Post by chimera shydra basilisk in Serenitrove comments

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chimera shydra basilisk223 days ago (3 edits)

I managed to reach Depth 430 twice using Nix but it wouldn't let me go deeper (into purple section)? There was the yellow stop sign indicator but I still had 21 stamina left. Really upsetting since I finally reached the end of the Magma zone after stacking 130 shield and lucking out on heals.

I was hoping Magmawalker Boots gave Burn immunity but it's only sideways. I ended up having to forge Winterheart accessory anyway since HP is tight for Nix and that Burn dmg can kill my run easily. Since Nix can't equip tools, once her shield breaks she's no longer protected from extra stamina loss.

Gilded Shift seems like an overpriced 100% collector's item. I think by the time you can afford it, it won't matter since you'll access Titanium before Diamond. You won't need to swap out a broken Gold Pickaxe anymore and you can just take the -5 stamina hit to swap to Magmawalker Boots. Basically there are more practical, stronger accessories.

Quartz income is pretty slow but I think that's intentional for the sake of pacing out Dojo upgrades/Accessory purchases/accumulating enough to win Jackpot in Slots(without resetting).

You can sell excess Copper and Coal later on but that's only really pity change from Slots rewards. It's a trap considering you unlock Smelting speed upgrade after maxing all the three Dojo stat upgrades, and Dwarven Bracer late-game which both require a ton of Copper.

Besides Diamonds, Ruby upgrades were the worst, probably on account of Amethyst/Emerald/Sapphire having more biomes to spawn in and also the Dojo upgrades skipping over the first two gems for the third type.

Scoot223 days ago

Thanks for the in depth analysis on Serenitrove!

For the purple section, those blocks are Obsidian, which have a hardness of 30. That means you'll need at least 30 combined stamina and Power to dig through them. The yellow stop sign indicates that while your stamina isn't zero, it's not enough to break through that specific block.

Full Burn immunity without any tradeoffs felt a bit too overpowered, since it would remove much of the challenge from the Magma zone. So the design currently offers a choice, Magmawalker grant directional Burn protection, while Winterheart provides full immunity but comes with a -1 Power penalty (though a high Power stat can offset that).

For Nix runs that made it to the water, players have generally prioritized maxing Power upgrades in Dojo (with +1 Power from Relics), starting with the Sanguine Signet, collecting every Quartz and gem along the way, and then swapping to Winterheart in the Magma zone with shield stacks up. Afterward, they usually switch to a different accessory when shield breaks, since the -1 Power from Winterheart becomes equivalent to taking 1 Burn damage per dig anyway.

Totally agree that Gilded Shift is in an awkward spot right now. It ends up feeling redundant once stronger accessories are available and stamina tradeoffs become less important. I'm still thinking through ways to tweak it so it becomes more relevant without becoming overpowered.

chimera shydra basilisk223 days ago (13 edits)

So I was basically bashing my head against the wall trying to force the Nix clear. I've got Maxed Dojo besides the last Light upgrade/last Forge speed. But I don't have all 20 Relics for +1 Power which is probably the main issue. Saving 1 Stamina/per step once Nix's shields break is a huge game-changer.

...Just realized the Granite zone has Hardness of 7. So that Relic +1 Power really makes all the difference since Power 6 is limit for Nix with only Max Dojo. Even if RNG gave me a ton of Quartz/gems for a 160 shield, most of it will still be destroyed digging through Granite zone. But it's the 7 Power that lets Nix enter the Magma zone with all shields intact.

I collected every Quartz and gem I saw (I would even restart my run if RNG didn't give me 32 shield (8+ Quartz) before the Sand zone) and use Torch so I couldn't really play any better besides buying a ton of Mageflares to path my way in the dark towards healing/gem tiles

I suppose Nix with 6 Power could still get lucky and clear if you Mageflare like every 4 steps. Just gotta hope the heals/gems are not too far from you.

Does Grampshell increase Relic or Treasure spawn chance? If not, you can make an accessory that does that (or increases the chance of bigger radar pings instead of tiny ones since I keep breaking Relics).

It became even more evident that Nix was the challenge character when I got to the end with the other 7 turtles easily (unlocking Full Flask made a huge difference). 10 (-1) Power cracks through Magma and Obsidian way easier than 6 (-1) Power. Not even Griddle was a problem (I used Omnishard to find him gold/titanium to eat in the Granite zone/then switched to Winterheart for Magma). Iron Helm achievement was no issue either.

Scoot223 days ago

Yeah, Nix is definitely the challenge character to beat the game with. Max Power upgrade combined with the +1 Power from relics is a must. Without the relic bonus, Nix runs probably fail 95% of the time.

Grampshell increases resource spawn by 30% (Chests and Relics are not affected). For relic-related support, I think an accessory that grants additional extraction attempts could be useful, maybe something like +2 tries when extracting from relic tiles. For encased relics, personally my method is to try the opposite end if the first ping is weak, then try to triangulate the location of the relic (max 3 tries in a triangular pattern), then from there you should be able to get a strong ping and use the rest of your attempts around that spot.

As for the turtles, I personally feel Griddle is the easiest overall due to his high stamina pool. If you can reach the Magma zone with most of your stamina intact, you can just equip Winterheart and dig straight to the bottom without too much trouble.

chimera shydra basilisk222 days ago (2 edits) (+1)

With Mistral + Violetheart Pendant (fast regen combo), I "farmed" Relics. Digging down quickly on the lookout for them and restarting once out of stamina or upon hitting the Ice zone. It took hours of me breaking Relics (tfw when 7 small pings) but I finally got all 20 Relics and got the final hat.

(The flavor text for "Black Rectangle" Relic made me laugh)

The difference between Nix with 6 Power and 7 Power is massive. Just look at my remaining stamina and how my shields are still intact.

Anyway, despite how grindy it got at the very end, I enjoyed unlocking all the cute turtles (my fav is Caela) and all their different abilities that made them each unique to play as, crafting recipes, and progressively getting to further Zones. Multiple soundtracks so you never get dull hearing a single song over and over. Solid game mechanics (I like the Sand zone best because I can "drag" a healing (sand) tile with me as an emergency heal for later). For a game about digging down it surprisingly has much depth, heh.

Thank you for creating this game! I wish you just as successful in your future endeavors!

Scoot222 days ago

Congratulations on unlocking everything, and thank you so much for the kind words! It really means a lot. I'm so glad you enjoyed the journey, and I wish you all the best in whatever you do too!

P.S.: About the Black Rectangle, I've always imagined the turtles as a far future civilization, long after humans have disappeared (whether we left the planet or something else happened), with only a few well-preserved relics left behind. It's fun imagining what stories they'd piece together from the scraps we left behind.

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