Threats are situations the player has to face and overcome during a run. These threats can differ among Covenant Ranks and Pact Shards. This article aims to list different threats that can appear in each ring and that the player should prepare for. It should also inform the player if taking a certain amount of Pact Shards is reasonable or if it creates an extra step-up in difficulty that the player is not prepared for. This article is in part based on the Forge the Pact Guide by Rising Dusk.
Threats by Ring[]
Rings 3, 6 and 8 feature flying bosses and are known by the start of the game. For other Rings, the player might consider a worst case potential battle in every ring to prepare for and evaluate their deck accordingly.
Ring 1[]
- 10
: The only unit that can be upgraded is one Clergyman, which just means setting up bottom floor can be more dangerous. - 15 : An enhanced Discipled Footsoldier can spawn. In mid-high Covenant levels, it can deal 9x2
and has 5
, which means that if you do not have backline access, you have to tank this amount of damage and potentially when it reaches your pyre it can deal 18 damage to your pyre, which is especially dangerous on high Covenant, when you start with 40 on 25.
Ring 2[]
- 0 : Ring 2 can spawn Highpriest to the Light, a boss with sweep, and The Steel Slate, a boss with spikes. This can be particularly dangerous with a low champion like Tethys Titansbane. It is advised to have at least one Banner Unit by this point with a somewhat reasonable health pool.
- 15 : An upgraded Conduit Infiltrator can spawn, which has damage shield and can not be easily killed. Often this requires a top floor setup. An upgraded Conduit Redirector can also spawn, which has Spell Shield and grants Spikes to Enemy units.
- 25 : An upgraded Forged Disciple can spawn, which has sweep and a rather large health pool. This sweep danger can kill a backline unit with 4.
Ring 3[]
- 0 : If you face Talos, the Architect, you need to be able to deal with a flying boss attacking each turn.
- 0 : If you face Daedalus, the Professor, you need to be able to deal with Constructed Explosive that have low health but deal 10 of Damage.
- 0 : Major Bosses have a large health pool, thus you need to have a plan to survive thru relentless.
Daedalus, the Professor: Double Barrel and Talos, the Architect: Soul Sucker:
- 15 : An upgraded Conduit Infiltrator can spawn, which has damage shield and can not be easily killed. Often this requires a top floor setup.
Ring 4[]
- 0: Pyrelight Master and Light Harnesser gain damage each floor. This requires being able to tank a lot of hits or setting up on a lower floor.
- 0: Two heavies. Being able to deal with two frontline units with 10, 50 Armor and around 100.
- 20 : An upgraded Clipped Defender can spawn, which has 2 Spikes and a large pool. In a glass cannon build, you will need at least be able to tank 2 for every attack you do.
- 50: Pyrelight Master gains an additional Multistrike on 10.
Ring 5[]
- 20? : An upgraded Clipped Defender can spawn, which has 2 Spikes and a large pool. In a glass cannon build, you will need at least be able to tank 2 for every attack you do.
Especially bosses is Ring 5 can hard-counter many builds. As such, consider if you are ready for each of them:
- 0: Be ready for The Crystalcloak, a boss with 8 Stealth.
- some solutions: enough sustain, chump blockers, removing triggers.
- 0: Be ready for The Self-Made Harpy, a boss with 4 Multistrike.
- some solutions: enough health on the front line, sap, daze.
- 0: Be ready for Sower of Sorrow, a boss with Sweep.
- some solutions: health on backline, sap, daze.
On 10+
, these two bosses can get particularly scary boni:
- 35, 70 : The Self-Made Harpy gains an additional Multistrike.
- 40, 80 : The Crystalcloak gains additional Stealth.
Ring 6[]
On 10+, the combat Fel, the Wings of Light: Wrath Crest gets particularly scary:
- 50, 100 : Fel, the Wings of Light gains an additional Multistrike.
Ring 7[]
- 20 : An upgraded Steelwings can spawn, which has 3 Spikes and a large pool. In a glass cannon build, you will need at least be able to tank 3 for every attack you do.
- 90? : An upgraded Steelwings and Gilded Wing can appear on the first wave of combat with a combined Health pool of 520 for 25.
Ring 8[]
- 20 : An upgraded Steelwings can spawn, which has 3 Spikes and a large pool. In a glass cannon build, you will need at least be able to tank 3 for every attack you do.
- 100 : You will be forced to fight The Last Divinity.
- 75, 150: Seraph gains another Multistrike
- 140: Seraph gains Purity on 10-25.
- 130: Seraph gains Trample on 10-25.
Ring 9[]
For general Strategy tips, see The Last Divinity: Divine Intervention
You will only see this fight, if you have accrued at least 100. As all Enemies are upgraded no matter the Pact Shard the player has collected, the difficulty only increases with increased Stats on Mini bosses and The Last Divinity. As such, there are no specific Pact Shard Thresholds that change the required strategy and instead the fight gets more linearly difficult with rising Pact Shard levels.
Threats by Pact Shard Goal[]
A successful run should by the end of the game be able to answer the following problems:
- 0: Killing two big units (up to 190), such as Gilded Wing in a wave.
- 0: Killing Backline units with sweep, spells, or tanking the hits and having just good damage output.
- 0: Surviving low damage Sweeper, such as Master of Light and Pyrewings.
- 0: Surviving Relentless.
- 20: Killing two big units (one of which up to 290), such as an upgraded Gilded Wing in a wave.
- 20: Having Basic Sustain on the Backline Units to survive Spikes, particularly by an upgraded Steelwings. As well as Sweep, particularly by an upgraded Pyrewings.
- 100: Being able to kill up to 5 Units on a floor.
- 100: Being able to sustain through The Last Divinity attacking. Particularly on the Top Floor which has Sweep.
- 100: Surviving Minibosses with often over 600.
Note: this is just a rough guideline, you can of course also root enemies or sap them and let the Pyre do the rest instead of killing units.
