Wurt

Based on game build 714014 | Last updated: 2026-03-07

Overview

wurt.lua defines the Wurt character prefab in DST, implementing her signature mechanics:

• Pathfinder skill: Periodically scans for nearby non-merm players and grants them increased speed on marsh tiles.
• Wetness skill tree: Uses the moisture component and skilltreeupdater to apply sanity, healing, and damage mitigation bonuses based on current moisture level.
• Merm King upgrades: Applies debuffs (mermkingtridentbuff, mermkingcrownbuff, mermkingpauldronbuff) to Wurt and her merm followers upon acquiring corresponding Merm King artifacts.
• Tentacle warnings: For non-dedicated servers, spawns visual warnings (wurt_tentacle_warning) near nearby shadow/lunar tentacles.

It integrates with components such as health, hunger, sanity, moisture, locomotor, leader, combat, debuff, preserver, reader, skinner, and skilltreeupdater. The prefab is created via MakePlayerCharacter.

Usage example

The wurt.lua file is not meant to be used directly as a component. Instead, it defines the full character prefab, typically instantiated via SpawnPrefab("wurt") in scenario or worldgen code. Modders extend or override behavior by listening to events (e.g., onmermkingcreated_anywhere) or modifying tuning values.

Dependencies & tags

Components used: areaaware, builder, combat, debuff, eater, foodaffinity, health, hunger, leader, locomotor, mermkingmanager, moisture, planardamage, preserver, reader, sanity, skilltreeupdater, skinner, talker, timer.

Tags added on init (common_postinit):
playermerm, merm, mermguard, mermfluent, merm_builder, wet, stronggrip, reader, aspiring_bookworm.
Also adds quagmire_shopper in Quagmire game mode.

Properties

No public properties are initialized on the Wurt prefab itself. Internal state is stored on inst:

Property	Type	Default Value	Description
pathfinder_players	table	{}	Tracks players benefiting from the Pathfinder skill.
_active_warnings	table	{}	Maps tentacle entities to warning prefabs (client-only).
pathfindertask	task	nil	Periodic task scanning for nearby players in Pathfinder skill.
tentacle_warning_task	task	nil	Periodic task updating tentacle warnings (client-only).
royal	boolean	nil	True if Wurt has become a Merm King.
health_percent / hunger_percent / sanity_percent	number	nil	Stored for save/load state restoration.
_onmoisturedelta / _onallegiancemarshtile	function	nil	Event handler references used to prevent duplicate listeners.

Main functions

UpdateStats(inst, maxhealth, maxhunger, maxsanity)

• Description: Updates max health, hunger, and sanity based on provided values, preserving current percentages for smooth transitions.
• Parameters: inst (entity), maxhealth (number), maxhunger (number), maxsanity (number).
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: None.

RoyalUpgrade(inst, silent)

• Description: Transforms Wurt into her Merm King form: updates stats, applies powerup skin mode (wurt_stage2), announces via talker, plays sound, and pushes a stategraph event. If silent, skips announcement and sound but updates skin.
• Parameters: inst (entity), silent (boolean, optional, default false).
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: No-op if already royal.

RoyalDowngrade(inst, silent)

• Description: Reverts Merm King form: resets stats to base, removes override skin mode, announces, plays sound, and pushes stategraph event. If silent, skips announcement and sound.
• Parameters: inst (entity), silent (boolean, optional, default false).
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: No-op if not royal.

TryRoyalUpgradeTrident(inst, silent)

• Description: Applies mermkingtridentbuff debuff to Wurt and her merm followers if the wurt_mermkingtrident skill is activated and the trident is held anywhere in the world. Uses mermkingmanager:HasTridentAnywhere().
• Parameters: inst (entity), silent (boolean, unused here).
• Returns: Nothing.

TryRoyalDowngradeTrident(inst, silent)

• Description: Removes mermkingtridentbuff from Wurt and all followers. Safe to call even if debuff is not present.
• Parameters: inst (entity), silent (boolean, unused).
• Returns: Nothing.

PathFinderScanForPlayers(inst)

• Description: Scans for non-merm players within TUNING.WURT_PATHFINDER_RANGE. For each found player, registers them as a pathfinder beneficiary and applies ground speed modifiers on marsh tiles (WURT_PATHFINDER_TILES) via locomotor:SetFasterOnGroundTile. Also removes stale entries.
• Parameters: inst (entity).
• Returns: Nothing.

RefreshWetnessSkills(inst)

• Description: Central wetness skill manager. Starts/stops listeners on moisturedelta, ms_becameghost, and area tile events. Manages wetness-based sanity mod, health regen, and damage redirection via health.deltamodifierfn. Also manages marsh_wetness area tracking for shadow_marsh and lunar_marsh tiles.
• Parameters: inst (entity).
• Returns: Nothing.

OnAttached(inst, target)

• Description: Callback for planar buff (e.g., shadow/lunar merm buff). Called when the debuff is attached to a merm follower. Applies planardamage buff, sets baseDamage, spawns visual FX, and sets up timer-based expiry.
• Parameters: inst (buff debuff instance), target (entity).
• Returns: Nothing.

OnDetached(inst, target)

• Description: Callback when the planar buff is removed from a merm follower. Clears planardamage, removes visual FX, and cleans up network state (planarbuffed).
• Parameters: inst (buff debuff instance), target (entity).
• Returns: Nothing.

Events & listeners

• Listens to (common_postinit):
  • playeractivated → EnableTentacleWarning (client-only).
• Listens to (master_postinit):
  • onmermkingcreated_anywhere → RoyalUpgrade
  • onmermkingdestroyed_anywhere → RoyalDowngrade
  • onmermkingtridentadded_anywhere → TryRoyalUpgradeTrident
  • onmermkingtridentremoved_anywhere → TryRoyalDowngradeTrident
  • onmermkingcrownadded_anywhere → TryRoyalUpgradeCrown
  • onmermkingcrownremoved_anywhere → TryRoyalDowngradeCrown
  • onmermkingpauldronadded_anywhere → TryRoyalUpgradePauldron
  • onmermkingpauldronremoved_anywhere → TryRoyalDowngradePauldron
  • onattackother → OnAttackOther
  • attacked → OnAttacked
  • ms_playerreroll → RemovePathFinderSkill
  • ms_respawnedfromghost → TryMermKingUpgradesOnRespawn
• Listens to (wetness skills, within RefreshWetnessSkills):
  • moisturedelta → OnWetnessChanged
  • ms_becameghost → RefreshWetnessSkills
  • on_LUNAR_MARSH_tile, on_SHADOW_MARSH_tile → OnAllegianceMarshTile
• Listens to (planar buff wurt_merm_planar):
  • death (on target) → inst.components.debuff:Stop
  • timerdone → inst.components.debuff:Stop

Events pushed:

• moisturedelta (via moisture:DoDelta) triggers OnWetnessChanged.
• playerdeactivated triggers DisableTentacleWarning (client-only).
• Stategraph events powerup_wurt (via sg:PushEvent) and powerdown_wurt on royal state change.