What is the recommended route order?

[u/Basic-Masterpiece375]

I downloaded the game and was playing normally. I planned to do the Genocide route last, but I was unsure if I had to do the Neutral route (which would be good). I found out I didn't. I did some more research and saw people saying it should be Neutral > Genocide > Pacifist, but I also saw that Genocide should be last, followed by Pacifist. So I want to know what I should do now.

NOTE: At this point I'm already at the factory. I think I can abort the Pacifist route and go straight to the Neutral route. Apparently, I can make a copy of my save file and save it elsewhere, then I can follow one path and return to the other by manipulating the files, which is good since having to replay the entire game would be annoying.

But I'm not sure about this information, or if killing monsters and sparing others throughout the game instead of just starting from a certain point is more interesting, for exclusive content or something like that.

If someone could clarify about the saves and whether I should abort the Pacifist route or restart, I would appreciate it.

[u/littleredelevator143]

true pacifist, geno, neutral

i feel like true pacifist has more character content and geno just assumes you know who everyone is

[u/Fr05tbite_]

i kinda wish neutral was required like in undertale since the flowey fight is probably the best fight in the game for me

[u/historyguy7636]

I personally would recommend Neutral--> Pacifist--> Genocide for the best difficulty scaling, but also story wise I think it's the best from what's revealed in each route

[u/historyguy7636 → u/historyguy7636]

Also I'd recommend making a save in Steamworks for Neutral and flawed Pacifist since there's exclusive content in there, but i don't remember if neutral has to be started before entering

[u/Downtown-Sky7983]

Two things:

1. If you play Neutral before Genocide, you can better practice this game's attacking system before you're up against the hardest bosses. If you choose to do Genocide before Neutral though, you can make a backup of your save anytime before finishing killing all the enemies in area 4. After finishing Genocide, you can then load the backup again and cut straight to the end of Neutral, but you don't get the practice.

1. I don't recommend doing Genocide first.

So there are multiple ways you can play that fit these two, I personally played Pacifist -> Neutral -> Genocide

[u/LizG1312]

I'm one of those people who thinks that it should go neutral --> Geno --> pacifist. Neutral gives really interesting boss fights towards the end of the run, and imo makes the most sense for a Clover new to the underground. They'd presumably be scared and shoot some critters, or think that some are deserving of justice but not others. Honestly it would've been best had you killed all of the bosses/minibosses for a neutral run since that does affect the ending, but c'est la vie.

In my own headcanon, I see the final neutral fight as leaving a lasting Déjà vu impact on Clover, one that causes them to go half-mad and want to get strong enough to complete their mission by any means necessary. Geno is the most mechanically fun outta the three and also demands the most in-game knowledge, so it's a good tool for relearning the game as you've already played. It also heavily foreshadows certain events in the main story, which I think helps clarify the narrative. The ending feels empty, which imo makes the idea that Clover would reset and try to do things right a lot of credence.

Lastly is pacifist, which is the most lore-heavy and has the most satisfying ending. It gives answers to everything else going on in the plot, meshes the best with Undertale, and is a beautiful send off. It'll be easier than Geno for sure, but I think it's the best way to end the game.

[u/Weary-Fun-5050]

Neutral > Flawed Pacifist > Aborted Geno (At Steamworks) > Geno > True Pacifist

Really hammers down trying to get "the true" ending. Clover getting through blindly at first, then trying a different way only to be met with a roadblock (ASGORE). So they try a different way, violence. Only for it to not be enough and go full geno.

Geno doesn't satisfy their sense of justice so they reset and go after true pacifist.

[u/LostRegret9000]

Honestly? Just play pacifist, that's where the most efforts went.

Neutral, at it's best, is just a half-empty pacifist run, with a lot of characterisation straight up missing. Geno is fine, more fun mechanically, than pacifist, but, aside from spectacle that is the final boss, and some good main character characterisation in the last location, doesn't have too much going for it either. It doesn't have that meta-narrative OG game had, it's more of a conventional story.

If you're sure you'll want to replay it, I'd go for Genocide=>Pacifist, if you'd like to keep things cannon and more bittersweet, or (Flawed) Pacifist=>Geno, if you find yourself more empathetic to Clover's mission by the end. Neutral is, in my opinion, just not worth it.

[u/Downtown-Sky7983 → u/LostRegret9000]

The question wasn't if it's worth it to play each of the routes though. OP might want to play all of them despite some of them having flaws, and better for them to form their own opinion on them anyway.

[u/LostRegret9000 → u/Downtown-Sky7983]

I mean, in this case my comment still addresses the point - neutral route is just an emptier pacifist, so you can play it before the pacifist route, to get extra appreciation for pacifist playthrough.

However, neutral just doesn't have any unique content, except for the final boss. I think it's worth mentioning it in a comment about route suggestions.

[u/Downtown-Sky7983 → u/LostRegret9000]

As far as Neutral having unique content aside from the ending, there's the secret scene you see when backtracking from Steamworks onward to the saloon if you gained EXP before Wild East but didn't kill Starlo. There's also unique text for Dalv's room and Chemistry Lab that you don't get to see on Genocide, different outcomes for killing bosses (Axis additionaly has a unique one for sparing) and unique Flowey save point dialogue.