"Congratulations, you've beaten this annoying tutorial. You can now start your first expedition... Or not... Do as you wish." With these words, players are cast out of the tutorial in Loop Hero and left to figure everything out for themselves. As appreciated as the humor is, the tutorial actually probably should have been more annoying. Gamers generally have no idea what to do and lose several loops before understanding how to build.
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For those who don't like the "learn by losing" technique, the experts have looked back on their journeys and shared what they wish they had known with the rookies. The game is charming, addictive, and encourages exploration, but it's hard to feel encouraged when the hero keeps dying a little more every time instead of getting a little stronger like a true roguelike experience. By following these steps, a foundation will be set that will give the player a great trajectory. Consider it a Tutorial 2.0.
10 Pause The Game After Getting Anything
Experts know what most things do as soon as they see them. But even the pros realize that an intelligent pause is in order after picking up a new card or item. Putting on the best equipment means more health going forward.
Also, many of these cards are best placed on specific corners or next to each other. Pausing gives gamers time to deduce how much HP the loop has and get everything squared away for the best run possible.
9 Place All Cards And Put On Equipment
There is no "save it for later" feature in a roguelike game. After every loop, everything is gone. So don't sit on these cards, play them. Some will help the hero along, other cards will give him something to defeat. Early on, it is almost impossible to kill the hero on the first loop, so place everything.
While it can be counterintuitive to place cards that hinder the hero, there is almost always some kind of reward involved. These rewards will build up the base to make the next loop more successful than the last.
8 Go Back To Camp After Getting Down To Half Health
In the early going, damage sources like magic are less predictable. Therefore, it's best to just return to camp as soon as the hero gets below half health. This will probably happen at around the third loop for players who have been playing all of their cards.
Do not retreat or run away. Doing this will yield a mere 60% of the total earnings. Instead, hold the button to return to camp and this will tell the hero to turn in everything on his next trip.
7 Start With The Herbalist's Hut
Save up for two stable wood, three preserved rocks, and four food supply. When these material needs have been met, stop the hero at the next campfire and create an Herbalist's Hut. If these components are not available, do another loop until the camp has these materials.
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This building will supply the hero with healing potions. Players can't control how the hero attacks, but thankfully the hero is smart enough to slug back a potion before allowing himself to get killed.
6 Adjust The Deck
Upon the first time coming back to camp, the player will be able to adjust their deck. At first, most of these cards will be valuable, but later on, not so much. Remember that it's perfectly fine to not keep average or good cards so that great cards are more likely to be drawn.
If there is a particular enemy building that is easier for the hero to defeat, keep those cards in. Any cards with tougher enemies are best saved until the hero is strong enough to tackle these challenges.
5 Plant Meadows Around Treasuries
All of the buildings need resources to function. While the hero is great at gathering buffs, cards, items, and equipment, he's actually pretty shoddy about gathering these necessities.
These are required in order to build the remaining buildings. The best way to do this is to place a treasury and then plant meadows all around it. Mountains and rocks need to be clustered, but meadows have no advantage for putting them all in the same location. There is also a hidden secret: by surrounding a treasury fully with meadows, the hero will get a few upgraded items!
4 Build A Gymnasium And Add The Village Card
The gymnasium allows the hero to learn abilities after killing certain monsters along the journey. It happens randomly, but watch out for the upper righthand part of the screen. Gamers will get to choose one of three buffs that will remain in place for the rest of the run.
Since surviving is the single most important part of the expeditions, the village card is going to be important. Healing for 10% is big, throw these cards down in locations that the hero will cross right before and after a bumpy ride.
3 Place On-Trail Hazards Right In Front Of The Hero
It may seem counter-intuitive, but try to build the hazards as close to the hero's incoming path as possible. Most of them spawn an enemy eventually, but by placing these obstacles right on top of the hero, he gets credit for conquering the area and will "loot" it even though no enemy was defeated.
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Later on, when gamers have plenty of resources and care more about winning, it will be more important to place these strategically so as not to overwhelm any one area. But for the first ten or so expeditions, this will give some free town materials with no hassle.
2 Make A Smithy
Luck is always going to be a factor in Loop Hero. Of course, giving luck some assistance is a wise idea whenever the chance arises. The Smithy will enable players to craft a starting set of gear. This first-level gear is more of an advantage than it seems.
Unless the round had the best luck in the world, the hero will always be a little bit short on health by the end. That sliver of health that is missing carries on to every future run. But by getting a set of gear that protects the hero for the first loop, all future loops will be made that much easier.
1 Construct A Field Kitchen
This should be the cherry on top of the perfect build setup. This building will increase the effectiveness of the hero's best healing resource; the campfire. Whereas the potions heal in increments of 4%, this is a whopping 10% increase every time around.
There are the fundamental buildings and cards for both the loop and the campsite. After getting this far, the player is free to look at other builds, but don't forget to upgrade the ones already constructed; a solid foundation makes for more consistent resource intake.