Creature Training & Leveling
A strong dungeon is built upon the backs of powerful creatures. While raw numbers can sometimes overwhelm, a smaller, well-trained, and high-level army will consistently outperform a large, untrained rabble. This section details the most effective methods for developing your minions into formidable forces.
The Training Room: Your Creature Crucible
The primary method for improving your creatures' combat prowess is the Training Room. This specialized room allows creatures to spar with each other, gaining experience and increasing their levels. The larger and more well-equipped your Training Room, the faster and more efficiently your creatures will level up.
- Construction: To build a Training Room, simply dig out an area and select the Training Room tile from your build menu. Minimum size is 3x3, but larger rooms are always better.
- Creature Density: The more creatures you have in a Training Room, the more sparring opportunities arise. However, be mindful of overcrowding, as this can lead to discontent and fights that aren't for training purposes. A good rule of thumb is to aim for 1-2 creatures per 3x3 tiles of Training Room space.
- Creature Types: Different creatures train at different rates and have varying combat styles. For instance, Horned Reapers and Dark Mistresses excel in direct combat and will level up quickly through sparring. Warlocks and Bile Demons also benefit, though Warlocks will spend more time researching in the Library.
- Super Training: For a significant boost, consider casting the Speed spell on your Training Room. This will temporarily accelerate all activities within the room, including training, allowing your creatures to gain levels at an increased rate. Be aware of the mana cost, however.
The Guard Post: Practical Experience
While the Training Room is excellent for controlled development, real combat experience is invaluable. Guard Posts provide a safe (mostly) environment for your creatures to gain experience by defending your dungeon from invading heroes.
- Strategic Placement: Place Guard Posts at choke points, dungeon entrances, and around critical rooms like your Heart or Treasure Room. This ensures your creatures engage heroes frequently.
- Mixed Units: Don't just stack your strongest fighters. A balanced defense with a mix of melee (e.g., Trolls, Skeletons), ranged (e.g., Warlocks, Dragon), and support (e.g., Monks if captured and converted) units will be more effective and provide varied experience.
- Healing: After skirmishes, ensure your creatures can quickly return to a Lair or Temple for healing. Injured creatures are less effective and more likely to die, losing all their hard-earned levels.
The Torture Chamber: Breaking Minds and Bodies
The Torture Chamber isn't just for converting heroes; it can also be a brutal, yet effective, method for leveling up certain creatures, particularly those with a sadistic streak or a high pain tolerance.
- Creature Selection: Dark Mistresses and Horned Reapers gain significant experience from torturing heroes. They revel in the suffering and become more powerful with each successful "interrogation."
- Hero Management: To maximize experience, capture a steady supply of heroes using the Capture spell. Weaker heroes are easier to capture and torture, providing consistent, albeit smaller, experience gains. Stronger heroes yield more experience but are harder to subdue.
- Conversion vs. Torture: Decide whether you want to convert a hero or simply torture them for experience. Once a hero is converted, they can no longer be tortured.
The Temple: Sacrifices for Power
While not a direct training method, the Temple offers a unique way to empower your creatures through sacrifice. Certain combinations of creatures sacrificed in the Temple can grant powerful boons, including experience to your remaining forces.
- Sacrifice Combinations: Experiment with different creature sacrifices. For example, sacrificing a Beetle and a Fly might yield a small experience boost to nearby creatures, while sacrificing more powerful creatures can have more significant effects. Consult in-game lore or community guides for specific combinations.
- Timing: Consider sacrificing creatures that are low-level or expendable to boost your core fighting force. This is particularly useful if you have an abundance of certain creature types.
The Library: Knowledge is Power (for some)
For your more intellectually inclined creatures, the Library is their training ground. While it doesn't directly increase combat levels in the same way as the Training Room, it enhances their magical abilities, which is crucial for support and ranged units.
- Warlocks and Bile Demons: These creatures spend considerable time in the Library researching new spells and improving their existing magical prowess. This indirectly makes them more effective in combat.
- Research Speed: A larger Library with more Warlocks will accelerate research, unlocking new spells and improving the magical capabilities of your spellcasting creatures faster.
General Leveling Tips
- Keep them Fed: Hungry creatures are unhappy creatures. Ensure a steady supply of food from your Hatchery to keep morale high and training efficient.
- Pay them Well: Regular payments from your Treasure Room prevent creatures from becoming disgruntled and leaving your dungeon. Happy creatures train harder.
- Possession: Taking direct control of a creature using the Possess spell and engaging in combat can be an excellent way to quickly gain experience for that specific creature, especially against tougher heroes.
- Prioritize Key Units: Focus your training efforts on your most valuable and powerful creatures first. A high-level Horned Reaper or Dragon can turn the tide of battle.