In this guide, we explore one of the most creative and chaotic runs in We Who Are About to Die—the Blacksmith Apprentice victory, where your goal is not to earn Fame or survive endless waves, but to smuggle 100,000 coins worth of gear back to your blacksmith shop. You play as [__] (known affectionately here as Mongo), the biggest hustler of 105 BC, who’s turned the Gladiator pit into his personal procurement playground.

The twist? You can’t sell items—you must donate them via right-click, which deducts their value from your 100,000-coin total. And with random traits, brawling tactics, and comedic chaos along the way, this run turns into something completely unique.

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Starting Traits: RNG Madness or Perfect Synergy?

Mongo begins with:

• Big Spender (bad): Shop prices are 10% higher.
• Brawler (neutral): Destructible objects (like stools and jugs) deal +10 bonus damage.
• Frenzy (neutral): You deal and receive +25% damage.
• Underdog (neutral): You gain more skill the more enemies and elites are present.

The Brawler/Frenzy combo transforms the arena into a slapstick demolition derby. You’re not buying weapons—you’re hurling furniture.

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Combat Strategy: Chaos as a Weapon

With Brawler, every thrown stool, branch, and jug becomes a lethal projectile. Early fights? Don’t bother with weapons—pick up the nearest chair and start swinging. Here’s what worked:

• Stools and branches become high-DPS tools of destruction.
• Thrown items retain the damage bonus—making fancy jugs a 5,000-coin missile.
• Crowd throws more junk at you when Brawler is active—more tools for your arsenal.

In a hilarious twist, Mongo becomes a fan favorite not through elite combat technique but by hitting bosses with fruit and timber.

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Smuggling Strategy: What to Keep and Donate

Since the goal is to send gear worth 100K back to the shop, here’s what you should do:

• Always right-click (donate) high-value loot instead of selling it.
• Look for Spoils to the Victor fights. These let you keep weapons and shields from enemies.
• Boss battles and elite duels offer top-tier loot—huge value toward your total.
• Skip low-value weapons. A single fancy jug is worth more than some swords.

You’ll want to exit fights with expensive items in hand, drop your current gear, and scoop up whatever fetches the highest donation value.

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Notable Boss Fights and Builds

Mongo’s run includes:

• Twin Barbarian Boss Fight: Won with a low-durability mace boosted by Frenzy + Brawler. Mongo literally beat the bosses with stools.
• Pagan Prophet Boss Fight: Survived by strategically softening minions and dodging heavy hits. Crowd-thrown debris became the winning blow.
• Grand Champion Duel: A towering elite with heavy armor was taken down by circle-cheesing pillars and surgical strikes.

Each fight reinforced the same idea: gear is optional, stools are forever.

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Traits and Perks That Matter

Traits that contributed heavily to this run’s success:

• Adept Footwork – More movement skill, perfect for the dodge-heavy chaos.
• Heavy Hitter – Synergizes well with improvised blunt trauma.
• Bloodlust – Regain stamina on kill. With Mongo’s rapid kills, it kept the momentum up.
• Warrior’s Endurance – Bonus stamina skill helps balance out Frenzy’s increased risk.

Crowd favorite moment: Mongo kills three enemies in one fight with only jugs and stools, and the audience boos him anyway. Truly the Gladiator’s paradox.

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Final Push and Victory Stats

By the final battles, Mongo had nearly everything:

• 23 wins
• 66 kills
• 3 dedicated throwing kills (the jug meta lives on)

The final arena saw Mongo jug-tossing his way through elite enemies, picking up thousands of coins worth of gear, and finally hitting that sweet 100,000-coin donation goal.

The reward? Shop discounts are 25% more frequent.

The reaction? “We went through hell and back for that?” But it was never about the discounts. It was about the journey. About proving that with nothing but a broken cup and a wooden chair, one Gladiator could make a difference.

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Conclusion: The Brawler’s Legacy

Mongo the Blacksmith didn’t just complete his run—he changed the meta. No gear? No problem. Just throw something. With Frenzy’s damage buff and Brawler’s destructible boosts, the arena turned into a sandbox of chaos.

And now, with every challenge completed, it’s time for new stories. The ball’s in Jordy’s court. New backstories await. Until then, never underestimate the power of a chair.

Much love. Bye-bye.