View source for Draconius’ GnIE^Ash: Win Consistency through Tactical Maximalism


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If you're looking for one of the most consistently winning combos in .32/.33, I bring you the Gnoll Ice Elementalist of Ash. ''The Knight of GnIE, if you will.''

This is a mixture of guide and theory-crafting overview for a character which I have now run on at least a 30-win streak. While this may very well help you get a 1^(st) win; at the forefront of mind is consistency between runs, and how to optimally reduce random chance from the list of factors that can lead to our death.

The main reason I started running GnIE^Ash was to test a claim I had made on the r/dcss subreddit last year some time: that Gnoll Ice Elementalist is currently so strong in the early game that you could afford to wait to choose the optimal god (against current meta regarding god selection), and further, that the optimal god for Gnoll is Ash (with no other god coming close). It results in a character that keeps you above the difficulty curve at all points in the game. In other words, it skews your probabilities enough that you can survive a bad engagement, have answers to the surprise threats or avoid surprises altogether, smooth some of the RNG spikes, and simply be prepared for any threat the game can throw at you - and it does so better than most, if not all, other characters.

'''To put it yet another way: the strategy is to maximally expand your tactical space, giving you options and outs to handle every situation. This is what makes the GnIE^Ash special.'''

I’ll go a little broad to explain some of the decision-making when I was theory-crafting this, talk generally about what spells and items are worth watching for, and mention other things you might consider. If you have questions about certain decision points, what to argue for other characters that achieve what we’re going for here, or have any other feedback on the topics covered here – I’m all ears.

''Note: assume the “goal” is to win with the highest possible consistency. Any references to “Best” can also be considered to mean “Best for at least [a particular type of player] where this category is one of several that Draconius personally fits.''

'''What Kills Characters In General, And This Character Specifically?'''

Broadly speaking, there is one major thing that kills each kind of player:

1. For new players, failing to defensively use items and escape skills soon enough is the most important factor.

2. For experienced players playing at a high level, being out of options to deal with the situation should be the only thing expected to kill your character.

So, when does this happen? Almost always in the early Dungeon.

That’s why you will see streakers almost unanimously agree the early dungeon is the hardest part of the game – there’s a scarcity of options available to deal with whatever situation they’re presented with.

Newer players often blame for their deaths on RNG, and Malevolent Forces in particular. Getting shafted on D4 to D8 with very few options often feels unfair, and I think everyone understands why some people think it’s bad design. Despite the fact that successfully returning to D4 feels like a rewarding victory that gets your blood pumping, and makes you feel you really “earned” your win, there’s no denying that '''these situations spike the difficulty and likelihood of interacting with above-the-curve threats for your character.'''

''Quick definition: I’ll talk a decent amount about curves. I’m using this as shorthand to give you a visualization for how I see the game. Each area of the game has a particular range of difficulty that should be expected (this also includes possible out-of-depth monsters). Overall, there is a non-linear difficulty curve that arcs through the dungeon, curves through the Lair, back to the Dungeon, and so on through the branches. Likewise, each possible character combination has a power curve that ebbs and flows through different parts of the game. The Gnoll species, for a relevant example, has a U- or V-shaped curve.''

So, this character is designed to do a few key things:

1. Remain “above the curve” of the floor I’m on, from D:1 to the end of the game.

2. Reduce RNG by the maximum amount possible.

3. Always have the maximum options available at any given time.

With that in mind, how does this specific combo achieve this?

=Why Gnoll?=

Gnoll is, in some sense, the weakest part of this combo while also being the most run-defining. Some disagree with me on this, but I think it’s probably B tier for most background and god pairings. Gnoll is in a strange place and unlike any other species by a wide margin, and this is the reason I pick it: the high aptitudes and the divided experience gimmick. This is also a nice feature for new players who can learn the rest of the game while bypassing the somewhat challenging skill mini-game.

It takes a bit of a mindset shift to understand why this character feels so different. I think most other characters can be considered to be playing a role: “I’m playing the elf blaster caster” or “I’m the melee brute”, etc.

But I see Gnolls as playing the board, the dungeon itself, like a game of chess. You don’t know what pieces are on the board; but you will be able to select among them all, crafting whatever character you think can get across the finish line on the fly. The game becomes a puzzle more than anything.

The downside to Gnolls is that they fall off rather dramatically in the mid-game. This is due to both lack of focused experience points, and that the limited experience available in early dungeon is spread very thinly to all skills.

This is actually a massive advantage to the early game. Specifically, Gnolls start with “Bonus” levels in their selected starting specialty, thanks to the abnormally high aptitudes. This means you can cast your full starting book almost right away, and that you remain “Above the difficulty curve” for quite a while before falling off in Lair. This is where most regular Gnolls will die.

However, if we can get past this mid-game slump, Gnolls are the only species in a 3-rune game that can reasonably expect to cast any spell in any school, all at the same time.

The overwhelming power of this can’t be overstated, but more on that later.

For now, suffice it to say that Gnolls have an early game power that is nearly on par with Trolls or Minotaurs, with the ability to cast spells efficiently (which gives more versatility, i.e. more options).

=Why Ice Elementalist?=

Ice Elementalist is my choice for the strongest starting book in .32 and .33. In the most recent versions of the game, this starting book allows you to learn 2 direct damage spells, one of which is AOE, a summon with important early game resists, and one of the single best defensive buff spells in the game. Let’s break it down.

* '''Freeze + Frozen Ramparts''': Elemental damage that bypasses defenses. Other top starting books, such as conjurations, have AC checking damage skills and no summons. For the IE, having an AOE in the starting book can’t be underestimated as this is the spell that will carry you through the Lair if you need it to. It’s also mana efficient, doing damage every turn for its duration. The only comparable early-game spells, in this sense, are poison-based.

* '''Ozocubu's Armour''': A massive armour buff for casters. How many buffs are even left in the game at this point? Stand still, armour up, and do passive AOE damage while you use your weapon of choice – it allows for a flurry of damage that pairs perfectly with your defenses, all in one book.

* '''Ice Beast''': This summon is better than almost all the summoner’s starting book, and for only 3 mana. Summons are widely believed to be among the strongest things in the game for all the utility they offer. Notably, our icy friend also does partial cold damage and has multiple resists, giving it a distinct advantage over the competitor book’s doggo summon (Call Canine Familiar) at the same cost. It body blocks, swaps you out of danger, and can be easily resummoned to solo most dangerous enemies of the early dungeon.

Some may suggest other starts are better, such as Summoner or Conjurer. Both of these books are quite good, no doubt.

Summoner did at least start with Lightning Spire in its book recently, an incredible spell that can carry through midgame better than Frozen Ramparts. The trouble is that it’s a dual school spell and level 4, taking longer to come online. Given that the most difficult section of the game is D1-10, waiting to get your good spell online is a problem. Now that’s been moved into Forgecraft, Eringya's Surprising Crocodile and the new dino egg have taken it’s place.The croc might be the new best spell at 4 mana, and it remains useful all game. This puts Summoner into my #2 spot. My problem with this book is that IE does summoning well enough, plus it has direct damage and AOE which are both added versatility in the very early game.

Conjurer gives you ranged attacks, an AOE, and some mixed utility. Fulminant Prism can carry much of the game, but it has lower mana efficiency than Frozen Ramparts - a major detriment to the early game. Iskenderun's Mystic Blast might be one of the best early game utilities, and so together these spells lead me to put conjurer in the #3 spot, down 1 spot in .33 only because the Croc summon is just a better disengage than mystic blast. Plus, Prism makes for a shoddy summon, there’s no buff, all the damage is hindered by AC, and the mana efficiency in the early game makes you depend on Searing Ray instead of your better spells for quite a while.

Forgecraft could also be in the running, and it certainly overlaps considerably with what IE is doing (both with summons and wall tiles that deal damage). My feeling from limited play experience and some theory crafting suggests it’s either a weaker version of IE (due to lack of buffs and elemental damage), or a similar power level with different flavour. I could be convinced either way.

In summary, we go with IE because it covers all the bases better, more efficiently, and with fewer gimmicks (looking at you, Forgecraft) than any other book. You could easily argue the options above if your playstyle favours them. What I don’t think are in the running are Hunter or the melee starts. Now I’m sure many will take issue with this, but to me it’s as simple as the fact that early dungeon monster EV is the biggest variable leading to bad RNG spikes. If you can’t damage the thing(s) killing you, death is inevitable over a long enough set of trials. IE doesn’t have that issue.

That said, this is the most flexible aspect of our character if you want to play around with different starts.

=Current God Meta=

Not since DDFi^Mak was the top build have I read a strong argument, or even a suggestion from a streaker, that forcing a particular god to create a specific build could be the optimal play. I’m going to suggest that here.

The current meta is to take the first viable god you find, with some even arguing to roll the dice on faded alters. The argument is essentially that building piety early and often gives you access to one of the strongest resources in the game.

No question, this is essentially correct on most characters. A god will often give you that edge to avoid an otherwise certain death.

However, we can have our cake and eat it too.

You don't have to actually wait until D10 for a guaranteed Ash alter, you can just pick TSO/Ely/Zin when you first see them and abuse their early abilities until you reach Ash to convert. This happens in better than half the games (and you can see why, you now have a 4/21 chance per alter to find an acceptable god by D10 where 3/4 of those chances are the ‘good’ gods).

Know their strengths, and use the 2-pips of piety you’re likely to have early as often as you see fit. TSO’s divine shield is my top pick in the early dungeon, and TSO also covers invisible enemies, but Zin’s Vitalization is a close second and has saved at least 1 game on my current streak. I’d rather not have Ely when I’m only likely to get 2-pips before abandoning, but you take what you get.

=So, Why Force Ashenzari?=

There are some gods that make the build. For the DDFi, it was Makhleb who unlocked the absurd potential for highly consistent wins.

For the Gnoll, it’s Ashenzari.

Ash’s curve starts at 0 and rises exponentially through a 3-rune game. If you played long enough, it would be an inversion of the Ice Elementalist starting book. Together, you can view Gnoll as carrying the early-game (up to D8), Ice Elementalist locking in the late-early-game (through early Lair), and Ash picking up the mid- to late-game. A character that remains consistently above the difficulty curve of the dungeon from start to finish.

Ash’s contribution to this strength comes largely from their curse system.

As the Gnoll’s skill levels drop off dramatically, due to the distributed experience sharing, Ash takes that trickle of experience and amplifies it tremendously – pushing your effective aptitudes into the double digits. Moreover, thanks to the interaction between Ash and Gnoll, we are uniquely positioned to cast multi-school spells very early and continue casting all the best spells straight through Level 8 in a standard game, Level 9 if we decide to farm 1-2 extra zones or 10-ish floors of Zig.

This takes Gnoll from being ABLE to use any item/spell, to being GOOD with every item and spell – completely unlocking our tactical toolbox. The challenge then is selecting the right tool for the job.

Now, if those skill boosts were the only thing Ash gave us, then you could make an argument that both Cheibriados and Vehumet are equally valid options (and I’m not saying they’re invalid, just that you can do better).

Veh’s wizardry effect somewhat mimics Ash’s curse buffs (with no benefit to your defenses, notably), and Chei’s gift of attribute points will do something similar but to a lesser extent; but you would be missing out on the other critical benefits Ash offers to someone who wants to win consistently.

In addition to putting your power level above the curve starting at midgame and persisting through 3-runes, Ash will:

1. Negate the identification mini-game and give you access to all your resources at 2-pips, far before any other character would have them.

2. Let you see through invisibility early.

3. Essentially replace 3 pips of Willpower when combined with having summons to block banishers.

4. Help you predict and plan for enemies behind walls, eliminating surprise encounters.

5. Remove Malevolent Forces.

Just how important are these things? If this were all Ash offered, I would still pick it over several other gods (for streaking). This is a major area where the consistency aspect of our build comes in, or more accurately, ''I might call this RNG smoothing.''

It makes sure that you have all your options available and identified, earlier than any other god. Plus Ash removes a whole range of difficulty spikes that come from the above challenges.

In summary, Ash is the god that best removes RNG from the game. Ash keeps Gnoll’s high early game advantage strong through its otherwise weak midgame, then makes for a wombo-combo in the end game, and it does so better than the other options.

=Summary Of The Build=

The end result of this strategy is a character that remains above the curve from D1 to Zot and back again. You will need to be tactical and cautious in the early game, develop your endgame plan, then snowball into the multi-school killing force that only Gnoll can pull off in a 3-rune game.

It’s beyond debate that Gn has the largest tactical space. I’m arguing that Ash maximizes that. We then pick Ice Elementalist as our start because it gives us the greatest ability to answer early game threats of any start, in my opinion. I’ve argued against some other contenders, but this is clearly the part of this build with the most flexibility to make it your own.

=How Do You Play This Character?=

If you find good gear on this character you just use it, no matter the skill it requires, and that makes both the strategic space (as it applies to items, spells, etc.) and tactical space larger than you have on other characters – you now have to choose the correct answer in the moment from every possible skill tree, item, and spell that generates in your game.

This makes the character tactically quite difficult perhaps, but easier if you already have a grasp of the game because you can select among all the best answers. If nothing else, it will help teach you the game faster by letting you survive edge encounters more often.

In general, I play this character either as a battle mage or a tanky blaster caster. You can do whatever suits your fancy, changing on the fly if you want to, and that’s what’s so fun about this start.

So let’s work on opening up that tactical decision space:

1. Play D1-D2 without using O. Gn is strong enough to survive the challenge, IE has a damage type which solves for the greatest challenge here: enemies with high EV.

2. Get to level 3 so you can get all your spells online, then travel around with your summon until you get more survivability. You can expect this on D2 at the latest. Take care with summing when the red 9-10% failure rate is showing, as this may result in Nameless Horrors (which you can easily defeat when it’s alone). I suggest summoning just before the fight as much as possible.

3. Start each fight with your summon out, positioning in hallways or at least near walls, and using both Ozo Armour + Frozen Ramparts. This is 9 mana total, don’t worry, you have enough to manage; but you should also look for a weapon with reach or range so you can attack without moving while your DOT/summons tick.

4. Your goal is to find Ash ASAP, but if you find one of the good goods first, take them (TSO works especially well on a GnIE since the shield pairs with our close-range spells).

5. Rush Ash’s curses from here until 4-pips of piety. What you get doesn’t matter, just take it so you can get your power spikes at 2- and 4-pips. Keep in mind that some of these curses will be broken later to be replaced with better gear/curses. This is part of the strategic challenge of Gn^Ash – it’s a balancing act of what you want to keep and what you consider sacrificial.

6. Do the standard identification minigame until you have Ash's first pip of piety online. 1 pip identifies all items from here on, then you can cruise quite a lot more. This is where our tactical options start to bloom and should be considered a massive power spike. Usually, I just get identification scrolls online, search for curing, then use that and whatever else my ID scrolls find while I wait for Ash piety.

7. By 4-pips of Ash piety, you can now relax as you’ve nullified malevolence traps, invisible enemies, most will-based attacks, and the main weakness of the Gnoll – its mid-game power slump by using a combination of your starting book and whatever your curses have boosted.

8. Your goal now is 2-fold:
* Optimize gear/curses while always keeping 4-pips of piety. I suggest selecting mostly curses of Elements, Companions, and Insight while getting just 1 curse on all defenses, other spell schools, and Devices. Adjust based on the spells or items you find.
* Find your mid- and end-game spell books. More on that below. Then tackle branches depending on your selection of spells, items, and resists.

9. Once you have your full piety and end-game spells, it’s just a matter of execution. You’ll find that getting to Ash-4 pips is the scariest part of the game, but after that you don’t really need anything specific until lair is done (IE is good enough on its own). After that, you should have something usable from the floor for the next section.

10. Just know what you need for each branch, use the wiki. S-branches need poison resist and usually 1 or 2 others. Vaults need electrical resistance, so does Elf, and so on. Just check the boxes before going to the next branch. Ash and IE will cover you on everything you need for D1-15 (except for dragons), Lair (again, except for dragons), and Orc where you will hope to have at least one other AOE spell – more on that below.

 

=General Branch Order For This Character:=

D10 : L5 : D15/Orc2 : 2 S-Runes : V4 : Elf 3/Depths 4 : Slime Rune : Dive Zot

Make choices based on resistances and spell set. If you’re not ready for one of the S branches, you can easily sub in Vaults 4, just watch for the damage you don’t resist and be ready to run. You can also add Crypt either instead of Elf (in the case that you have more rN than elemental resists), or do both if you still need more loot after the 3^(rd) rune.

I’ve tested Slime versus V5 on this character, and even with Immolation, or the preferred Hellfire Mortar, I’m now convinced that Slime is the safer of the two runes by a wide margin. YMMV.

 

=Need Spells Or Loot? Here’s What I Suggest:=

1. You can always rush Orc 2 before finishing D15 if you feel better about your AOE than you do about your ability to handle the undead and dragons.

2. Always be looking for the next end vault. If I have good elemental resists after S-branches, then I’m thinking of taking Elf 3 for the next power boost. If not, then I go vaults and then even depths before Elf, Crypt or 3^(rd) rune. I just ask, what is my character good at right now, then go for the loot in that area, then ask the question again.

3. Note on Evocables: These are extremely strong on our character, and they’re always leveled to a higher degree than most other characters will have. This means wands remain strong the whole game, and an early rechargeable can offer great value through the whole game. I will usually buy an early lightning rod over any other offensive item or spell given the usual price. Gell’s Gravitambourine is even better if you find if for a fair price.
* The only guaranteed evocable happens to be perfect for us: The Horn of Geryon.
* If you lack summons before Zot, dip into Hell and pick this up. It’s easier than Zot and gives you multiple summons, partially mimicking Summon Horrible Things (my favourite end-game spell).

 

=What Spells To Watch For?=

Gnoll of Ash can use any spell in the game, here are some of the best for winning constantly:

1. Standard good stuff for every game: Blink or Passage of Golubria, Yara’s Violent Unravelling, Irradiate, Mephitic Cloud.
* These are useful all game. You may not use them a ton, but when you do it’s going to feel very impactful. Always be on the lookout for a Yara’s target, the malmutate on enemies is a direct buff to our summons.
2. Around Lair and Orc: Freezing cloud or Refrigeration, Olgreb's Toxic Radiance, Hoarfrost cannon.
* These are mid-game carries, useful until you have late-game spells and can then be forgotten to clear up spell slots. Can carry Lair, Orc, and S-branches.
3. '''Special Note:''' Hellfire Mortar is probably the best spell in the game right now largely because it has high utility, high damage, and high efficiency.
* At 2 piercing shots per turn, this spell is incredibly turn-efficient and will out-damage anything else you could be doing for quite a long time.
* You can use it to block entry ways up to and including the Zot lungs, where enemies will just stare at it while they burn. Even OOFs can be blocked and killed by this thing.
* Pair it with flying and you never have to worry about trapped Zot lungs, ground traps, or hidden loot again.
* Take this spell every game you find it, it’s surprisingly common and especially easy to get online with a Gnoll of Ash. If anything needs a nerf, this is it.
4. End-game Summons: Summon Horrible Things, Spellforged Servitor, Haunt, Sphinx Sisters (the newest addition to this list, it can solo OOFs on our character!)
* These are my primary goals because they carry and defend our character straight through the orb run, everything else is basically icing on the cake.
5. End-game Elemental Spells: Bombard/LCS, Ignition, Refrigeration/Polar Vortex, MCC
* As a summoner first and foremost, we still like to have direct damage for abjuration monsters, targeted damage onto especially dangerous baddies, and the general utility of using AOE first, then summons to clean up.
6. Get a good mix of summons and elemental damage so that you always have answer to problems. Body blockers, tanks, and direct damage should be top of mind, then utility, and movement spells should be on the radar from D1.

 

=Conclusions=

Part build guide, part post-hoc theory crafting explanation. Either way, I hope you enjoyed it and maybe want to give the GnIE^Ash a try – especially if you’re looking to make your wins more consistent or even just get the first one!

If there’s a legit criticism of this character, it may be too much better than other characters. I have even been accused of playing the game on easy mode (which, notably, isn’t something anyone said to me BEFORE I demonstrated how good this is). But to this I say: YES, the entire goal was to find and playtest one of the best characters in the game for streaking, and I believe I’ve now proven its worth. This isn’t to say that it’s necessarily the “best” or “optimal” build. I don’t think we have the tools to determine that for a game as complex as DCSS just yet. I do know for certain that this character has made me a far more consistent player, and I think it will do the same for you.

When you get it right, the GnIE^Ash gives you that snowballing power fantasy sought by many in games like this – and DCSS really makes you feel like you’ve earned it by the time you’re blazing through Zot!

[[Category:Character guides]]