Cuphead: Pacifist Guide

by Falagar / Articles, Cuphead / 30 Sep 2017

You’ve probably met the turtle in world three, hinting at how pacifism can lead to a black and white worldview. So you tried to do a level, and you find that not killing is rather difficult. Well, no worries, this guide will walk you through how to achieve a more pacifist lifestyle.

What is considered pacifist?

– Simply put, don’t kill anyone, at least not with your own hands.

– If something else kills them, that will not affect your results.

– Feel free to parry anything that isn’t alive, such as some projectiles.

– You’ll know you did the level right when you get a grade of “P.”

What do I need?

Let’s face it; your vanilla set won’t keep you together when everything is coming at you. That’s not to say it’s impossible, but there’s no need to do such a challenge.

You’re going to need two things to make life easier:

– Smoke Bomb

– Whetstone

Anything else is optional. The extra HP would certainly help on the levels that don’t need those charms since we won’t be killing anyone anyways.

World 1

Forest Follies

For this level, you’ll need the Whetstone. This one’s rather straightforward. Just dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge through the enemies until you get to the Acorn Maker. You cannot dash through, smoke bomb through, or jump over this. That’s where the whetstone comes in. Parry at the apex of your jump and dash over the maker, and then all you have left are those piranha plants. Otherwise, you’re home-free.

Treetop Trouble

For this level, you can either use the smoke bomb or whetstone; otherwise, this can be done without them. Again, also somewhat straightforward. Weave your way through until you get to the top of the tree. You do not have to worry about the leaf bugs dying; they will not affect your outcome. Platform your way to the mini-boss. If you have the Smoke Bomb, jump as close and as high to the boss as possible and dash right through. If you have the whetstone, jump as close and high to the boss as possible and dash over him. If you don’t have those, try to get to the boss with at least 2 hp left. Damage boost yourself however you want and get through using the invincibility time. Land on the cliff and complete the level.

World 2

Funfair Fever

For this level, you’ll need the smoke bomb. This is important because you’ll need to be as vital as possible. Dash your way through until you get to the dunk tent. Watch your footing and dash through the toys. Once you reach the cannons, get to the middle platform and try to short hop between the top two cannons to ensure you can get close enough to dash past them. Keep maneuvering until you get to the red machine. He’s too big to dash right through, so you’ll have to take a hit. Platform your way to the top and once you get to the hot dog, simply dash through him. Try to dash over him where he’s a little narrower to ensure you don’t get hurt.

Funhouse Frazzle

For this level, you’ll again need the smoke bomb. This is simply to dash through the toy mama ducks. Maneuver through the ducks and cars until you get to the wall. So how do you get through without killing it? Just go through his mouth. Whenever he opens his mouth, jump and dash over the two cars, he spits out while avoiding the kisses, then just run/dash through as the window to go through is a little short. The wall should break down, but it will not affect the outcome. Keep platforming until you get to the wall again. Do the same thing and dash through his mouth. I recommend you be a little bit vital in case you dash too short. Also, don’t worry about the bombs, they’ll kill themselves, but it will not affect the outcome.

World 3

Perilous Piers

This is perhaps the most tedious one to get through, so I suggest you have some sort of HP boost. This one is a rather straightforward level. All I can really suggest is that you should try to stay as vital as you can until you get to the octopus. There’s otherwise not really a trick to get through this easily.

Rugged Ridge

For this level, an HP boost charm is recommended. For the first part, bait out the pickaxes from the mountain goats. You should have enough time to get over them if you’re close enough. Jump to their toes, then jump and dash over them. Rinse and repeat. When you get to the rock lion, try to stay as close as you can to the lion; the pickaxe coming in behind you should barely be out of reach. Once the lion stops roaring, jump and dash over it. Get to the sliding platform and dodge the monsters. What I suggest is try to get as close to the dragon before it shoots fire so you can dodge it earlier, and it won’t linger around when you have to jump over a foe. Try to be somewhat vital, say 3 hp, at the end of the slide, as the walls with the pink faces are a little annoying to get over. You should be somewhat free at this point as all you need to do now is an autoscroller with the cyclop.

Falagar

He is the founder and editor of Magic Game World. He loved gaming from the moment he got a PlayStation 1 with Gran Turismo on his 7th birthday.
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