Throne Dance

For Rune-blade in The Barrow King (Mossgate, room 10). This guide earns Throne Dance. The Steam and mobile builds track achievements; the web build does not.

Not filmed yet. This route was checked by replaying it through the game’s own achievement judge, which awarded the achievement, but no video of it exists. The turn list below is read from that replay.

The rule

In The Barrow King (room 10) hero HP damage for the entire attempt=0. Every positive HP-damage event on the Barrow King comes from Slash. No helper, burn, field, thorns or other spell may damage him; attacks against raised rats are unrestricted.

Before you begin

The verified run used the Rune-blade kit after 9 draft picks, one for each earlier room, in the order below. Every pick is one the game offered at that point. A different draft gives a different kit, and the script may then need changes.

The script

step right
repeat 3:
    step up
step left
wait
face up
cast ward rune
step up
repeat 2:
    face up
    cast slash
step down
step right
face up
cast ward rune
face up
cast lunge
step left
face up
cast slash
step down
face up
cast ward rune
wait
step up
repeat 2:
    face up
    cast slash
face up
cast ward rune
repeat 2:
    face up
    cast slash
step down
step right
face up
cast lunge
step left
step down
step left
face up
cast lunge
step right
face up
cast lunge

Enter it exactly as shown, keeping the indentation, and press Play. The verified run took 34 turns, 62 executed instructions and 45 rows and finished with 44 HP.

Turn by turn

1. Turn 1: Step right.
2. Turns 2 to 4: Step up (3 times).
5. Turn 5: Step left.
6. Turn 6: Wait.
7. Turn 7: Cast Ward rune.
8. Turn 8: Step up.
9. Turn 9: Cast Slash. Slash hits the Barrow King for 6.
10. Turn 10: Cast Slash. Slash hits the Barrow King for 6.
11. Turn 11: Step down.
12. Turn 12: Step right.
13. Turn 13: Cast Ward rune.
14. Turn 14: Cast Lunge. Lunge hits the Barrow rat for 10 and it dies.
15. Turn 15: Step left.
16. Turn 16: Cast Slash. Slash hits the Barrow King for 6.
17. Turn 17: Step down.
18. Turn 18: Cast Ward rune.
19. Turn 19: Wait.
20. Turn 20: Step up.
21. Turn 21: Cast Slash. Slash hits the Barrow King for 6.
22. Turn 22: Cast Slash. Slash hits the Barrow King for 6.
23. Turn 23: Cast Ward rune.
24. Turn 24: Cast Slash. Slash hits the Barrow King for 6.
25. Turn 25: Cast Slash. Slash hits the Barrow King for 4 and it dies.
26. Turn 26: Step down.
27. Turn 27: Step right.
28. Turn 28: Cast Lunge. Lunge hits the Barrow rat for 10 and it dies.
29. Turn 29: Step left.
30. Turn 30: Step down.
31. Turn 31: Step left.
32. Turn 32: Cast Lunge. Lunge hits the Barrow rat for 10 and it dies.
33. Turn 33: Step right.
34. Turn 34: Cast Lunge. Lunge hits the Barrow rat for 10 and it dies.

What to watch

• The king is hit only by Slash (6 or 4 damage a hit in the log). Lunge is used only on the raised rats, on turns 14, 28, 32 and 34.
• Ward rune, a shield that absorbs 8 damage, is cast before the hero steps beside the king. The verified run ends with 44 HP, the Rune-blade's full health: no HP is lost at any point.
• Rats raised by the king can be attacked with anything; only damage to the king is restricted.

If it does not unlock

The achievement is checked on a replay of a won run. Win the room with a script that follows the rule above; a run that does not meet every clause wins the room and earns nothing.