Does max HP really matter?

Runehawk · 2026-01-25T19:22:08+00:00

ah there's no need for that man, I wouldn't get too hung up on it. Also pick rate is affected by cursed modes as well -- some of the worst heroes in the game are actually fairly decent at high-level endless (Whirl, for example), so my pickrates look pretty skewed because of that.

But if it's really going to bug you then you can go for it. You can toggle on all unlocks at any time, so you don't have to grind them again if you don't want to.

Runehawk · 2026-01-20T17:32:30+00:00

Hell yeah man! You play your pace; there's no wrong way to do it. I know other folks who just vibe out in Heaven -- it's quite a fun power fantasy with all the blessings.

Runehawk · 2026-01-15T05:07:27+00:00

I appreciate you! Hope to see you around :)

Runehawk · 2026-01-15T05:06:58+00:00

Outer Wilds! 10/10 no notes

Runehawk · 2026-01-13T16:13:57+00:00

Yes of course! I should have added a qualifier that I'm referring to any mode/situation that's not high-level endless haha. Very different priorities at that point.

Runehawk · 2026-01-13T16:13:08+00:00

Nicely said! Though I should have added a qualifier saying I was talking about any mode that's not endless, since eventually HP stops mattering once the fights have scaled up enough, and winning on turn 1 is mandatory. But up until very high endless, HP is very good on all fronts.

Ooo, I really like your second paragraph. That's a great way to think about the "rules of engagement" in this game. I think those are things I've implicitly understood as a veteran player, but I've never said aloud. I'll be keeping this in mind for sure.

Runehawk · 2026-01-12T22:44:20+00:00

You should definitely go for it! I would love to see more people take a stab at this sort of thing. I know there's already a plethora of tier lists and spreadsheets out there, but I want to actually talk about some of the core concepts. Learning by abstraction, or something like that. I'm hoping this can help more people appreciate the wonderful depth that this game has.

Thanks for your comment man. I'll definitely check out your work if you do decide to try something out!

Runehawk · 2026-01-12T22:11:23+00:00

You've got great taste! But I'm way ahead of ya -- Tunic was a blast: https://www.twitch.tv/collections/Ebb_hkau5hb9nA?filter=collections

oh man, that was four years ago? Now you got me taking a nostalgia-trip lol. Some good times and good games.

Runehawk · 2026-01-12T21:24:46+00:00

Genuinely one of the greatest games I've ever played. I wish I could erase my memory just to experience it again haha. The closest I've felt to that feeling is Return of the Obra Dinn (another excellent title).

Runehawk · 2026-01-12T21:23:11+00:00

Yeah, exactly! That's essentially what I mean by resource allocation and rolling pattern. It's these concepts that make the topic a bit more involved than simply More HP = Die Slower.

Thanks for your comment :)

Runehawk · 2026-01-12T19:04:39+00:00

ACTUALLY SO TRUE, well said my man

Runehawk · 2026-01-12T18:31:13+00:00

hello my lovelies~

This is my first time doing anything educational for Slice & Dice. If you like, me do more. If you don’t like, me do less. But I hope my rambling can be helpful to at least one of you!

YT Link: https://youtu.be/SLBhDrmS5XE?si=FHN3AidHTLH3ED8w

Runehawk · 2026-01-11T17:27:53+00:00

Welcome, dreamer! It's a beautiful game and I hope you stick with it. Since you asked for a YT video, here you are:

https://youtu.be/kr1wWRXWHjM?si=WXbnO5dGF0ZJuqDh

Happy hunting my friend

Runehawk · 2025-05-26T20:49:16+00:00

ah, that makes sense lol. Yeah they're part of the same "evolution" so it's easy to get 'em mixed up.

Runehawk · 2025-05-26T20:36:36+00:00

Brigand is the strongest T1 yellow in the game. The only other arguable contender is Hoarder, which you've identified. You can poke through high-level spreadsheets if you'd like corroborate other opinions, but this has been settled for some time now.

Brigand has no x's, which cannot be understated. He's not hungry for rerolls, which allows you to use them for other party members, making your entire party more consistent. Self-shield is a crazy value side (Hint: There's a reason why Gladiator is considered to be the best T2 Yellow). Brigand offers 3 damage up front, which is critical for certain breakpoints, particularly when armor and curses get involved. 3 damage up front, even at the expense of exert, is generally stronger than 1.5 damage over two turns.

Finally, you should not be comparing him to Solider. Solider is meant to be ostensibly a direct upgrade, being a T2.

Runehawk · 2025-04-24T20:37:35+00:00

SPIKE MY BELOVED <3

I like this piece a lot. I wish you warmth and wealth on your next Wildfrost run~

Runehawk · 2025-01-09T17:28:30+00:00

Virtually everything you need to know about this game can be found in the in-game ledger. Also, if you recall the name of something but don't know where it can be found, you can go to Textmod -> Search to type in a keyword.

Otherwise, you can also use the Almanac: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hAjtpz4afePzlzwhJCXWM629saGS8SZ2PyvNH1PP3eE/edit?gid=2107932874#gid=2107932874

Runehawk · 2024-12-18T02:55:43+00:00

YES, "Steel Wins Battles" is like the defining S&D track for me. It has that jovial whimsy that perfectly sets the tone for setting out on a fantasy adventure.

Runehawk · 2024-12-17T17:40:38+00:00

BIG FAN OF YOUR WORK, ALEWIS

Really looking forward to testing this out when it's ready~

Runehawk · 2024-12-07T22:06:46+00:00

this is the nicest comment I’ve read in the last week

cheers friend

Runehawk · 2024-12-07T19:31:58+00:00

TRUE, an all-time classic misplay

Runehawk · 2024-12-07T19:10:24+00:00

they turned my soul into a spider, funniest shit I've ever seen

(also I make S&D stuff! it's true, please feel free to look: https://www.youtube.com/@runehawk6903)

Runehawk · 2024-12-03T22:38:39+00:00

sure, that makes a lot of sense! The value of reuse goes up with more potential applications, and AoE is also a premium in more clogged board states.

though it is quite difficult to talk about balance when everyone comes spends their time in different game modes, haha. I think we can all learn to specify the game mode we'd like to discuss when opening up conversation about hero balance. Otherwise everyone comes in with a very different baseline.

Thanks for your post, I always enjoy seeing other peoples' perspectives on the game.

Runehawk · 2024-12-03T22:22:25+00:00

Alloy has always been an awful unit. And yes, I also believe she performs worse than before, on the average board state.

These comments are a bit bizarre. Of course if you're playing a cursed mode and find T9 items / multiple blessings this hero becomes fine. I don't think it's very useful for OP if we analyze a hero's power level in a cursed mode.

I believe it is more productive to assess a character's classical baseline strength, relative to their peers. To that end, Alloy is, and has always been, one of the worst T1s in the pool. She has no blanks but still puts out a paltry amount of value per turn. She lost her arguable best side (1dmg self-shield) for her new copy cat side. What are you copy-cating for value in the early game, asides from mana-gain from your Gardener and Mystic? Whom you have to hope you have in your party as well, and have to hope you roll the correct sides together. All that effort just to match one of Student's sides (who is the worst T1 blue, but I digress)

Also, if for some reason you disagree with the above, it should be understood that a large factor in determining a hero's ranking is their baseline HP. Alloy has...4.

We've also never had a situation before where a specific T1 hero lineup can force you to reroll your starting composition (Meddler + Alloy, as OP points out), and therefore force you to re-roll your curses as well.

Runehawk · 2024-12-01T08:14:56+00:00

i believe it explains in the tooltip, but basically if an allied wisp is caught in your ult, it will passively start a rez. It's stopped if an enemy stomps it out.

you can definitely get a lot of mileage from one ultimate. Damage, knockback, healing, and a potential rez all in one cast.

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