Plague Ichor: An Opportunity for Deeper Progression
As it currently stands, Plague Ichor feels underwhelming—especially considering it is primarily a boss drop. Unlocking a few extra inventory slots doesn’t feel like a meaningful reward for overcoming powerful bosses. Rather than serving as a solution to an artificial inconvenience, Plague Ichor has the potential to be a transformative mechanic that evolves the Cerim’s abilities and playstyle.
Imagine a “Plague Tree”—a progression system where ichor points earned from defeating bosses could be invested into stat boosts or gameplay-altering upgrades. For example:
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“Your rune attacks now costs stamina but deal 25% reduced damage,” incentivizing players to reallocate attribute points into stamina-heavy builds.
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“Lightning-imbued attacks always chain to at least 1 additional enemy,” perhaps with adjacent nodes offering minor perks like “+2% increased damage to shocked enemies.”
(note: obviously I wouldn’t want the game to become substantially easier so naturally I would assume the scaling of enemies would be adequately adjusted to reflect this kind of power increase)
Something like this would offer meaningful long-term goals and help to reframe Plague Ichor as a deeply important, rewarding item to aspire to collect.
As for inventory management: if it’s intended to be a limiting feature that forces decision-making, that’s valid, but it should be purpose-driven. Otherwise, consider streamlining it entirely. One suggestion: tie storage expansion to a crafting system where you can make bags that scale with the quality of materials used. This keeps the system immersive and player-driven, while in line with some of the current mechanics in the game.
Ultimately, Plague Ichor should feel like a source of power—a mysterious, corruptive force that actively shapes your character. Right now, it doesn’t reflect the thematic weight or gameplay potential it promises.
Crucible: Punishing Without Reward
The Crucible has a lot of potential, but a few design decisions currently hold it back. Most importantly, no map should contain run-ending ledges. Losing an entire run due to a misaimed dodge or an ill directed swing near the edge—especially after a lengthy, careful progression—feels overly punishing and frustrating. The challenge should come from combat and decision-making, not platforming mishaps.
Additionally, there’s no meaningful progression tied to rerunning the Crucible, so once you have experienced the novelty of defeating the Echo Knight boss, you are merely left to grind for RNG drop legendary items which A) you would need prior knowledge of the pool to know what you are farming for, and B) require that you complete the entire run without failing. The best rewards should come from defeating the boss in the final chamber, but if you fail the run on floor 9 you should be adequately compensated or at least have a chance to be compensated for your time in some way.
Introducing a Crucible-exclusive progression system—whether it’s a unique currency that drops more frequently the higher floor you are in, a tier of armor or weapons that only drop with a similar higher floor to better rarity ratio, or perhaps another skill tree —would go a long way. For example, tying Crucible rewards to the aforementioned Plague Ichor system could reinforce both as intertwined sources of power and progression. This would provide players with a reason to keep returning, even after partial runs, and make the experience feel much more rewarding.
There’s something truly special about No Rest for the Wicked, and I think some of these pain points could be used as stepping stones for creating an absolute masterpiece of a game.