Draconius’ GnIE^Ash: Win Consistency through Tactical Maximalism - Revision history

Draconius at 11:17, 4 July 2025

2025-07-04T11:17:14Z

Draconius at 11:13, 4 July 2025

2025-07-04T11:13:32Z

Draconius: Added link to gameplay video

2025-07-04T11:12:49Z

Added link to gameplay video

Draconius at 06:36, 27 June 2025

2025-06-27T06:36:44Z

Draconius: Clarify Ice Spells

2025-06-27T06:26:21Z

Clarify Ice Spells

Draconius: Added link to gameplay video

2025-06-13T04:11:01Z

Added link to gameplay video

Draconius: Edit from Reddit leftovers

2025-04-27T01:38:48Z

Edit from Reddit leftovers

Draconius at 03:31, 26 April 2025

2025-04-26T03:31:23Z

Draconius: Proofing edit

2025-04-25T23:10:46Z

Proofing edit

Draconius: Add graphs, edit formatting, correct Ash piety levels

2025-04-25T23:07:30Z

Add graphs, edit formatting, correct Ash piety levels

Show changes

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:17, 4 July 2025
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	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.		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 want to see my gameplay from this character, you can watch the [https://youtu.be/9PdgSk-usDY first gameplay video from the streak].		If you want to see my gameplay from this character, you can watch the [https://youtu.be/9PdgSk-usDY first gameplay video from the streak].

@@ Line 241: / Line 241: @@
 * 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 answers 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.
 I also have a video explaining my Top 10 spells for 0.33, you can [https://youtu.be/x58048NRGDA watch it here!]

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:12, 4 July 2025
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	'''6.''' Get a good mix of summons and elemental damage so that you always have answers 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.		'''6.''' Get a good mix of summons and elemental damage so that you always have answers 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.

		+	I also have a video explaining my Top 10 spells for 0.33, you can [https://youtu.be/x58048NRGDA watch it here!]

@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 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 evasion shouldn't be underestimated in the early game. While Ramparts does check armour, most of your early game threats rely on evasion to kill you - this lets you kill them first!  Having an AOE in the starting book can’t be underestimated either, 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. Other top starting books are either less efficient, have no AOE, or lack summons.
+* '''Freeze + Frozen Ramparts''': Elemental damage that bypasses evasion shouldn't be underestimated in the early game. While Ramparts does check armour, most of your early game threats rely on evasiveness to kill you - this lets you bypass evasion and kill them first!  Having an AOE in the starting book can’t be underestimated either, 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. Other top starting books are either less efficient, have no AOE, or lack summons.
 * '''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.

@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 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.
+* '''Freeze + Frozen Ramparts''': Elemental damage that bypasses evasion shouldn't be underestimated in the early game. While Ramparts does check armour, most of your early game threats rely on evasion to kill you - this lets you kill them first!  Having an AOE in the starting book can’t be underestimated either, 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. Other top starting books are either less efficient, have no AOE, or lack summons.
 * '''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.

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:11, 13 June 2025
Line 16:		Line 16:

	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.		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 want to see my gameplay from this character, you can watch the [https://youtu.be/9PdgSk-usDY first gameplay video from the streak].

@@ Line 246: / Line 246: @@
 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 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.
+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. But to this I say: YES, the 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]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:31, 26 April 2025
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	{{advice}}		{{advice}}

−	If you're looking for one of the most consistently winning combos in .32/.33, I bring you the Gnoll Ice Elementalist of Ash.	+	{{flavour\|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.''}}

−	~~''The Knight of GnIE, if you will.''~~

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
-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.
+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 1st 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.
@@ Line 245: / Line 245: @@
 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.
+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 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]]