Route decisions
Route planning: choose the next requirement, not the richest path
A practical map heuristic for elites, upgrades, shops, recovery, and Act 3 boss insurance.
v0.107.1 · 2026-07-13
← Decision Guides
1
Start with the next test
- Name the next elite or boss requirement: front-loaded damage, AoE, block, scaling, or cleanup.
- Choose rooms that improve that missing requirement before maximizing theoretical gold or relic count.
- Recalculate after every card reward, relic, potion, and large HP loss.
2
Value flexibility
- Prefer paths with a late fork so the run can choose aggression or recovery after seeing rewards.
- A shop is strongest when you have enough gold and multiple problems it can solve—not merely because it is on the map.
- A rest site is an upgrade node only when the remaining HP and upcoming fight allow it.
3
Elite decision rule
- Take the elite when the current deck already passes its likely damage and defense check, not because a relic might rescue it.
- Count potion value as part of the fight plan. A potion spent to secure a relic and preserve HP can be correct.
- Skip chained elites when one bad draw would force a rest that removes the route’s expected value.
4
Act 3 insurance
- Before locking a route, check the visible boss and buy or upgrade the missing answer.
- For Aeonglass, prioritize efficient block, compressed damage, Artifact stripping if needed, and hand cleanup.
- Do not add speculative cards late unless they solve a named boss or elite failure mode immediately.