Arena of Blood - Revision history

Hordes: v. bump

2026-02-11T17:35:58Z

v. bump

Qqqqwe2: add infernal mark info from my experience using them

2025-01-12T04:48:02Z

add infernal mark info from my experience using them

Qqqqwe2: update to current version (need to add infernal mark info)

2024-11-27T06:20:22Z

update to current version (need to add infernal mark info)

Show changes

Hordes: /* Tips & Tricks */

2022-09-07T05:53:09Z

‎Tips & Tricks

Hordes: /* Useful Info */

2022-08-09T11:21:36Z

‎Useful Info

Hordes: version bump and strategy update

2022-08-09T11:20:00Z

version bump and strategy update

Hordes: share the "blame" with manifold on this one

2021-09-05T00:10:06Z

share the "blame" with manifold on this one

Hordes at 00:07, 5 September 2021

2021-09-05T00:07:27Z

Hordes: /* Preliminaries */

2021-08-15T08:38:07Z

‎Preliminaries

Hordes: the breaking of a meatsprint; info too general to really change other than outdated stuff / nothing in changelog

2021-08-15T08:35:09Z

the breaking of a meatsprint; info too general to really change other than outdated stuff / nothing in changelog

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 ===Breaking the Map===
-[[Djinn]] absolutely destroy Arena of Blood. There's no high level spellbooks, and even if there were, learning spells would be too difficult in such a hectic environment. Djinn instead learn spells innately and instantly. While direct damage spells pale in comparison to the Axe of Woe, utilities are incredibly powerful. [[Manifold Assault]] in particular is amazing at clearing out the entire screen, provided you are lucky enough to get it. Other good spells include [[Disjunction]], [[Death Channel]], and [[Discord]], among others. Having natural fire resistance and poison/miasma immunity is a cherry on top.
+[[Djinn]] absolutely destroy Arena of Blood. There's no way to obtain spells, and even if there were, learning spells would be too difficult in such a hectic environment. Djinn get to learn spells innately and instantly. While direct damage spells pale in comparison to the Axe of Woe, utilities are incredibly powerful. [[Manifold Assault]] in particular is amazing at clearing out the entire screen, provided you are lucky enough to get it. Other good spells include [[Disjunction]], [[Death Channel]], and [[Discord]], among others. Having natural fire resistance and poison/miasma immunity is a cherry on top.
-In a more literal sense, [[Formicid]]s have the ability to burrow, which will allow you the opportunity to hide from ranged attacks. By burrowing in an alternating diagonal path you can create a hole that allows only one enemy to see you at one time. This works well until you run into a monster with Dig. It can enable you to learn the spells in a starting book, too.
+In a more literal sense, [[Formicid]]s have the ability to burrow, which will allow you the opportunity to hide from ranged attacks. By burrowing in an alternating diagonal path you can create a hole that allows only one enemy to see you at one time. This works well until you run into a monster with Dig. It can give enough time to learn starting spells, too.
 ===Species===
-If wanting to play without breaking the sprint, [[troll]]s and [[ogre]]s have a distinct advantage in terms of sheer survivability. Due to the eventual presence of [[fire]], [[cold]], [[negative energy]], [[torment]], and [[poison]] attacks, [[ghoul]]s and occasionally [[demonspawn]] serve well here as well. [[Mummies]] are not advisable, as the amount of fire damage they'll be exposed to would take them out in short order, while [[vampire]]s simply can't exsanguinate fast enough to get access to their useful resistances.
+If wanting to play without breaking the sprint, [[Troll]]s and [[Ogre]]s have a distinct advantage in terms of sheer survivability. Due to the eventual presence of [[fire]], [[cold]], [[negative energy]], [[torment]], and [[poison]] attacks, [[Revenant]]s and [[Demonspawn]] also serve well here. [[Mummies]] are not advisable, as the amount of fire damage they'll be exposed to would take them out in short order.
-Because they cannot wield axes at all, [[felid]]s are given a +27,000 [[ring of slaying]], which makes a kill of any given opponent highly likely but not, alas, absolutely guaranteed. Obviously they lose all cleaving opportunities, but their extra lives make for an interesting alternative.
+Because they cannot wield axes at all, [[Felid]]s are given a +27,000 [[ring of slaying]], which makes a kill of any given opponent highly likely but not, alas, absolutely guaranteed. Obviously they lose all cleaving opportunities, but their extra lives make for an interesting alternative.
 ===Background===
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 </nowiki>
 </pre>
 [[Category:Crawl variants]]

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 *[[Fighter]] - This is a terrible option for non-Formicids, as you need to spend turns taking off your shield.
 *[[Warper]] - One of the only backgrounds with a distinct advantage, as Warpers begin with two [[scrolls of blinking]] instead of the normal one (extremely useful, especially if you can keep one intact for the Arena of Blood's finale), and if you can find the time to memorize them, [[Blink]] and [[Vhi's Electric Charge]], can both be helpful.
 ==Useful Info==

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 *Enemies will sometimes be spawned in your [[LOS]]; stop and check the list of visible monsters after every step.
 *Prior to [[0.27]]'s addition of [[Djinn]] and [[Manifold Assault]], seven non-Djinn characters on record have slain The Unspeakable - all of them could dig rock, and none escaped with the rune.
 ==Layout==

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:21, 9 August 2022
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	Eventually, the boss of the Arena of Blood will arrive: the Meatlord.		Eventually, the boss of the Arena of Blood will arrive: the Meatlord.
		+
		+	Remember that [[Orb of Zot\|the Orb]] will '''drop at your feet''' and not at the Meatlord's position.

	==Monsters==		==Monsters==

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-{{version027}}
+{{version028}}
 {{flavour|The Arena Of Blood
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 ==Preliminaries==
-Before starting, understand that your species choice should be based upon a very small number of issues. Due to the absurd amount of experience earned here, the absence of any armour or important jewellery, and the fact that most enemy attacks are completely unavoidable, your species' skill aptitudes and equipment slots make almost no difference; all that matters here is how quickly you can move around and how massive your [[HP]] pool is.
+Before starting, understand that your species choice should be based upon a very small number of issues. Due to the absurd amount of experience earned here, the absence of any armour, and the fact that most enemy attacks are completely unavoidable, your species' skill aptitudes and equipment slots make almost no difference.
-The exception are the [[Djinn]]; perhaps ''the'' class for meatsprint. Due to their passive memorization, Djinn can viably use any spells they get throughout a game. [[Manifold Assault]] will let you attack up to 4 opponents at a distance, [[Necromutation]] increases your [[will]] and makes you immune to torment, and [[Shatter]] can break holes into areas less filled with monsters. Other helpful spells include [[Apportation]], [[Passage of Golubria]], [[Dragon's Call]], and more. Having natural fire resistance is a cherry on top.
+===Breaking the Map===
-[[Formicid]]s have the ability to burrow, which will allow you the opportunity to hide from ranged attacks. By burrowing in an alternating diagonal path you can create a hole that allows only one enemy to see you at one time. This works well until you run into a monster with dig. It can enable you to learn the spells in a starting book, although the huge hitpoints all monsters here possess make standard damaging spells irrelevant.
+In a more literal sense, [[Formicid]]s have the ability to burrow, which will allow you the opportunity to hide from ranged attacks. By burrowing in an alternating diagonal path you can create a hole that allows only one enemy to see you at one time. This works well until you run into a monster with Dig. It can enable you to learn the spells in a starting book, too.
 If wanting to play without breaking the sprint, [[troll]]s and [[ogre]]s have a distinct advantage in terms of sheer survivability. Due to the eventual presence of [[fire]], [[cold]], [[negative energy]], [[torment]], and [[poison]] attacks, [[ghoul]]s and occasionally [[demonspawn]] serve well here as well. [[Mummies]] are not advisable, as the amount of fire damage they'll be exposed to would take them out in short order, while [[vampire]]s simply can't exsanguinate fast enough to get access to their useful resistances. [[Deep Dwarf|Deep dwarves]] are also a good choice; they have damage reduction and a large HP pool, and their lack of natural healing is no longer a disadvantage.
 Because they cannot wield axes at all, [[felid]]s are given a +27,000 [[ring of slaying]], which makes a kill of any given opponent highly likely but not, alas, absolutely guaranteed. Obviously they lose all cleaving opportunities, but their extra lives make for an interesting alternative.
 Your background choice is straightforward. Your [[stats]] generally don't matter; your infinite damage weapon means [[strength]] is pointless, and you won't have time to memorize any of the higher level spells in your starting [[spell book]]s, so [[intelligence]] is also out. [[Dexterity]] will increase your [[ev]]asion, which provides a chance of dodging a very small percentage of the attacks you'll face, so that is the only stat which matters, and even that is almost negligible. Meanwhile, almost all of the starter spellbooks you can receive contain nothing that will help you here, and you'll be training your way from near-incompetence with an axe to mastery in moments. As such, almost all backgrounds are identical, with the following exceptions:
-*[[Fighter]] - This is a terrible option unless you choose [[Formicid]]. You'll waste precious early turns removing your shield.
+*[[Fighter]] - This is a terrible option for non-Formicids, as you need to spend turns taking off your shield.
 *[[Warper]] - One of the only backgrounds with a distinct advantage, as Warpers begin with two [[scrolls of blinking]] instead of the normal one (extremely useful, especially if you can keep one intact for the Arena of Blood's finale), and if you can find the time to memorize them, [[Blink]] and [[Manifold Assault]] ([[Passage of Golubria]], prior to [[0.27]]), can both be helpful.

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-{{version014}}
+{{version027}}
 {{flavour|The Arena Of Blood
@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 ==Preliminaries==
-Before starting, understand that your species choice should be based upon a very small number of issues. Due to the absurd amount of experience earned here, the absence of any armour or important jewellery, and the fact that most enemy attacks are completely unavoidable, your species' skill aptitudes and equipment slots make almost no difference; all that matters here is how quickly you can move around and how massive your [[HP]] pool is. As such, [[troll]]s, [[ogre]]s, and [[centaur]]s have a distinct advantage in terms of sheer survivability. Due to the eventual presence of [[fire]], [[cold]], [[negative energy]], [[torment]], and [[poison]] attacks, [[ghoul]]s and occasionally [[demonspawn]] serve well here as well. [[Mummies]] are not advisable, as the amount of fire damage they'll be exposed to would take them out in short order, while [[vampire]]s simply can't hunger fast enough to get access to their useful resistances. [[Deep Dwarf|Deep dwarves]] are also a good choice; they have damage reduction and a large HP pool, and their lack of natural healing is no longer a disadvantage.
+Before starting, understand that your species choice should be based upon a very small number of issues. Due to the absurd amount of experience earned here, the absence of any armour or important jewellery, and the fact that most enemy attacks are completely unavoidable, your species' skill aptitudes and equipment slots make almost no difference; all that matters here is how quickly you can move around and how massive your [[HP]] pool is.  The exception are the [[Djinn]]; perhaps ''the'' class for meatsprint. Due to their passive memorization, Djinn can viably use any spells they get throughout a game. [[Manifold Assault]] will let you attack up to 4 opponents at a distance, [[Necromutation]] increases your [[will]] and makes you immune to torment, and [[Shatter]] can break holes into inaccessible areas of the map. Other helpful spells include [[Apportation]], [[Passage of Golubria]], and [[Dragon's Call]]. Having fire resistance is a cherry on top.
 Because they cannot wield axes at all, [[felid]]s are given a +27,000 [[ring of slaying]], which makes a kill of any given opponent highly likely but not, alas, absolutely guaranteed. Obviously they lose all cleaving opportunities, but their extra lives make for an interesting alternative.
@@ Line 36: / Line 38: @@
 Your background choice is even more straightforward. Your [[stats]] generally don't matter; your infinite damage weapon means [[strength]] is pointless, and you won't have time to memorize any of the higher level spells in your starting [[spell book]]s, so [[intelligence]] is also out. [[Dexterity]] will increase your [[ev]]asion, which provides a chance of dodging a very small percentage of the attacks you'll face, so that is the only stat which matters, and even that is almost negligible. Meanwhile, almost all of the starter spellbooks you can receive contain nothing that will help you here, and you'll be training your way from near-incompetence with an axe to mastery in moments. As such, almost all backgrounds are identical, with the following exceptions:
 *[[Fighter]] - This is a terrible option unless you choose [[Formicid]]. You'll waste precious early turns removing your shield.
-*[[Warper]] - One of the only backgrounds with a distinct advantage, as Warpers begin with two [[scrolls of blinking]] instead of the normal one (extremely useful, especially if you can keep one intact for the Arena of Blood's finale), and if you can find the time to memorize them, [[Blink]] and [[Passage of Golubria]] can both be helpful.
+*[[Warper]] - One of the only backgrounds with a distinct advantage, as Warpers begin with two [[scrolls of blinking]] instead of the normal one (extremely useful, especially if you can keep one intact for the Arena of Blood's finale), and if you can find the time to memorize them, [[Blink]] (and [[Passage of Golubria, prior to [[0.27]]), can both be helpful.
 ==Useful Info==
@@ Line 133: / Line 135: @@
 *Attacking is the way you survive, with Makhleb healing you on kills. The only time you usually can do anything else is if there are no enemies directly next to you. Move in such a way that you don't give enemies free hits, and that you don't open yourself up to line of effect abilities from distant enemies.
 *If you have a spare turn, you can summon some greater servants to serve as distractions. They are unlikely to survive long enough to turn against you, and if they arrive hostile, you should be able to handle them as easily as you handle everything else here.
-*There are 2 rings of see invisible and 2 rings of fire resistance in the arena. [[See invisible]] is placed at the northern and southern edge of the arena. [[Fire resistance]] is placed west and east. If you are a [[Warper]] your [[Apportation]] will allow you to get them that much faster. Note that even then, you usually won`t have the time to pick up more than 2 rings. (Thus playing an Octopode is not that much of a benefit.)
+*There are 2 rings of see invisible and 2 rings of fire resistance in the arena. [[See invisible]] is placed at the northern and southern edge of the arena. [[Fire resistance]] is placed west and east. You usually won`t have the time to pick up more than 2 rings. (Thus playing an Octopode is not that much of a benefit.)
 *Enemies will sometimes be spawned in your [[LOS]]; stop and check the list of visible monsters after every step.
-*The public Crawl servers have records of seven games in which players killed the Unspeakable; in all seven, the character could dig rock. There is no record of any escape with the slimy rune.
+*[[0.27]]'s [[Djinn]] completely broke meatsprint; being the only recorded species to escape with the slimy rune. Seven non-Djinn characters on record have slain The Unspeakable, all of them could dig rock, and none escaped with the rune.
 ==Layout==