Ancients & Blessings

8 Ancients. 3 presented per run. Pick your blessings wisely.

Early Access — rankings will shift with patches.

How Ancients Work

Act 1

Neow

Always

Act 2

Orobas / Pael / Tezcatara / Darv

One random

Act 3

Nonupeipe / Tanx / Vakuu / Darv

One random

Each Run

3 Blessings offered

Pick 1

You cannot choose "none." Darv can appear in Act 2 or Act 3.

Standout Picks by Act

Act 1 (Neow) Precise Scissors, Arcane Scroll, Silver Crucible, Large Capsule

Act 2 Very Hot Cocoa (Tezcatara), Prismatic Gem (Orobas), Pael's Blood (Pael), Runic Pyramid (Darv)

Act 3 Fur Coat (Nonupeipe), Throwing Axe (Tanx), Lord's Parasol (Vakuu if shop), Runic Pyramid (Darv)

General Decision Framework

Run-defining power spike? (Arcane Scroll, Pandora's Box, Runic Pyramid) — take it
Free/cheap deck thinning? (Precise Scissors, Empty Cage, Meat Cleaver) — usually take it
Map context for economic blessings: Golden Pearl and Lord's Parasol are only top-tier when a shop is nearby
Read your build: Snecko Eye, Claws, Fiddle, and Pael's Eye are high-power in the right deck and actively harmful in the wrong one
Avoid tempo traps: Philosopher's Stone, Spiked Gauntlets, Scroll Boxes, and Signet Ring (Act 3) are usually traps

S Tier A Tier B Tier C Tier D Tier

Neow

Always

Pool of 20 blessings; 3 presented each run. Always your first Ancient.

Focus: Starting blessings — deck shaping, gold, relics, HP

Tier	Blessing	Effect	Notes
S	Precise Scissors	Remove 1 card from deck	Free deck thinning, zero downside — always good
S	Arcane Scroll	Obtain a random Rare Card	A great rare can define the whole run
A	Silver Crucible	First 3 card rewards are Upgraded; first chest is empty	Upgraded options early shapes the entire run
A	Large Capsule	Obtain 2 random Relics + adds 1 Strike + 1 Defend	High upside, deck bloat is manageable
A	Lava Rock	Act 1 Boss drops 2 Relics instead of 1	Strong if you're confident you'll reach the boss
B	Precarious Shears	Remove 2 cards, take 13 damage	Great deck thinning but HP cost is real; skip if low HP
B	Golden Pearl	Gain 150 Gold	Best with early shop (floor 1–2). Pays for a removal + item. Boring but reliable.
B	Small Capsule	Obtain a random Relic	Decent; quality is random
B	Leafy Poultice	Transform 1 Strike + 1 Defend, lose 10 Max HP	Deck thinning + transformation; HP cost stings
C	Nutritious Oyster	Raise Max HP by 11	Defensive floor; outclassed if anything offensive is available
C	Cursed Pearl	Gain 333 Gold + Greed curse	Greed punishes gold gain; situational even with the large amount
C	Pomander	Upgrade 1 card	Fine but rarely impactful
C	New Leaf	Transform 1 card	High variance, can backfire
C	Booming Conch	Draw 2 extra cards at start of Elite combats	Too narrow
C	Lost Coffer	Gain 1 card reward + 1 random potion	Minor gain
C	Lead Paperweight	Choose 1 of 2 Colorless Cards to add	Colorless rarely run-defining
C	Massive Scroll	Choose 1 of 3 "Multiplayer" Colorless Cards to add	Same as above
C	Neow's Torment	Add Neow's Fury card to deck	Build-specific niche
D	Stone Humidifier	Gain 5 Max HP whenever you Rest	Too slow; rarely pays off meaningfully
D	Scroll Boxes	Lose all Gold, choose 1 of 2 card packs	Terrible unless you have 0 gold (never happens)
B	Hefty Tablet	Choose 1 of 3 Rare cards to add to your Deck. Add 1 Injury to your Deck.	New in v0.100.0 — guaranteed rare but adds a curse
C	Neow's Talisman	Upgrade 1 of your Strikes and 1 of your Defends.	New in v0.100.0 — minor power floor improvement

Golden Pearl Strategy

Golden Pearl is specifically strong when a shop appears on floor 1–2 of the map. 150 gold walks you into a shop with full budget: card removal (~75–100g) + a potion or relic. Without an early shop visible, prefer Precise Scissors, Silver Crucible, or Arcane Scroll.

Orobas

Act 2

Offers cross-class card access and powerful upgrade options.

Focus: Card diversity, off-class access, upgrades, potion support

Tier	Blessing	Effect	Notes
S	Prismatic Gem	+1 Energy/turn; card rewards include off-class cards	Energy + wildly expanded card pool — consistently powerful
A	Sand Castle	Upgrade 6 random cards	6 upgrades is massive value
A	Sea Glass	See 15 cards from another class; add any	Powerful but requires knowing what you want
B	Alchemical Coffer	Gain 4 potion slots filled with random potions	Strong if your build leverages potions
B	Touch of Orobas	Replace starter Relic with an Ancient version	High variance but potentially run-defining
B	Glass Eye	Obtain 2 Common, 2 Uncommon, 1 Rare card	Solid card selection
C	Archaic Tooth	Transform a starter card with an "ancient version"	Narrow
C	Electric Shrymp	Enchant a Skill with Imbued	Build-dependent
C	Driftwood	Reroll each card reward once	Useful but passive
C	Radiant Pearl	Add 1 Luminesce to Hand at combat start	Situational

Pael

Act 2

Rewards efficient play and building around sacrifice mechanics.

Focus: Card draw, energy efficiency, sacrifice mechanics, enchantments

Tier	Blessing	Effect	Notes
S	Pael's Blood	Draw 1 additional card at start of turn	Consistent card advantage every combat
A	Pael's Tears	If you end turn with unspent Energy, gain 2 extra Energy next turn	Snowballs hard in efficient decks
A	Pael's Tooth	Remove 5 cards; after each combat, 1 returns Upgraded	Deck thinning + ongoing upgrades — underrated
B	Pael's Flesh	+1 Energy at start of 3rd turn and every turn after	Slow ramp but meaningful over long fights
B	Pael's Legion	Doubles Block from a card; then sleeps 2 turns	High upside for block-heavy builds
B	Pael's Wing	Sacrifice card rewards to Pael; gain a Relic every 2 sacrifices	Interesting relic-building mechanic
C	Pael's Eye	First time you end turn having played 0 cards: Exhaust Hand, take extra turn	High-variance; build-dependent
C	Pael's Claw	Enchant all Defends with Goopy	Only relevant in block-stacking builds
C	Pael's Growth	Enchant a card with Clone	Niche
C	Pael's Horn	Add 2 Relax cards to deck	Situational

Tezcatara

Act 2

Massive energy and fire-themed buffs. Hosts the best single Act 2 blessing.

Focus: Energy generation, fire enchantments, map manipulation

Tier	Blessing	Effect	Notes
S	Very Hot Cocoa	Start each combat with 4 additional Energy	Enormous. 4 extra energy every fight — consistently cited as one of the best Act 2 options
A	Pumpkin Candle	+1 Energy/turn (expires at start of Act 3)	Strong for Act 2; still meaningful even with expiry
A	Yummy Cookie	Upgrade 4 cards	Solid mid-run value
B	Golden Compass	Replace Act 2 map with a curated path (2 chests, campfires, elites — no shops)	Powerful for controlled routing. CRITICAL: spend all gold before taking it — you lose shop access
B	Toy Box	Obtain 4 Wax Relics; leftmost one melts every 3 combats	Powerful relic storm that degrades; some builds plan around relic order
B	Storybook	Add 1 Brightest Flame card to deck	Build-dependent
B	Nutritious Soup	Enchant all Strikes with Tezcatara's Ember	Can be strong in Strike-synergy builds
C	Toasty Mittens	At start of turn, Exhaust top card + gain Strength	Situational; hurts if you Exhaust a key card
C	Biiig Hug	Remove 4 cards; each shuffle adds a Soot to draw pile	Deck thinning offset by adding Soots
C	Seal of Gold	Spend 5 Gold at start of turn to gain 1 Energy	Too expensive for 1 energy

Darv

Act 2 or 3

Largest pool (12 blessings). Most reliable Ancient overall. The STS1 veteran.

Focus: STS1 boss relic veterans — well-understood power levels

Tier	Blessing	Effect	Notes
S	Runic Pyramid	At end of turn, no longer discard your hand	Keep your hand. Insane in stat-stacking or setup builds.
S	Pandora's Box	Transform ALL Strikes and Defends	Can be S or catastrophic. Transform into great cards = run over.
S	Snecko Eye	Draw 2 extra cards/turn; start each combat Confused	Terrible in low-cost decks. Excellent in high-cost decks. Know your build.
A	Black Star	Elites drop an additional Relic	More relics = more power; consistent value
A	Empty Cage	Remove 2 cards from your deck	Solid free deck thinning
A	Astrolabe	Transform 3 cards, then Upgrade them	Upgraded transformations can be very strong
A	Dusty Tome	Obtain an Ancient card matching your class (Upgraded)	Guaranteed strong class card
B	Ectoplasm	+1 Energy/turn; can no longer gain Gold	Act 2 only — Energy is great but no gold means no shops
B	Sozu	+1 Energy/turn; can no longer gain Potions	Act 2 only — Usually the most punishing of the energy tradeoff trio
B	Velvet Choker	+1 Energy/turn; cannot play more than 6 cards per turn	Act 3 only — Most acceptable tradeoff of the trio; 6 cards is usually enough
C	Calling Bell	Obtain Curse of the Bell + 3 Relics	3 relics is great but the Bell curse stacks over time
D	Philosopher's Stone	+1 Energy/turn; all enemies start with +1 Strength	Act 3 only — Enemy Strength in Act 3 is brutal. Almost never worth it.

Nonupeipe

Act 3

Hosts one of the most powerful blessings in the game (Fur Coat).

Focus: Economic extremes, HP scaling, free cards, mark mechanics

Tier	Blessing	Effect	Notes
S	Fur Coat	Mark 7 random combats; enemies in those rooms have 1 HP	Trivializes 7 rooms including potential elites — extremely strong
A	Brilliant Scarf	The 5th card you play each turn is free	Consistently strong in any deck playing 5+ cards/turn
A	Jewelry Box	Add 1 Apotheosis to your deck	Auto-upgrade all cards for a turn — powerful in card-dense builds
A	Looming Fruit	Raise Max HP by 31	Massive survivability boost going into Act 3
B	Beautiful Bracelet	Choose 3 cards; Enchant them with Swift 3	Strong for targeted enhancement
B	Delicate Frond	Fill all empty potion slots at combat start	Strong if you run a lot of potions
B	Choices Paradox	At combat start, add 1 of 5 random cards to Hand (Retain)	Good card advantage; variance dependent
C	Glitter	Enchant all future card rewards with Glam	Long-term value; weak if near end of run
C	Diamond Diadem	If you play 2 or fewer cards in a turn, take half damage	Very build-specific
C	Blessed Antler	+1 Energy/turn; start each combat with 3 Dazed	Energy offset by dead draws early every fight
D	Signet Ring	Gain 999 Gold	Act 3 — gold has minimal utility this late

Tanx

Act 3

Aggressive combat-focused blessings. Great for attack-heavy decks.

Focus: Attack-based aggression, card transformation, momentum

Tier	Blessing	Effect	Notes
S	Throwing Axe	The first card you play each combat is played an extra time	Doubles your opener every fight — universally strong
A	Tri-Boomerang	Enchant 3 Attacks with Instinct	Strong in attack-heavy decks regardless of character
A	Sai	At start of each turn, gain 7 Block	Quiet and consistent — 7 free block every turn adds up
A	Meat Cleaver	At Rest Sites, remove 2 cards + gain 9 Max HP	Ongoing deck thinning at campfires — underrated
B	War Hammer	After defeating an Elite, Upgrade 4 random cards	Strong reward for elite-heavy routing
B	Iron Club	Every 4 cards played, draw 1 card	Steady draw in high-volume decks
B	Crossbow	Add a random Attack to Hand at start of each turn	Consistent attack supply; quality varies
C	Claws	Transform up to 6 cards into Maul	Strong in attack-heavy builds; useless in others
C	Tanx's Whistle	Add 1 Whistle card to deck	Build-specific
D	Spiked Gauntlets	+1 Energy/turn; Power cards cost 1 more	Powers are often key; the penalty outweighs the energy for many builds

Vakuu

Act 3

Community rates about 3/10 options as genuinely good. Volatile pool with massive highs and brutal lows.

Focus: High-risk/high-reward — "the trolling expert"

Tier	Blessing	Effect	Notes
S	Lord's Parasol	When you encounter a Merchant, get EVERYTHING for free	Broken if you have a shop upcoming. Potentially S+ tier.
A	Jeweled Mask	At combat start, put a random Power from draw pile into Hand (free)	Free Powers every combat — excellent for Power-heavy builds
A	Music Box	Create an Ethereal copy of the first Attack you play each turn	Strong doubling effect for key Attacks
B	Blood-Soaked Rose	Add 1 Enthralled to deck; +1 Energy/turn	Energy offset by the curse card
B	Choices Paradox	At combat start, add 1 of 5 random cards to Hand (Retain)	Also in Nonupeipe pool — Solid card advantage
C	Whispering Earring	+1 Energy/turn; Vakuu plays your first turn automatically	Risky unless your turn 1 is always predictable and low-stakes
C	Fiddle	Draw 2 extra cards at start of turn; cannot draw cards during your turn	Excellent if you want a big opener, bad if you rely on draw effects
C	Sere Talon	Add 2 random Curses + 3 Wishes to deck	High variance curse gamble
D	Distinguished Cape	Lose 9 Max HP; Add 3 Apparitions to deck	Apparitions are useful but 9 Max HP in Act 3 is a steep ask
D	Preserved Fog	Remove 5 cards; Add Folly (unremovable curse) to deck	Deck thinning offset by a permanent, unremovable curse

Lord's Parasol Note

If a shop appears on your Act 3 map after taking Vakuu, Lord's Parasol is arguably the strongest single blessing in the game at that point — a fully-stocked Act 3 shop for free can include multiple rare relics and potions. The catch: you need a shop on your path, and Vakuu's pool is otherwise weak.

Neow Orobas Pael Tezcatara Darv Nonupeipe Tanx Vakuu