Loosing required?

[Pinhead Larry]

I am past the first Boss and now fighting the second one. Do I need to loose this battle? He keeps telling me, that i'm to fast...

[RequiemsRose]

Yeah kind of, but they are pretty good about ensuring it happens. You need at least 2 deaths in order to get all the tutorials and everything you need to progress, possibly more if you don't end finding certain things.

[TreasureCat]

You are meant to lose there, yes, although there are combinations of item usage and tricky setup that you can use to sneak by.

It's not really worth it, though. You end up skipping over gameplay mechanics that don't get turned on otherwise, tutorials, and story.

[Pinhead Larry]

i seem to only get ♥♥♥♥♥♥ death cards tho. and after a few deaths i didnt even get to choose what cards i can combine... sometimes its just 1card, 1card and then nothing...

[Terra]

More and more mechanics are unlocked as you go.

Like, I think after 5 losses you can use campfires up to 5 times (at increased risk) and you can end up with cards that are capable of doing like 15+ damage in a single turn across 3 lanes.

[Soft Lockpick]

In the style of some recent roguelikes, the more you lose the more potential power you have on offer.

Hades did similar stuff. Beating it the first go around is doable, but you build up options the more you die in the early game as things unlock. This is how it works here.

[madlarkin8]

I beat the (yer goin too fast) grizzly waves on boss 2 and 3. it was real nailbiter battles and i got lucky with card draw.

[Pinhead Larry]

well what i most disliked was that the cards offered for the death card were super bad and in the next run i did not even get to pick said card...

[madlarkin8]

Originally posted by Pinhead Larry:

well what i most disliked was that the cards offered for the death card were super bad and in the next run i did not even get to pick said card...

super unlucky for you.

I got:

Stats: Urayuli 7/7

Cost: River Snapper 1 blood

Sigil: Mantis God Trifurcated Strike

I then upgraded it with the airborne sigil later on.

Needless to say... mega OP.

[Scrub]

Originally posted by Pinhead Larry:

well what i most disliked was that the cards offered for the death card were super bad and in the next run i did not even get to pick said card...

Yeah, it's all part of the roguelike nature of the game. Not every run is going to be as easy to win as other runs, and some runs are doomed from the start. Do not frame this as a failure of yourself, just enjoy learning and making due with what is given.

[Darth Zed]

If your deck is big enough, your deathcard options will gives 3 random cards from your deck for each part.

A small deck can reduce this to one each, and if you somehow have a tiny deck with less than 3 I assume you don't get one at all.

All deathcards simply become random cards that can be found in shops or random draw spaces. If you get enough deathcards you can start finding card draw locations that offer 3 random deathcards.

Losing is necessary to progress the story, each time you die it teaches a new mechanic.
Like on your second life it teaches and unlocks bone cards, as well as teaching you can stand up and explore the cabin anytime you are on the map.

There's various puzzles around the cabin, most of which can't be solved until you are taught that you can freely walk around. Others require using certain cards/items in certain ways in actual fights.

Beating bosses can also unlock permanent upgrades, like gaining a powerful special item from the 2nd boss that you get at the start of each run, or getting a permanent discount from the trapper after the third boss.

And losing many times can start to modify the board, like giving you multiple uses of fires, or finding new card draw locations or bone lord sacrifice spaces.

[RopeDrink]

That's because it's essentially a repeatable gate-keeping tutorial that serves to gradually open and teach its mechanics while also serving as a foundation for story/atmosphere.

You soon learn that Inscryption isn't meant to be an endlessly repeatable loop-based deck-builder like Griftlands or Slay the Spire (where you rinse/repeat and ascend/prestige to greater victories), so yes, take your time and enjoy your stay at the cabin. It is only the start of your wild ride.