Not a noob but apparently play like one

[Mugwump64]

I have played DC:SS for years on and off. I play almost daily at the moment. I have NEVER won a game, not even close. I can get to mid-game (D12ish or so), but that is it. I flame out around this point every time. So, I decided to stick with the basics and while I have got much better at playing the first 10 or 12 levels I still crash and burn. I now play MdFi exclusively so as to reduce variables while I learn. A typical game goes something like this:

Auto-explore first 2 or 3 levels, grabbing all the goodies I can. Read all of my scrolls and drink all my poitions so everything collected at this point is identified. Hopefully I have found some good plate armor and a decent axe by now. I do not play with any of my skill settings and always go with Trogg or Okawaru as my god.

Things go along nicely until lvl10 or so. I am surviving tough situations more and more often, but eventually something gets me.

I believe my main fault is that I rush into battle too soon and I am totally ignorant as to how to properly develop my spell casting or magic use. I understand Trogg severely limits that area, but many many wins on the boards are with MdFi characters, so where am I failing myself?

Feel free to offer you ideas, strategies and crtiques.

Thanks!

[slowcar]

My guess would be that you are too focused on killing everything. Crawl forces you to ignore strong enemies (and come back a bit later, maybe).
In almost every situation there is something you could have done, or an error you made a short time before. Sometimes it's just the RNG that kills you, but more often one doesn't take the time to think, forgets about the one scroll or potion, or just mashes tab instead of retreating to a stair.

MdFi of Oka or Trog are strong characters, but limited in what they can do. Try to pick up some throwing and maybe a sling, the aptitude is not good, but -1 is manageable. Without magic it is often good to weaken enemies before they reach you using a ranged weapon.
Oh, and use a shield. The added damage from bigger weapons is not worth the risk most of the time.
Check for your attack speed, don't use a bigger axe if you'll attack slowly with it.

Maybe play something a bit different to get some other points of view. A Kobold Berserker, for example, plays similar, but has stealth and dodging instead of armour, stabbing with shortblades instead of axes.
Or a Merfolk Crusader, more on the casting side. If you find nice spells, like swiftness, it may help you survive difficult situations.

You can also check out other people playing in webtiles, maybe you can learn some nice tricks.

[mrbobbyg]

What is your branch progression? Where are you when you die at level 11?

Are you picking up all glowing/runed/shining gear?

Are you wearing armour or dodging?

Do you use shields?

What are your ranged options?

[absolutego]

(ninja'd, but anyway:)

MDFi are fine if you're playing 0.8+. if you want to skip magic for now there are other good builds along those lines, such as KoBe and HaBe (switch to short blades, find a sling, stick to light armour and train stealth if you try either of those). general advice may sound dull: play carefully, never rush when you don't know what you're facing (and wait for them to come to you when you do), use range weapons (throwing or a sling if you're using a shield, bows or crossbows otherwise, and trog/oka will shower you in ammo and launchers at high piety), fight in corridors, run away from anything you think you might have trouble with, or simply when in doubt, and come back later. above all else, use and abuse the wiki (some say it's outdated and/or plain wrong, and it's true, but it's still great at this point in your crawling career) and the bots, unless you mind spoiling yourself too much. you may also want to spectate, for some entertainment with a little bit of learning thrown in.

try out magic too, sometime. roll an ice/air conjurer, or a venom mage. as for hybrids, merfolk crusaders or deep dwarf necromancers are powerful combinations. don't be afraid of fooling around.

i assume you're doing lair when you find the entrance before going deeper down the dungeon, right? you should. there are bad critters (the occasional early hydra, spiny frogs, black mambas) but it's generally easier than the equivalent dungeon floors, and gives good experience. you may also try the orcish mines. i can't really give you finer advice as i don't know what you're doing wrong. there's plenty of generalist advice in the wiki (some things you may have considered, and some you probably haven't).

[sxoz]

I understand wanting to stick with one race/class combo to limit your variables, I did that myself at first. But honestly, I think you get a much better idea of how the game works if you give a lot of different combos a try. I'd suggest doing something like making a goal of getting each of these to Lair (or to level 10, or 15, etc): MDFi, KoBe, HEWz, MfCr, SpEn, DDNe (or whatever, just pick some varied play styles, but these combos listed are some of the highest win-rate combos and all play quite differently).

I'd also suggest watching other people play. It's much easier to do now if you're not comfortable with the ascii version, since you can spectate in webtiles. But if you're comfortable with the ascii version then log on to CAO or CDO and watch someone play a combo that you're interested... watch them from level 1 if you can. You'll probably pick up a lot that you didn't notice before.

[Mackerel]

I'm still pretty new myself, and have never won; but my last two characters have progressively made it farther than any of my previous tries. What I have learned can be summarized into one short idea:

In order to win the game, you have to survive every single battle. Or, to put it the other way around, you can't have even one situation in which you die. You can kill thousands of monsters and you still lose if you die; the monsters can suffer thousands of casualties and they still win if you die.

That means you NEVER step forward into battle until you have looked at the situation and have decided (a) you will surely win, because you have clear overwhelming power, or (b) you will probably win, and know what your attack strategy and your retreat strategy should be, or (c) it's likely or definite that you will lose, in which case you retreat NOW.

A large portion of my deaths, and a large portion of posts you read here, indicate that people got ahead of themselves, and attacked too quickly or left off retreating too late.

The other posters have good advice: think before the fight how you're going to use corridors, pillars, corners, water, and lava to your advantage; think before the fight how you're going to use potions, wands, and scrolls; plan out your overall build plan for armor and weapons. I'd add: think before the fight how you're going to separate monsters from each other, using timing, ranged weapons, and staircases, in order to fight one or two of them at a time instead of large groups; think before the fight how you'll know early that you're in trouble, and how you're going to get away, instead of discovering that you've allowed yourself to get into a situation where death is inevitable.

But the most important part I've learned is: you have to win every time, so NEVER step forward into battle until you've looked at the situation and made the right decision about it.

[Mugwump64]

Thanks everyone for the quick responses. It sounds to me like my biggest mistakes are rushing from level to level to quickly, trying to kill every monster I see on that level and not developing my magic possibilities. Yes, I tackle the lair levels and the orcish mines. I also seem to do pretty well in those areas. I think what throws me off sometimes is when I am battling I don't watch my health closely enough. Example: I am fighting a magic character (can't remember name) and I was beating him down pretty well I was at half health and figured since he was at a quarter or less I could finsih him off. I had never encountered this person before and had no clue what abilities he had. Sure enough, next turn he blasted me out of existence with some kind of magical whammy. It's not that I don't enjoy magic users, I simply have never played them very much. Even in games like Oblivion, Diablo, Dragon Age, etc. I tend to be a brute force warrior or such with a few healing spells and potions. Obviously with DC:SS it is time for me to learn the ways of magic... Keep the input coming, I need it

[eharper256]

Yes, everyone else has got the primary advice right. Crawl is different to most other CRPGs; it can and will kill you mercilessly. Ironically, Crawl is the game that most makes me remember my Sun Tzu:
>> He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious.
>> If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.
>> Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.
>> He who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace is the jewel of the kingdom.

In other words, win before you start; engineer the situation in your favour, and if you see no way to win, do not fight. This includes selecting ground advantageous to fight in, taking advantage of unaware critters, and knowing your gear and your options. You see a new creature, approach warily; and right-click it to examine.

Remain aware of your situation at every turn. Try not to autoexplore on hazardous levels until things are mostly clear: it chooses the most efficient route, but not neccessarily the best route. Have a contingency and an escape plan, and if YOU ARE at half health, you should be executing that plan. RIGHT NOW. Never think 'I can take them'; as this thought of overconfidence is the easy way to get roflpwned. This is especially the case; MORESO even for non-magic users, who don't have safety nets like Blink or Mephetic Clouds etc.

Its pretty ironic, but using Trog's Berserk is one of the most tactical choices in the early game. Picking the wrong time will kill you. Even a fighter should carry a swiss army kit of throwing weapons or other options to use prior to combat. Duelling may be honorable, but its not going to help you live. Finally, nearly all modern CRPG players naturally hoard items and save them. Don't be afraid to use everything and anything if it means surviving; as there is no point having a panic button you never use. Do not fight to the death over a perceived treasure. Lose it rather than lose your life.

Its totally possible to win without magic (well, at least 3 rune, as I've heard, can't say from experience, I'm magic's bitch and D21 is my lowest level so far) but what kills fighters most is actually the thought that there is only one way to approach a problem (i.e. charging it). This even gets parties killed in say, Dragon Age, where you often at least need to be aware of threat; who's generating it, and how to manage it. Although that in general is more forgiving, so meh...

[Astarotte]

>> He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious.
>> If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.
>> Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.
>> He who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace is the jewel of the kingdom.

If a game relates to those wonderful sayings, then it's a great game. Crawl is!

[joellercoaster]

A few things come to mind - other people have made the important points about running away, and gently browsing across branches:

1) FWIW, I think you're doing the right thing by playing the same combo over and over again, especially as that combo is very well understood in the way MDFi is. I only won when I stopped messing around and played SETr of Chei exclusively until I finally 'got it'. It can seem a little bit boring while you're reading about people's experiences playing Kenku Stalkers of Ashenzari who convert to Mahkleb for the postgame or whatever, but it's worth it if you're struggling.

2) Trog forbids spellcasting, but that's all right for a 3-rune game. His gifts and abilities more than make up for it. Actually you might want to consider MDBe, as you'll start out with Trog from the beginning (ie., gifts happen earlier) and they're otherwise pretty similar. Part of the advantage of playing Berserkers is not having to worry about all that magic nonsense!

3) Plate armour and heavy axes are powerful, but not without their downsides for low-level characters. If you have low Armour and Axes skills (and STR, in the case of platemail), then going for them straight away isn't always the best thing to do.

Keep on trucking, Crawl is a journey of many small epiphanies. You're probably not far away.

[sigfried von murdock]

Armour, Shield and Evasion are invaluable.

I had a very strange Draconian Shield Monk that could soak more damage than any character I have ever made, every little bit counts... But not getting hit by dangerous monsters is even better.

It may be a bit slower, but actually try to imagine your self in your characters place and figure how you would approach a situation that leaves very little room for mistakes. Caution is always important, and retreating up or even down can be better than standing your ground. The bright side is that every death can be a learning experience, so leaving the majority of your deaths to extremely bad luck or new problems you have never faced will keep you from restarting every time you charge that Ogre, get mobbed by snakes, hold down the attack key too long and find your self either dead or surrounded. Etc.

Also, learn how to gauge enemies around you level. A normal green slime can be absolutely devastating when you first encounter them, other times your character has the endurance and fire power to slurp em down like jello.

I don't know if you have ever made it to the slime pits, but it is a side dungeon that should be approached with 5 times more caution than a normal D level.

[Mugwump64]

Thanks to everyone for their help!! I took some advice and play a Kobold Bezerker. I loved it! it really opened my eyes to some big mistakes I have been making. Here is the character dump to show how I did. It took me about 5 tries to get him to this point: Feel free to offer more advice and input. THANKS AGAIN.

  Code:

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup version 0.8.0 character file.

3211 Tork IV the Slicer (level 10, 0/60 HPs)
             Began as a Kobold Berserker on June 2, 2011.
             Was an Elder of Trog.
             Succumbed to a killer bee's poison
             ... on Level 9 of the Dungeon.
             The game lasted 00:49:00 (10455 turns).

Tork IV the Slicer (Kobold Berserker)                                                                              Turns: 10455, Time: 00:49:00

HP   0/60        AC  7     Str 15 (17) Exp: 10/4098 (0), need: 3662
MP   9/9         EV 20     Int  7      God: Trog [****..]
Gold 343         SH  0     Dex 18      Spells:  0 memorised,  9 levels left

Res.Fire  : + . .   See Invis. : .    j - +1,+0 short sword (speed)
Res.Cold  : + + .   Warding    : . .  v - +4 skin of Zhor {rC++}
Life Prot.: . . .   Conserve   : .    (no shield)
Res.Acid. : . . .   Res.Corr.  : .    (no helmet)
Res.Poison: .       Clarity    : .    (no cloak)
Res.Elec. : .       Spirit.Shd : .    m - +0 pair of gloves
Sust.Abil.: . .     Stasis     : .    (no boots)
Res.Mut.  : .       Ctrl.Telep.: .    (no amulet)
Res.Rott. : .       Levitation : .    n - +2 ring of dexterity
Saprovore : + + .   Ctrl.Flight: .    q - ring of protection from fire

@: exhausted, mildly poisoned, slowed, very slow, somewhat resistant to hostile enchantments, quite stealthy
A: carnivore 3, saprovore 2
a: Burn Spellbooks, Berserk, Trog's Hand, Brothers in Arms, Renounce Religion


You were on level 9 of the Dungeon.
You worshipped Trog.
Trog was extremely pleased with you.
You were near starving.

You visited 2 branches of the dungeon, and saw 10 of its levels.

You collected 323 gold pieces.

Inventory:

Hand weapons
 b - a +0,+0 dagger (quivered)
 j - a +1,+0 short sword of speed (weapon)
 s - a +0,+0 sabre
Armour
 m - a +0 pair of gloves (worn)
 v - the +4 skin of Zhor (worn) {rC++}
   (You found it on level 4 of the Dungeon)   
   
   
   It greatly protects you from cold.
Magical devices
 o - a wand of fire (1)
 p - a wand of fire (2)
 t - a wand of confusion (6) {unknown}
 y - a wand of fire (6)
 B - a wand of fire (9)
Scrolls
 e - 2 scrolls of detect curse
 f - a scroll of random uselessness
 i - a scroll of enchant armour {unknown}
 k - a scroll of blinking
 l - a scroll of teleportation
 w - a scroll of remove curse
Jewellery
 n - a +2 ring of dexterity (right hand)
 q - a ring of protection from fire (left hand)
Potions
 a - a potion of berserk rage
 d - a potion of speed
 u - a potion of slowing {unknown}
 x - a potion of porridge {unknown}
Magical staves
 g - a staff of wizardry {unknown}
Miscellaneous
 r - a plain deck of war


 You had 0 experience left.

   Skills:
 + Level 6 Fighting
 + Level 11 Short Blades
 - Level 3 Maces & Flails
 - Level 1 Armour
 + Level 7 Dodging
 + Level 4 Stealth
 + Level 3 Stabbing


You had 9 spell levels left.
You didn't know any spells.

Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations

Branches:
Dungeon (9/27)             Temple (1/1) D:6         
   Orc: D:6-11        Lair: D:8-13     

Altars:
Cheibriados
Elyvilon
Fedhas
Kikubaaqudgha
Nemelex Xobeh
Okawaru
The Shining One
Xom


                    Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations

You recuperate from illness quickly.
You are small and have problems with some larger weapons.
You are carnivorous and can eat meat at any time.
You can eat rotten meat.


Message History

The killer bee stings you but does no damage.
The killer bee stings you.
* * * LOW HITPOINT WARNING * * *
The killer bee stings you. The killer bee's sting was poisonous!
You are more poisoned.
* * * LOW HITPOINT WARNING * * *
You die...

                  ···
                 ·····
                 ·····
                  ···
                  ¦·¦
   ¦      ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦·¦¦¦
   ¦·¦¦   ¦···········¦¦
¦¦¦¦···¦¦¦¦·(··········¦¦
¦······@·k·············%·
¦········k·k··········¦¦·
¦·······>··········(··¦¦·
¦·······?·············¦¦·
¦·····················¦¦·
 ··s^·················¦¦·
  ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦···········¦¦·
          ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦


You could see 3 killer bees and a scorpion (wandering).

Vanquished Creatures
  Erolcha (D:8)
  Joseph (D:7)
  Edmund (D:4)
  A phantom (D:7)
  A sky beast (D:8)
  2 ogres
  2 centaurs
  Menkaure (D:6)
  An orc warrior (D:6)
  The ghost of Tork IV the Skirmisher, an average KoBe of Trog (D:3)
  A giant frog (D:8)
  3 killer bees (D:9)
  A shadow (D:7)
  3 imps
  5 hounds
  A hound skeleton (D:8)
  3 orc priests
  An orc wizard (D:6)
  2 worker ants
  A worker ant zombie (D:5)
  Ijyb (D:6)
  2 jellies
  3 gnolls (D:8)
  2 green rats (D:5)
  3 snakes
  A giant mite (D:3)
  3 worms
  A giant eyeball (D:6)
  2 megabat zombies
  3 giant geckos
  14 orcs
  7 giant cockroaches
  12 goblins
  18 hobgoblins
  18 megabats
  2 quokkas
  6 giant newts
  13 kobolds
  An orc skeleton (D:6)
  An orc zombie (D:7)
  A quokka skeleton (D:6)
  16 rats
  A small snake (D:3)
  A bush (D:8)
165 creatures vanquished.

Vanquished Creatures (others)
  A big fish (D:6)
  An ooze (D:8)
  An orc (D:8)
  A toadstool (D:6)
4 creatures vanquished.

Grand Total: 169 creatures vanquished

Notes
Turn   | Place   | Note
--------------------------------------------------------------
     0 | D:1      | Tork IV, the Kobold Berserker, began the quest for the Orb.
     0 | D:1      | Reached XP level 1. HP: 13/13 MP: 0/0
   271 | D:1      | Reached XP level 2. HP: 6/17 MP: 1/1
   987 | D:1      | Reached skill level 1 in Short Blades
   994 | D:1      | Reached XP level 3. HP: 22/22 MP: 2/2
  1007 | D:1      | Acquired Trog's second power
  1070 | D:1      | Reached skill level 1 in Stealth
  1452 | D:2      | Noticed a centaur
  1915 | D:2      | Defeated a centaur
  1915 | D:2      | Reached XP level 4. HP: 24/26 MP: 3/3
  1915 | D:2      | Reached XP level 5. HP: 29/32 MP: 4/4
  2263 | D:3      | Reached skill level 4 in Short Blades
  2265 | D:3      | Noticed Tork IV's ghost (average KoBe)
  2309 | D:3      | Defeated Tork IV's ghost
  2309 | D:3      | Reached XP level 6. HP: 34/35 MP: 5/5
  2563 | D:3      | Reached skill level 5 in Short Blades
  2741 | D:3      | Reached skill level 6 in Short Blades
  3072 | D:3      | Reached skill level 1 in Stabbing
  3407 | D:4      | Noticed Edmund
  3439 | D:4      | Defeated Edmund
  3439 | D:4      | Reached XP level 7. HP: 25/42 MP: 6/6
  3823 | D:4      | Found a sparkling altar of Nemelex Xobeh.
  3909 | D:4      | Reached skill level 7 in Short Blades
  3931 | D:4      | Found an ancient bone altar of Kikubaaqudgha.
  4019 | D:4      | Got a smelly skin
  4020 | D:4      | Identified the +4 skin of Zhor (You found it on level 4 of the Dungeon)
  4043 | D:4      | Acquired Trog's third power
  4070 | D:5      | Entered Level 5 of the Dungeon
  4146 | D:5      | Found a glowing golden altar of the Shining One.
  4403 | D:5      | Found a blossoming altar of Fedhas.
  4578 | D:5      | Found a glowing drain.
  5409 | D:6      | Reached skill level 8 in Short Blades
  5449 | D:6      | Found a white marble altar of Elyvilon.
  5527 | D:6      | Found a staircase to the Ecumenical Temple.
  5589 | D:6      | Noticed Menkaure
  5611 | D:6      | Defeated Menkaure
  5839 | D:6      | Noticed Ijyb
  5906 | D:6      | Defeated Ijyb
  6076 | D:6      | Reached XP level 8. HP: 35/46 MP: 7/7
  6242 | D:6      | Found a shimmering altar of Xom.
  6369 | D:6      | Noticed Sigmund
  6504 | Temple   | Entered the Ecumenical Temple
  6544 | D:6      | Reached skill level 9 in Short Blades
  6759 | D:6      | Reached skill level 5 in Dodging
  7142 | D:7      | Reached skill level 5 in Fighting
  7544 | D:7      | Noticed Joseph
  7580 | D:7      | Defeated Joseph
  7580 | D:7      | Reached XP level 9. HP: 15/54 MP: 8/8
  8041 | D:7      | Reached skill level 10 in Short Blades
  8573 | D:8      | Noticed Erolcha
  8591 | D:8      | Defeated Erolcha
  9431 | D:8      | Found a flagged portal.
  9564 | D:8      | Reached skill level 11 in Short Blades
 10194 | D:8      | Reached XP level 10. HP: 36/60 MP: 9/9
 10454 | D:9      | HP: 1/60 [killer bee (4)]
 10455 | D:9      | Succumbed to a killer bee's poison

[mrbobbyg]

Nice run!

Bees are bastards.

[Mackerel]

I might make a couple of comments.

1. Looks like you were still recovering from being berserk. Generally going berserk means you lose, if you can't kill everything around before it wears off.

2. Pretty decent weapon and a nice armor there, but 3 bees is still too big a fight to be in at your level. So that looks like a good situation to have retreated from before the fight started, if possible.

3. With a potion of speed in inventory, your best last chance might be to quaff that, move to a hallway so that only one bee can sting you, and get to a staircase so that you can pull just one bee upstairs, rather than trying to fight 3 of them.

[moekitten]

you can try to watch online games, but mostly not high-level but low-level ones. they are not so interesting to watch but they can show you how other people solve problems similar to yours
webtiles are good but most people play ascii on-line and ascii games are recorded and can be downloaded and re-watched locally i.e. you can watch a game knowing that this char has won

[absolutego]

you had a scroll of blinking and one of teleportation in addition to the potion of speed, so you should've been able to get away from them in time. always look at your consumables in these situations.

and if you post a character dump, please use the code tag, it makes it much more readable.

[galehar]

and if you post a character dump, please use the code tag, it makes it much more readable.

I added it to his post.

[thevogonpoet]

I am also still a Crawl noob, but I have some Trog advice:

(So, you shouldn't be taking on 3 bees at a time the open, but ok, maybe you got suprised.)

What to do when you run out of beserk and you are still surrounded?
Your kobald is in Dire Straights, therefore, use Brothers in Arms. BiA is awesome.

But now you are slow, exhausted, on low HP, and have to wait a few short turns for your crazy Brothers to do their thing. So, next time you find yourself surrounded by 3 bees, or indeed in any dangerous situation, call BiA first, then go beserk (and maybe use your beserk to run away rather help your brothers, who will be kicking ass anyway).

Trog piety is just like other consumable - sure, you don't want to waste it, but it can't help you once you're dead. He who has the biggest stash of items/piety does not win a rougelike. He who learns to spend those consumables in a timely manner will triumph.

[joellercoaster]

Your kobald is in Dire Straights, therefore, use Brothers in Arms.

Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

[thevogonpoet]

Yeah sorry about that, I couldn't help it. I tried to resist such a tired joke, but I am weak.

[Mugwump64]

This forum has been such a good find for me. I have struggled for years to advance beyond my current level of play. With everyone's help I have broken a few bad habits and poor strategies. I can now reach late-early and early-mid game consistently. I was getting a bit jaded, but now I look forward to each game with excitement again. I know it may sound silly to some, but I had been playing with some really bad habits for a looooong time. I rushed into battles, I fought to the death (no retreats), I did almost no cross training, I didn't take the time to learn how armor, magic items, spells and gods REALLY work in this universe. Probably most damaging of all was my lack of research into race/class/god combos. I just superficially picked my character based on what I liked and how I thought they should behave. Basically, I took a deep, complex game and tried to play it like an arcade machine.

Thanks to everyone who helped pull me out of my cave of stupidity and maybe someday soon I will see the orb.....

[Grimm]

Welcome to Crawlers Anonymous.

[Shade]

What to do when you run out of beserk and you are still surrounded?
Your kobald is in Dire Straights, therefore, use Brothers in Arms. BiA is awesome.

Life is hard for a Brotha.

I've been playing a number of Be's lately**, and BiA is you 'Ooops shouldn't have zerked there', 'Some other idiot has to charge into that', 'I need caster / ranged cover', and 'I need an easy retreat' button. It's your best friend.

The other big Be lesson is that Berserk works very well for running away if you aren't too far from stairs or a hatch. (In fact I think Trogites who fail to hit something while berserk should probably take a big piety hit as a Nerf. That, and Trog should be a little less generous with the item drops.)

** I'm not on a Be hiatus as I just lost a KoBe in Zot:5 with the Orb in hand to a resist switching failure. It made me very angry. Which was fitting for a berserker.

[Happy Corner]

What the others said about summoning brothers when you're exhausted (or any other situation when you're in trouble). I always feel dumb when my Berserkers manage to die with enough piety left to use that.

I'll add that you shouldn't be afraid to spam your brothers, either, call more than one of them when you're in a bad situation. Yes, that costs piety, but also like they said above, all the piety in the world won't help you if you're dead. Trog is one of the easiest gods to build/regain piety for anyway (unless you insist on hanging out in one of the undead-infested branches). The monsters certainly aren't fair to you, so when they push you, return the favor right the hell back by calling down a horde of berserk brothers to gangbeat their asses!