Hello friends! I hope you've been well since we last spoke! This is my second article on one of my favorite games ever: Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup! Dungeon Crawl is completely free and has been evolving for more then 20 year. It can seem a bit complicated to pick up with it's massive game manual, dozens of races, permadeath, and hostile creatures so I wanted to welcome you in!
You might remember last time we spoke I mentioned enjoying playing simple classes when getting started with the game. As you characters are deleted when you die it can be important to play something that will survive long enough for you to feel like you got a good run going! For this run I'm playing a Troll Monk! Trolls have massive claws and misshapen bodies that don't fit in all armor. The monk class turns all these negatives into positives by turning a humble robe and your massive claws into the only weapons you'll ever need.
This run started off really hot and, at the end of the second floor I had already hit level 3, found an amazing +4 ring of protection, and found a shrine to Okawaru the god of personal combat! Score!
This is an amazing start! While exploring the third floor of the dungeon I found an abandoned cluster of buildings an a single open shop selling weapons of war. Unfortunately that's wasted on ol' M3ss the Ruffian and his killer claws.
HINT: Did you know you can press 'o' to auto-explore? It's really not cheating at all! Your character will just explore the level until they spot enemies, find treasure, or step in a trap! This can be a great way to speed up any run!
By the forth floor of the dungeon M3ss has grown to level 6 and is a serious force to be reckoned with. We've run into a few named enemies but both were mages and, early on, mage enemies have a hard time standing up to a raging troll with a god of combat on his side! M3ss found more shops but they were all selling armor. Pleh, what a waste.
Almost directly after dropping down to the fifth floor M3ss encountered a giant Ogre with a club! It's time for a fantast battle royale! Ogre Vs Troll! This time mess came out on top. He killed the Ogre in two hits which was good because the Ogre took off about a third of M3sses health in a single swing, oof!
Before long our rough and tumble troll came across the best treasure of the run so far. A powerful Wand of Polymorph. If used correctly this could morph any very high level threats into (hopefully) easier kills. This is something we're going to need to remember if we run into something a little tougher than that ogre soon.
Whats more powerful than weapons and magic? Knowledge! While We've found a quiet moment in the dungeon it might be time to start sampling some of the unidentified potions and scrolls we've found thus far. Let's say 5 potions before we call it a day?
Potion 1: Lumpy Silvery
"It was a potion of lignification. You turn into a tree.
On the bright side, this didn't happen in the middle of combat!
Potion 2: Bubbling Blue
"You feel very buoyant.
You fly up into the air."
Ahh! This is very helpful! And as we've already found a few of these potions we might be able to use these to grab treasure kept across lava or other hazards later in the run. Awesome find!
Potion 3: Glowing Pink
"It was a potion of curing. You feel better."
It's important to understand that by 'feel better' this message means I've been cleared of most light harmful effects. While Messes troll blood is a great defense against poison these Potions of Curing could be lifesavers soon! Another great find!
Potion 4: Metallic White
"It was a potion of mutation. You feel extremely strange.
You feel weaker."
Potion of Mutation! One of the finest of spirits! While I clearly don't want to be stronger this delecacy is the kind of think that can really make a run unique! Let's follow that first potion with a second!
"You feel extremely strange.
You feel stronger.
You feel your surroundings grow quieter.
A pair of antennae grows on your head!
You feel your magical essence link to the dungeon's wands."
Well friends, this is an extremely great start! Not only is our Troll Monk off to a great start but he's just become a Mutant! What could be more cool! I need to step away for now but I can't wait to return here and continue the story of Mess the Ruffian soon! If you have any requests at all please let me know!
Take care of yourself friends!