Deltarune players who have embraced the game's challenging "Weird Route" have discovered a significant curveball at the end of Chapter 5. This hidden path, which requires specific, often morally ambiguous actions, culminates in an experience that deviates sharply from the standard playthrough and has sparked considerable fan speculation.
The Weird Route is notoriously difficult to stumble upon organically. It begins in Chapter 2, where players must guide the character Noelle to freeze every enemy encountered rather than defeating or sparing them. This is coupled with increasingly forceful interactions with Noelle, encouraging her to rely on Kris (controlled by the player) and equipping her with the Thorn Ring, an item that amplifies her abilities. Successfully navigating these steps leads to Noelle incapacitating the character Berdly at the chapter's conclusion. The route continues in Chapter 4, where re-equipping Noelle with the Thorn Ring in the Light World seemingly establishes a link between the player and her, resulting in a strained relationship with Kris.
Chapter 5 introduces a profound twist for those on the Weird Route. The entire festival sequence is skipped, with Kris appearing to resist the player's control. The player then encounters Noelle by a lake. Noelle delivers a speech about Kris's perceived change following shared trauma, contrasting it with her own stagnation, and asks Kris—or rather, the player—for help in doing something drastic. The two then walk into the lake together, with the player repeatedly urged to "Proceed" until they are submerged. Noelle's screams and a visual glitch into white mark the end of this segment, which lasts approximately 15 minutes and involves no combat.
Following this sequence, players are presented with an ominous screen indicating that this path may lock them out of Chapter 6, potentially delaying further progress until Chapter 7. Notably, completing the Weird Route's Chapter 5 conclusion creates persistent save data, even if save files are altered or deleted. This has led to theories that, similar to Undertale's Genocide route, the Weird Route could permanently affect future playthroughs and the possibility of achieving a truly happy ending.
An alternative exists for players who choose to have Noelle "Stop" instead of "Proceed" when prompted at the lake. While initially seeming to have little impact, eventually, the player is still presented with the choice to "Proceed" into the lake. However, if the player ceases repeatedly pressing "Proceed" as they submerge, a different outcome occurs. The screen fades, Noelle reflects that Kris "hadn't changed," and subsequent scenes appear to steer the game back toward the normal route, interspersed with Noelle's repeated assertion that "Nothing changed."
Some fans theorize that this alternate choice on the Weird Route may establish a third distinct path. Evidence cited includes the acquisition of the "Twisted Sword," a potent weapon requiring the Thorn Ring and a Pure Crystal. The Pure Crystal is obtained by defeating secret bosses across five chapters, with the fifth being in Chapter 5. Players who proceed into the lake with Noelle cannot reach this final secret boss, thus forfeiting the chance to obtain the Twisted Sword, which is particularly effective against dark enemies and Titans. This suggests it may play a crucial role in future boss encounters.
The implications of these divergent paths are currently a subject of intense fan discussion. While some players feel deprived of a full chapter's content, others appreciate the unexpected narrative direction and the anticipation it builds. These developments fuel ongoing theories about defying Deltarune's prophecy and the potential connection to Undertale's enigmatic character, W.D. Gaster. With further chapters still some time away, the community is actively exploring the possibilities presented by the Weird Route's conclusion.