Order AutomaticaBest Builds
Dark Tactical Roguelite Auto-Battler · 3×3 Ritual Grid
What is a 'Build'
A Build is a roster organized around a specific mechanic (usually an Indulgence buff or a unit-synergy chain), aiming to snowball steadily through the roguelite run.
General Build Framework
- Pick a theme: choose 1 core Indulgence as the build axis.
- Fill synergy: pick units that trigger effects adjacent to that theme (see Unit Synergy).
- Cover role slots: front-row soakers/triggers, back-row damage/buffs.
- Layer relics: collect forbidden / cursed relics between fights — they transform the run's rules and open new synergies, the roguelite improvisation layer.
- Patch with items: 19 items fill synergy gaps.
Source: Steam Store Page · GAMESCENSOR Beginner's Guide.
Core Build Principles
- Plan before the fight — battles play out automatically; the win is decided on the grid. The developer's own tagline is "like chess with demons."
- Mind the candle — you race the burning-candle mechanic: lose all your candles and the ritual resets. Builds must close out before your last light dies.
- Roles over raw power — a run without a reliable frontline collapses fast; protect fragile damage dealers behind it.
- Exploit cell effects — position units on tiles that amplify their type (see Grid Placement).
Sources: Steam Store Page · GAMESCENSOR Beginner's Guide.
Confirmed Items (from the Demo client)
These 18 items were recovered from the public Steam demo client (AppID 2577030) — the official launch count is 19, so one remains to be found. Item effect text lives in the client's undecoded data, but the names are real and first published here:
Source: Steam demo client datamine (Steam Store Page, demo store page).
Demo-Verified Unit Pool — Practise Before You Pay
A tier list needs a meta, and a meta needs thousands of runs. What we can verify today is the roster the free demo actually hands you: 14 units are flagged playable in the demo client, so these are the pieces you can test real combinations with before spending anything.
| Unit | ATK | HP | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodkeeper | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Caregiver | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Cat | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Crow | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Droid Assassin | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Friar | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Ghoul | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Executioner | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Hermit | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Lifegiver | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Little Imp | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Madame | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Miner | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Fish | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Read the pool by role, not by rarity. Droid Assassin and Ghoul (ATK 2 / HP 3) are your durable front line; Bloodkeeper (ATK 4) is the single largest attack value available and the natural centrepiece of any attack-buff theme; Lifegiver (HP 3) and Caregiver anchor sustain lines. Note that 13 of the 14 cost the same 3 essence — the demo economy is flat, so early decisions are about which unit you take, not whether you can afford it.
Base stats recovered from demo save-states (AppID 2577030) and aggregated across runs. These are the values the demo ships; they may be rebalanced for launch. The other 13 units are flagged not available in demo in the client. Source: demo client datamine · Steam Store Page (demo store page).
How to Judge a Build Before a Meta Exists
With no tier list to copy, score any candidate roster against five checks. A build that passes all five is sound no matter what the eventual meta turns out to be:
- Trigger, or just stats? Check your units against the 34 ability trigger conditions — a board of pure stat sticks has no ceiling, because nothing compounds.
- Can the front line hold? Battles resolve automatically, so a build that dies before its End of Round triggers fire is a build that never executes. Durability is a damage stat here.
- One axis, or a pile? A single Indulgence buff theme beats four unrelated strong units, because buffs multiply and stats only add.
- Does it need the grid? If your key units depend on adjacency or a numbered cell, your placement plan is part of the build — see Grid Placement.
- Can it close before the candles do? Every candle you snuff makes enemies stronger, so slow, grindy builds lose to the timer even when they win every fight.
Start with the demo: the 14 units above are enough to run all five checks for real, which is a better use of an evening than reading anyone's day-one tier list.
Tier List / Meta Answer
Everything above is verified and usable now. The one thing this page will not do is rank the units against each other before anyone has played the release build.
Coming after launch: a power tier list and specific meta combos, built from real play data after 2026-09-04 — not recycled from another auto-battler. Until then the five checks above are the honest substitute.
Recommended Team Templates
Until a post-launch tier list exists, build rosters around verified demo pieces using the five checks above. Three starter shapes:
- Newcomer comp — low-skill, high-tolerance: a durable front line (Droid Assassin, Ghoul) plus one reliable damage piece (Bloodkeeper, ATK 4) and a sustain unit (Lifegiver / Caregiver). All four cost the same 3 essence in the demo, so the call is which you take, not whether you can afford it.
- Scaler comp — stack one complete synergy chain and layer forbidden / cursed relics that amplify it between fights.
- PvE / high-ritual comp — lead with control + burst and plan placement on the 3×3 grid so your triggers fire before the candles run out.
See the Beginner’s Guide for how difficulty scales with the ritual.
Builds vs. the Difficulty Curve
The ritual escalates as you progress, so a build that cruises early can stall later. Two rules keep a comp relevant deep into a run:
- Keep a control piece — high ritual tiers punish boards that only damage; a stun / redirect unit preserves your back line.
- Protect sustain — healing and shielding scale better than raw HP once enemies hit harder.
Full breakdown in the Beginner’s Guide.
Recent Patches & Build Impact
Patches shift unit strength, so any tier judgement should be re-checked after each update. Track the official Hotfix #1 (build 1.00.19) on Steam and revisit your comps when the numbers move.
What Players Are Saying (Community Signal)
In a 70-review sample, roughly 33% (23 of 70) of player reviews raised “build” / “team” / “setup” topics — the single most-discussed subject after launch. The conversation centers on unit interactions on the 3×3 grid and how synergies compound:
“Finding new synergies and watching a setup actually work is super satisfying.”
“The synergies between cells are fun, especially when the positive/negative effects start to affect your grid.”
“Very fun to get a Living Stone build going and steamroll everything.”
“There’s a solid variety of mechanics and they are easy to grasp, making it rewarding to build synergies and turn hindrances to your benefit.”
Takeaway for builders: grid placement (see Grid Placement) and unit synergy (see Unit Synergy) matter more than any single unit. For ready-made rosters, see the Team Comps & Unit Reviews page. Difficulty scaling (17/70 reviews) is the second-biggest theme — see Difficulty & Team Advice.