How to get a run going?

[FadeOutAgain]

Good morning. I have played this game on and off since I've gotten it. I can count on one hand the amount of times I've actually gotten a wand that can carry me to the next area. Most of my runs are me stuck with the starter wand trying to kill enemies for gold and usually dying in the first area from trying to do so.

I really need some help in how to actually get my runs going. Is it normal to only have the starter wand until you get gold to buy equipment in the next level? Am I just missing something obvious and making it way harder on myself? I really want to get more into this game, but the frustration from my lack of progress makes me feel like I'm not understanding the game at a base level. Thank you in advance for any insight provided.

[Sagi]

I have the same.
Also feels like it would have been more fun if the first few levels where more random in terms of biome enemies and make it for newer players more interesting early on when dying will be ALOT more frequent to later stages and expirienced players.

[Vengyr]

For the first two areas, your basic wand should do. 'ideal' wand from the first area would some some of those low cast delay wands and a bunch of projectiles spells, e.g. 5x spark bolt. This is very efficient until the third area.

If you want a stronger wand, in the second area, try to go west. You'll die a lot there, but the small area to the west of the second one has some goodies.

Overall it's a game with quite a learning curve, so don't get discouraged if you die a lot early on.

[moerty]

you'll find your amazing wand and super perks eventually, then you'll get cocky and go murder hobo on the caves cause it's time for payback. then you'll overextend and die cause you thought you were all that, afterwards you'll mourn the sweet wand you used to have and go for another hundred runs trying to find the magic combo.

that's my experience after a few hours.

[Black Sheep Inc]

Seek wands over gold, and spells over wands; NEVER trade health for gold; experiment with every spell you can in every way you can to learn how they work; and dismiss nothing out of hand: even the most seemingly useless spells can be devastatingly powerful if used properly. The game "can" gift you decent wands from time to time, but these will always be paltry compared to ones you can make once you have a solid understanding of how various spells interact. Do not look for good wands, look for ways to create them.

[Moth]

One of the important things to learn is to look at the bonus effects that various spells and modifiers have on the overall cast. Many of the smaller projectiles will decrease cast delay, and most of the path modifiers will increase damage or duration.
In terms of wands, you're looking for capacity in order to make the really juicy combos. Specifics of mana max and charge are unimportant, the big thing is whether it's a standard style, massive pool with no charge, or reverse wand. You also don't want any wand that has higher than about 0.51 recharge time.

Of course, this is important stuff for once you finish the first area. If you're struggling to get to the first Holy Mountain, I'd recommend leaving the Mines early, even if that means you're not as well-equipped or wealthy as you'd like to be. After all, what does wealth benefit the man who lives in constant fear of death?

[dachte]

I haven't beaten the game, but I got pretty for a lot of times; a few quick hints:
1) Don't be afraid to restart early on until you get a start you like. Some starter wand combos suck, and sometimes you won't get any heart upgrades or other promising stuff. Don't waste your time (unless you're so good it doesn't matter - I am not that good)
2) Develop your skills enough to take very little damage in the first area. This is hard, but try to get there
3) Be very strategic about using water. It's incredibly strategic and important.
4) Try very hard to have a plan to get through the Holy Mountain without collapsing it (I in fact restart if I can't do this, but this may be a bit extreme)
5) Build yourself with the idea that you're eventually going to go into parallel worlds. Make save-vs-discard choices accordingly. Know where ambrosia can be found. Accelerated black holes are your friend. The materials-to-dirt thingy is good to grab once you have the right materials for it
6) Make the trip to the desert to get the heart on the pyramid early on, maybe before your first HM.
7) Also decide early on if you want to try to use big worms to breach the holy mountain. It's viable but messy (and sometimes you'll just hatch little worms from the eggs on the tree).
8) Learn where you can trade a bit more danger for a chance at better wands, and if you're not satisfied with what you have and you have the health to spare, go for it
9) Because you're not collapsing mountains, don't collect health refills unless you really, really need to. Save them for when you really need them. Once you're doing parallel worlds, you have another set of them to go for
10) Be very careful with bosses, and remember that parallel worlds spawn a lot of very nasty bosses on the surface. This can end your run very quickly if you're not careful

If you decide you're cool with it (some see it as cheating), use external tools to figure out the perk progression and manipulate the heck out of that. Enter the seed, see what's ahead, see how you can tweak the progression. You also might consider manipulating fungal shifts (e.g. to turn lava to water). Don't get too crazy with this though; it can be dangerous

Good luck, have fun.

[linda420]

i usually trip on mushrooms

[Entaris]

Originally posted by dachte:

I haven't beaten the game, but I got pretty for a lot of times; a few quick hints:
1) Don't be afraid to restart early on until you get a start you like. Some starter wand combos suck, and sometimes you won't get any heart upgrades or other promising stuff. Don't waste your time (unless you're so good it doesn't matter - I am not that good)
2) Develop your skills enough to take very little damage in the first area. This is hard, but try to get there
3) Be very strategic about using water. It's incredibly strategic and important.
4) Try very hard to have a plan to get through the Holy Mountain without collapsing it (I in fact restart if I can't do this, but this may be a bit extreme)
5) Build yourself with the idea that you're eventually going to go into parallel worlds. Make save-vs-discard choices accordingly. Know where ambrosia can be found. Accelerated black holes are your friend. The materials-to-dirt thingy is good to grab once you have the right materials for it
6) Make the trip to the desert to get the heart on the pyramid early on, maybe before your first HM.
7) Also decide early on if you want to try to use big worms to breach the holy mountain. It's viable but messy (and sometimes you'll just hatch little worms from the eggs on the tree).
8) Learn where you can trade a bit more danger for a chance at better wands, and if you're not satisfied with what you have and you have the health to spare, go for it
9) Because you're not collapsing mountains, don't collect health refills unless you really, really need to. Save them for when you really need them. Once you're doing parallel worlds, you have another set of them to go for
10) Be very careful with bosses, and remember that parallel worlds spawn a lot of very nasty bosses on the surface. This can end your run very quickly if you're not careful

If you decide you're cool with it (some see it as cheating), use external tools to figure out the perk progression and manipulate the heck out of that. Enter the seed, see what's ahead, see how you can tweak the progression. You also might consider manipulating fungal shifts (e.g. to turn lava to water). Don't get too crazy with this though; it can be dangerous

Good luck, have fun.

...what?

HM?

Not collapsing mountains?

Parallel worlds?

[Prodeses]

HM refers to Holy mountain. You'll access there via purple portal at the end of level.

Not collapsing mountains means you can exit Holy mountain without triggering earthquake. You just need to find a way.

Parallel worlds. Well let's say there's more than your eyes can see and literally every border every curse can be broken.

[Minmi]

Originally posted by Entaris:

...what?

HM?

Not collapsing mountains?

HM is just short for Holy Mountain. About not collapsing the HM, the reason why you don't want to collapse it if you can is that you can then return to it to edit your wands at any time. The trigger for collapsing the mountain is in the upper left-ish part of the funnel leading out of the mountain, so you just have to avoid entering that area, be it through the use of teleport spells, teleportatium, digging through another part of the mountain (although this spawns Steve, so it's not an ideal method), turning yourself into another creature with some form of polymorphine so that "you" do not enter the area (just don't get eaten by the hostile mobs lol) etc.

Parallel worlds?

Don't worry about that stuff until you've at least beaten Kolmisilmä.

[DUKE NUKEM]

i like to start climbing to get the 2 orbs on the pyramid and in the sky, then go back to the mines. then hopefully i get a torch and can do the dark area, i stay away from squidward until i have plasma or gigasaw.

i usually die before getting a torch wand tho. i should really learn to just leave and go to area 2

[Vengyr]

One of my favorite things to do recently, given the chance, to go to the (minor spoilers) Overgrown Cavern ASAP, by going outside, going to the right, passing the pyramid and digging down around the middle between pyramid and watchtower. With infinite soft digging (possible at the first area if you get digging bolt wand) or just plenty of digging (like 2x16 dynamite) you can get there very early. If you had no luck during the first area, if you find a single black hole wand, you still can go back there later. It's dangerous, but you can get some very powerful wands there.

[Entaris]

going to the right? you mean other than the tunnel?

climbing the pyramid?

[Vengyr]

Originally posted by Entaris:

going to the right? you mean other than the tunnel?

climbing the pyramid?

Yes, stand between pyramid and watchtower (which is further to the west), between two small structures, and dig down.

[Black Sheep Inc]

Indeed, the tunnel is far from the only way you can go.