Chapter 10 of 24 · Earn the first clear
Repair the first-clear setup
Keep the Staff plan and repair one missing permanent, Boon, Keepsake, or reward layer at a time.
Do these first
Full steps belowName the encounter that ends the run
Ordinary rooms are manageable, but a guardian still ends otherwise useful runs.
The base Staff is rated for high safety and consistency in the new-player context because its Special preserves reaction time at range. Keeping that sequence avoids adding a new weapon pattern while repairing the part that actually ended the run.
Check these four lines
Do not start another repair pass until the first unmet line has been addressed.
- Arcana
- The Sorceress, Persistence, Death, The UnseenRaise Grasp until the twelve-Grasp board fits. Leave The Unseen out first when capacity is short.
- Special
- Nova Flourish, Volcanic Flourish, or Wave FlourishTake the first one offered and keep Poms on that Special.
- Magick
- Lucid Gain or Tranquil GainOne of these keeps Omega Special available across a full room.
- Survival
- Luckier Tooth before Knuckle BonesUse the Tooth while any room can spend a Death Defiance. Use Knuckle Bones only after reaching the final guardian reliably.
Change the cause, not the whole build
- The Staff plan needs a Special Boon, Magick recovery, survival Arcana, and a still-active Keepsake.
- Rapid Moonshot, Shimmering Moonshot, and Dual Moonshot improve the plan without changing its inputs.
- A spent Luckier Tooth should be replaced at the next cabinet because it cannot trigger twice.
Repair one failure at a time
- Keep the Witch's Staff equipped
Practice carries between attempts. Continue using Cast, ranged Special, Omega Special through an open lane, then Sprint to a new lane.
- Complete the Arcana line first
Activate The Sorceress, Persistence, and Death. Raise Grasp and add The Unseen next. Do not spend Ashes or Psyche on reroll cards before this board fits.
- Equip Luckier Tooth
Take the extra Last Stand through the regions while the route is still unstable. If it triggers, replace the spent Tooth at the next cabinet. Use Knuckle Bones for the final guardian only after normal rooms are safe.
- Secure Special before optional rewards
Take Nova Flourish, Volcanic Flourish, or Wave Flourish before another Attack, Cast, or Sprint Boon. Take Lucid Gain or Tranquil Gain before spending Poms on secondary effects.
- Use the beginner-safe reward order
Core Special, Magick recovery, a top Special Hammer, maximum Life, then a Pom on Special. Rare synergy comes only after those pieces already work.
- Check the enemy that ended the attempt
Open its record for maximum Life, encounter role, regions, attack patterns, and the exact control effects it can resist. Change the answer to that behavior instead of replacing the whole build.
Choose the repair with the clearest effect
- Special is emptyTake the god room over a Hammer or Pom.The build does not have its main damage source yet.
- Special works but Magick emptiesTake a Gain Boon before another damage reward.Omega Special cannot carry the room when its Magick runs out.
- Special damage and Magick recovery are workingTake Rapid, Shimmering, or Dual Moonshot, otherwise take maximum Life.The Hammer improves the exact move you use. Life is the reliable fallback when none appears.
If Apollo does not complete the plan
If the exact Apollo choices do not appear, use Volcanic Flourish or Wave Flourish with Tranquil Gain. Do not replace the Staff or the Special sequence.