I’m really happy you’re enjoying the game, and thanks for the thoughtful feedback!
Your point about simple combos outperforming more elaborate setups makes sense. Balance still needs work, and while harder encounters should give longer-term planning and T3/T4 abilities more room to shine, I don’t want those abilities to feel unrewarding in the current content either. So far, I’ve focused most of the polishing on T1/T2, which probably contributes to what you’re noticing.
The Cursed Slime example is especially useful. Curses should make you adapt, but having several land on key awakened slots sounds more frustrating than interesting. I already agree with that and will take a closer look at that when reworking the Cursed mechanic.
And yes, the fourth dungeon is still unfinished! Thanks for exploring this far and sharing what worked—and what didn’t. This kind of feedback really helps.