Survival is the main goal of the playable ‘Slugcat’ in the platform game Rain World, a world dominated by predators and environmental hazards (specifically repetitive heavy downpour of rain). Lizards are one predator category in Rain World that the Slugcat encounters in almost every region, with nine variations that have their own unique abilities, traits and even personalities. Players who grow tired of fighting hoards of lizards across every terrain may want to consider taming the lizards they encounter and making an ally.
Rain World operates using a Reputation System, meaning that players who treat lizards well will earn a positive reputation in the eyes of lizard colonies. Gaining a lizard’s trust can be achieved by feeding the lizard with a specific number of prey or defending lizards against threatening high-level predators, primarily the masked vultures. Taming lizards has multiple benefits (depending on the lizard species), such as the domesticated lizard protecting the Slugcat from attackers and accompanying the Slugcat across terrains. How can players gauge which lizards are the most beneficial to tame for their playthrough?
9 The Black Lizard
The Black Lizard is the rarest type, featured in three of the twelve regions in Rain World. Ironically, it is one that players may be uninterested in taming. These lizards reside in dark environments and are entirely blind, leaving them vulnerable to surprise attacks that they cannot block or evade. Their sense of hearing is elevated, but their noise-motivated nature can be used against them: a Slugcat can throw a rock in the opposite direction and the curious Black Lizard will abandon its prey to investigate the sound.
The Black Lizard requiring offerings of three to five prey to become loyal to the Slugcat, but the domesticated Lizard cannot follow players into different regions. Tamed Black Lizards can detect predators by lighting up when they hear an oncoming sound, but they also alert to sounds the Slugcat makes while traveling, rendering this skill quite useless. They also are not quick to fight other lizards, either because they are slow to recognize the threat, or due to a natural tolerance of other lizards. As such, the Black Lizard is an inadvisable and relatively useless ally in Rain World.
8 The Pink Lizard
The Pink (or Purple) Lizard is the first to display the ability of climbing poles to pursue the Slugcat - but they are generally bested by other more powerful lizard types. Pink Lizards are killed with an average of three hits and its sub-par vision makes it easy to sneak past undetected. This lizard's slow speed can be effortlessly outrun by the Slugcat.
The Pink Lizard can quickly become the Slugcat’s companion after being fed a couple of small prey - but players may find little use for the Pink Lizard beyond a beginner’s foray into taming. This reptile’s weak fighting skills and the fact that it cannot follow the Slugcat through gates into other regions makes the Pink Lizard particularly undesirable as a long-term pet.
7 The Blue Lizard
Meek-mannered and easy to tame, the Blue Lizard becomes the Slugcat’s loyal shadow in exchange for one or three small prey. The agile Blue Lizard can navigate the ceilings and walls of terrains and join the Slugcat safely in any shelter during the cyclical rain environmental hazard. The Blue Lizard’s passivity reduces time-wasting territorial fights with other creatures, unless of course the Slugcat is threatened.
Unfortunately, a Blue Lizard’s low health renders it vulnerable, as this companion cannot protect players consistently from high damage dealing predators and may be quickly killed off. Additionally, the Blue Lizard is cannibalized by the forceful Green Lizard. While the Blue Lizard is easy to tame, this cute pet may not last long by your side, earning its low spot on this list.
6 The White Lizard
Camouflage is the White Lizard’s specialty. This lizard blends in with its background, staying invisible to climb walls and ambush any prey that passes by. The White Lizard's tongue stretches three times its length, latching onto food before pulling it in. Oddly, this reptile is immobilized once its tongue makes contact, giving the Slugcat an opportunity to attack.
The White Lizard is tamed with two to four feedings and its mobility and natural glow make them excellent companions for lighting up dark areas like the Shaded Citadel, or joining the Slugcat in shelters. Although huge and imposing, the White Lizard does not thrive as a bodyguard - they prefer being an ambush predator and has very little interest in fighting other lizards. If players are seeking a warrior pet, the White Lizard will not be their first choice.
5 The Salamander
Despite being an amphibian, the Salamander is regarded unofficially as a ‘lizard type’ in Rain World. The Salamander travels comfortably on both land and sea. They either appear as albinistic (white) or melanistic (black) which camouflages them when submerged in deep water and allows them to surprise and kill Slugcats.
These underwater predators are menacing due to their superior speed and vision. Salamanders can be tamed within four feedings, and is a valid choice for those wishing to bring their pets across land and sea. The Salamander is not particularly strong, but it is more durable and versatile than the Blue or Pink Lizard. It is worth noting that killing Jetfish and Scavenger type prey for Salamanders damages the Slugcat’s reputation and may encourage the Salamander to attack instead.
4 The Yellow Lizard
Yellow (or Orange) Lizards are pack animals. They hunt in small groups led by an Alpha and have antennas that flash upon detecting the Slugcat, allowing them to strategically work together to corner their prey. Yellow Lizards do not have individual reputation receptors, so players must defend and feed the whole pack in order to tame a Yellow Lizard.
Disappointingly, taming a Yellow Lizard does not mean that the Slugcat will instantly gain a small army, as a domesticated Yellow Lizard will separate from its group to follow the player exclusively. The Yellow Lizard is more vulnerable on its own and has clumsy movements and slow reflexes. However, it is possible to slowly tame a pack one by one without the tamed lizards fighting one another, resulting in a posse of loyal Yellow bodyguards. Players who choose to play on easy mode with the ‘Monk’ Slugcat can use the Slugcat’s increased empathy to achieve this goal quickly.
3 The Green Lizard
Bearing close resemblance and movement to alligators, the Green Lizard’s tough skin is an effective armor, only penetrated by targeting its soft underbelly. Built like slow-moving tanks, they require a maximum of ten blows to be killed. Like the alligator, their jaws produce a heavy bite with a 50% chance of being lethal.
Taming the Green Lizard is a wise choice, as players benefit from this reptile’s incredibly high health during battles. The Green Lizard can be a valuable tool when defeating vicious Red Lizards and the green predator favors Blue Lizards as its snack of choice, therefore effectively protecting the Slugcat against a variety of threats, even vultures. One downside of these green allies is their inability to climb poles, which limits the shelters they can access.
2 The Cyan Lizard
Cyan Lizards must be triggered when playing as the ‘Monk’ or ‘Survivor’ Slugcat, but they are native to the hard mode ‘Hunter’ Slugcat. These lizards dotted with blue fluorescent circles have a unique ability to use bursts of energy to make extraordinary leaps, rapid-fire jumps, or both in succession. They can also climb walls and ceilings making their movements highly unpredictable so that they can evade blows and attack the Slugcat in unexpected ways. Running from a Cyan Lizard is near impossible as a result.
Cyan Lizards are low maintenance to tame and very worth it. Their mobility enables them to accompany the Slugcat through every region. While their low health may seem a handicap, their rapid, random movements shield them from most attacks and deal random heavy damage to significantly protect the Slugcat. Despite lacking aggression towards their own species, Cyan Lizards happily target other predators, including actively hunting and eating Blue Lizards. Avoid accidentally hitting your ally during combat and the Cyan Lizard is an incredible creature to tame.
1 The Red Lizard
The Red Lizard is one of the most dangerous and formidable opponents in Rain World. This highly aggressive crimson variety only appears once players have killed specific lizard types multiple times and is heavily armored to survive over seven direct hits. Red Lizards have heightened senses, the ability to spit long-distance projectiles to stun fleeing prey and, worst of all, a lethal bite, making it almost impossible to escape this incessant assassin. The Red Lizard is the fastest swimmer of all the reptiles, and they actively savage all other lizards without provocation - and even target the widely feared Vultures and Big Spiders successfully.
The Slugcat’s only respite may be to tame the Red Lizard, but this is tricky, tedious and requires a great deal of food. The Red Lizard will continue to attack the Slugcat on sight until it has been fed a minimum of five ‘squidcadas’ and its full loyalty requires between eight and twelve. Additionally, feeding other lizards will raise the Slugcat’s reputation and make taming the Red Lizard quicker. If players succeed, they will own a ferocious Red Lizard that decimates attackers - well worth the tedious taming process.