Spirit Island | Guide to River Surges in Sunlight 💧

This guide will assist you in playing and understanding River Surges in Sunlight, a core spirit (character) included in Spirit Island. 💧

⭐ Bonus: Overview of Aspect: Sunshine, and example playthroughs of Balanced VS Thematic Maps.

💧 Overview

Available as one of the core spirits in the base copy of Spirit Island, River Surges in Sunlight is a low-complexity (but highly efficient) spirit that excels in control, utility, and offense.

Summarized Tips for River:

• Prioritize placing presence in Wetlands over other land types.
• Prioritize completing your bottom presence track (for card plays) to quickly unlock your "reclaim card" ability and your powerful Massive Flooding innate.
• Choose minor power cards over major power cards when reclaiming.
• When reasonably possible, use both River's Bounty and Boon of Vigor every turn to restore energy.
• Elements of selected minor powers are fairly irrelevant unless you plan on searching for a specific major power (i.e., Vigor of the Breaking Dawn, The Trees and Stones Speak of War, etc.).

💧 Growth & Presence

Growth Options

Growth Option 1: Reclaim all discarded power cards, gain a power card (minor or major), and gain 1 energy.
Growth Option 2: Place 2 presence up to 1 space away from an existing presence; these can be in the same or different lands.
Growth Option 3: Place 1 presence up to 2 spaces away from an existing presence, and gain a power card (minor or major).

Suggested Growth Pattern:

Turn 1: Growth option 2
Turn 2: Growth option 2
Turn 3: Growth option 2
Turn 4+: Growth option 1

Presence Track

Top Track: energy gained per turn | Bottom Track: card plays per turn

Unlike other spirits which require 2 presence in 1 land for a shrine, River's "Special Rule" allows all of her presence in Wetlands to be considered shrines (ergo, she only needs 1 presence per Wetland); as such, it is often worth prioritizing presence placements in Wetlands (particularly when playing with multiple boards).

Presence Priority: Card Plays

It is important to unlock, at minimum, 4 card play slots from the bottom (card plays) presence track in order for River to threshold Massive Flooding (her innate power) every turn.

💧 Understanding River's Powers & Purpose

	💪 Strengths
Control	Wash Away (costs 1 energy; grants 1 🔵, 1 ⚫) : During the slow phase and in a land within range 1 of River's presence, allows River to push 1-3 explorers or towns to a land 1 space away. This card is useful for... • Pushing enemies out of an upcoming ravage (ideally into a "kill zone" that you'll later attack with Tier 3 Massive Flooding) • Preventing builds in lands with 3 or less explorers/towns Tier 1 Massive Flooding (requires 1 🟡, 2 🔵) : During the slow phase, and in a land within range 1 of its shrine, River can push 1 town or explorer 1 space away. OR Tier 2 Massive Flooding (requires 2 🟡, 3 🔵) : In the slow phase and within range 1 of its shrine, River can deal 2 damage within a land and push 0-3 towns/explorers one space away.
Utility	Boon of Vigor (costs 0 energy; grants 1 🟡, 1 🔵, 1 🟢) : in the fast phase, grants River 1 energy or another spirit 1 energy per card they played that turn. This card is useful for... • Providing other spirits large energy gains • Supporting River's reclaim loop (in solo play, or when energy starved in multiplayer) River's Bounty (costs 0 energy; grants 1 🟡, 1 🔵, 1 🔴) : In the slow phase, River gathers 1-2 Dahan into a land with its presence; if that land has 2 or more Dahan after gathering, River creates 1 Dahan and gains 1 energy. This card is useful for... • Moving & creating new Dahan • Gaining energy to support River's reclaim loop
Offense	Flash Floods (costs 2 energy; grants 1 🟡, 1 🔵) : In the fast phase and within 1 range of its presence, River can deal 1 damage in an inland land or 2 damage in a coastal land. This card is useful for... • Destroying coastal towns • Preventing builds (when used on a land occupied by 1 explorer) • Destroying a city (when used with Tier 3 Massive Flooding or other damage-dealing powers gained from the shared deck) Tier 3 Massive Flooding (requires 3 🟡, 4 🔵, 1 ⚫) : In the slow phase, River can cause 2 damage to each invader within a land range 1 of its shrine. This innate power is ultimately what River strives to unlock each turn as she attempts to clear the island of invaders. Due to its high potential for damage and effectiveness in clearing a land, it's most often worth prioritizing thresholding this ability every turn over gaining major power cards.

	👎 Weaknesses
Fear	Aside from using its Tier 3 Massive Flooding in a large kill zone (which has the potential to generate a large amount of fear in the slow phase), River generates very little fear.
Defense	River does not have any starting abilities for defensive support; however, she can potentially acquire some when gaining a minor power from the shared deck. Depending on whether you're playing solo or alongside non-defensive spirits, a defense power could be well-paired with the Dahan and their counterattacks.

Element Priorities & Major Powers

Element Priorities: 🔵🟡⚫

🔵 = Water | 🟡 = Sun | ⚫ = Earth

Secondary to these 3 elements, which are useful for River's innate (Massive Flooding) and/or a major power such as Tsunami (which is often not worth acquiring due to its high energy cost of 6), you'll likely want to prioritize...

• 🔴 (Animal) to potentially use with Vigor of the Breaking Dawn (a good, low-cost major power for River).
• 🟢 (Plant) to potentially use with The Trees and Stones Speak of War (another good, low-cost major power for River).
• ⚪ (Moon) to potentially use with Cast Down Into the Briny Deep (an extremely effective card when threshold is met, but not viable for River unless she has 9+ energy to play it).

Note: You may acquire some 🟠 (Fire) or 🟣 (Air) elements via minor power cards drawn, but these are typically the least sought-after elements when playing River.

💧 Recommended Map Setup

River always starts with 1 presence in the highest-numbered Wetlands; unlike other spirits (which require 2 presence in a land for a shrine), River only requires 1 presence in a Wetland for it to be considered a shrine.

Recommended Balanced Maps: A & H

Due to balanced maps having 2 of each land type (2 Wetlands, 2 Sands, 2 Jungles, and 2 Mountains), it's ideal to start on a map where you'll be able to easily reach most (if not all) lands rather quickly.

Recommended Thematic Maps: East & Southeast

East is often the most optimal map for River due to it being mostly Wetlands; however, Southeast is a fairly viable alternative in some scenarios (if playing multiplayer and another spirit is better placed on East).

💧 Example Playthrough: Balanced Map (Difficulty 0)

Setup

Difficulty Level: 0
Scenario: N/A | Adversary: N/A | Events: Off | DLC: Off
Map: "A" Balanced | Spirits: 1 (true solo)

Turn 1:

Growth Phase: Place 2 presence from your bottom (card play) track in Sands 4 (coastal) so you can now reach all lands from your shrines.
Spirit Phase: Play Wash Away and River's Bounty, which will unlock your Tier 1 Massive Flooding for the turn.
Fast Phase: N/A - no fast cards were played this turn.
Invader Phase: Invaders build in the Jungles, and explore in the Mountains.
Slow Phase: Because we will be able to eliminate the town built in Jungles 3 with Flash Floods next turn (in the fast phase, before the ravage), we can instead use Tier 1 Massive Flooding to push the explorer from Mountains 6 into Mountains 1, and use Wash Away to push the 2 explorers from Mountains 1 into Wetlands 2 - preventing both Mountains' builds. Use River's Bounty to pull 2 Dahan from Sands 7 into Wetlands 5. Note: It doesn't necessarily matter where you pull from, as long as you leave 1 Dahan in Jungles 3 to kill the explorer in the next ravage.

Turn 2:

Growth Phase: Place 2 presence from your bottom (card play) track, which will unlock your "reclaim card" ability. As we already have 2 shrines touching all lands, we can place our presence on other inland lands that we may want to pull Dahan into later.
Spirit Phase: Reclaim River's Bounty. Because we prevented the Mountains' builds, this turn we will only play Flash Floods to (destroy the town in Jungles 3). While it may be tempting to play Boon of Vigor and/or Rivers' Bounty to maximize card plays for this turn, we will instead save them for next turn.

Note: If you're new to SI, you may be concerned about the city, town, and explorer in Jungles 8 - don't be. An important part of Spirit Island is accepting that you cannot prevent all ravages, and it is okay to take blight on a land if it allows you to further your growth track and/or prepare for an optimal move in a subsequent turn - this is called BLIGHT-TO-SCALE.

Fast Phase: Flash Floods the town in Jungles 3.
Invader Phase: The Jungles ravage; Jungles 8 takes 1 blight, and the Dahan kill the lone explorer left in Jungles 3. Invaders do not build, as there are no invaders in the Mountains. Invaders explore the Wetlands.
Slow Phase: N/A - we did not play any slow cards this turn.

Turn 3:

Growth Phase: Place the final 2 presence from your bottom (card play) track, which will allow you to play 5 cards per turn moving forward.
Spirit Phase: Reclaim Wash Away. Play Wash Away, River's Bounty, and Boon of Vigor, which unlocks Tier 2 Massive Flooding this turn.
Fast Phase: Use Boon of Vigor on yourself.
Invader Phase: There are no invaders in the Mountains, so they do not ravage. Invaders build in the Wetlands. Invaders explore coastal lands (Mountains 1, Wetlands 2, Jungles 3).
Slow Phase: Use Wash Away to push the town and explorer from Wetlands 5 into Mountains 1. Use Tier 2 Massive Flooding on Mountains 1 to destroy the town and push the 2 explorers into Wetlands 2 (which we are setting up as our "kill zone" for a subsequent turn). Use River's Bounty on Sands 4, pulling 1 Dahan from Wetlands 5 and 1 from Wetlands 2 (to prevent it from dying in the ravage).

Turn 4:

Growth Phase: Reclaim all. Gain a minor power card. Of the 4 minor cards I drew, I kept Uncanny Melting to use on Wetlands 2 (so we may remove the blight after it ravages).
Spirit Phase: Play all 5 cards, unless the minor you selected costs 1+ energy and is unhelpful; note: if you only play River's 4 unique cards, you will still threshold for Tier 3 Massive Flooding.
Fast Phase: Use Boon of Vigor on yourself to regain energy. Flash Floods the city in coastal Wetlands 2 (in preparation of Massive Flooding during the slow phase).
Invader Phase: Invaders ravage in the Wetlands, causing blight in Wetlands 2. Invaders build in coastal lands. Invaders explore in the Mountains.
Slow Phase: Use Uncanny Melting to remove the blight in Wetlands 2. Use Wash Away to push the town and explorer from Jungles 3 into Wetlands 2. Use Tier 3 Massive Flooding on coastal Wetlands 2 to clear it. Use River's Bounty on Mountains 6, pulling 2 Dahan from Wetlands 5 to create a third Dahan and gain 1 energy.

Turn 5:

Growth Phase: Reclaim all. Gain a minor power card. Of the 4 options I drew, I kept Veil the Night's Hunt.
Spirit Phase: Play 5 cards, using River's 4 unique cards + 1 minor (whichever of the two was most helpful for your situation); in this case, we will use Veil the Night's Hunt to destroy the explorer in Mountains 6 and prevent a build.
Fast Phase: Use Boon of Vigor on yourself to regain 1 energy. As stated above, use Veil the Night's Hunt to destroy the explorer in Mountains 6 and prevent a build. Then Flash Floods the city in Jungles 8 to prepare for Tier 3 Massive Flooding.
Invader Phase: Invaders ravage in the coastal lands. Invaders build only in Mountains 1, because Mountains 2 is unoccupied by invaders. Invaders explore the Sands.
Slow Phase: Use Wash Away to push the explorer from Sands 7 into Jungles 8. Use Tier 3 Massive Flooding to clear Jungles 8. Use River's Bounty on Mountains 1 to pull 2 Dahan from Mountains 6 into it (creating a third Dahan and granting you 1 energy).

Turn 6:

Growth Phase: Reclaim all. Gain a minor power card. Of the 4 cards I drew, I kept Call to Isolation (which we will use to push the explorer from Sands 4 into Mountains 1).
Spirit Phase: It is now possible to win in the fast phase of this turn, and we do not need Massive Flooding; as such, we must play Flash Floods, Veil the Night's Hunt, & Call to Isolation to win. Note: You do not need to play additional cards at this point besides these 3 (in this situation); however, you can queue extra cards "just in case" (which may be wise or relevant if you're playing with events, scenario, or adversary).
Fast Phase: Use Call to Isolation to push the explorer from Sands 4 into Mountains 1. Use Veil the Night's Hunt on Mountains 1 to cause 1 damage to 3 different invaders (in this case killing 2 explorers and dealing 1 damage to the town). Use Flash Floods to destroy the town in Mountains 1.
Invader Phase: N/A
Slow Phase: N/A

All the invader settlements have been destroyed, and their morale is not strong enough to weather this loss. They depart the island for their far-away home.

💧 Example Playthrough: Thematic Map (Difficulty 3)

Setup

Difficulty Level: 3
Scenario: N/A | Adversary: N/A | Events: Off | DLC: Off
Map: "East" Thematic | Spirits: 1 (true solo)

Turn 1:

Growth Phase: Place 2 presence from your bottom (card play) track -- 1 in Wetlands 9 and 1 in Wetlands 4.
Spirit Phase: Play Wash Away and River's Bounty, which will unlock your Tier 1 Massive Flooding for the turn.
Fast Phase: N/A - no fast cards were played this turn.
Invader Phase: Invaders build in the Sands, and explore the Wetlands.
Slow Phase: Use Tier 1 Massive Flooding to push 1 explorer from Wetlands 9 into Wetlands 4. Use Wash Away to push all 3 explorers from Wetlands 4 into Wetlands 3. User River's Bounty to pull the 2 Dahan from Wetlands 3 into Wetlands 4 (so they don't die in the ravage).

Turn 2:

Growth Phase: Place 2 presence from your bottom (card play) track in Mountains 6, making all lands finally within range 1 of a shrine.
Spirit Phase: Reclaim River's Bounty. Play Flash Floods and Boon of Vigor.
Fast Phase: Use Boon of Vigor to gain 1 energy. Flash Floods the town in Wetlands 2 to prevent a city build.
Invader Phase: Invaders ravage in the Sands, causing a blight in Sands 5 (necessary for blight-to-scale). Invaders build in the Wetlands.
Slow Phase: Use Tier 1 Massive Flooding to push the town from Wetlands 2 into Wetlands 3.

Turn 3:

Growth Phase: Place the final 2 presence on your bottom (card play) track, which will allow you to play 5 cards per turn henceforth. For this map, it is often worthwhile to stack extra presence on Wetlands 4 and 9.
Spirit Phase: Reclaim Flash Floods. Play Flash Floods and River's Bounty.
Fast Phase: Use Flash Floods to prevent the build on Mountains 6.
Invader Phase: Invaders ravage in the Wetlands, causing a blight in Wetlands 3 which cascades into an adjacent land of our choosing. Now, with blighted island, we must remove 1 presence from the board at the start of each invader phase. Invaders build in the Mountains, and explore in the Mountains.
Slow Phase: Use River's Bounty to move both Dahan from Wetlands 10 into Mountains 6 to kill the explorer in the ravage and prevent a build. Use Tier 1 Massive Flooding to push 1 town from Mountains 8 to Mountains 7.

Turn 4:

Growth Phase: Reclaim all, and gain a minor power. Of the 4 cards I drew, I kept Lure of the Unknown (to prevent the ravage in Mountains 8).
Spirit Phase: Play all 5 cards (River's 4 unique cards + the minor power you drew, unless it costs 1+ energy and will not help you this turn); this will unlock your Tier 3 Massive Flooding.
Fast Phase: Use Boon of Vigor to gain 1 energy. Use Lure of the Unknown to move 1 explorer from Mountains 8 to Wetlands 4. Flash Floods the remaining explorer in Mountains 8 to prevent a build.
Invader Phase: Invaders ravage in the Mountains, build in the Mountains, and explore in the Jungles.
Slow Phase: Use Wash Away to push 2 towns and 1 explorer from Mountains 7 to Wetlands 3. Use Tier 3 Massive Flooding on Wetlands 3. Use River's Bounty to create 1 Dahan and gain 1 energy.

Turn 5:

Growth Phase: Reclaim all, and gain a minor power card. Of the 4 cards I drew, I kept Entrancing Apparitions.
Spirit Phase: Play River's 4 unique cards + 1 minor power (in this case, Entrancing Apparitions).
Fast Phase: Use Entrancing Apparitions to defend 2 on Mountains 7. Use Flash Floods to destroy the explorer in Mountains 7. Use Boon of Vigor to gain 1 energy.
Invader Phase: Invaders ravage in the Mountains, build in the Jungles, and explore coastal lands (Jungles 1,Wetlands 2, & Wetlands 3).
Slow Phase: Use Wash Away to push the 2 explorers from Wetlands 2 into Jungles 1, preventing a build. Use Tier 3 Massive Flooding to prevent the build and ravage in Jungles 1. Use River's Bounty to create 1 Dahan and gain 1 energy.

Turn 6:

Growth Phase: Reclaim all, and gain a minor power card. Of the 4 cards I drew, I kept Gift of Living Energy.
Spirit Phase: Play River's 4 unique cards + 1 minor power (in this case, Gift of Living Energy).
Fast Phase: Flash Floods the city in Wetlands 3. Use Boon of Vigor to gain 1 energy, and Gift of Living Energy to gain 2 energy.
Invader Phase: Invaders do not ravage in the Jungles as they are unoccupied by invaders. Invaders build in coastal lands, and explore the Sands.
Slow Phase: Use Wash Away to push the 3 invaders (1 town, 2 explorers) from Sands 5 to Wetlands 4. Use Tier 3 Massive Flooding to clear Wetlands 3. Use River's Bounty to create 1 Dahan and gain 1 energy.

Turn 7:

Growth Phase: Reclaim all, and gain a minor power card. Of the 4 cards I drew, I kept Call to Bloodshed.
Spirit Phase: Play River's 4 unique cards + 1 minor power (in this case, Call to Bloodshed).
Fast Phase: Flash Floods the city in Mountains 7 (in preparation for Massive Flooding in the slow phase). Use Boon of Vigor to gain 1 energy.
Invader Phase: Invaders do not ravage in coastal lands as they are unoccupied by invaders. Invaders do not build in Sands as the Sands are currently unoccupied by invaders. Invaders explore Mountains + Wetlands.
Slow Phase: Use Wash Away to push the 1 explorer from Mountains 8 to Wetlands 4. Use Call to Bloodshed to clear Wetlands 4. Use River's Bounty to create 1 Dahan and gain 1 energy. Use Tier 3 Massive Flooding to clear Mountains 7.

All the invader settlements have been destroyed, and their morale is not strong enough to weather this loss. They depart the island for their far-away home.

💧 Scenario: Ward the Shores (Difficulty 2) 🌊🛡️

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3260845750

🗺️ Recommended Map Setup

Recommended Map: Balanced "D"

Starting on Map D will position River in coastal Wetlands 3; if, on your first turn, you select growth option 2 and place 1 presence in coastal Jungles 2 and 1 presence in coastal Wetlands 1 than you will already have 2 of the 3 shrines needed along the coast.

Example Playthrough

Turn 1:

Growth Phase: Select growth option 2, placing 1 presence in Jungles 2 and 1 presence in Wetlands 1.
Spirit Phase: Play River's Bounty and Wash Away (warded).
Fast Phase: N/A - no fast cards played this turn.
Invader Phase: Invaders build in the Sands and explore in the Wetlands.
Slow Phase: Use River's Bounty on Wetlands 1 to move the Dahan from Sands 7 (and prevent them from dying in the upcoming ravage). Use Wash Away (warded) on Wetlands 1.

Turn 2:

Growth Phase: Select growth option 2, placing 1 presence in Jungles 2 and 1 presence in Mountains 5.
Spirit Phase: Reclaim River's Bounty. Play River's Bounty, Boon of Vigor, and Flash Floods (warded).
Fast Phase: Use Boon of Vigor to gain 1 energy.
Invader Phase: Invaders ravage in the Sands, build in the Wetlands, and explore the Jungles.
Slow Phase: Use River's Bounty on Jungles 2 to create 1 Dahan and gain 1 energy. Use Tier 1 Massive Flooding to push 1 town from Wetlands 3 into Sands 4.

Turn 3:

Growth Phase: Select growth option 2, placing 2 presence in Mountains 5.
Spirit Phase: Reclaim and play Wash Away.
Fast Phase: N/A - no fast cards played this turn.
Invader Phase: Invaders ravage in the Wetlands, build in the Jungles, and explore the Sands.
Slow Phase: Wash Away the invaders (1 town, 1 explorer) from Jungles 6 to Sands 4.

Turn 4:

Growth Phase: Select growth option 1, reclaiming all cards, gaining 1 energy and a minor power. Of the 4 card options I drew, I kept Rain of Blood.
Spirit Phase: Play all 5 cards, including River's 4 unique cards and the new minor power (warded).
Fast Phase: Flash Floods the town in Jungles 2. Use Boon of Vigor to gain 1 energy.
Invader Phase: Invaders ravage in the Jungles, build in the Sands, and explore coastal lands (Wetlands 1, Jungles 2, & Wetlands 3).
Slow Phase: Use River's Bounty on Wetlands 3 to create 1 Dahan and gain 1 energy. Wash Away the 2 explorers from Wetlands 3 into Sands 4. Use Tier 3 Massive Flooding on Sands 4. Use Rain of Blood (warded) on Wetlands 3 to create the final ward needed for Ward the Shores' victory requirement.

Turn 5:

Growth Phase: Select growth option 1, reclaiming all cards, gaining 1 energy and a minor power. Of the 4 card options I drew, I kept Entrancing Apparitions.
Spirit Phase: Play all 5 cards, including River's 4 unique cards and your most useful minor power (in this situation, Entrancing Apparitions).
Fast Phase: Use Entrancing Apparitions to defend 2 in Sands 4, preventing a blight. Use Flash Floods on the city in Sands 7. Use Boon of Vigor to gain 1 energy.
Invader Phase: Invaders ravage in the Sands (blighting the island), build in coastal lands, and explore the Jungles.
Slow Phase: Use River's Bounty to create 1 Dahan and gain 1 energy. Use Wash Away to push the invaders (1 explorer, 1 town) from Wetlands 1 into Sands 7. Use Tier 3 Massive Flooding on Sands 7 to clear it and generate enough fear to progress to Stage 2 Fear (Ward the Shores' victory requirement).

With the wardings complete, no invaders can find the Island, and any that remain are yours to deal with.

☀️ Aspect: Sunshine

River VS Aspect: Sunshine - GROWTH & PRESENCE

Unlike base River, who prioritizes the bottom (card play) track, River: Sunshine prioritizes the top (energy) track.

River VS Aspect: Sunshine - POWERS

• Boon of Vigor (minor power) has been replaced with Boon of Sunshine's Promise (innate power).

Unlike Boon of Vigor, which grants the target spirit 1 energy per card played, Boon of Sunshine's Promise grants the target spirit 1 energy less than the highest uncovered number on River's energy track (making the maximum number of energy a target earns per turn less than or equal to 4).

💪 River's Sunshine aspect may be less optimal than base River; however, it can certainly hold its own.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3325768640

☀️ Purchase the JAGGED EARTH DLC to play River's Sunshine aspect. ☀️

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2419041/Spirit_Island__Jagged_Earth/

[S0FTERSIN]

9/06/2024 Guide Update:
• Expanded details on Sunshine aspect (available via Jagged Earth DLC) to include growth/presence and power differences. ☀️

[S0FTERSIN]

8/22/2024 Guide Update:
• Added section for Sunshine aspect (available via Jagged Earth DLC). ☀️

[Ozamet]

Fantastic job summarizing River strategy!! I love how clean and organized it is. Very easy to find the information on rereads.

[S0FTERSIN]

6/04/2024 Guide Update:
• Added a section to elaborate on growth & presence tracks/placement.
• Added a section & example playthrough for River against the Ward the Shores scenario.