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Making progress inHeroes Of Hammerwatch 2can often feel like an impossible uphill battle. But persistence pays off as the further you get in, the more fun the toys become. One particular interesting feature is the Shadow Curse, and whilst on the surface it may seem like it’s only going to make your run more difficult, there are benefits.
It’s an interesting approach that rewards you for doing some homework and thinking outside the box a little with your build. It’s not something you’ll need to worry about until many hours in, but for those still unsure about that big blobby ball of darkness they keep running into, here’s a helpful guide to Shadow Curse in Heroes Of Hammerwatch 2 and how to remove it.
What Is Shadow Curse?
First and foremost, you’re not going to be worrying about Shadow Curse until you’re aboutmid-way through the game. Roughly around when youenter the Dungeonsfor the first time. The curse itself is basicallya debuff that’s applied to certain itemsgiven out by a specificspecial merchantthat looks like a floating ball of darkness.
The debuff willappear in your stats as Shadow Curse, and it reduces your armor. So if you’re already struggling with being too squishy, or you’re a glass cannon build, this can cause some problems.
To get Shadow Cursed you just need topurchase an item from the swirling black cloud, but it’s a completely optional decision. Thecurse is applied in stacks,and each item provides a different stack amount whilst also scaling with your level. The higher the stack of Shadow Curse,the larger the amount of armor that’s removedfrom your overall stats. With lower armor, you’ll be taking much more damaging hits from mobs.
How To Remove Shadow Curse
Now if you’ve managed to find yourself afflicted with Shadow Curse then don’t worry there areways to remove it, and it’s incredibly easy to do so. You’ll needaccess to the Courts, and all you need to do is run around until you find what’s known as a Pyre Room.
These are denoted bythe purple candles dotted around the roomand if you have a modifier that reveals the Dark Citadel map you’ll find it within moments. Walk up to the Pyre andinteract with it. The mound will set ablaze, and it willremove a random amountofShadow Curse stackson your character.
There’sno guarantee that you’ll completely cleanse your buildif you have a high amount of stacks. But if you roll in with alow volume of Shadow Curse, then you should be relatively fine.
In general,Pyres remove half of your stacksand a minimum of at least eight. So if you have less than eight you’ll be immediately cleansed each time you use a Pyre.
Pyres spawn one mound per level in random spots, and there’sno guarantee you’ll get one every run. Unlocking the Architect and then paying him small fee doesspawn at least onePyre per run.
The Benefits Of Shadow Curse
Now if you’ve read all that and are wondering why anyone wouldkeep their Shadow Curse intactuntil the end of their run, then here’s some fun facts worth knowing about this particularly pesky debuff. With certain builds, or weapons, it cansubstantially powerboostyou.
This is possible through two things. The first is thatcertain weapons will scalewith your Shadow Curse level, so the more cursed you are, the harder you hit. The other is using the fact thatcertain classes don’t focus on or need armor to be effective. Such as Rangers, Rogues, Wizards, Warlocks, and so on.
Anyone thatdoesn’t need to ever get closecan enjoy atasty big powerboost, whilst those that get stuck in melee will need to play the long game. So you will often have to ask yourself; Is it worth getting rid of the curse now? Or should you justtake the armor reductionto enjoy the damage boost?
It’s afun featureworth putting some time into as it can often benefit you in the long run.
