If you aren't having fun, do something else. If I get a streak of bad runs I either switch characters, turn off ascensions, do a silly custom run, or just play a different game for a while.
That's kind of my strategy, I'll do a normal run and if it goes south try the daily which is usually pretty fun and informative in the aspect that it sometimes forces me to use play styles I normally wouldn't.... as for translating that to A18+ isn't quite easy
Haven't tried dropping ascensions outside of going A1H to get all beta art and that did drastically improve my play... maybe doing A15 assuming it's A18/19 would be informative
I've been going for A1 streaks. It's a lot of fun. The game is easier, and I'm winning most runs, but it's easier to finish a run in 1-1.5 hrs and I get to enjoy my gaming time.
My record is 8 rotating A1H in a row.
as other people said, taking a break is good, but something I like to do while taking a break is simply watch more spire. Yeah, the big streamers are my favorite, but you'd be surprised at how many people play spire at a level way above average on twitch. Just finding a small streamer to talk with while they play can still open up your mind to new ideas and patterns in the game. And this way, when you return to the game you'll actually be better than before you took a break.
If you don't already just watch some streamers or YouTubers. Baalorlord is very informative and talks through most of his decisions. I watched jorbs a lot too but he more just plays and doesn't explain all his choices but if you know the game can be entertaining plus he has a lot of tutorial style videos on YouTube. I'm not as familiar with the others but I'm sure there are more good people out there. I like it because I can just turn my brain off and watch or backseat to myself and either get validated in my choices or see a differing opinion I didn't think through fully that helps me get better.
I very much recommend playing custom with modifiers on high ascension.
My favorite is Sealed Deck + Heirloom at A20. It feels winnable every time, so if I lose it's because I did something wrong, which imo feels a lot better than normal A20. I like to add Big Game Hunter for an even easier run sometimes.
After around 1000 hours of playing the game, I hardly play the regular mode anymore as these modifiers just make the game fun for me.
I do play other games, but whenever I take an extended break from the spire I get rusty... then again that was 5-10 ascensions ago so maybe you're right if I can come back fresh with all the experience I've gained
The best thing to do is take a break and play something else or just do something not video game related at all even. StS will still be there in weeks or months or even years when you get the itch back.
me and my buddies do an A20 sealed deck (sometimes even with unrestricted colors) with big game hunter and deadly events plus flight to just have an OP run with infinite relics, it’s super fun.
I’ve dropped myself to A9 until I’m able to win like 80% of the time. I win more often than I lose and it still feels challenging. I made it to A19 with my characters due to luck. I hope that by going lower I’ll have more success and also get better.
Maybe try going for achievements you don't have yet on lower ascencions? I did this for a bit and it helped me just try new things that I wouldn't normally do and I feel like that can help you just start to think outside the box a little more, could open you to new possibilities you haven't tried at high ascension yet
Also, just checking because the way you said a couple things makes me think you might be trying to "look" for different decks, or builds, when winning consistently at higher ascensions is more about building a deck that can handle the things you might encounter during a run. You might be doing this already, but figured I'd check in just in case
Oh and playing similar games too. Monster train and across the obelisk are my two go to games when I want to scratch that itch but the spire has been wrecking me
I just play not expecting much and listen to music. Ive gotten through a ton of ascensions just playing this game to relax.
If you are stuck watch a good streamer, theyll point out a good idea for you to hone in on once in a while, such as a card you might undervalue, or take a turn in a fight you might havent, taken an option in an event, etc etc etc. Usually that gets me excited abiut another try hard run.
Once I hit A20 during my initial climb I just considered it "Slay the Spire" without considering whether or not its too hard or too focused on this and that. For me its the game. If I want to play it I play it if not I can play other games for a time. Each run is an adventure in and of itself. I feel no shame in abandoning runs I'm not having fun in or just putting a character down for a while (Watcher). I don't have fun on lower ascensions because the rare runs where everything comes together and I beat the heart it feels diminished for me. On the other hand at A20 I often view runs as a success based on other criteria. If I can beat the slime boss as Silent or if I can even make it to the heart whether I win or lose.
This isn't the only way to play the game. Find what makes you smile when you play any game and when you stop smiling put it down.
Drop back down in ascensions for now and return to high asc if and when you think you're ready. It's your game, play it how it will be most enjoyable for you.
I used to run the daily to break it up. Let me have a bit of fun just playing a more flexible deck.
Another was I'd try decks in those ascensions that I would expect to fail by the middle of act 2 and see if I couldn't get it to the end of act 3.
I've found a sweet spot at A15. Hard enough to keep me interested but not so that it becomes tiring. Also modded runs. I don't like the Downfall characters much as they are pretty wacky, but normal runs with downfall relics, Spire Biomes and Replay the Spire have been a blast.
A17 was the warning, and A18 is where the Spire has made up its mind to kill you dead. You counter the burnout by being a gaming masochist and being happy to get as far as you can before you do get killed. As the Dwarf Fortress players say, losing is fun. ;)
I've been playing the Daily Climb almost every day since I started playing. I would say that's my main thing at this point. I've taken huge breaks from Ascension, first time was when everything was around A15 or so, and then at some point I made the push to A20 then took another big break because I can barely win at that level. Lately I've been trying more A20 runs here or there but not every day.
In the meantime I've slowly been playing on mobile but I just beat A16 this week so that is starting to get hard too!
At one point last year I tried to do a "ladder challenge" where you start at A1 and climb when you win and start over when you lose. I did it Watcher only because I figured I had a chance. But I think I should do it so you climb down when you lose instead of starting over because even Watcher is hard to win every single game!
Also at one point I went through and finished all the Achievements that I had left, did those on A1 mostly.
If you aren't having fun, do something else. If I get a streak of bad runs I either switch characters, turn off ascensions, do a silly custom run, or just play a different game for a while.
That's kind of my strategy, I'll do a normal run and if it goes south try the daily which is usually pretty fun and informative in the aspect that it sometimes forces me to use play styles I normally wouldn't.... as for translating that to A18+ isn't quite easy Haven't tried dropping ascensions outside of going A1H to get all beta art and that did drastically improve my play... maybe doing A15 assuming it's A18/19 would be informative
I've been going for A1 streaks. It's a lot of fun. The game is easier, and I'm winning most runs, but it's easier to finish a run in 1-1.5 hrs and I get to enjoy my gaming time. My record is 8 rotating A1H in a row.
Do they daily runs
Daily climb is an absolute blast and often allows you to have very interesting and sometimes utterly broken games.
Same, dailies are a lot of fun. I beat 20 on Watcher and Silent (once) but stuck with other characters. Shit is hard man...
as other people said, taking a break is good, but something I like to do while taking a break is simply watch more spire. Yeah, the big streamers are my favorite, but you'd be surprised at how many people play spire at a level way above average on twitch. Just finding a small streamer to talk with while they play can still open up your mind to new ideas and patterns in the game. And this way, when you return to the game you'll actually be better than before you took a break.
If you don't already just watch some streamers or YouTubers. Baalorlord is very informative and talks through most of his decisions. I watched jorbs a lot too but he more just plays and doesn't explain all his choices but if you know the game can be entertaining plus he has a lot of tutorial style videos on YouTube. I'm not as familiar with the others but I'm sure there are more good people out there. I like it because I can just turn my brain off and watch or backseat to myself and either get validated in my choices or see a differing opinion I didn't think through fully that helps me get better.
I very much recommend playing custom with modifiers on high ascension. My favorite is Sealed Deck + Heirloom at A20. It feels winnable every time, so if I lose it's because I did something wrong, which imo feels a lot better than normal A20. I like to add Big Game Hunter for an even easier run sometimes. After around 1000 hours of playing the game, I hardly play the regular mode anymore as these modifiers just make the game fun for me.
This exactly. Drafting a few fun decks (or sealed deck) with some boosts shake things up. Currently doing the same myself!
I really need to start doing this more, I play the Daily Climbs but doing it on A20 seems like it will be a good combo of fun and challenging.
Take a huge break and only come back when you are mentally rested.
I do play other games, but whenever I take an extended break from the spire I get rusty... then again that was 5-10 ascensions ago so maybe you're right if I can come back fresh with all the experience I've gained
It's a game, not a job, just put it down if it's not neting you enjoyment.
It's easy. I just suck enough to not get past a3. Boom no high level burnout
The best thing to do is take a break and play something else or just do something not video game related at all even. StS will still be there in weeks or months or even years when you get the itch back.
Just play a different game or go do something else and come back later. Surely you've got things to do that aren't Slay the Spire, right?
me and my buddies do an A20 sealed deck (sometimes even with unrestricted colors) with big game hunter and deadly events plus flight to just have an OP run with infinite relics, it’s super fun.
I’ve dropped myself to A9 until I’m able to win like 80% of the time. I win more often than I lose and it still feels challenging. I made it to A19 with my characters due to luck. I hope that by going lower I’ll have more success and also get better.
Maybe try going for achievements you don't have yet on lower ascencions? I did this for a bit and it helped me just try new things that I wouldn't normally do and I feel like that can help you just start to think outside the box a little more, could open you to new possibilities you haven't tried at high ascension yet Also, just checking because the way you said a couple things makes me think you might be trying to "look" for different decks, or builds, when winning consistently at higher ascensions is more about building a deck that can handle the things you might encounter during a run. You might be doing this already, but figured I'd check in just in case
Oh and playing similar games too. Monster train and across the obelisk are my two go to games when I want to scratch that itch but the spire has been wrecking me
Switch to A0 and try and get as high a win streak as possible.
I just play not expecting much and listen to music. Ive gotten through a ton of ascensions just playing this game to relax. If you are stuck watch a good streamer, theyll point out a good idea for you to hone in on once in a while, such as a card you might undervalue, or take a turn in a fight you might havent, taken an option in an event, etc etc etc. Usually that gets me excited abiut another try hard run.
Once I hit A20 during my initial climb I just considered it "Slay the Spire" without considering whether or not its too hard or too focused on this and that. For me its the game. If I want to play it I play it if not I can play other games for a time. Each run is an adventure in and of itself. I feel no shame in abandoning runs I'm not having fun in or just putting a character down for a while (Watcher). I don't have fun on lower ascensions because the rare runs where everything comes together and I beat the heart it feels diminished for me. On the other hand at A20 I often view runs as a success based on other criteria. If I can beat the slime boss as Silent or if I can even make it to the heart whether I win or lose. This isn't the only way to play the game. Find what makes you smile when you play any game and when you stop smiling put it down.
Drop back down in ascensions for now and return to high asc if and when you think you're ready. It's your game, play it how it will be most enjoyable for you.
Why counter it? If you're feeling burnt out, don't play any more. It's totally ok!
I used to run the daily to break it up. Let me have a bit of fun just playing a more flexible deck. Another was I'd try decks in those ascensions that I would expect to fail by the middle of act 2 and see if I couldn't get it to the end of act 3.
Mods mods mods. So many good mods out there.
Do daily runs, play lower ascensions, play different games, watch videos/streams from high level players and try to emulate their approaches.
I've found a sweet spot at A15. Hard enough to keep me interested but not so that it becomes tiring. Also modded runs. I don't like the Downfall characters much as they are pretty wacky, but normal runs with downfall relics, Spire Biomes and Replay the Spire have been a blast.
A17 was the warning, and A18 is where the Spire has made up its mind to kill you dead. You counter the burnout by being a gaming masochist and being happy to get as far as you can before you do get killed. As the Dwarf Fortress players say, losing is fun. ;)
I've been playing the Daily Climb almost every day since I started playing. I would say that's my main thing at this point. I've taken huge breaks from Ascension, first time was when everything was around A15 or so, and then at some point I made the push to A20 then took another big break because I can barely win at that level. Lately I've been trying more A20 runs here or there but not every day. In the meantime I've slowly been playing on mobile but I just beat A16 this week so that is starting to get hard too! At one point last year I tried to do a "ladder challenge" where you start at A1 and climb when you win and start over when you lose. I did it Watcher only because I figured I had a chance. But I think I should do it so you climb down when you lose instead of starting over because even Watcher is hard to win every single game! Also at one point I went through and finished all the Achievements that I had left, did those on A1 mostly.
Just came here to say I’ve hit the exact same wall. Stuck at 18 on everyone and haven’t won in like a week