At Ascension 20, Act 1 isn't a tutorial; it's a filter. Surviving is not enough. You need to exit the act stronger, ready for the sharp difficulty spike of Act 2. This means treating Act 1 as a puzzle with a clear objective: kill as many elites as possible without dying. Why? Relics. A run is defined by its relics, and the guaranteed relic from an elite is your primary source of power. Every other choice serves this goal.

Your path through the act is your first major decision. When you look at the map, you're not just choosing rooms, you're charting a course to maximize elite encounters. Aim for at least two, preferably three, elite fights. This forces you to evaluate every card reward and shop visit through a simple lens: "Does this help me kill an elite right now?" A card that scales beautifully by turn ten is useless if you're dead on turn four.

This is the core concept of Act 1. You need damage, and you need it on turn one. Cards like Carnage, Dagger Spray, or Sucker Punch are premium picks. They solve problems immediately. Decks that rely on setting up powers or building strength over several turns get torn apart by Gremlin Nob or Lagavulin. You must draft for the threats you know are coming.

Each Act 1 elite tests a different aspect of your deck. Treating them as individual puzzles allows you to pick cards that function as keys to unlock their defeat. You aren't just looking for 'good cards'; you're looking for specific answers.

Notice how some cards solve multiple problems. A Piercing Wail is incredible against the Sentries and still a decent card against Gremlin Nob if you absolutely must play a skill. This flexibility is valuable. When choosing your path, consider which elite you are most prepared for and which you need to avoid. Sometimes, taking a path with two elites you can handle is better than a path with three that includes your deck's worst nightmare.

Health is a resource. You will spend it to gain power. The goal isn't to end Act 1 with full HP; it's to end it with a deck and relics that can win the run. This means making tough choices. Do you rest at the campfire to heal, or do you upgrade a key card like Whirlwind that will save you more health in the next elite fight than the rest would have recovered? More often than not, the upgrade is correct. Upgrading a crucial card is a permanent power boost that pays dividends in every subsequent fight.

This same logic applies to choosing between a standard monster fight and a question mark room. While a question mark could be a great event, a monster fight is a guaranteed card reward and gold. In early Act 1, the certainty of a card reward that helps you solve an upcoming elite is often more valuable than the gamble of an event. Remember, your goal is to build power consistently to take on the elites.

By hunting elites, prioritizing frontloaded damage, and strategically spending your health to upgrade key cards, you transform Act 1 from a desperate scramble for survival into a calculated acquisition of power. You'll enter Act 2 not just alive, but armed and ready.

Let's test your understanding of these Act 1 principles.

Mastering these micro-optimizations is what separates a lucky run from a consistent climber. Every decision matters.