Loop Hero features a card-based system for rebuilding an empty world. Each card that is placed provides new benefits for the hero or presents new challenges that offer valuable resources or equipment as rewards. By the nature of being a roguelike game, the cards that were placed disappear whenever an expedition comes to an untimely end. As the player expands their permanent campsite hub, new cards will become available during expeditions. Among those that will be unlocked are the powerful Golden cards.
In Loop Hero, cards fall into one of five categories. For the most part, cards are categorized based on where you can place them on the expedition map - Road, Roadside, or Landscape. Then there are Special cards that don't fall into any of those groups. Lastly are the Golden cards, which are even more special. Players will immediately recognize Golden cards by the special border they have.
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Before players can even think about using Golden cards during an expedition, they must first be unlocked. First and foremost, Loop Hero players must build upon their campsite until they have an Intel Center. From there, an additional facility must be built to correspond to each respective Golden card. As an example, having a Smelter in addition to the Intel Center will allow for the use of the Arsenal card.
Below is a list of obtainable Golden cards as well as their prerequisites and effects:
- Arsenal - Requires Smelter at camp, Roadside card, unlocks an additional equipment slot for the duration of the expedition but lowers the stats of all subsequently dropped gear by 15%.
- Maze of Memories - Requires Library at camp, Landscape card, takes up a lot of space on the map and therefore fills the boss bar very quickly.
- Ancestral Crypt - Requires Crypt at camp, Landscape card, gives +3 HP for each enemy with a soul that is killed and grants one resurrection after death but removes the HP bonus from armor.
- Zero Milestone - Requires Alchemist’s Tent at camp, Road card, weakens enemies that are near the meridian of this card, and strengthens enemies that are far from the meridian.
In addition to special effects and prerequisites, Golden cards have one more unique property. Each Golden card can only be placed once per expedition. This makes it very important to decide when and where to place these cards. Because Golden cards are all double-edged swords with a beneficial effect and a detrimental effect, playing them too early in an expedition could be disastrous. For instance, it would be an unfortunate choice for a player to place a Maze of Memories when they are not fully prepared to fight a boss.
The ultimate purpose of Golden cards is to expedite adventures for experienced players. Those who are knowledgeable enough to prepare for the inevitable downsides presented by Golden cards can take full advantage of the upsides without worry. For new players who are eager to make use of advanced techniques, a good first step would be to become familiar with the basic stats in the game.
Loop Hero is available now on PC.