Delves: Strategies, tactics and tips

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1565

I don’t know how sane I am, but I persisted in the face of only ever killing 2 single troops in the boss room for the past 2 weeks at it.

I finally did Frostfire Keep without potions, but it was not pretty and is a tough one with poor targetting.

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I was dead set against using the Witch really, but it is essential to help target nasty things like Lady Ironbeard or help your Wraith on the AI Wraith.

I went

Frostfire Wraith
Frostfire King
Frostfire Witch
Frostfire Troll

Frostfire Banner

(You could also use Sauros banner, a red and blue, but I figure the Wraith is actually the key to winning, not Frostfire King).

That’s after I tried virtually every combination of the 4 troops, 2 Wraiths, 2 Kings, 3 Kings, 3 Wraiths and so on. Got blown away.

Hoard over 210 for the past week, blown away in boss room. Middle rooms are hard too because of random targetting, the first faction room is easy, but leads you into overconfidence imo.

Today I got the Mushroom room and Coral room. I got through the Mushroom room because I could fire my troll constantly really without much worry after killing Forest Troll.

Vs the Coral room, couldn’t do that as all troops use blue except Nyx, which creates it and you don’t want Vodyanoi one shotting. So I just kept trying to use FF King and Witch on the Golem, then let Nyx cast on full King or Witch (both have Mana Shield) and slowly knocked them down.

Final room, well lol, I just filled and filled my own Wraith, got all Reds where I could (which slows you down to some extent with the Frostfire banner) and everything went on their Wraith. I got it to keep matching skulls, 92 damage with 65% reduction, so still problematic, but just filled the Wraith and cast and cast while it bashed me. Witch on their Wraith, FF King hit it with 1/2 damage, eventually it fell.

It’s 2 casts of AI Frostfire King and all over even with 240 hoard and 50% faction bonus.

It ended like this with a skull hit after 10 turns of denying mana and having to soak 1 skull hit from the King in doing so. Calculator was out there…

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Hoard 240, 50% bonus, 2 Nysha, 1 Yasmine. The 1 Yasmine was the difference between the Wraith dying with 10 health and burning. As it had 7 health at the end.

14 Likes
1566

I just finished the Primal Rift 500 Faction team run today … here is my no BS guide to finishing this thing. This is for people who are not experts - your average player. This is to limit your frustration!

My hoard level was 200. Kingdom is 15. Hoard 200 probably not needed … but its nice to live a while. The rose is a jerk.

  1. Before even looking at starting, remember that you have to go through 2 rooms between first and final fight. A level 1 and a level 5 room. Look at these rooms and ask yourself:
    *Does the level 5 room have order shifters? If so, this run is a guaranteed failure - do the math if you want. You have to be able to survive 4 shifts. It won’t happen. Just end the first fight immediately and pray the next one is better!
    *Does the level 5 room have true damage? Also, basically a guarantee failure. It’s a slow faction team that takes time to build. You can’t live long enough.
    *Does the level 5 room have a summoner? Same thing - most likely a failure. There are caveats here though. If it’s a slow killing team (e.g. the goblins), then it’s okay.
    *Does the level 5 room have random targeting spell casters. Probably a failure. They tend to Focus on Alder.
    *Your best bet on the level 5 is a skull damage team (e.g. Glaycion or sheggra rooms) - entangle is your friend
    *If you meet the above, look at the level 1 room. Does it have order shifters? If it does, do you think you can survive 4 order shifting casts AND eliminate that order shifter immediately after the 4th cast? If you cannot, you may as well end the run immediately. Why bother? So, Minogor room is bad; Dust Devil room is acceptable (f you are confident you can kill the 2nd one immediately after the 4th cast to put your team back in order). All other level 1 rooms are pretty easy.
  2. If you feel confident with the above, let’s talk medals. Do you have 3 Cedric medals? If you don’t good luck - it’ll be so much harder as its basically constant entangling.
  3. So now you are ready to make your team. Here is what got me the win: Rose, Golem, Dryad, Alderfather. Some guides suggest 2xAlder … I never had both filled in prior runs, so not sure the point here.
    4.On Room 1, you want to kill everything but the Dryad.
    5.Let the Rose die.
    6.Stay in the room until Alder gets you a Treant. Even if it takes a long time. The dryad has no offense, outside of skulls. Entice the AI into skull damage if needed. If you fail in this room; it’s harder later … get the Treant.
    7.Kill the Dryad
    8.Move on to the next 2 rooms. You may not need Cedric medals. I’d use Anu, 2xNysha to buff Treant more quickly. Goal is to keep this team alive until the final room.
    9.In the final room, keep the AI from matching Blue and Purple. Whatever it takes. The rose will kill you faster than skulls! EQUIP 3 CEDRIC MEDALS!
  4. Pump up the Treant whenever you can.
  5. Cast Alder when you have a 4 match (either skulls OR red/purples).
  6. If you can get to the Rose AND kill it by casting Alder or matching skulls, do it - even if it gives the AI some bonus moves. He needs to be taken off the board. Alder summons are weak and irrelevant.
  7. Skull damage down until you win. Basically, if you get to the AI Alder AND your Alder is alive AND you have something left (e.g. a Treant) in front of your Alder, you will win.

My rooms were: Ifrit (level 1) and Goblins (level 5). Dryad died in the second fight - she’s a nice to have, but not mandatory.

9 Likes
1567

Awesome guide. My only comment is that you could still change your team to a non-faction team if you don’t want to waste a sigil because you can see all 3 room opponents before starting the first fight, and choose whether to proceed with faction run or not. Sometimes switching teams isn’t worth the hassle tho. I don’t always use the daily sigils anyway. Also, sometimes the level 2 room is easier than the level 1.

Well played, congrats.

1568

So essentially we’re saying let the different rooms badger, badger, badger and badger you until find the room with the mushroom, and then turn everyone into a mushroom, praying your dice rolls don’t come up snake eyes.

1 Like
1569

I finished the Hall of Guardians 500 Faction team run today … here is my no BS guide to finishing this thing - similar to Primal Rift last week. Again, this is for your average player - to limit your frustration!

My hoard level was 202. Kingdom is 15. Hoard 200 may be required … probably doable with Hoard 100 too, though!

  1. Before even starting the delve, keep in mind that there is only a single room between start and boss. This is nice!
    *Questions to ask yourself. Does this room have order shifters - mainly Bullette’s. Why bother? AI has an 80% chance of eating you; let’s be honest.
    *Does this room have true damage dealers? Again, why bother? You take time to build, and they don’t.
    *Does the room have a lot of offense? (Rogue Room) Again, why bother?
    *If any of the above are true, reset and move on … or just do a regular run. I tend to reset.
  2. If you think the middle room is doable (most are, this is a good high damage delve team!) then your team is:
    Silent Sentinel, Ethereal Sentry, 2xGargoyle.
  3. Think about the team … Sentry gives you attack power based on armor. Feed Sentinel first; until it takes a skull hit, then choose the troop with the most armor. Gargoyles do damage based upon attack power; so buffing the team with Sentry is the goal…it’s very straight forward. Try to avoid firing gargoyles until you can kill something - why bother otherwise?
  4. In the first room, your goal is to match (and prevent the other team) browns and reds. Kill the gargoyles first; then kill the other two. They have no offense, so don’t give them skull hits.
  5. In the second room, same thing. Focus on the damage dealer(s) and converters last. No real strategy beyond this. If you can buff your attack, gargoyles will destroy everything eventually.
  6. In the final room, you can tell if you will lose nearly immediately. You can survive 1 hit from Gargoyle, but it doesn’t matter…you’ve lost your armor, so it’s game over. Lots of reds or browns - that don’t 4 match - are bad. Lots of yellows are good.
  7. Kill order: Gargoyle, back 2 troops, silent sentinel last. Why? The last two will have tons of attack power and will clobber you … sentinel will only kill you slowly.
  8. If gargoyle gets off a single attack, before you’ve buffed attack - just quit. It’s over.
  9. If you kill gargoyle before it gets off an attack, odds are you will win … he’s their only real offense.

Caveats from personal experience. This delve had more “lucky skulls” than any other delve I’ve ever done. Get used to, quite frankly, bullcrap deaths due to this. Laugh and move on. All in all, this one took 9 days, but only 6 or 7 attempts at final room … so many bullcrap deaths.

This one was easier than Primal Rift; but also more frustrating cuz of the above.

My room in the middle was Dragon Room (baby dragon, baby dragon, egg, disease dragon) - kill disease dragon first.

14 Likes
1570

Cool guides, @Lorien1973!

As for this point, the idea is the trait. Every time you match Purple gems, you entangle up to two enemies. This means you quickly entangle the enemy team, WITHOUT having to waste Mana and end your turn with a spell cast.

Don’t see much point in running Green Golem; the idea is you entangle enemies with purple matches. Once they’re entangled, Golem’s Stoneskin is no longer relevant.

1 Like
1571

Green Golen can entangle up to everyone in one go casting on greens incase there’s no purple on the table, or be smartly used to force an extra turn, a needed match color, or a skull hit. Its a shame people don’t like it. Since Alderfather randomly entangles on purple, GG can have an easier time getting the first slot entangled, which is usually the only one that matters.

3 Likes
1572

I prefer Sylvanimora for 1st slot entangles. All you need is a 4-5 gem match for entangle, and he’ll explode an entire column. Spell cost is a bit higher though.

Edit: Oops, wasn’t thinking in terms of full-faction runs.

1 Like
1573

Dark Pits done, Hoard 160, 50% bonus, 2 Cedric, 1 Anu, no medals (don’t work).

Sledgepaw
2 x Hex Rat
Rattigar

Basically tried Rattigar in top slot for the curse on skulls, but going round the outside paths, you’ve got to be really lucky it does not die to skulls, 2 hits it’s dead. Had it at Hoard 144 from ages back, had 3 goes after doing Amanithrax at weekend.

So today, after a fail at 144, went with Silver Banner and restored Sledgepaw up top and raised to 155. Failed at boss miserably after starting well. Boosted to 160 and swapped in Cedrics for deathmarks. Went round the left path, had Morthani’s Will, Twisted Hero room and Forest Troll/Fungomancer room I think it was, plus Dragon Hatchery.

Strategy, try and fill both Hex Rats and Sledge, sit Sledge til both full, avoid skulls, deny primary AI mana. If struggling to fill 2 Hex Rats, cast Sledge (at top of board away from skulls below) then fire Rats top down, when first troop cursed. Fire Rattigar when full at any point but largely concentrate on matching yellow, purple and brown, mainly purple.

Dragon room, with luck you can let Sledgepaw soak skulls from little baby dragons when you’ve killed the first two or whatever they transform too. This allows you to build up Hex Rats nicely. I managed to stun TDS and finish it without yet another spawn.

Last room, basically, filled both HR and Sledge and Rattigar fairly early, avoided all skulls, and only mana they took really was green and blue (useless to them). So I got to the last 2 with all team intact and then Sledgepaw cascaded a block explosion so their Hex Rat wiped 2 of my team and my Sledgepaw died to exploding skulls.

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So here I am, with a formidable looking Sledgepaw left.

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Got it to here, it decided to explode and left me the skulls in top left corner! Good Karma after today’s Goblin BS in GW.

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7 left without potions. Time to build up shards and treasures!

17 Likes
1574

Awesome! Had no idea how to start this one … assumed it was fun with deathmark and dumb luck.

1575

Curious… why not the exploder?

1576

Thanks

Explorers are too random, a bad explode and game over with such high skull damage on AI.

That’s the same with say Amanithrax - that exploder, although great, can be a poisoned chalice. Control is the key. Same even with HOG, although you did it with 2 GG, and different to me, I figure the less chance you give AI luck to go the better.

In Dark Pits, Sledgepaw is risky, but at least to some degree you can work that. I cast that on skulls as far away from other skulls as I can, taking into account I want purple to explode.

The raw damage, double damage from Hex Rat is the key, but with control. If you can fill both while top troop still cursed, that will hurt AI team quite considerably - circa 125-130 damage, twice. Skull hits for 90 odd also on troop with no skull protection.

Also you only have so long before curse resets, so the important thing is to fire them as close as you can together to maximise damage, hence sitting Sledge and filling them without exploding Sledge if poss.

If you run Plague Rat you probably have to lose Rattigar. That can sometimes curse with its random spell and it double fires on last troop so is a nice closer. It’s even better when it silences or entangles.

I obliterated Forest Troll room - Rattigar, Sledge, 2 Hex Rats full, Sledge full, filled 1 Rat, did about 500 damage to FT in 3 turns. Rattigar refilled, cursed next 2 troops, same again.

I think Dark Pits is one of the harder ones but at least with targetable spells on Hex Rat and the damage it can do, it’s far, far easier than Frostfire Keep for example imho :slight_smile:

5 Likes
1577

In hog, some of my runs did end due to gargoyle explosions…would have been a ton easier if it didn’t. I see your point

I have 4 left…
Sea of sorrows
Dark pits
City of thieves
Warrens (not at 500 yet)

2 Likes
1578

Yeah I lost some in Hog when GG’s 3 gems left disastrous boards!

I’ve got 7 to do but all done without potions. Won’t be doing any with potions. :grimacing:

1 Like
1579

Yikes … without insane hoards I’m not sure some are possible …

I’ve done 5 with no potions:
Amanathrax
Silver necropolis
Crypt keepers
Primal rift
Hall of guardians

Probably the easiest ones

1 Like
1580

I’m down to 8 left not 7 after looking!

Silver N (need to level) 350 ish probably next
Sea of Sorrows (need to level) 370 ish
Werewoods (need to level) 250 ish
Lyrazsa’s (same) 210
Warrens
Fang Moor
Sunken Fleet
City of Thieves

City of Thieves I’ve had a few goes at, possibly a 200 hoard required and Cedric room. Difficulty is tier V rooms before boss room. I’ve got 2 down in boss room a couple of times but never had Cedric bonus, or when I did never got there! Need to have a rethink on team composition, if Tomb Robber dies it’s over. Not tried others have levelled.

I’m leaving Lyra’s and Werewoods TIL last, probably looking at hoard bonus past 50% and/or 300 hoard, but who knows, Lyra might be doable by getting a Mushroom man, which can be fairly okay with enrage and attack alongside Dementicores.

Sunken Fleet looks bad as well.:neutral_face:

1581

Thanks for sharing Xolid. It was awesome that you were able to get it done at 160 hoard, when all I’d heard previously is that this was one not to try until your hoard was 200+. Hope you and others continue to push the conventional thinking on non-potion runs.

2 Likes
1582

I’ve just been doing today’s mirrored halls event and unless I am mistaken there seems to be something new and ugly going on. The scylla rooms now grant us the players a bonestorrm in all future rooms when we kill an enemy. I can’t remember this happening before and it’s certainly going to be very dodgy having this kind of storm at higher difficulties. It also overrides infernus firestorm for the same kill condition. Is this a sneaky new gambit or was i so comatose when I did the release event that I failed to notice?

1583

Its one of a few new rooms that came out around January 27 of this year. The Scylla room is just nasty from an RNG perspective.

1584

Thanks. Another example of making factions harder despite claims to the contrary.