Hard Mode Tips?

[xraybeesx]

Just got that terrible thing after killing moms heart 5 times i think, and it started feeling easy so I went to Hard mode and wow, this is almost not fun. So many rooms are just impossible, and I feel like all items I get are benign or actually lower my stats, and I literally get no hearts other than maybe a half heart from the boss, one time on basement 2 I had to fight 2 bosses in a row and neither gave me any hearts, even if I get good gear I just cant get any heals and eventually die, or just hit a room that takes 4 hearts in 2 seconds. Is it worth unlocking more on normal first or does it just get harder?! Idk I'm pulling my hair out and could use some tips.

[HoboRockBox]

• Memorize the attack patterns of enemies. If you dodge well, you should be able to get to the end of the floor with little health lost. Really the way to beat hard mode it to simply it play over and over again till you get good.
  
• Every character has a different strategy. Try to figure out what these strategies are, and your life will get easier
  
• Learn which items are good, and which are bad. Some items that are normally good can break certain synergies, and some items that are normally bad can be good in certain situations
  
• Small stat boosts add up. The most important stats are generally damage and tears, and you should usually try to keep your speed stat > 1
  
• Try to get into the curse rooms as much as possible because they sometimes have powerful items. It is usually worth it if you have a lot of health or extra hearts laying around.
  
• You can walk through the point where two spikes touch diagonally if you are really careful. Sometimes you can get items or pickups that are behind spikes by doing this
  
• If you've unlocked the Planetarium by collecting 3 different astrology related items in one run , It is sometimes a good idea to skip treasure rooms, because the planetarium items are really good.
  
• Look for stuff that gives you homing, such as Spoon Bender. Homing has some powerful synergies, and is especially helpful for new players

[xraybeesx]

Yea man thanks for the tips, just gotta play and get good. How do different characters have different strategies though? The only strategy I've found is: don't get hit , hit other things till they die. look for secrets, and hope to get good stuff.

[xraybeesx]

I also got the diagonal walk down

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Future said a lot of it, I also think it's good to know when a run is done, no point in suffering through a run that you've gotten ♥♥♥♥ items on and are only barely getting by.

[xraybeesx]

Yea I feel like I tend to play out my ♥♥♥♥ runs to much and barely scrape by to the depths or something only just to rudely die. I need to just swallow my pride and hit R earlier.

[xraybeesx]

Just Killed mom with cain, got that flamboyent fly which makes it soooo easy. Gonna try womb later, there are no more items here right? I should just try to b-line it to the boss on these levels?

[HoboRockBox]

Originally posted by xraybeesx:

Yea man thanks for the tips, just gotta play and get good. How do different characters have different strategies though? The only strategy I've found is: don't get hit , hit other things till they die. look for secrets, and hope to get good stuff.

I think it’s most fun if you figure it out yourself, but an example of a character specific strategy is with Maggie you should try to go for sacrifice rooms as much as possible and try to find items that activate upon taking damage since Maggie heals quickly. And with Cain you should go for slot machines, tear effects, and collect pills as much as possible since he starts with Lucky Foot