Realm of Ink: Mastering Roguelike Gameplay
In Realm of Ink, the gameplay can become quite intense after completing the tutorial. This game requires players to familiarize themselves with mechanics that are common in similar titles, which can be challenging for newcomers. Luckily, once you push through the early learning curves, the game starts to feel much more natural.
To progress through Red’s journey, where she aims to defeat her own narrator, players need to master the various elements of melee and magical combat. Additionally, you’ll have to navigate in-game systems for upgrades, evolve pets, and manage resources. It may seem overwhelming, but this guide is here to simplify the essentials.
Early Access Note
As Realm of Ink is currently in Early Access, certain aspects of the game might change. We will keep this guide updated with any significant modifications.
Your Elemental Pets Can Become Powerhouses
Your pet can attain impressive power by consuming the right inks. Unlocking its special ability using a pair of epic gems can enable your pet to tackle standard encounter rooms solo.
To activate your pet’s special skill, both gems must average at least epic rarity. If you focus on boosting one gem first, it allows you to swap out the other gem more conveniently. Conversely, upgrading both evenly may require you to adjust your pet’s strength whenever you make changes to your build.
Note: The game’s elemental chart is based on the five elements from Chinese philosophy (Wuxing), which includes Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal, meaning there is no Air element present.
Your pet will take on different forms depending on the elemental pairs, including duplicates of the same element. While the combat capabilities of these forms can be difficult to discern just by looking, you can check your pet’s current form and abilities via the pause menu.
You Can Safely Ignore Some Visual Indicators
During the game, there may be an overwhelming amount of visual effects at play, and not all are harmful to you. Learning to disregard the visual cues associated with your own attacks can assist in avoiding those from adversaries.
If you’re finding it challenging to keep track of everything, consider adjusting your video settings to enhance the transparency of your own abilities, reducing visual clutter when dodging attacks.
While certain builds may rely on visibility of your own effects, such as magic circles, it’s fine to make your perks less visible while adjusting the transparency of your ink gems as needed.
Be mindful that the forms your familiar takes based on the inks can sometimes look dangerous to you, especially those associated with projectiles, like fire and ash forms.
Pick Gems That Complement Your Perks and Elixirs
The tutorial highlights the importance of the two ink gems you can carry over other upgrades. Ink Gems provide flexibility since they can be swapped out as you find better options. In contrast, perks are permanent and increase your gameplay strategy but can’t be changed as easily, allowing you to carry unlimited perks.
When presented with multiple room options, choosing perk rooms can often be beneficial. It’s generally wiser to select ink gems that enhance your current perks instead of the opposite. You’ll find various opportunities to collect different gems throughout each run but should solidify your perks before facing the first boss.
Not All Attacks Should Be Used On Cooldown
Some gems are better saved for their passive effects rather than relying solely on their active abilities. Read the gem abilities carefully to determine which component is more valuable.
For instance, Burning Ink is useful for damage-over-time builds. While its active skill can reset all burning stacks to deliver immediate damage, in short encounters, using it frequently can convert slower damage into quick bursts of power. In longer fights, however, it’s often better to preserve the stacks and let its passive effect accumulate burn damage.
Keep Ranged Attackers in Your Sight
To dodge ranged attacks effectively, you must see them coming. Fights can be problematic if enemies with long-range attacks are outside your view. Keeping enemies within your field of vision makes it simpler to avoid their projectiles and eliminate them quickly with area effects or spells meant for other targets.
This approach becomes crucial in tougher boss battles, like against the Emperor Puppet and Peony Demon. You’ll need to identify blind spots in the arena where you can deal with summoned minions safely, without the threat of instant death from powerful attacks.
Dash While Holding A Charged Attack to Lunge
Heavy attacks yield significant damage but can be tricky to land properly. Dashing while preparing a charged attack delays its execution until your movement ends, allowing you to rush into groups of enemies more effectively. This technique is vital for Red’s early game efficiency.
Utilizing charged strikes strategically can also help you deal with foes who employ long-range attacks or enable you to escape from animations that would otherwise result in damage.
Use Your Money Wisely
Understanding the in-game economy can prevent you from making costly mistakes, such as overspending on healing potions or upgrades that can be found as loot. Familiarize yourself with various item worth, which can extend your runs and show you the benefits of perks or upgrades that offer stacking discounts.
For instance, spending 200 silver on an elixir is rarely justifiable unless paired with certain synergies that enhance the benefit of your expenditures or consumables.
Trading in hit points for items typically proves advantageous, especially since you can always heal up before boss encounters. Selling maximum HP can pay off, but only when used strategically and with a suitable build.
Always Take Challenge Rooms
Unlike typical roguelikes where the difficulty of the choices reflects in upcoming encounters, Realm of Ink features challenge rooms that provide more formidable enemies but also deliver increased rewards.
In these challenge rooms, you may face stronger adversaries, but the loot can be double or triple what you’d find in a regular room. Even if you fail certain challenges, like defending NPCs, you’ll gain partial rewards comparable to a standard encounter, making this option almost always worth pursuing unless dire risks are present.
Find The Gameplay That Suits You
With a combination of spellcasting and martial combat, Realm of Ink offers varied challenges based on your play style. Most encounters can be tackled without taking damage by maintaining optimal distance, utilizing ranged attacks, and letting your pet handle melee opponents.
Conversely, if you prefer a more direct melee experience, you can choose to engage enemies closely—even without additional rewards. Experimenting with different outfits, which impact attack styles, can also enhance your gameplay experience significantly.
Embrace these tips and strategies to navigate and excel in your Realm of Ink adventure!
