5 points
 * Arena: Cistern
 * Creatures: 2
 * Items: 10
 * Time Limit: None

10 - Air Strike

 * Win Condition: Kill every Scavenger
 * Arena: Stoneheads
 * Creatures: 4 s, 1
 * Items: none
 * Time Limit: None

11 - Rescue

 * Win Condition: Rescue
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 1, 1
 * Items: 1, 2 s, 4 , 1
 * Time Limit: None

12 - Shaded Banquet

 * Win Condition: Befriend a creature
 * Arena: Hive
 * Creatures: 6, 2 s
 * Items: 2 Spears
 * Time Limit: 120 seconds

13 - Little Bites

 * Win Condition: Gain 25 points
 * Arena: Cistern
 * Creatures: 2 s, 3 s
 * Items: 2 s, 6
 * Time Limit: None

14 - Full Stomach

 * Win Condition: Gain 24 points
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 1 Vulture Grub, 2, 1 , 1
 * Items: 3 Fruit, 2, 5 , 5 , 2
 * Time Limit: 180 seconds

Hunter Challenges (15-21)
These feature the character playing as the, including a pool of items reflected in their story, prominently featuring hardmode creatures, with the objectives of challenges modified to better fit the play-style of the Hunter. These challenges are locked by default and require the player to complete the Hunter's story or Hunter equivalent (e.g. Artificer- requires fact checking) in order to unlock.

15 - Suburban

 * Win Condition: Gain 30 points
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: ?
 * Items: 3 s, 1, 5.
 * Time Limit: None

16 - Linear Farms

 * Win Condition: Gain 30 points
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: ?
 * Items: 2 s, 8 s, 7.
 * Time Limit: None

17 - Limited Ammunition

 * Win Condition: Kill all creatures
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 1
 * Items: 2 s
 * Time Limit: 120 seconds
 * Notes: It is important to keep the Vulture on screen, as if it flies off and comes back, any spears that were embedded in it will be lost forever.

18 - Sky Islands

 * Win Condition: Gain 30 points
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: ?
 * Items: 5 s, 1, 7
 * Time Limit: None

19 - Deadly Traps

 * Win Condition: Gain 12 points
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 5 s, 4 s, 3 nests
 * Items: 13
 * Time Limit: 150 seconds

20 - Subterranean

 * Win Condition: Gain 30 points
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: ?
 * Items: 3 s, 1, 4 s
 * Time Limit: None

21 - Filtration System

 * Win Condition: Gain 30 points
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: ?
 * Items: 6 s, 10
 * Time Limit: None

Gourmand Challenges (22-28)
These feature the character playing as the, including a pool of items reflected in their story, prominently featuring hardmode creatures, with the objectives of challenges modified to better fit the play-style and unique abilities of the Gourmand. These challenges are locked by default and require the player to complete the Gourmand's story in order to unlock.

22 - Plummet

 * Win Condition: Kill all creatures
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 3 s
 * Items: None
 * Time Limit: None
 * Notes: As no items spawn, the only way to win this challenge is to fall on the enemies from high up. This can be difficult, as the Caramel Lizard's spit will slow Gourmand's descent.

23 - Glimmering Buffet

 * Win Condition: Gain 22 points
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 3 s, 2 s, 2 s
 * Items: 5 s, 4 s
 * Time Limit: 90 Seconds

24 - Infinite Utility

 * Win Condition: Kill every Red Centipede
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 1
 * Items: 1, 6
 * Time Limit: 90 Seconds
 * Notes: It is unmentioned in the description that s spawn in this arena. The intended method to beat this challenge is by utilizing Gourmand's item regurgitation and item crafting to create a . One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is to combine a with one of the bits of Rubbish that spawns.

25 - Babysitting

 * Win Condition: Survive for 150 seconds without letting a Slugpup die
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 8 s
 * Items: 3
 * Time Limit: None

25 - Babysitting

 * Win Condition: Survive for 150 seconds without letting a Slugpup die
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 8 s
 * Items: 3
 * Time Limit: None

26 - Noot Scoot

 * Win Condition: Gain 23 points
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 5, 3
 * Items: 6 s
 * Time Limit: 240 Seconds
 * Notes: This map spans more than one screen, unique to some of the challenge arenas.

27 - Incubation

 * Win Condition: Gain 18 points
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: None
 * Items: 3 s, 5, 1 , 4 s, 3 s
 * Time Limit: None

27 - Flushed

 * Win Condition: Gain 35 points
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: ?
 * Items: 2 s, 6
 * Time Limit: None

Artificer Challenges (29-35)
These feature the character playing as the, including a pool of items reflected in their story, prominently featuring hardmode creatures, with the objectives of challenges modified to better fit the play-style and unique abilities of the Artificer. These challenges are locked by default and require the player to complete the Artificer's story in order to unlock.

29 - Lamplighter

 * Win Condition: Gain 8 points
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 1
 * Items: 1, 3 s, 8 es
 * Time Limit: None

30 - Surrounded

 * Win Condition: Kill all creatures
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 5 s
 * Items: 1, 1
 * Time Limit: None

31 - Blast Fishing

 * Win Condition: Gain 5 points
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: None
 * Items: 5
 * Time Limit: 120 seconds

32 - Hard Boiled

 * Win Condition: Gain 12 points
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 1
 * Items: 1
 * Time Limit: None
 * Notes: It is unmentioned in the description that s spawn in this arena. The intended method to beat this challenge is to load the Noodlefly Eggs into the Joke Rifle, shoot from the rifle, and eat them while avoiding the adult.

33 - Perfect Parries

 * Win Condition: Parry 4 attacks
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 6
 * Items: 6
 * Time Limit: 120 seconds
 * Notes: Artificer can parry spears by deflecting them with their concussive blast (performed by holding down and pressing jump and grab simultaneously), this is much easier to pull off under the effects of the Mushrooms.

34 - Patrol

 * Win Condition: Kill all creatures
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 3 s
 * Items: 4 Spears, 2 s, 2 s, 7
 * Time Limit: None

35 - Sheep Dog

 * Win Condition: Survive for 120 seconds without letting a Lantern Mouse die.
 * Arena:
 * Creatures: 4 s, 2 s, 1
 * Items: 1, 4 s
 * Time Limit: None
 * Notes: The intended method to beat this challenge is to load the Cherrybombs into the Joke Rifle and shoot around the Lantern Mouse to scare the Lizards off. However, an unintended and easier method is to simply grab ahold of the Lantern Mouse and travel in and out of pipes until the timer is up.

Rivulet Challenges (36-42)
These feature the character playing as the, including a pool of items reflected in their story, with the objectives of challenges modified to better fit the play-style and unique abilities of the Rivulet. These challenges are locked by default and require the player to complete the Rivulet's story in order to unlock.

Spearmaster Challenges (43-49)
These feature the character playing as the, including a pool of items reflected in their story, prominently featuring hardmode creatures, with the objectives of challenges modified to better fit the play-style and unique abilities of the Spearmaster. These challenges are locked by default and require the player to complete the Spearmaster's story in order to unlock.

Saint Challenges (50-56)
These feature the character playing as the, including a pool of items reflected in their story, prominently featuring hardmode creatures, with the objectives of challenges modified to better fit the play-style and unique abilities of the Saint. These challenges are locked by default and require the player to complete the Saint's story in order to unlock.

Bonus Challenges (57-69)
These challenges feature an array of playable Slugcats and sandbox items sourced from all of their stories. These challenges are locked by default and require the player to complete 5 challenges to unlock the first one, 5 more to unlock the next, and so on.

Challenge 70


This is the final challenge, unlocked by completing all other challenges and as a result most of the base game Slugcat stories and all of the downpour Slugcat stories.

Challenge 70 features a surprise boss fight against, the Iterator known for sending out a Triple Affirmative, as the ascended.

To begin the fight, the player must attempt to use Saint's ascension ability on Sliver of Straw. After hitting her once, she begins vocalizing and charging up her attacks. The fight consists of six main phases, each ending with her gravity field fading out, indicating another opportunity to attempt an ascension.

The fight is also generally considered non-canon, including by the developers, though nothing in the game explicitly states as such.

Phase 1
Sliver of Straw will shoot energy beams at the player. Despite what it looks like, if the player is in the middle of the beam when it goes off, the attack does not kill. Instead, it will push the Saint into the wall. If Saint is hit by the laser while against a wall, it creates a blast that will kill them.

Phase 2
Sliver of Straw will draw a large grid throughout the chamber, creating a square that generally lands somewhere on the middle. On each of the four corners of the square, a large version of the ten karma symbol pops up. If the player is not in the radius of the symbol, nothing will happen but a small pop. If the player is caught in the middle of one, a loud pang will sound and Saint will be killed. (It should be noted that these effects are near identical to Saint's own ascension abilities, including the sounds made upon success or failure.)

Phase 3
Sliver of Straw surrounds the arena in a circle of lasers that radiate outwards from her body. While they are initially harmless, after a few seconds they will rapidly fire off one after the other, requiring the player to keep up and outrun these. She will do this four times.

Phase 4
This phase combines the first and second phase. Both the karma symbols and beams are slower to appear than in their individual phases, but attempting to avoid them both while keeping the Saint powered up enough to ascend Sliver of Straw at the end of this phase is difficult.

Phase 5
Sliver of Straw fills the arena with orbs of electricity that form a safe circle in the middle. Slowly at first, this safe zone will begin to shift in a figure eight pattern (top left, bottom right, top right, bottom left). The pace quickens, and at the same time the safe zone gets smaller and smaller, requiring the player to anticipate the pattern before the circle actually begins changing directions. Unlike the other phases, when her gravity field goes down the attack does not stop.

Phase 6
Sliver of Straw will utilize the electric orbs, having them cover the top and bottom third of the chamber. Lasers similar to phase three will slide in from either the right or left, and activate after a short time. This phase increases in difficulty as the orbs form a wavelike pattern, requiring the player to manage vertical movement while avoiding the incoming lasers.

Ending
After all six phases have been passed, Saint must perform two more ascensions. The first one ends phase six, and Sliver of Straw will continue vocalizing, with red sparks emanating from her body. Upon ascending her one last time, the chamber goes pitch black, and Sliver of Straw's puppet falls to the floor.

From here, the entrance turns into a shelter symbol, and Saint is able to exit.