Defense and Sacrifice: Survive the Next Action

Surviving a turn is a separate problem from producing a large attack. Distinguish adding defense, skipping an enemy action through a developer-described combo sacrifice, and paying health for an item effect.

Where does defense come from?

Armored dice are a documented source of defense, and the official item reference lists both flat additions and a multiplier. Those are specific things to inspect in a build. They do not establish that leftover dice will stop a large attack, or that every defense effect combines in one particular order.

Three activated Armored dice contribute 15 Defense from those activations alone. That is not a prediction of the complete character display: other effects can change it. Items in the full-game reference are not guaranteed drops in a demo run.

What does sacrificing a combo do?

In an October developer-social reply, the account presenting GrimKeep’s demo described selecting a combo on the combo sheet to sacrifice it, stunning the enemy and avoiding its next action. Treat this as developer-reported demo advice. Official patch notes confirm the sacrifice system and its reminders, but this guide does not claim a hands-on reproduction.

The practical decision is whether giving up a combo is worth preventing the immediate action. Read the tooltip and confirmation text before committing. A combo that rarely supports your items may be a less costly choice than the one your run depends on; that is an editorial decision rule, not an extra game mechanic.

The October 20 update added a reminder when the next enemy attack would be lethal and a sacrifice remained. Missing that reminder in old footage may simply indicate an older UI.

Why is a health-payment item different?

A combo sacrifice and a health-payment item have different descriptions and should be evaluated separately. The official item list describes the Infernal Amulet as spending a health percentage for offensive bonuses. That is not a promise of a stun, and equipping it does not establish that an incoming enemy action will be skipped.

Before accepting a health cost, check the resulting attack and the health you would retain if the enemy still acts. Do not add an assumed stun to the calculation merely because an item also uses the word “sacrifice.”

Can the Mystic restore a sacrificed combo?

An early developer reply said the Mystic could restore sacrificed combos for gold, and the October 23 official update subsequently reduced that price. Restoration therefore has a cost and depends on reaching the relevant encounter. The cited sources do not establish a current fixed price that this guide can safely promise.

Avoid a route plan requiring the old price copied from an early comment. If you are working from an old save or recording, compare its date with the version history.

For a broader checklist, use the beginner guide; for a dangerous encounter, use boss preparation.

Which sources support this guide?

Defense entries come from the official reference. The sacrifice instructions are explicitly attributed to the self-identified developer account answering players in its demo thread; no universal boss immunity or stacking order is asserted.

• Official dice reference
• Official item reference
• Developer-posted demo discussion and replies
• Official Steam patch and balance announcements