The ending turns a simple errand into a choice
Major demo spoilers follow. Underkeep asks you to gather five mushrooms for a cook, then introduces a mushroom character who considers those caps its missing family. Returning them to that character leads to the surprising Underkeep demo ending in which your adventurers become mushroom people.
That outcome is described in full narrated demo runs by Splattercatgaming and Near Tragedy. A separate narrated run by solo dungeoneer returns the collected mushrooms to the cook instead. The two sources provide useful hand-in alternatives without establishing the exact number of endings in the full game.
Before either hand-in, you need all five mushrooms. They are the same collection objective, not two separate sets of quest items that the recordings show you gathering for both recipients.
What happens when you return the mushroom family
In Splattercatgaming's narrated demo run, the player chooses to return the five mushrooms to the humanoid mushroom character. The scene presents the return as a family reunion, and the creature offers a reward involving its spores.
The ensuing sequence moves through a vision of the depths beneath Underkeep, then reveals that the party has changed. The narrator reads the companions' portraits transforming into mushroom versions of themselves. The small mushrooms now treat the party as kin, and the sequence reaches the demo completion message.
Near Tragedy's narrated run describes the same central outcome after selecting the return-family branch. This supports explaining what happens without claiming that we personally played the scene or inspected its visuals. It is also why the choice should not be described simply as the guaranteed safe or beneficial option: the apparent rescue has an unexpected consequence.
To reach this branch in the reported demo, collect the five mushrooms, leave the mushroom character alive, and use the dialogue option to return its family. You do not need to attack the character to get the missing mushrooms.
What the cook's alternative shows
Solo dungeoneer's narrated demo playthrough finishes the original errand instead. After gathering the five mushrooms, the player returns to the cook, who accepts them as ingredients and gives the quest reward. The recording then concludes its demo session.
That source also attacks the mushroom character earlier in the run. This is part of that player's route, not proof that killing it is a prerequisite for the cook hand-in. Do not copy the attack merely because you want to follow the original errand; the reported five-mushroom locations account for the collectibles separately.
| Hand-in | Outcome supported by the narrated source |
|---|---|
| Mushroom character | Reunion dialogue, a spore sequence, party transformation, and the demo completion message. |
| Cook | Acceptance of the five mushrooms as ingredients and the original quest reward, followed by the player's conclusion of the demo recording. |
Neither recording is a complete test of every variation. In particular, a video's ending is not automatically evidence that no other interactions remain possible in that branch.
Keep the demo outcome separate from release progression
The developer's September save-file reply says the demo and full game use different levels and incompatible saves. The developer also states that the mushroom character is encountered at a different point in the full game, despite the adventure also beginning in a forest.
As a result, the demo ending is not a verified shortcut to a full-game ending or a save you can carry forward. It demonstrates the kind of decision the game can present, while its placement and implementation can differ in the complete adventure.
If you want to discover the other demo branch, make your hand-in choice with those limits in mind. These sources explain two evidenced outcomes; they do not supply a tested procedure for reversing a completed choice or importing it into another version.
FAQ
Why did my party turn into mushrooms?
That is the transformation sequence described after returning the five mushrooms to the mushroom character. Narrated demo sources show it leading to the completion message.
Can I give the mushrooms to the cook instead?
Yes. Solo dungeoneer's narrated run returns the five mushrooms to the cook and receives the original quest reward.
Do I have to kill the mushroom character for the cook's reward?
The available recording attacks it, but does not establish that the attack is a requirement. The five collectibles have their own reported locations.
Can I transfer this ending's save to the full game?
The developer says demo and full-game saves are incompatible and the levels differ. Do not expect the demo ending to carry directly into the complete adventure.