Speed Runs

[snow]

How do people do it? My two online wins have been 337k turns (15 runes) and 220k (3 runes) yet other people seem to take a 10th of that. I realize tossing crystal spears at rats really hurts my turn count but even when I play a troll berserker and never rest I only end up a bit past the lair by the time some other players have already won.

When players do speed runs, how exactly do they do it? Do they dive everything? What about resistances? I really don't see how it's possible but it clearly is if people are able to do it....

[KoboldLord]

Spriggans are basically playing an entirely different game than every other background.

I can't get the crazy turncounts myself, but my understanding is that you just run away from everything you can't stab in one turn. If it doesn't absolutely need to die for you to get by, you leave it alone. One stabbed hill giant later on will replace all the xp you get from the first three or four floors combined, so you aren't actually as behind as you might otherwise think. Runes and treasure that you go for should be given the ninja treatment, leaving the monsters guarding them alone. Go Lugonu and/or Jiyva partway through the game for the free Runes, and don't worry overmuch about divine wrath because you'll be rushing through the game anyway. Resistances and equipment don't matter as much because you aren't going to stand and fight. That orb of fire that would bedevil a normal character can be dealt with by stepping to the opposite side of a draconian pack, which will never successfully notice you because you're invisible and incredibly stealthy.

[LunarHarp]

Your turn count with wins goes down when you play a lot also. You do less of that pushing 5 thing when you don't need to.

[RFHolloway]

Don't press 5.

dont get hit

[Kate]

Playing a Deep Dwarf also helps, since then you don't even need to rest much.