Run decisions
Getting started
A first-run route from hunter selection to a coherent two-weapon loop.
Choose the run identity first
Pick a hunter whose basic skills answer the job you want to perform. Read all five upgrade rows before the first choice so early damage does not lock you out of the route's survival or utility finish.
Build one trigger loop
Use one weapon as the reliable loop and the second as coverage. Match element buildup to Hemorrhage, Freeze, Disruption, Corrosion, or Ignition, then take effects you can trigger repeatedly rather than the largest isolated number.
Spend slots on consistency
Relics, Tarot, and Weapon Parts should reinforce the same trigger, resource, or damage channel. Keep always-on bonuses separate from health thresholds, reload windows, dismantle triggers, and other conditional effects.
Change the plan when the run changes
A build is a decision framework, not a fixed shopping list. If the key weapon or trigger does not arrive, preserve the hunter's reliable core and pivot before several slots are committed to an incomplete combo.
Choose difficulty for the lesson
Use an early difficulty to learn room entry, reload exposure, and one complete trigger loop. Higher difficulties improve access to stronger drops and add harsher rules; Blood Moon is now part of the current ladder, so an older six-tier checklist is incomplete.
Review one failure at a time
After a failed run, identify the first repeatable problem: ordinary-room damage, an unsafe reload, missing buildup, or a trigger that rarely fired. Change that one part on the next attempt before judging the entire hunter or weapon family.
Use a first-stage checkpoint
Before leaving the first stage, ask three questions: can the main weapon clear an ordinary room, does the second weapon solve a different range or element, and can the hunter survive one bad reload? If two answers are no, stop buying narrow combo pieces and take the strongest immediate weapon, health, or reload option available.