Depths (Disambiguation)

The Depths is a subregion of the Subterranean region that is important to the plot, accessed through a pipe at the bottom of the Filtration System, making it by far the lowest point in the game. There is no threat of Rain, and there are no natural predators. The only threat are the Guardians of the area which will only bother the slugcat if the player has not unlocked the maximum Karma level. The only exit from the Depths is downwards, as there is no conventional way to climb back up the entrance shaft. The Depths is a series of seemingly abandoned temples and shrines. In order to progress through as intended, the player must have unlocked the 10th Karma level, typically acquired by visiting Five Pebbles or visiting four Echoes. Tall Guardians will quickly kill the Slugcat if attempting to pass the west of the compound without a karma level of 10. A small room near the entrance of the depths raises the Slugcat's Karma to its current max karma level as it passes. Attempting to make one's way past the Guardians without a maximum karma of 10 will result first in the Slugcat being thrown back to the start of the room, and then being thrown against the ground after a couple of attempts, resulting in death. The Guardians have extremely high health pools and so cannot practically be killed.

As the player progresses downwards, the compound gives way to a loose cave system, and the Slugcat will eventually reach a lake of golden dark liquid, known as the Void Sea. The Slugcat cannot drown in this liquid, and swimming down into it will begin the ending sequence.

Trivia

 * There are multiple unintended ways to bypass the Guardians. With good timing it is possible to blind them with two flashbang fruits for long enough to run past. This was explicitly made to not work as the Hunter on version 1.5.
 * The Guardians can also be bypassed by distracting them with a living creature. This works best with small living creatures such as Hazers or Vulture Grubs that can be swallowed and regurgitated repeatedly, aggravating the Guardians more quickly.
 * The exit can also be reached by manipulating the Guardians to throw the Slugcat straight upwards, then throwing objects to reach the pipe.
 * It is also possible to fully despawn the Guardians by interrupting their room loading time. This is considered the simplest and fastest method of the Guardian despawn and is used for any% speedruns.