keep going or start over?

[sbabiva]

Spoilers up until mid(?) game

I'm in the middle of my run with Lillie (floor 120ish) and debating if I should start the game over from scratch. I only did three runs with Gray: starter run, one where I only tried to figure out brands a little bit (unlocked the sword/item that lets you talk to eggs), and one where I used the infinite locusts brand and went straight through to the end with no secret hunting.

Now I'm banging my head against a wall struggling through Lillie's run with no items/brands. I've skimmed some forum posts and it feels like I missed a LOT of lore/secrets/items on my initial Gray runs. Is it worth it to keep pushing through or should I reset my game and hunt for everything I missed as Gray?

[Chelnoque]

If you aren't enjoying it, then you certainly should get some items. Having three of them will make it *significantly* easier. Honestly IMO, if you aren't a mad sokoban afficionado, doing a no-item hard mode as your first one is not worth it.

[auxarc]

It honestly depends on if you prefer what's basically hard mode squared (itemless Lillie) which is insanely tight sokoban madness with no room for any execution errors in the back half (which you have now entered), or if you prefer having some items that give you more options and the puzzles more leeway/outright skip potential.

I found the cube and sword for the first time on my Lillie run (and only those two) and since the sword is most useful to speed up the floors before you pick it up it wasn't too much of a help. I will say the levels around 160 to 170+ started getting relatively easier compared to the stretch you're in now, but it could also be that I grew more comfortable with the game's mechanics after that many hard mode levels.

Something to consider is that you can disable and re-enable the items at any time from the pause menu, so going back and grabbing them all as Gray solely to have on hand from the outset as Lillie would be great peace of mind if you want to tackle the puzzles at their most sadistic, plus you'd be able to quickly get back to where you are now with the full arsenal.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that it doesn't matter if you're VOID or not as Lillie - her end is the same either way.

[sbabiva]

I do enjoy sokoban puzzles and can usually figure them out, but these most recent levels have been taking forever. I'm going to do a full reset and try to be more diligent on item/brand collection. thanks for the input!

[VALKYRIE PROFILE]

Started the Lillie run, but even though I got the Void Cube and Sword on my first run with Gray , nothing carried over. Is there a way to get them to carry over? Do I need all 3?

[Kituss]

You don't NEED all three, but they help a ton and I would advise getting them if you don't care about super difficult puzzles. The third is not too hard to get and won't take you too long with Gray!

They can carry over if you get back to the main menu by dying while not voided and not taking the fruit. There, you will be able to enter several special brands in order to start a run as Lillie with all three items, which will make it SIGNIFICANTLY easier - although still quite hard - and fun imo! I definitely recommend it

[VALKYRIE PROFILE]

Ohhhh, thanks!