In the spirit of the season, we’re going to be looking at our favourite Desktop Dungeons class with death protection: the Warlords. They are the best users of Cydstepp, a high cost glyph which allows the caster to survive a hit that would otherwise kill them. Warlords ride on the edge of life and death to show their foes that they aren’t going down without a fight.
I’ve gotten a Warlord to do this class breakdown, but I must warn you, they seem to have gotten into New Year’s Resolutions a little early and… Have become a little obsessed with exercise.
Without further ado, I introduce the Warlord!
Abilities
🏋️♀️ Courageous – Drinking a Mana Potion will cause the next attack to do +30% damage
🏋️♀️ Determined – +30% bonus damage whenever below half health
🏋️♀️ Defiant – Starts with the CYDSTEPP glyph, always castable
Warlords have found a way to be the strongest and most well-rounded Striker class in Desktop Dungeons: Rewind, and that is HIMT (High Instensity Mortality Training.) While most Strikers find joy in exercising their weapon swinging abilities and then recovering before continuing to fight, Warlords push themselves to the brink of collapse in a short amount of time. Remember, if you aren’t vomiting, you aren’t doing it right!
Kin Choices
🏋️♀️ Gnomes – Gnomes are our WOD (Warlord of the Day.) Their ability to create Mana Potions synergises with the Warlord’s Courageous trait, while also giving them enough mana to Cydstepp permanent death or severe injury once more! Mana potions are also very hydrating and one of the easiest drinks to keep down!
🏋️♀️ Orcs – We’re not about numbers around here. We’re about functional monster un-aliving ability! But the Orc has… Numbers that we simply can’t ignore. The Orc’s conversion bonus of +2 base damage synergises incredibly well with the Determined and Courageous traits. Now that’s functional!
🏋️♀️ Elves – The true masters of AMCAP (As Many Cydtepps as Possible)! When combined with the ways of Mystera, whose machinations are unknown and unknowable, their bonus mana from conversions can help Warlords use Cydstepp 3 times in a session! Now that’ll keep you going!
As a side note, you too can become a Warlord! Almost all the kin in Desktop Dungeons have tried it a couple times and come out functionally fitter than before, Dwarves and Humans in particular. Don’t let the stereotypes hold you back, we’re very accepting and not insane at all!!
Gods
🏋️♂️ Mystera Annur– The God that other Strikers won’t listen to. “You need to be sensible!” they say, “Worship Taurog or Earthmother, it’s healthier.” Some of them even claim that “20% of Warlords end up with serious physical injuries.” They’re wrong. Mystera helps Warlords turn their habit of being near death into piety, and that piety into being near death more often. Doesn’t that sound perfect! Mystic Balance makes Cydstepp cost less, Magic increases your mana, and Refreshment can keep you going for just a bit longer.
🏋️♂️ Jehora Jeheyu – Some say Mystera's advice is weird and harming our health… I can’t wait to hear what they say about Jehora. So what you’re weakened, poisoned, corroded, and mana burned? Gonna cry?? Boost Health and Boost Mana can help Warlords stay low without dying and cast more Cydstepps! Jehora Jeheyu really is the most generous and unknowable cosmic horror.
🏋️♂️ Glowing Guardian – We don’t need too much training equipment, and Mr. GG agrees! While he’s not our first choice of trainer, Humility gives us more experience, Consecrated Strike can help crack through physical resistances, and Absolution helps us stay up a little longer! Though he’s against us drinking our uhh… Potions. So we don’t stick around too long.
While these are the best places for Warlords to worship, any box will do! Earthmother is onto something with her diet plans, Binlor builds our resistances, and Pacty supports quietly. Anything but Tikki Tooki or Taurog! Warlords want to get hit, and Tikki doesn’t like that… Really good Warlords can work out around this, but it’s not recommended for beginners. Taurog doesn't like casting spells, which can make using Cydstepp difficult without being punished.
Glyphs
🏋️♂️ Cydstepp – The bread and butter (proverbially, we don’t eat those) of the Warlord way! Defiant allows Warlords to cast this Glyphs while below 50% HP, letting them to chain attacks together while on the edge of mortality with the Determined trait active the entire time. You’ll be using most of your mana on this Glyph, so make sure to always precast it before exploring!
🏋️♂️ Imawal – Damn right I am! Warlords tend to punch above their weight to an unreasonable degree, and so Imawal’s Bonus Experience can become a great gateway to functional high level monster slaying.
🏋️♂️ Getindare – When the last hit will kill you, hit them first! When combining Getindare with Cydstepp Warlord can pull off some nasty combos. You string of exercises will look something like this: attack once to get below half health and activate Determined, then attack again to break Death Protection, finally cast Cydstepp and attack again. At this point, you won’t have enough mana to Cydstepp death, but a swift blow to their skull with Getindare might just do the job to floor them before they floor you!
As it is with all Strikers, Bysseps is also good. We know the Barbarians are fighting over if it’s right to use Bysseps or not, claiming it might be unhealthy, but Mystera tells us it’s perfectly safe! And we trust Mystera above all. You probably won’t be holding onto Burndayraz for too long because you’ll be spending your mana on Cydstepp.
Well, what are you waiting for!? Use all of that high intensity energy to smash that wishlist button so you can be functionally fit with all of your new Warlord friends!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1976950/Desktop_Dungeons_Rewind/
Also be sure to follow QCF Design on Twitter for more Desktop Dungeons: Rewind content: https://twitter.com/QCFdesign
