At the start of a playthrough the player selects one of four predetermined characters, which sets a starting amount of health, gold, a starting relic that provides a unique ability for that character, and an initial deck of cards with basic attack and defense cards as well what potential color-coded cards tailored to that character they will see through the run. Players` cards vary by the character but generally consist of attack cards to damage opponents, skill cards that buff themselves, debuff opponents, or add to their blocking power for the turn, and power cards where the effect remains in play until the end of combat. Each opponent on the field will telegraph what move they will make: if they will attack and with how much damage, if they will block, cast a spell to buff themselves or debuff the player. When the player’s health is zero, the game is over and you have to start over from the foot of the spire.
Otherwise, if the player defeats all the monsters at the encounter, they usually receive gold and a choice of three random cards to add to the deck as needed. Other loot that can be obtained from monsters and other encounters are relics, such as being used for free during any turn to restore health, buff players, weaken or damage enemies, etc.
The deck-building game requires players to develop a strategy for their deck on the fly based on the cards they can obtain from loot and in synergy with the relics they obtain. Like other deck-building, too many weak cards or the unplayable cards dilute the player`s deck, and the player must strategically decide which cards are the best fit to make the deck effective, when to turn down additions of cards, or when to spend money to remove cards as to maximize the deck’s strength.
Completed or failed runs contribute points towards unlocking new characters or new relics and cards that will be made available for the specific character. Achievements provide several challenges to the player such as to climb the tower with a character using only their starting relic or with only common cards in their decks.
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