Pug Damsel Trading Card Artwork
Damsels are non-hostile characters that can be found in the caves calling for help, or occasionally in Kissing booths run by Shopkeepers.
Functionality
The main purpose of a Damsel is to give the Spelunker more health after being rescued at the end of the level. However, they do have some other uses as well:
- Sacrificed at an Altar for a large amount of favor
- Used as a makeshift throwing weapon
- Used as shield to soak up damage from Traps and other projectiles.
Picking up a Damsel will cause them to pass out in your arms, becoming stunned for several seconds after being set down. A Damsel who has been dropped or thrown will eventually come to their senses and begin running around in panic, and will behave in the same way if they take damage.
A panicking Damsel will run blindly forwards, only turning if they hit a wall. They will also fall off ledges, which makes them prone to getting killed by Spikes and other hazards.
For bringing them to a level exit, they will reward you with a kiss when you leave, increasing your health by one point.
Dead Damsels can still be carried and thrown at enemies. However, you get no reward for carrying their corpse to the end of the level, so you may as well sacrifice their body if you find an altar.
Damsels will always give you a kiss in the exit tunnel after you rescue them, even if you leave the level through a different exit than the one you sent the Damsel into. This can happen on levels that have multiple exits, such as the level with the hidden Black Market entrance. This also includes allowing the Damsel to be eaten alive by The Worm. Though the player is not allowed to take a Damsel corpse through a regular exit, it can still be used to trigger the Worm to take the player to the Worm level.
If a Damsel is found inside a Kissing Parlor, then the player will be able to pay for a kiss, buying as many kisses as money can pay. The price per kiss starts at $8000 in the Mines with an added $2000 to the price for each new area (making Jungle kisses $10000, Ice Cave kisses $12000, and Temple kisses $14000). Additionally, it's possible to buy the Damsel if the player uses the purchase button while holding the Damsel. Buying the Damsel outright will cost 50% more than the price of a single kiss. Although this is normally considered a waste of money, it can be a good option if the player wants to sacrifice the Damsel on a Kali Altar or trigger the Worm.
Damsels are tied with Black Knights, Hired Hands and Spelunkers for the most favor gained when sacrificed, so sacrificing them is often a good way to obtain the Kapala. Note that attacking the Damsel does not ruin the chance of getting a kiss for saving them, so long as they are still alive, so whipping them once or twice in an enclosed space is a good way to collect blood and potentially get an extra health point from the Damsel's blood.
Damsels have a high spawn rate, but are not guaranteed to spawn in every level. In some cases, certain Level Feelings are responsible for a Damsel spawning or lack of spawning. For example, Damsels are guaranteed to spawn on Sacrificial Pit levels, while they will never spawn in Olmec's Lair or Yama's Throne.
Types of Damsels
As player characters can now be either male or female, there are now various Damsels as well.
The type of Damsels that appear can be set in the Options menu, and there is also the option to have all types of Damsel appear at random.
There are three main varieties:
|
|
|
| The Female Damsel | The Male Damsel | The Damsel Dog |
Sloth Damsel
The icon in the settings menu that must be clicked repeatedly to unlock the Sloth.
There is a secret fourth Damsel type that can be activated as an Easter egg.
The Sloth Damsel replaces the Pug and can be selected from the options menu by clicking on the Pug icon a hundred times. After enough clicking, the secret tone will play and the icon will change to that of the Sloth, who can be selected as a Damsel type or added to the pool of random Damsels.
The unlock will only be active for the duration of the game session, and does not permanently replace the Pug. The Damsel will revert back to the Pug upon exiting the game, so the process of activating the Sloth must be repeated each time the game is booted if the player wants to use it.
There is also a small chance of the Damsel appearing in the level as the Sloth, though the odds of this occurring is currently unknown.
Achievements
- "Casanova" (10
) - Rescue 10 or more Damsels in one game. (Guide)
Bugs
- Sometimes if Damsels are thrown out of a Kissing Parlor without being paid for, usually if the Spelunker is equipped with the Pitcher's Mitt, the shopkeepers will not get angry.
Trivia
- Damsels (whether in the level or in a Kissing Parlor) are guaranteed to spawn on Levels 2-1 and 3-1, making it always possible to enter the Worm on those levels.
- Even though a Damsel will normally spawn inside a Kissing Parlor in the Black Market, on very rare occurrences it's possible for a Damsel to spawn outside of the shops.
- If the Damsel spawns as a Sloth through random chance, it will continue to be a Sloth until the game is restarted.