Wortox

Wortox is a Character exclusive to Don't Starve Together, who was released on March 28, 2019.^[1] Like Wormwood and Wurt, he needs to be unlocked, either by purchasing the Wortox Chest or Wortox Deluxe Chest, or by weaving him with 2700 Spools.

Origin

Wortox's backstory is revealed in the animated short Possessions, the details of which are summarized in his biography from the Compendium:

Wortox learned the hard way that one should always be mindful of the company they keep. Once a playful imp without a care in the world, Wortox spent his days helping a Krampus make mischief throughout the Constant. While the pair of rascals revelled in their roguery for a time, Wortox slowly began to see a darkness in the Krampus' heart, and the malice in his pranks. Not wishing for any real harm to come to anyone, the little imp finally put his cloven foot down, but in trying to stop his fiendish friend he unwittingly awakened a terrible power in himself...

Special Power

Wortox has a character-exclusive item, the Soul. When Mobs or fellow players die within 20 units of him, Souls will be spawned. Souls will immediately flow to Wortox when he is within 8 units of the Soul. If it is not collected within 10 seconds, it will disappear. Most Mobs will drop one Soul. Notably, Webber will drop two Souls and WX-78 does not drop any Souls. Boss Monsters will drop seven to eight Souls. At least one inventory space will be occupied with a maximum of 20 Souls. Wortox can eat Souls to restore 18 , but at the cost of 5 . He can release Souls to heal himself or nearby allies. Players standing within 8 units of the Soul's release will receive healing, however the amount of healing is scaled depending on the number of Players between 20 and 13 . Each player receives healing equal to number of players within the range (up to 8 players, including Wortox) subtracted from 21. He can also spend one Soul to be able to Soul Hop, or teleport, a short distance. This functions in the same manner as The Lazy Explorer, except it does not cost any Sanity. Wortox will lose 50% less Sanity when being near Monsters like Spiders, Hounds, Tentacles, etc.

Disadvantage

Wortox's body craves Souls. This cuts the hunger, health and sanity gain from regular food by half. Negative effects from food will also be halved. For example, raw Meat will cause him to lose 5 instead of 10. Wortox will drop half of his Soul inventory and lose 20 when he tries to hold more than 20 Souls. When he receives his 17-18th soul, Wortox will say "I've enough souls to sustain me." or "I hope I was not too greedy." to indicate the player is reaching the soul limit. He cannot store Souls in external storage (such as a Chest or Backpack), nor can any other character hold Souls. Pigs, Catcoons and Bunnymen are hostile to him and cannot be befriended, like Webber. Unlike Webber, Spiders will also be hostile to him.

Tips

• To easily farm Souls, players can keep a few Flowers around their base and kill the Butterflies that spawn.
  • This method also allows the player to easily regain sanity by catching, planting, and picking Butterflies.
• Because he's invincible while Soul Hopping, Wortox can use his Soul Hop ability to easily kite large mobs such as Deerclops and Bearger. Players can simply attack until the opponent is about to attack back, then Soul Hop while the enemy is attacking.
• Wortox can release Souls he has captured after a fight to heal himself and his allies.
• Wortox can be extremely powerful when paired with a Wickerbottom, as reading Birds of the World and Sleepytime Stories in quick succession can result in many Souls captured.
  • He also works well with a Wolfgang, as Wolfgang can easily destroy enemies for souls and Wortox can leave all of the physical food for Wolfgang.
• In a PvP server, killing a Wortox will result in all of his Souls being released.
  • This can used to the player's personal advantage, targeting Wortox so they can heal themselves after he is killed.
• Wortox's favorite food is both raw and cooked Pomegranate, meaning he gains 7.5 bonus when consuming the food despite his usual aversion to normal foods.

Trivia

In-Game

• Wortox could be found in the game files for Don't Starve since at least December 2012.^[3][4]
  • His portrait once appeared if the player reached the XP cap.
  • Wortox's appearance changed between updates, starting with a more human-like appearance and turning into the current goat-like appearance.
• Wortox was originally teased as a DLC character in the Don't Starve Together 2019 roadmap post on the forums where a silhouette resembling him appeared in a promotional image for upcoming characters.^[5]
• Wortox's voice is a violin.^[6]
• Gameplay of Wortox was leaked on March 27th, 2019 (one day before his release) by sponsored Twitch streamer RTGameCrowd. ^[7] It was later confirmed by Klei that they did not intend for this streamer to reveal Wortox so early, nor would he be the only streamer to get access to Wortox. ^[8]
• Wortox is one of three characters to have more than one ghost transformation, with the others being Woodie and Wormwood. He is also one of two characters to have different ghost designs for each of his skins.
• Wortox is the second DST-exclusive character, the first being Winona.
• Wortox is the second DST character to receive a special idle animation after Wormwood.^[9] In his idle animation, Wortox smiles and dances.

Lore

• Wortox is described by Klei as "a fun, mischievous fellow with a big, kind heart… minus the fact that he eats souls for sustenance."
• Unlike the other survivors, Wortox was not trapped in The Constant. He arrived through the Ancient Gateway, according to his examination quote for the structure when deactivated. His place of origin is unknown.
• Wortox has a mother, according to his quote for the Lavae Tooth. ("My mom still has mine somewhere.")
• Wortox's quotes reveal parts of his nature as an imp.
  • He might not have blood. (Held Mosquito- "I have no blood for you, sweet thing.")
  • The act of eating and preparing physical food is unpleasant and foreign. (Flower Salad- "I don't really like eating."/Froggle Bunwich- "Mortals are weird.")
  • He is sensitive to the sound of the Lucky Whistle ("Ooo, ouch! My ears!").
  • His curse manifests through his hands, and many of his lines suggest that he cannot touch others without risking the theft of their soul. (Failure to craft- "My hands are truly cursed."/Holding a Crow- "Careful, don't touch my hands.")
  • He is harmed by Garlic and Salt, hissing at the items, and is glad when Salt Formations are destroyed.
• Wortox's birthday is listed as March 28 in the Compendium. March 28, 2019 was the day Wortox was added to DST.

Cultural References

• Imps are mythological creatures. In German folklore they were considered lesser beings known for their prankish nature, but were later Christianized into being attendants of the devil himself.
• Wortox is also the name of a Swedish Death Metal band. ^[10]
• Wortox being voiced by a violin may be a reference to the cultural association of the violin (and music in general) with the devil.^[11]
• His old design resembled Hellboy.

Gallery

Wortox's Portrait. Wortox in-game. Wortox's icon on the Map. Wortox struck by Lightning. A frozen Wortox. Wortox put to sleep by a Mandrake. Wortox yawning with his teeth visible. Wortox dancing when idle. Wortox performing a Soul Hop. Wortox's ghosts Portrait of Wortox's "The Survivor" Skin. Portrait of Wortox's "The Draconic" Skin. Portrait of Wortox's "The Uncorrupted" Skin. Portrait of Wortox's "The Minotaur" Skin. Krampus and Wortox in Possessions. Wortox stealing from Wilson in Possessions. Krampus and Wortox find a Beefalo family in Possessions. Wortox shocked at Krampus stealing a baby Beefalo in Possessions. Wortox's eyes glowing in Possessions. Wortox's hand glowing in Possessions. Wortox absorbing Krampus' soul in Possessions. Closeup of Wortox after his transformation in Possessions. Wortox just after his transformation in Possessions. Wortox in a promotional animation for his Character Update. A promotional image of Wortox on the 2019 DST roadmap. A promotional image for Wortox. Key art of Wortox posted by Jeff Agala on his Tumblr. Another piece of key art posted by Jeff Agala on his Tumblr. Concept art of a scrapped UI for Wortox's abilities from Rhymes With Play #231. More concept art of the UI from Rhymes With Play #231. Concept art of Wortox's Soul Hopping ability from Rhymes With Play #231. Concept art of Wortox for Possessions. An older version of Wortox's portrait. Wortox's portrait as an unimplemented character.. Wortox's silhouette as an unimplemented character. Wortox in-game when he was unimplemented. Wortx's Map icon when he was unimplemented. Wortox's skull. Wortox's silhouette used in the old XP cap after the "Strange New Powers" update in Don't Starve. Wortox as seen in a drawing from Rhymes with Play #235. Wortox as seen in several drawings from Rhymes with Play #247. Wortox as seen in a Hallowed Nights 2019 comic from Rhymes With Play # 264. Wortox featured in the Hallowed Nights 2019 comic. Wortox as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 62. Wortox with Wormwood as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 84.

Sounds

Wortox's voice.
Wortox getting hurt.
Wortox dying.
Wortox sinking.
Wortox's ghost voice.
Wortox singing the Starver's Carol, as part of the /carol emote.
The sound of Wortox Soul Hopping into a portal.
The sound of Wortox Soul Hopping out of a portal.
Removed Sounds
An older version of Wortox's /carol emote.

References