The Old Merchant's mysterious items - mapping out possible effects ...

[Saint Lucifer]

Let's talk about these items that the Old Merchant is selling, for they are not well explained ingame and therefore very cryptic.

In an early run I once bought the "Burnt-Out Wyrdcandle" and the "Severed Foot", because I thought these items would probably be quest-related key items.
Turned out that none of the following items have any quest-related usage.

Some items have random effects on consumption and some have no visible effect at all. Maybe they are placeholders at the moment, or just troll items.

The random effects need yet to be fully discovered. Below is everything I found out.
Feel free to contribute with anything you found out.
The wiki may also benefit from the intel we gather here.


List of cryptic items and what we know so far:

Last updated: 23-July 2021

• Burnt-Out Wyrdcandle
Has most of the time no effect.
Effects seem not to change with current candle power level.
Can be used in combat and out of combat.
(Theory: When in inventory, receive bonus Tar after run?)
Effects:
No effect (16x)
+5 current HP (3x)

• Severed Foot
Not usable, neither in combat nor out of combat.
Can not be used to escape from a battle.
(No effect at all?)

• Red Mushroom
Triggers a random effect.
Can be used in combat and out of combat, althought OOC it can just damage you.
Effects in combat:
+1 Energy (4x)
-5 current HP (9x)

• Wyrdness Mushroom
Triggers a random effect.
Can be used in combat and out of combat, althought OOC it can just damage you.
Effects in combat:
+1 Energy (8x)
+2 Energy (3x)
Comprehensive test & calculated odds by Keranik:
+1 Energy (50%)
-30 current HP (20%)
+100% Damage (20%)
+2 Energy (10%)

• Unidentified Flower
Triggers a random effect. Can reduce your Max HP.
Can be used in combat and out of combat.
Effects in combat:
+2 current HP (1x)
-5 Max HP (6x)

• Wolfberries
Triggers a random effect.
Can be used in combat and out of combat.
(No positive effects?)
Effects:
-20 current HP (6x)

• Stagfather's Charm
A risky "last straw" item to use in combat.
Has a chance of 5-50% to save you (full heal, armor, energy, bonus damage) and a chance of 50-95% to instantly kill you by dealing 9999 damage to you. (confirmed)

• Wyrd-tainted Meat
Heals 10 current HP in exchange for a permanent loss of 5 Max HP.
Can be used in combat or out of combat.
Seems to be more a curse than a benefit.

• Noose
A way to abandon your run.
On use, it instantly kills you & you can start a new run with a random bonus for dying.

[CrabNicholson]

Severed Foot is used to escape from a battle. So if you're about to get killed then just leave and come back and reset the encounter. Doesn't work on bosses or story encounters.

Noose: I guess if the run is going badly and you want to restart it (maybe early on in a run, after the first few level ups if you don't like your passives or cards)? I don't think you have any way to abandon a run other than suiciding.

[Kittea]

Originally posted by CrabNicholson:

I don't think you have any way to abandon a run other than suiciding.

You can always go to the main menu and select start a new run, but that will not give the start bonuses.

[OlMaltelO]

Most of his items have random effects, both advantages and disadvantages.

Red Mushroom shouldnt kill you, I think it only has a chance of dealing 30 damage to you - and THAT might kill you, but its no instant kill :)

Stagfathers charm is no random effect.
Its a last straw item... it has a 5-50% chance to save you (healing, giving you armor, dealing dmg to enemies, whatever, Im not sure)
in return it has a 50-95% of instant killing you by dealing 9999 dmg

And noose. well, sometimes quest progression requires you to start a new run, and this is a ... shortcut. otherwise it has no use.

But yeah, wiki lists some if the items effect, but we havent mapped them out completely!
https://taintedgrail-conquest.fandom.com/wiki/Items

[The Rabid Otter]

Thanks for posting this. I wish we could sell these items to one of the vendors.

[Saint Lucifer]

•bump•

Did some further testing with the items and updated the list regarding effect chances etc.

[Jean]

I love this information, thanks for testing.

[OlMaltelO]

Originally posted by Saint Lucifer:

•bump•

Did some further testing with the items and updated the list regarding effect chances etc.

Keranik also did a vast test of the wyrdniss mushrooms. Like 500 :D
Was about 50% +1E, 20% -30 HP, 20% +100%dmg, 10% +2E.

[8mmTravis]

Bump