So... The Mad Forest

[Planck Energy]

I just got this game today and I love it. However...

The Forest level is literally 10,000 times more difficult than the Library. Where to even begin?

In the Library, there are generally more enemies, that are weaker, and it takes a longer amount of time for the crazy stuff to start happening. Also, you can force spawn one of the most useful support items. The amount of RNG required to survive the forest is just wild.

There are initially fewer enemies with FAR more HP (the enemies that start spawning after the weak bats are harder to kill than the ones in Library), so it's much harder to level. The enemies do a lot more damage. Just... what? I think the Library is probably too easy but the Forest is sadistic. You will also get chased miles away from food/chests and it's really hard to circle back and get them or even exp orbs.

Anyone have any tips for this other than pray? I just did a run where I had Unholy Vespers at 10 minutes and it wasn't even close to enough (having Flame Wand at 7/8 for like 10 minutes and never getting the last one didn't help either...). I barely survived the point where the giant bats come in with the werewolves, then the wave after the mummies completely destroyed me. Or maybe I just surrendered at that point because I didn't have 3-4 evolved weapons so there's literally no way to kill anything in time.

I'll just note this was with Mortaccio and the extra projectile purchased lol. Can't even imagine some of the other characters.

[LotusBlade]

Whip is effective in Forest vs bosses and Garlic against Ghosts phase. But i die at 14 min mark anyway... Mobs just surround from all sides with zero gaps and have enough hp to survive 2 whip attacks for 120 dmg. Getting chests out of zerg is also difficult to extent where you forced to fight other 1-2 bosses before retrieving that previous chest.

Mortarico + projectile is indeed helps. No idea why weapons like Firewand exist.

[Shaihulud]

imo the werewolves and bats at the 15 minute mark are way too over powered. the enemies before and after are way easier. the forest does need some tweeks.

[XenosHg]

My best survival tip so far is, have some safety.

Garlic, even 1 level, lets you just pass through low-level enemies like bats (and more enemies if you use more general damage upgrades) which improves your maneuvering a LOT. You can, and should, just run through bats. (unless a wave of bats pushes a line of stronger enemies, in which case run aside)
Can be replaced or supported by stuff like Bible (cooldown), whip (at least 2 levels for both directions) and evolved axe (but if you evolved a weapon, you're already winning)

Laurel gives complete immunity to a bit of damage, so you can just walk through plant rings if needed. or tank some skeletons. More levels gives you more instances (I think 1 shield is blue, 2 shields is green... not sure about 3 shields)

If you get a hard wave, like whatever happens at 7 minutes, and skeletons later on, you can just run. Run in any direction, maneuver between enemies, if you can't maneuver - wait a bit, see which ones die to your weapon, and pass there. Eventually the wave ends and you can go back and collect your EXP

Knife starts weak because it attacks the direction where you're running, but some level ups later, knife means that wherever you go, WILL be a clean path.

By the way, the collection radius upgrade very conveniently speeds up levelling while doing evasive maneuvers.

If you get a boss, you can't run away from bosses - they teleport to the same screen as you. Which means that you can separate them from the cloud of small enemies if you run into a clear direction, and the boss will appear there, where you can solo it.

[Danyaell]

Two words: were wolves

[mhaeric]

Originally posted by LotusBlade:

Mortarico + projectile is indeed helps. No idea why weapons like Firewand exist.

Fire wand is one of those weapons that excels late gate like the axe. Once evolved it easily is the highest dps weapon.

[Ximmen]

Forest is definitely harder than library. At least with library, the enemies only generally come from two directions. I'm trying to do a no-power up run through the mad forest. I'll use abilities I unlock, but power ups are all refunded. So far I haven't gotten past the 15 minute mark. Werewolves with packs of ghosts pushing them into you are too much.

[Planck Energy]

I honestly thing my biggest problem is the damage the enemies do. You can go from 100 to nothing in the blink of an eye and it's really hard to circle around and get pick ups on this map. The Giant Bats and Werewolves just DESTROY you if you let them touch you, it's unreal.

It's also so easy to get disoriented and not have any idea where stuff you left on the ground for later is anyway, everything is the same in all directions forever.

Clock Lancet feels pretty mandatory unless you get a miraculous string of luck, but at least it exists!

[elfabet]

I agree the mad forest map is kinda difficult because you usually don't have enough high level weapons to deal with the bats and werewolves at the fifteen minute mark, honestly my advice is just use Imelda because he gets more exp and then refund all your powerups to max 1 point in Amount then as much as you can with Growth.

Here's my run: https://imgur.com/a/MRkjrTJ

I also got really lucky with rng, got all weapons with their corresponding component to help evolve, just evolve 1 of the weapon by the bats and werewolves and then you're gucci. :p

[KellyR]

IME Forest requires a whole different item choice approach compared to Library. Library I am trying to pick all the items I want as soon as I can so that I don't get stuck with anything bad. If I'm given a choice between leveling up a weapon I already have, or getting a new support item that's in my targeted build, I get the new support item.

In Forest you MUST upgrade. Nothing else matters. You need one weapon evolved by about 10 minutes in when the Werewolves start coming, or you're just dead. Full stop. If you're given the choice between upgrading your highest level weapon or getting a new weapon/support item that you really want... You upgrade your highest level weapon.

Upgrade, upgrade, upgrade.

You end up stuck with a ♥♥♥♥ item or two more often this way, because you're maxing out the items you have, so at some point all the game can do is offer you 3 new items all at once, and you're forced to take one even if they're all bad. But you can live with a few crap items, and you're on an upgrade or die clock.

[Resand]

Another big issue with forest is that it can easly become very hard to get kills on elites. Since there's no wall to trap them against, they get yeeted far away. Forcing you to give up on them or chase. Which isn't allways possible. EWven when you got the directed dps to do it, you leave a lot of XP behind that way.

[Rod_Shaft]

The forest is harder, but not exceptionally so if you push your way out the piles that seek to surround you, and then weave through the adds in one direction. I cleared the forest on my 7th or 8th run, with only a few greed passive upgrades. My only evolved weapon (I didn't know how to make them at this point) was the dagger which I used to cut a path out of the many tough spots this level puts you in. Think I also had Runetracer, Laurel, Bible, Lightning ring & Firewand to my memory and was using the +1 projectile dagger fellow.

However, considering that the Library allows for many more successful builds, and also gives a 10% luck bonus along with additional item drops, obviously the levels need some balancing :)

[Planck Energy]

Originally posted by KellyR:

IME Forest requires a whole different item choice approach compared to Library. Library I am trying to pick all the items I want as soon as I can so that I don't get stuck with anything bad. If I'm given a choice between leveling up a weapon I already have, or getting a new support item that's in my targeted build, I get the new support item.

In Forest you MUST upgrade. Nothing else matters. You need one weapon evolved by about 10 minutes in when the Werewolves start coming, or you're just dead. Full stop. If you're given the choice between upgrading your highest level weapon or getting a new weapon/support item that you really want... You upgrade your highest level weapon.

Upgrade, upgrade, upgrade.

You end up stuck with a ♥♥♥♥ item or two more often this way, because you're maxing out the items you have, so at some point all the game can do is offer you 3 new items all at once, and you're forced to take one even if they're all bad. But you can live with a few crap items, and you're on an upgrade or die clock.

I agree entirely. Of course, this is subject to the whims of RNG. I got my first completion rushing Bible with Pasqualina (with Clock Lancet, I wouldn't want to try to do it without it).

[XenosHg]

Originally posted by Resand:

elites get yeeted far away. Forcing you to give up on them or chase.

I feel like you still kill them, because they will appear wherever you go. Getting the chest is a bit harder, though.

[K.]

https://i.imgur.com/HW5qhTb.png Got my first forest clear. FYI the whip hits up to 5 times above you, which makes Whip + Axe REALLY good at opening paths upwards for you to slowly make your way out of a crowd.

[Herbspiceguy]

I beat mad forest yesterday 2 times in a row (didn't beat forest at all before that) with what I think is a pretty fool proof strategy, which could be considered cheesing it:

Mortaccio with Amount
Whip/Runebinder/Axe/Bible/Cross/Magic Wand
Duplicator/Leaf/Candle/Bracer/Spellbinder/Crown

Basically prioritise duplicator/whip/runebinder/axe, some points in crown
If not available 2nd choice leaf/candle/bible/magic wand
I didn't get cross untill past 20 minutes or so, so it wasn't that strong.
I hit the 30 minute mark easy without evo weapons (I wanted to), and somewhere around lvl 45-50.

On my 2nd run I had evo Axe and Whip and Max HP instead of Crown.