Can You Spare the King in Deltarune?
Written by Aarav Agarwal
You can’t spare King through normal Act or Mercy choices, BUT the game still counts the fight as a pacifist victory if you never kill anyone. Sparing him just works differently... and slightly depends on your past behavior.
This isn’t a “pick the right Act” fight. You’ll either have to survive 15 full turns without attacking, or attack him until his HP hits zero. The outcome changes a bit depending on which path you took.
How Sparing King Actually Works
If You Fought Anyone Earlier
If you attacked or killed any enemy (besides Jevil, C. Round, Lancer, or King), King won’t be swayed by your words. You’ll have to survive until turn 15. Then Ralsei casts Pacify to put him to sleep after Susie distracts him.
Even if you never touch King, the game still lets this count as a pacifist resolution. You just can’t “Mercy” him manually.
If You Spared Everyone
If you never defeated a single enemy in Chapter 1, Lancer shows up at the end with an entire rebellion of enemies. They overthrow King themselves.
This is the “true spare” version, but again, there’s no button press for Mercy... the game just auto-triggers it.
What Happens After
No matter how the fight ends, King is removed from power and locked in Castle Town’s jail. He’s still alive and even shows up again in Chapter 2.
So technically, yes, King can be spared... just not in the usual yellow-text way.
Final Blurb
King’s fight looks like a traditional boss battle, but the sparing mechanic works more like a silent test. If you stayed true to pacifism, he gets overthrown. If you didn’t, he gets magically knocked out.
Either way, you don’t have to kill him... just hold your ground and let the story finish what your Mercy started.
FAQ
Q: Can you use Mercy on King during the fight?
No. There’s no yellow Mercy option for King. Sparing him happens automatically at the end if you survive without killing.
Q: Does it count as pacifist if Ralsei uses Pacify?
Yes. You can still get the pacifist outcome as long as you didn’t kill any enemies during Chapter 1.
Q: What if I attack King but don’t defeat him?
As long as you don’t defeat any enemies earlier in the game, the peaceful rebellion ending will still trigger.
Q: Do your choices in King’s fight affect Chapter 2?
Only a little. He’s still in jail either way, but the dialogue with Queen and Lancer may reference your earlier actions.
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