Blind Playthrough: stuck between death and direction

[kind pier]

What I’ve Been Through (Spoiler-Free Summary)

I came into this game thinking it would be atmospheric and challenging. I wasn’t prepared for how cold and indifferent this world would be. It doesn’t teach you. It barely reacts to you. It just exists—and you learn, or you die.

I’ve dodged lizards by inches, discovered how to climb without being told, and learned that sometimes the best tactic is simply to stop moving. I’ve ridden massive insect creatures through tunnels, wiggled between two fighting lizards to slip away unseen, and even managed to kill giant centipedes and hop on the back of a flying vulture.

At one point, I wondered into a Scavenger nest with a plant I didn't know exploded. Panic struck and I dropped everything I had. Boom. And me, standing in the aftermath, finishing the job with a spear, fully unaware I’d just declared war on an entire faction. (Still don't know what the scavengers' deals are, sometimes they snipe me with a spear, sometimes I can walk on their faces) Anyways, the longer I’ve played, the more I’ve realized this game isn’t about winning. It’s about surviving long enough to understand.

What I Know (And What I Don’t)
All I know narratively is: “Find your family.”
That’s what’s kept me going—some instinctual drive

But I haven’t seen anything that says I’m going the right way.

I’m honestly not even sure if I’m playing right or just being too stubborn.

[proven flame]

Reposted starting message

This is my first time playing Rain World (Survivor campaign), completely blind—no wiki, no walkthroughs, not even YouTube. Just me and a game that barely acknowledges I exist.
A raw, first-time journey through Rain World’s brutal beauty. no DLC, no clue what I’m doing—just instinct, desperation, and a stubborn Slugcat trying to find his family. 53 cycles in, 11 hours deep, and currently drowning in Garbage Wastes. Documenting the struggle, the growth, and the questions. Open to light guidance—no spoilers, please.

[young scarab]

You seem to have already been through a lot

I wish you luck on your spoiler free experience, if you ever need help feel free to ping first playthrough helpers

[kind pier]

Ofc! Thank you. Currently I've been trying to push into the next region past Garbage Wastes and each time I do and I pop beneath a water fall, the leeches from the previous room stay on you because you're underwater or too close to it. So when I swim through and pop on the other side I get popped by one of those creatures and I die to the leeches or drown (happened multiple times, now locked outside the entrance for the next region in garbage). Also why is it so easy to drown lol? I make one mistake and I die. Anyways, not sure what to do. Garbage Wastes has been hell and I want out. I would really like to know how to deal with vultures better as well

And why haven't I seen the slugcat symbol from the yellow flower recently?

[copper vale]

you can always head back out the way you came and find a different path or come back later
or you could keep experimenting to figure out methods to make your experience in that region less frustrating

really the great part about rainworld is you form your own experience by choosing your own adventure each time you play

[stark venture]

But you summed up the RW experience really well in the first message, so I think you'll have a pretty good time if you're aware of how the game is structured.

[nimble creek]

Since it's not intuitive to find out, this is something we sometimes tell players about;

Pressing jump underwater gives a small swim boost but it drastically depletes your oxygen

We recommend not doing it many ppl do it out of reflex

[kind pier]

What about leeches? Just gotta move fast? Lately each time I dive it’s just a roll of the dice on whether or not the leeches kill me at least on the underwater caves with no land

I have figured it out

I never thought about how I might be able to pick these guys up lol. They are now my tools are used for leech duty, when I can manage/get better at using them at least.

[copper vale]

yippee!!

thats great that you figured that out :)