Have a Nice Death is a typical roguelike wherein players are expected to beat it in one run. Doing so requires a lot of luck and there aren’t many ways to upgrade the potential of the hero, Death, like through typical RPG means. Players are instead expected to “git gud” through repeated attempts in the levels.
Players will gain temporary boosts to stats and skills on their runs called Curses. One of Death’s subordinates, Mr. O’Shah, will appear in certain rooms to give players a choice of Curses to acquire. Of the many Curses that players can acquire early on in Have a Nice Death, some are a lot more beneficial than others.
8 Health Sparkle
One of the most important things in a roguelike is health. Health Sparkle will increase HP by ten points and upgrades after this Curse is acquired will further increase HP from there. There are a number of Curses like this one that fall into the category of boosting RPG stats.
There’s this one that increases HP, others that increase Mana, another that boosts defense, and so on. Filling up all of these gauges is great for lasting longer in Have a Nice Death.
7 Cloak Of The Gods
Cloak of the Gods will increase Cloak damage by five points. The name is misleading as Cloaks are special weapons that range from giant swords to spears. Death’s cloak will gain the ability to transform into these different weapons depending on if the required mod is picked up.
There are other Curses in the game that boost attack power for the other categories too. Scythes are Death’s main weapon and he can learn spells as well. Like the defensive stat boosts, increasing damage through Curses is a good idea in a Have a Nice Death just as it is in most roguelikes.
6 Treason To Live
To absolutely destroy any enemy or boss in this game, Backstab is a must. Some weapons and spells have this ability attached, such as the Dirty Dagger. Treason to Live is better than the Dirty Dagger though as it will give Death a 100% chance to Backstab enemies.
A Backstab, as the name might imply, will do critical damage to any enemy if their back is turned. If this Curse is acquired, Backstab will be applied to all attacks. It is a rare find, so players should grab it every time it comes up in Mr. O’Shah’s inventory.
5 Social Toxicity
Social Toxicity will infuse poison damage into whatever Scythe players are carrying on their current run. Getting poison damage added onto weapons is something common that appears in RPGs and roguelikes.
There are a lot of Curses like this too that infuse other types of bonus damage to the Scythe. Players can cause enemies to bleed, burn, freeze, or even hit them with bolts of lightning. The list goes on, but any sort of status damage booster for the Scythe will be helpful.
4 (Very) Irritable Boss Syndrome
(Very) Irritable Boss Syndrome is a funny Curse to say, but it is no joke. This Curse will bounce damage back to enemies every time players get hurt. It doesn’t deal a lot of damage back but anything in the field is helpful.
Also, this Curse applies to more than bosses too despite the name. There are better versions of this Curse, but this one should come up more commonly. Getting to counter enemy damage with any sort of sick burn is always appreciated in a roguelike.
3 Lil Sorcerer
Lil Sorcerer will reduce the cost of spells by 10%. There are better versions of this, but this is the starter version. Players are more likely going to play Have a Nice Death like an action platformer. There are tons of melee weapons in the game, which will pop up.
Spells are not uncommon, but they do require that extra barrier of Mana. With a bit of luck, players could go into a run and try to become a wizard-like warrior to focus on spell casting. Getting this cost reduction is one key Curse that can help.
2 Faster, Faster!
Next to beefing up core defense stats, being able to dodge in a roguelike will help keep players alive for longer. Have a Nice Death has a dodge ability, called a dash, and it runs on a cooldown. Faster, Faster! Is a Curse that will reduce this cooldown by 25%.
The more players can dash away from attacks, or through them, the better. One of the best things about this game is that enemies, from the common thugs to bosses, always signal their attacks. With this in mind, mastering and maximizing the potential of the dash ability is a good survival tip.
1 Daredevil
No one wants to die in a video game and this is especially true in a roguelike. That’s because players will lose progression in a game like Have a Nice Death permanently. Daredevil is a Curse that will prevent Death from dying, which sounds silly to write.
Players can survive a fatal blow once per run with this Curse equipped. They will be revived with one HP and the window for invincibility is short. Players have to be on their toes even if this Curse is acquired.
Have a Nice Death was released on March 22, 2023, and is available on PC and Switch.