How does ascension work?

[KING]

I only got this game a few days ago & played it about 6 hours. I just finished Act 3 with Ironclad & unlocked ascension. How does that work? It doesn't really say anything about it in game

[1.2M | Missingno.]

https://slay-the-spire.fandom.com/wiki/Ascension

[KING]

thanks

[Nibbie]

It adds up to 20 difficulty modifiers, which stack with each other. Ascension 1 has one modifier, if you beat that, you unlock Ascension 2 which has the same modifier as 1 plus an additional one, A3 has the same modifiers as A1 and A2 plus a new one, and so on. There is an achievement for beating A20 once, but other than that there is no reason to climb Ascension if you don't want to.

[hydra66_1999]

Think of it as new game plus modes offered by a number of titles

[Khor]

Originally posted by hydra66_1999:

Think of it as new game plus modes offered by a number of titles

More like a bloated tutorial where the devs forcefully hold your hand until they think you`re ready to face a proper roguelike difficulty

[LHGreen]

Originally posted by Khor:

Originally posted by hydra66_1999:

Think of it as new game plus modes offered by a number of titles

More like a bloated tutorial where the devs forcefully hold your hand until they think you`re ready to face a proper roguelike difficulty

That's a little extreme. I'd say it's more like they're just allowing water to seek its own level.

[mldb88]

Originally posted by LHGreen:

Originally posted by Khor:

More like a bloated tutorial where the devs forcefully hold your hand until they think you`re ready to face a proper roguelike difficulty :conwayshrug:

That's a little extreme. I'd say it's more like they're just allowing water to seek its own level.

I kinda have to agree. It's easy to forget how hard this game can be starting fresh with it after playing over 600 hours. Considering all the luck based game type threads we get on here just complaining about A0, it kinda shows it's a system that works for most of the average playerbase (you know, outside of the 7-10 of us who live on these boards lol). Imagine how bad it would be if the game actually started at the 'intended' difficulty of A15. These boards would be a total ♥♥♥♥ show.... or well.... more of a ♥♥♥♥ show anyway...

[Khor]

Originally posted by mldb88:

Originally posted by LHGreen:

That's a little extreme. I'd say it's more like they're just allowing water to seek its own level.

I kinda have to agree. It's easy to forget how hard this game can be starting fresh with it after playing over 600 hours. Considering all the luck based game type threads we get on here just complaining about A0, it kinda shows it's a system that works for most of the average playerbase (you know, outside of the 7-10 of us who live on these boards lol). Imagine how bad it would be if the game actually started at the 'intended' difficulty of A15. These boards would be a total ♥♥♥♥ show.... or well.... more of a ♥♥♥♥ show anyway...

That`s why, back in the days, developers came out with those fabled "difficulty levels"

"Ascension" makes sense in a rogueLITE kind of game, not here.
The only saving grace is the unencrypted save file
(but it still set a terrible precedent for the genre😖)

[LHGreen]

Originally posted by Khor:

That`s why, back in the days, developers came out with those fabled "difficulty levels"

Yeah. That's what Ascension is, just a lot more incremental. Another thing they did was make you earn "Nightmare Mode", or equivalent. You couldn't just select it to start off with.

[Khor]

Originally posted by LHGreen:

Originally posted by Khor:

That`s why, back in the days, developers came out with those fabled "difficulty levels"

You couldn't just select it to start off with.

and that`s 80% of their purpose down the drain

I could get behind some unlocks...
maybe 15-20... maybe something shared between characters....
but 1-20 for EACH CHARACTER? That`s just insulting (without an unlocked save, at least)

[Hedning]

I think 20 levels one at a time is too slow too. In my last game at a9 with watcher I embraced the transform and took it at every opportunity, even after I had lost all strikes and defends. Even used a boss relic for it. I had 3 Conjure Blade. Still beat it.
This doesn't teach us to become better. Just reinforces any bad practice we have since we can win no matter what we do.

[LHGreen]

Originally posted by Khor:

but 1-20 for EACH CHARACTER? That`s just insulting (without an unlocked save, at least) :conwayfacepalm:

Yes, THAT'S excessive. But I don't think the basic idea is.

Originally posted by Khor:

and that`s 80% of their purpose down the drain

Nuh-UH!

[KING]

Originally posted by Hedning:

I think 20 levels one at a time is too slow too. In my last game at a9 with watcher I embraced the transform and took it at every opportunity, even after I had lost all strikes and defends. Even used a boss relic for it. I had 3 Conjure Blade. Still beat it.
This doesn't teach us to become better. Just reinforces any bad practice we have since we can win no matter what we do.

I agree with this. When I play ironclad I gather as many Anger cards & strength boost cards as possible lol. With enough copies of anger it’s becomes too easy spam anger & win fights lol. Maybe one upgraded bludgeon with a double cast relic & then boom fights over, bosses included lol. I’m sure that will stop working eventually but each of these levels one by one feels like a little too small of a step up

[Khor]

Originally posted by KING:

Originally posted by Hedning:

This doesn't teach us to become better. Just reinforces any bad practice we have since we can win no matter what we do.

I’m sure that will stop working eventually but each of these levels one by one feels like a little too small of a step up

Pretty spot on



Maybe the basic idea isn`t too bad but.... does it really matter when the execution is??