I totally get that. For me, I've enjoyed the from-the-start replays since the whole individual run thing is pretty short (it is a rogue-like after-all), and starting over lets me try different weapon/keepsake/boon combos which to this point I've not gotten bored with. I'm actually loving the fact that my strategy is only partially determined by me prior to starting a run.Skinypupy wrote: ↑Tue Sep 22, 2020 8:55 amIf I lose to a boss, I want to be able to fight that boss again right away, not have to start over and spend 20 minutes fighting back to the boss...only to lose to him again. That sort of gameplay loop tends to frustrate me pretty quickly, but Hades manages it better than nearly any other game I've played.
Something I didn't realize right away, either--you initially receive those higher-tier rewards for completing each biome/boss with a particular weapon. Want more Diamonds and Titan's Blood? Change your weapon. I'm not sure what happens once you complete the game with all weapons, as I obv haven't done that yet.I think a big part of the grindy feeling comes from how slowly you gain Diamonds and Titan's Blood (?, the thing that you use to upgrade weapons). Diamonds require some significant grinding to get keys or gems to trade at the vendor. I haven't even seen a Titan's Blood since the second time I beat Meg ages ago. She only drops Darkness now, so I'm not sure how to even get more at this point. I spent the two original Titan's Blood I got from Meg, thinking that those would be a standard drop every time you beat her. Now that they're not, I have no idea how to get more and increase my weapon abilities. I'm sure there's just something I'm missing there.
Side note: I love how the bosses themselves change with different runs. Really well-thought-through to keep the grindy feel lower than you'd ordinarily see on a rogue-like.
Interesting. I like the yellow Dark Regeneration (60% of Darkness collected also restores health) and Stubborn Defiance (gives you one Death Defiance per chamber, ensuring that you will always have one for a boss). I also use the Keepsake that gives you a Defiance per run, swapping that one in when I get to the harder bosses. Net effect is that I will have 2 Defiances left for that boss battle (and hopefully the one following).I think I've unlocked all the still options on the mirror at this point. Interestingly, I find the all red options to be far more useful than the yellow ones. I only actively use one of the yellow options. I mostly use the gun or the spear, as any of the melee weapons kick my ass pretty quickly. I try to be as active as possible in moving around the room, but feel like I'm woefully underpowered compared to the Minotaur/Theseus combo. I probably just need to keep at it (got them both down to about half health last night, which is better than I'd done before), but I'm not sure if the general structure of replay after replay will keep me going.
Since speed is also a concern for you, I'd max out Abyssal Blood (slows and weakens foes while they have Cast arrows in them) and Greater Reflex (additional Dash). I've also been using Family Favorite (+5% damage per Olympian whose boon you have). Since I typically have 4 Olympians booning me by the lategame, that's a big boost.
After that I've found it's mostly a matter of learning the bosses' move sets so I can better anticipate where I need to skeedaddle to in order to not get harmed but be in position for a quick counter. I also recommend upgrades that include Dash attacks (and tidal push-backs when offered). With those you can ensure that you are actually damaging the bosses and giving yourself some space just by dashing.
The run count is on the save slot, so if you exit out and go back in you'll see it. The rest I believe opens up once you have beaten Hades once, though I haven't verified the exact mechanism as I haven't done it yet. I know there is a master list of all your accomplishments somewhere in the end-game, though.Is there a way to check the map before a run and see which weapons I've already obtained them with?
Also, is there anywhere that keep stats on how many runs, how many encounters, how many enemies killed, etc.? Someone mentioned upthread that their best run was 27 rooms, just wondering how they knew that.