[jncfhnb]

Fun game! I lost a few points short of killing the dragon as I assumed it would work out that he was definitely killable if you wasted no heals. Turns out that’s false.

I can now fully clear the board very quickly. A few insights:

Since the lich is always in a corner you can guess where he is by checking just three corners. This also unlocks a free powerful spot on the map. It has strength 11 mind you.

You have to get your extra power ups early if you want enough hp to clear the board. This means you have to explore aggressively to find the gnome (10 coins) and the lich (2 coins per mine). It’s not terribly strict but you can’t waste time grinding up levels. You generally just want to explore tiles that you know won’t kill you. Don’t waste time on walls. Those are just buffer spots to help you avoid wasting heat scrolls.

The ? Blocks mean there’s a strength 5 beholder guy 2 spaces away. He obscures all tiles within a radius of 2 so it’s pretty easy to guess where he is. He’s a great target to hit because it usually lets you jump forward.

The 8 strength slimes cluster together. Might as well just leave that area alone once you find it.

Edit: 5:21 for a first attempt at an any% time

[yacin]

if you see the 8 slimes, they cluster in a

    SSS
    SLS

pattern that can be rotated where the Ss are 8 strength slimes and the L is the 1 strength lich that, when killed, reveals all 8/5 strength slimes on the map. if the pattern is obvious from what you have revealed so far, it's worth it to kill the lich to give more map knowledge. but yeah, save the 8s for leveling up late game.