General Strategy

[allmike]

So I'm usually really good at these types of games, not sure if it' s RNG or just me missing something but,

What's the best strategy to pursue, for instance on the map?

Is it better to go for more elites and purposely store hp for them?

Do you consider question mark map spots desirable?

Are there any hidden gems, for instance at the shop, people might miss but should check out?

[Weiglgasse]

When I have the money and the shops don't offer anything great, I remove cards.
Whenever possible, I go for ? rooms.
The move powerful I feel, the more likely I'll do an elite, but in general, I try to make sure not to fight too many, especially on Floor 2 or 3.
I'd rather play more turns than take a single point of damage, if that is guaranteed to work (for example, if I know the enemy won't buff itself in a way that makes things harder).

I'm not really good either, though, win rate somewhere around 25-35% at the moment I'd say.

[Weiglgasse]

I try to remove strikes and defenses at the same rate, so that I keep an equal amount if possible. When I have to start, though, obviously creating an imbalance, I try to see what else I got so far.
If I got some attack cards, I remove strikes. If I have stuff that helps defend, the defends go first.
All about the balance.

...if that's a bad idea, others will hopefully correct me.

[Pixel Peeper]

Unless I know early on that my deck is going to focus on either Attack cards or Block/Skill cards, I typically remove Defends first. This is because there's a freakishly good event that can remove all Strikes, and AFAIK there's no equivalent for Defends.

Just this last run, I transformed two Defends and removed two others, then got the event (removing all 5 Strikes) and later removed the last Defend.

I'd had a really bad start and the event ended up turning things around. I went on to win that run.

[Pixel Peeper]

Originally posted by .luckless:

I think I know the strike remover, is it the one that makes you trade max hp for the benefits? If so, is that a must take?

Also, what do you think about the book that you read and it damages you, worth it or no?

That's the one. Note, there's an option that lets you get all benefits without suffering the 30% max HP reduction if you have a certain relic.

It's not necessarily a must-do event, but removing five Strikes alone is huge, and gaining the ability to heal quite a lot during battle is also very nice (and actually amazing on The Silent). There aren't many builds for which this trade wouldn't be beneficial.

The book event doesn't have a set reward. There are three possible books that I know of. They all do something different, and as with most relics, the magnitude of the effects mostly depend on your build.

[Weiglgasse]

Elite, at least to me, is less a question of HP and more a question of my deck.
Also a question about campfires.
If I can't quickly handle that Nob guy who gets stronger if you use skills with my current deck, and I am nowhere near a source of healing(camp) I don't go in.

I usually prefer shops/question marks to monsters, unless I really want money, of course.

[Scary]

I try to go for the route that has the highest number of elites+campfires combined, and if there are several possible routes, the one with the least shops and the most questionmarks.

Elites are really not that dangerous on the first level, just don't try to block their hits, instead go all out on damage and only block if you don't loose out on damage. I also usually pick a few attack cards early so they will die rather quick and you can not out-block them anyways so just try to kill them as fast as possible.

On the 3rd level though, if my deck doesn't counter both the book-of-stress (also known as book of stabbing) and your personal fun and run killer aka Nemesis, which is almost never the case, I try to avoid elites. The book is usuallly survivable, depending on how lucky you get, if it decides to attack you a few times in a row than you will die, if not, you will probably only loose a lot of hp. Nemesis though, let's just say I hate that elite and I feel soo good when I have a run where I can just ♥♥♥♥ on it.

Also what actually helps me a lot is to have a lot of card-drawing blocks, so Shrug It Off on Ironclad and Backflip and especially Escape Plan on Silent. Seriously I don't know about other people but I can imagine Escape Plan easily being the most underrated card in the deck. It has no downside to it and especially paired with dexterity it can help you survive even the tough late game bosses. Ipicked over every other card that is not absolutely essential to the build I am trying to get for the run.

Strategies that don't involve card drawing blocks do usually also work until the 3rd level, where you might still ♥♥♥♥ on every enemy until you encounter Nemesis, or, if your deck counters it, Time Eater as the final boss who counters decks that counter Nemesis. Since I started going for more defense paired with card draw, I win almost every run.

Hope this helps, even if you don't agree with me, just give it a try. :D

Edit: I just noticed, the book is a 2nd level elite fight, well that is why I can usually survive it. :D It is still very stressful to deal with.

[Myo]

Originally posted by .luckless:

So I'm usually really good at these types of games, not sure if it' s RNG or just me missing something but,

What's the best strategy to pursue, for instance on the map?

Is it better to go for more elites and purposely store hp for them?

Do you consider question mark map spots desirable?

Are there any hidden gems, for instance at the shop, people might miss but should check out?

after many tries i tend to go for as much elite battles as possible on map 1
for that extra relic UNF and its only map 1 get rich or die trying
on map 2 I might do an elite battle if I know I can take it
on map 3 I try to avoid elite battles unless I'm really decked out

I also go through as many question marks during the early phase as possible

[Frosty the Pyro]

Originally posted by .luckless:

I think I know the strike remover, is it the one that makes you trade max hp for the benefits? If so, is that a must take?

Also, what do you think about the book that you read and it damages you, worth it or no?

Not sure if I would go so far as to say "must do" but I can think of very few times when I would not do.

The only reason I can think of not to, would be if you were playing an ironclad deck based on perfected strikes, but even then the cards it gives you in exchange for removing the strikes are AMAZING, as its a heal, and I think the only heal that can be repeated (ie does not exhaust) as you cycle through your deck.

In reference to elites, I prioritize them, and always try to follow the path with the most elite fights. Elite fights = relics, and relics = power.

I would only try to avoid elite fights if I am currently very hurt.

in shops, there are a few things you should buy (almost) always if you can afford them, apothesis is likely number one, easily the most impactful card in the game. reflex/flash of steal are up their, they are 0 cost cards that draw a card, which is just plain nice. If you play a lot of cards, panache is killer (so almost always if you are silent, and often even if you are not). Also keep an eye on the shop relics, one of my most entertaining runs involved getting the shovel from a shop that was my second room on the first stage. ended that game with 23 relics.