The world's end

Guide to The World's End in Crusader Kings III. Learn strategies to defeat the blue, yellow, and red rats, and the Rat King to save Apricot and the world.

Walk around the stationery and books near your flying machine to find glowing notebooks. These notebooks contain doodles of adults with text describing eccentric characters. Notice how some of the doodles resemble in-game characters like Shishkebaboo, Omelet, Duvroc, and Long Sauvage.

Continue reading the notebook to find a picture of an old man resembling Howser with his cow and six people staring at a coffin. The text explains that the author's grandpa died and is now a knight in heaven. Further reading reveals a sketch of the game's world with arrows pointing from a central location, introducing the story of Corobo, a lonely boy king who journeyed to defeat the 7 kings.

Examine a yellow object resembling dung near a set square. Repeatedly examining it will prompt Skinny Ray to suggest naming it after him. Locate the box with red curtains, which is noted as the drama device Corobo used in the opening scene. Talk to Apricot repeatedly until a pencil rolls away, revealing a new area.

The new area is a dead end. Talk to Apricot again to find a set square falling to your left. Skinny Ray warns of movement nearby. Talk to Apricot, who is by a roll of red tape. Something causes the tape to roll across the path, and a squeaky sound is heard, which Kampbell attributes to god. Follow Apricot to another moving pencil. Move to the gap by the blue book, where Apricot insists she is fine.

A rat emerges from a hole and drags Apricot into the darkness. Follow the rat's footprints until books fall, trapping you. Four rats jump onto a toy stage, and Ray informs you that the world is shaking violently because it is inside the toy stage and the rats are responsible.

Final Battle: Blue Rat, Yellow Rat, Red Rat, and Rat King

Liam intervenes with whistling sounds, driving the rats back. The battle begins with the blue rat, which splits into illusions. Identify the real rat by the smoke fuming from its head and attack it. Failure to do so results in instant loss of men.

After the blue rat is defeated, the rat king summons the yellow rat. This rat attacks with dung and flatulence. Attack it when it stops charging. Liam will occasionally stun it with whistling.

Next is the red rat, which charges with flames on its back and can perform a ground pound by jumping from the toy stage. Attack after its charges or ground pounds. After losing half its health, it splits into multiple rats. Watch the red dot on the minimap to avoid the ground pound.

Once the red rat is defeated, the rat king summons its three rats to ram the toy stage. Prioritize defeating the yellow and red rats first, as the blue one has long invincibility periods. Damage the blue rat only when it is not attacking.

Bring two farmers to the final battle. A crack in the ground in one corner of the arena can be opened to reveal a hot spring for healing.

With the three rats defeated, the rat king swallows Apricot and the transmitter before confronting you. The rat king has two instant-death attacks: splitting into multiple rats and charging, or swiping hardened soldiers clinging to it and swallowing them. Avoid the latter by not attacking with hardened soldiers when the rat king is standing upright. The body-splitting attack is a guessing game with a high chance of losing men.

Beware of rat dung, flatulence, and ground pound attacks. The rat king is usually invincible, but becomes vulnerable when a purple aura surrounds its health gauge, often after a screeching sound following a charge. Attack during these vulnerable moments, preferably with the steel knight.