Inscryption beginner's guide: Vendors, card upgrades, and combat tactics

Similar to other card battlers or collectible card games (CCGs), Inscryption's mechanics rely on tried-and-tested rules. But, of course, there are a few twists, too. Some might be a little confusing, especially if you're new to the genre. Here's our Inscryption beginner's guide to help you with basic mechanics, vendors, card upgrades, map encounters, and combat tactics. Note: For more information, check out our Inscryption guides and features hub. Inscryption beginner's guide - Card combat, map encounters/icons, vendors, and card upgrades At the start of your Inscryption playthrough, you'll meet a mysterious being named Leshy. He challenges you to a match and, from this point onwards, you'll progress and learn from each lesson. Anyway, since we're discussing several facets and mechanics, I've split up our Inscryption beginner's guide into two sections. You can refer to the pages below for the parts that you need help with: I. The basics - Understanding card stats, perks/sigils, resources/mana, and general combat II. Progression on the map - Map icons, vendors, and upgrading your cards Inscryption beginner's guide - Basic mechanics Let's talk about the basic mechanics in Inscryption. You'll need to master these to progress further in the game. Understanding card stats and sigils in Inscryption A vast majority of the cards in Inscryption show various animals and monsters. They also have their own stats and perks: Attack (ATK) - The lower-left portion of a card. Defense or health (HP) - The lower-right portion of a card. Summon cost (i.e., mana) - Seen on the upper-right portion of a card: Blood - Some cards cost blood before they can be played. You earn blood by sacrificing other cards (more on this later). Bones - Conversely, there are cards that cost bones. You earn bones whenever your cards get destroyed by an opponent. This mana/resource will be introduced as a mechanic after your first loss or "death" against Leshy. Sigils - Some cards in Inscryption have a sigil or passive perk seen at the bottom segment. However, additional upgrades would be placed at the upper-left section, too. Here are some examples of sigils: Waterborne - The creature submerges itself when it's your opponent's turn. Your opponent will damage you directly. Airborne - Strikes your opponent directly even if there's an opposing creature. Mighty Leap - Blocks an opposing creature with the Airborne sigil. Touch of Death - If this creature attacks another, its target is automatically killed. Unkillable - If a card with this sigil perishes, a copy is created in your hand. Many Lives - If a card with this sigil is sacrificed, it does not perish. Fledgling - A card's power will grow if it remains on the board after a turn. Sharp Quills - If struck, the attacking creature will suffer damage as well. Amorphous - When drawn, the sigil is replaced with another at random. Bone King - If a card with this sigil dies, +4 bones are awarded instead of +1. Worthy Sacrifice - If a card with this sigil is sacrificed, it counts as +3 blood instead of +1. Bifurcated Strike - This creature will only attack opposing spaces to the left and right. Trifurcated Strike - This creature will attack opposing spaces to the left, right, and center. The basics of card combat in Inscryption: Card placements, drawing, obstacles, and Squirrel sacrifices for blood tokens When you engage in card battles in Inscryption, you'll see that you have a handful of cards taken from your deck. Likewise, you'll notice a board with multiple rows. There are four spaces in the bottom row where you can place your own cards. Your opponent, Leshy, will also play his hand. In case two creatures are opposing each other in the same column, then their ATK and HP values are taken into consideration. Your cards will act first after you place them down, and Leshy's will attack after he's done with his turn. In some cases, there are obstacles like boulders or trees in a space. At the start of your turn, you can also choose to draw from your deck or draw a Squirrel card. The Squirrel doesn't cost a single blood or bone token. In fact, it's actually used often for sacrifices. If you click on a card that costs blood, you can also click on the Squirrel and other cards you own. These will sacrifice the ones that you selected, allowing you to summon a stronger card with a higher blood cost. However, gaining blood tokens is an action that's solely for that card that you're about to place down. Conversely, bone tokens are a pooled resource whenever any of your creatures get killed by your opponent. The idea is to be aware of what you have in your deck so you're not starved for mana/resources. Note: For more about card mechanics, you can take a look at our best cards/sigils guide for Inscryption. Winning battles and boss fights, overkill damage, excess teeth, death, and Deathcards To win card battles in Inscryption, you need to tip the scales in your favor (i.e., the scales are seen at the left side of the table during matches). If creatures aren't opposed by a monster in that column, or if they can attack your opponent directly, then they'll take damage (you'll see little "teeth" dropping on the scales). If you greatly damage your opponent well past the limit, this is considered "overkill." The excess teeth that spill over can be used to purchase pelts from the Trapper (more on this vendor later). Of course, if you mess up and your opponent trounces you, this will also lead to your doom. Your lives per run are limited (symbolized by candles at the right side of the table). If all the candles are snuffed out, you're considered "dead." Leshy will taunt you and ask you to make a Deathcard, a powerful addition to your deck if you can pick some cool combinations. After you make a Deathcard, Leshy will take a picture of you. It's time to begin another run where you're given a starter deck. You need to progress and upgrade stuff again. Yes, Inscryption is very much a rogue-lite CCG. Note: We discuss some of the tougher opponents you'll face in our Cabin boss battles guide. Puzzles If you take a look at your surroundings, you'll realize that you're trapped inside a cabin. There are several strange devices here. These are actually puzzles that you can solve, and they provide you with some awesome rewards. Note: We discuss these in detail in our Cabin puzzle solutions guide. For now, let's go to the next part of our Inscryption beginner's guide to discuss general progression, vendors, and card upgrades. Inscryption beginner's guide - Map progression, vendors, and card upgrades Let's talk about exploring the map/board in Inscryption. We'll encounter vendors and have opportunities to upgrade our cards. Familiarize yourself with the map and its icons The map in Inscryption has several icons and, in many cases, branching paths as well (though you can only move forward). From the initial zone, you'll fight bosses to reach new areas. Ideally, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the icons so that you're aware of what you may encounter. The three icons representing battles are: Skull icon - A normal bout against Leshy. Bird with antlers icon - Leshy will activate a totem that buffs some of his cards. Giant skull icon - This is the boss battle for that particular zone. Note: We discuss some of the tougher opponents you'll face in our Cabin boss battles guide. Vendors and card upgrades As for the other icons on Inscryption's map, these represent encounters with vendors or altars, some of which will let you upgrade your cards further. Oh, and these vendor NPCs are actually just Leshy. He's wearing different masks to change his identity (he's an odd fella). Item vendor You can have a maximum of three consumable items on the table. The item vendor (a spot with a backpack icon) will let you pick additional ones whenever you visit. But, if you have more than three, you'll automatically receive the Pack Rat card. The Pack Rat is a 2/2 (2 blood) card that gives you an item whenever it's played (assuming you're not at the limit yet). Card selection There are several straightforward ways to get new cards outside of encounters or other trials. These are their icons: Cards with a question mark - Turn over three cards and pick the one you want. Card with wolf icon - You'll see three kinds of creatures (i.e., feral beasts, reptiles, insects, and more). Pick one to get a card with that type. Card with blood droplets - Select a card that's face down (it has blood or bone icons). You'll get a creature with that summoning cost. Boulder - Pick a boulder that gets smashed. You'll receive the card that's hidden underneath it. Bonfire A spot on the map with a bonfire icon allows you to boost a card's stat (either its ATK or HP) based on the icon and value on the floor. You may also choose to boost it further, but this is extremely risky. There's a high chance that the card will get destroyed in the process. Cave Dweller trial If you see a cave icon, that's where the Cave Dweller NPC is. You're presented with trials where three cards are randomly drawn from your deck and they need to pass the requirement. For instance, the three cards must have a total of +4 ATK or higher, +6 HP or higher, or have three or more sigils. If you pass the trial, the Cave Dweller will let you pick one new card (usually a rare variant). Sacrificial Altar The Sacrifice Altar is a spot marked with an "X." If you plop down a card here, it'll be destroyed. Depending on its value, you might be given a boon (i.e., additional bones when you start encounters). It's also an important tidbit that's part of one of the Cabin puzzles. Sigil Altar The Sigil Altar has an odd symbol. It looks like a Taurus rune with three vertical scratches protruding from it. The Sigil Altar has two slabs that let you place cards. The bottom card will be destroyed, but its sigil/perk will be transferred to the card at the top. This is one of the best ways to upgrade your cards. Something that's already strong by default (i.e., Grizzly), could gain a sigil that lets it annihilate a lot of enemies in a single turn. Woodcarver's Totems The Woodcarver's location is marked with yet another odd symbol: a bird with a knife. This is also a place that you'd want to visit if you want to buff your cards because of the unique mechanics. The Woodcarver presents you with two halves of a totem: the head and the body. The heads represent the types of creatures (i.e., flying, reptilian, feral beasts, insects, and more). The bodies, meanwhile, have sigils. If you create a totem with a specific combination, your creatures of that type will gain the buff from the sigil. A good example is getting the Worthy Sacrifice sigil for the body, and obtaining the Squirrel totem head. Mycologists The Mycologists or Myconids Twins are found if you visit a spot with a mushroom icon. If you have two of the same card, you can place these on the slab. They'll fuse the cards to combine their ATK and HP values. Trapper Remember what we talked about regarding "overkill" states and getting extra "teeth?" Well, these teeth are the currency used when you meet the Trapper who's in a space with a beartrap icon. You can exchange teeth for pelts (the more valuable it is, the higher the cost). Trader Finally, there's the Trader NPC, whose icon looks like a computer with a question mark (that's the best way I could describe it). The pelts that you've obtained from the Trapper and other means can be exchanged here for cards. If you have Golden Pelts, you can procure some rarer creatures, too. Oh, and if you somehow fused two pelts thanks to the Myconid Twins, then the Trader will exchange cards that are already fused. Note: For more about card mechanics, you can take a look at our best cards/sigils guide for Inscryption. Inscryption is available on Steam. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.

Inscryption beginner’s guide: Vendors, card upgrades, and combat tactics

Inscryption beginner’s guide – Card combat, map encounters/icons, vendors, and card upgrades

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Inscryption beginner’s guide – Card combat, map encounters/icons, vendors, and card upgrades

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