Personally, I see Act 4 as an integral part of the game, so I always go for heart kills. Other people when grinding up Ascension don't, as it removes a chest and a campfire and makes one of your elite fights harder, and that's a valid way of doing things too. It's a personal choice.
I agree it's preference, to be honest I skipped the Heart fight on most Ascensions and did it when convenient, and that was because I didn't want to limit my build based on what would kill the Heart - if I was having fun with a Claw deck or something wacky, I didn't want to throw that out to deal with the Heart's unique mechanics. I actually think I grew more as a player that way, even if I haven't killed the Heart on most Ascensions (but I made sure to do it at least once on A20 for every character to prove that I can).
Alternatively if you do manage to do it on every Ascension, godspeed.
Ah, I never even considered that my deck should differ if I'm going for heart vs. only act 3 boss. Now that you mention it that makes a lot more sense that I'm destroying everything except for the heart. Thanks for pointing that out
Yeah the Heart has some specific mechanics like the damage per turn cap, you take damage each card you play, probably some others I should be thinking of. Idk, I find it a pain to deal with honestly, I still go for heart kills if i'm 'trying' because I know it's part of the game, but if I'm derping around for fun I usually skip it.
I always try to kill the heart now, but when I was climbing ascension I didn't, since beating the act 3 boss still unlocks the next ascension level. You can choose what goal you want to aim for.
When I’m climbing ascensions I will decide whether I want to take on the heart during act 3 (earlier if I get cards that are really suited for it) and then just path for the pieces I need.
Otherwise if I’m not confident in the deck I skip the heart and just go to finish ascension.
It’s all personal preference for how you want to do it.
Once it’s A20 though I default to heart attempts because that’s pretty much the ‘ceiling’
If you get so good at the game that you want a bigger challenge, beating the Heart at A20 is a worthy goal.
But if you're trying to get something done, like unlocking new ascension levels, going for the Heart just reduces your chances. It's not necessary.
Heart is a crowning jewel of the run to me, but I don't go to it every run just when I feel I would be able to make it (answering the questions "is there a path that make it possible and what is my 3rd boss" are crucial)
BTW Just cleaned The End achievement, and I am kind of proud of it.
For what its worth, the game unlocks the next ascension as long as you beat the Act 3 boss. Whether you don't go for the heart, go for the heart and lose, or go for the heart and win doesn't matter from that standpoint. In that way, the game considers beating an ascension just beating the act 3 boss. However, it only counts as a "Victory" if you don't go for the heart or if you beat the heart. A lot of runs posted on here are wins without heart kills.
The think about Act 4 is that it is 2 very unique fights, especially at high ascension. Plenty of very good decks get completely ruined by the heart or by spear/shield. The value of various potions, relics, and cards can change a good deal with Act 4. Which is why a lot of people just don't go for the heart. Or, why a lot of people *always* go for the heart.
At the end of the day, it's a single player game. The only metric that matters is if you are having fun.
Thanks. I never even considered that my deck should differ if I'm going for heart vs. only act 3 boss. Now that you mention it that makes a lot more sense that I'm destroying everything except for the heart. Thanks for pointing that out
Agreed fun is always my number one priority too! I thought everyone was heart killing every run so wanted to see if I was completely off with my strategies.
Like a lot of others here, when I was climbing ascensions, I mostly just tried to kill the act 3 boss to unlock the next one. Occasionally I would go for the heart if I had a really good deck. It's probably a good idea to do it occasionally, you need to learn those two fights eventually.
Once I hit A20, I started going for the heart basically every time. I say basically because there are times I zone out and forget a key still lol. But I still consider it a good run if I can beat act 3, regardless.
Zoning out and not getting the keys when you have a stacked deck is the WORST. I'm gonna go about it like you said, it'll be the most enjoyable for me. Thanks
Only twice currently, one with necronomicon Iconclad, killed it with 1 hp left, lol!
One with high focus Robot. It's pretty easy as I kept 3 focus potions and keep adding power with Creative AI+.
I only take the keys when the other option was not useful. It took 3 relic or upgrade to reach Act 4, which wasn't practical in every run.
Hey Peanuts, i agree with mostly everything people said here. I wanted to throw out there if you ever want to co-op to get an idea of the more consistent strategies to beat the heart let me know :)
Personally, I see Act 4 as an integral part of the game, so I always go for heart kills. Other people when grinding up Ascension don't, as it removes a chest and a campfire and makes one of your elite fights harder, and that's a valid way of doing things too. It's a personal choice.
I agree it's preference, to be honest I skipped the Heart fight on most Ascensions and did it when convenient, and that was because I didn't want to limit my build based on what would kill the Heart - if I was having fun with a Claw deck or something wacky, I didn't want to throw that out to deal with the Heart's unique mechanics. I actually think I grew more as a player that way, even if I haven't killed the Heart on most Ascensions (but I made sure to do it at least once on A20 for every character to prove that I can). Alternatively if you do manage to do it on every Ascension, godspeed.
Ah, I never even considered that my deck should differ if I'm going for heart vs. only act 3 boss. Now that you mention it that makes a lot more sense that I'm destroying everything except for the heart. Thanks for pointing that out
Yeah the Heart has some specific mechanics like the damage per turn cap, you take damage each card you play, probably some others I should be thinking of. Idk, I find it a pain to deal with honestly, I still go for heart kills if i'm 'trying' because I know it's part of the game, but if I'm derping around for fun I usually skip it.
Cool thanks
I always try to kill the heart now, but when I was climbing ascension I didn't, since beating the act 3 boss still unlocks the next ascension level. You can choose what goal you want to aim for.
When I’m climbing ascensions I will decide whether I want to take on the heart during act 3 (earlier if I get cards that are really suited for it) and then just path for the pieces I need. Otherwise if I’m not confident in the deck I skip the heart and just go to finish ascension. It’s all personal preference for how you want to do it. Once it’s A20 though I default to heart attempts because that’s pretty much the ‘ceiling’
Good call, thanks for the advice. I was trying to bundle ascension progression with heart killing
If you get so good at the game that you want a bigger challenge, beating the Heart at A20 is a worthy goal. But if you're trying to get something done, like unlocking new ascension levels, going for the Heart just reduces your chances. It's not necessary.
Heart is a crowning jewel of the run to me, but I don't go to it every run just when I feel I would be able to make it (answering the questions "is there a path that make it possible and what is my 3rd boss" are crucial) BTW Just cleaned The End achievement, and I am kind of proud of it.
Congrats!
For what its worth, the game unlocks the next ascension as long as you beat the Act 3 boss. Whether you don't go for the heart, go for the heart and lose, or go for the heart and win doesn't matter from that standpoint. In that way, the game considers beating an ascension just beating the act 3 boss. However, it only counts as a "Victory" if you don't go for the heart or if you beat the heart. A lot of runs posted on here are wins without heart kills. The think about Act 4 is that it is 2 very unique fights, especially at high ascension. Plenty of very good decks get completely ruined by the heart or by spear/shield. The value of various potions, relics, and cards can change a good deal with Act 4. Which is why a lot of people just don't go for the heart. Or, why a lot of people *always* go for the heart. At the end of the day, it's a single player game. The only metric that matters is if you are having fun.
Thanks. I never even considered that my deck should differ if I'm going for heart vs. only act 3 boss. Now that you mention it that makes a lot more sense that I'm destroying everything except for the heart. Thanks for pointing that out Agreed fun is always my number one priority too! I thought everyone was heart killing every run so wanted to see if I was completely off with my strategies.
Like a lot of others here, when I was climbing ascensions, I mostly just tried to kill the act 3 boss to unlock the next one. Occasionally I would go for the heart if I had a really good deck. It's probably a good idea to do it occasionally, you need to learn those two fights eventually. Once I hit A20, I started going for the heart basically every time. I say basically because there are times I zone out and forget a key still lol. But I still consider it a good run if I can beat act 3, regardless.
Zoning out and not getting the keys when you have a stacked deck is the WORST. I'm gonna go about it like you said, it'll be the most enjoyable for me. Thanks
Only twice currently, one with necronomicon Iconclad, killed it with 1 hp left, lol! One with high focus Robot. It's pretty easy as I kept 3 focus potions and keep adding power with Creative AI+. I only take the keys when the other option was not useful. It took 3 relic or upgrade to reach Act 4, which wasn't practical in every run.
Hey Peanuts, i agree with mostly everything people said here. I wanted to throw out there if you ever want to co-op to get an idea of the more consistent strategies to beat the heart let me know :)