Part 21: Endless Mode, fourth run
Part 21: Endless Mode, fourth runWarning: The main videos are meant to show you what the game is like at its hardest, and for that reason have been minimally edited, so you get the full experience.
Endless Mode, Final run part one (uncut) (YouTube)
Endless Mode, Final run part two (uncut) (YouTube)
Endless Mode, final run highlights (YouTube)
Endless mode got pretty hard last times I ran it, but it's time to see just how cruel the game can be when you push Endless Mode far enough. And since I did want to show off Iron Hunger at least a little bit… I use it to get as far as possible. Past level 30.
Oh, the run starts off as innocuous as the other Endless Mode runs: there are very easy enemy cards, minor curses that you know you'll eventually remove at a Priest or Healer, and lots of gain opportunities. As you keep going down, though, you'll notice that the Gain cards get smaller and smaller, leading to single gold or food increase. Going past the point I got to in the other videos is where the game starts asking you if you've been stocking up on everything you possibly can. Because if you haven't… you'll die from that 50 health Pain Card, take damage just due to having rings, and rage when the Queen and King of Dust appear every single goddamn encounter. I was pretty tired at the end.
Level 30 is the point at which the game gives you an Achievement for surviving this far, and it gets even worse after that. I got what I think is the single-worst curse in the game, Blighted (the one which prevents you from being healed), and it feels like the clock just starts ticking down to your death after that. You can technically keep going, but you need to be really lucky.
The irony of doing this run as Iron Hunger is that even though you have to deal with the difficulty of an extra resource, not consuming food negates all cards and effects that explicitly take or cost food, making your life easier than expected. You need a lucky break at the beginning, after which you can keep going very, very far.
One small correction: According to someone on Discord, the generic Shop card you can slot in your deck always gives a 3-card equipment choice and food if you are on starter equipment. It wasn't due to the Iron Hunger fate.
Endless Mode is done, though… and there's only one thing left.