When climbing the spire, no battles are more intimidating—and more rewarding—than elite encounters. They hit hard, they test every flaw in your deck, and they often end your run before you ever reach a boss. But here’s the truth: if you want to ascend reliably and collect those legendary wins, you need to stop dodging these fights and start mastering them. This guide is a full breakdown of every elite in the game—how they work, how to beat them, and why you should seek them out. Let’s jump in.
Why Elite Fights Matter
For newer players, elite fights can seem like something to avoid. After all, they’re tougher than normal fights, they spike your damage taken, and they don’t look optional if you want to survive. But in practice, skipping elite fights hurts you far more than it helps. Why? It comes down to the power they offer.
Elite fights are your best source of relics. Yes, you can find relics in shops and events, but elite encounters reliably drop them—and if you’re lucky enough to pick up Black Star, you get two relics from every elite fight. With Preserved Insect, elites start with 25% less HP, making them easier to manage. And Slaver’s Collar grants an extra energy per turn in elite fights, tipping tough encounters in your favor.
Simply put, if you want powerful relics and stronger builds, elites are the key. They also drop significantly more gold (25–35 vs. the 10–20 from normal fights), which could be the difference between a critical relic purchase and missing out in the next shop.
Predictability Is Power
Elite fights are difficult—but they’re also predictable. In Act 1, elites always pull from a pool of three: Gremlin Nob, Lagavulin, and the Tri-Sentries. Each of these fights has a static AI pattern. You know what they’ll do. And once you’ve fought one of the elites in an act, the next elite fight guarantees it won’t be the same one.
Compare this to regular fights, which scale in difficulty as you ascend and can be drawn from much larger pools. If you’ve taken Runic Dome, which removes enemy intent display, elite predictability becomes a massive advantage. Knowing enemy behavior gives you the edge.
Add to that the chance to snipe elites with Neow’s Lament (if you route into an elite fight within the first three battles), and you’ve got free relics waiting to be claimed. Still, elite fights are high-risk, and you should never take them blindly. Your deck, your current health, and your available potions all matter.
Elite Mechanics in Detail: Act 1
Gremlin Nob: This is the classic turn-three death trap. Nob gains Strength whenever you play a skill, and he applies Vulnerable on hit. You want to deal big chunks of damage fast. Ironclad and Watcher excel here; Silent and Defect may struggle. If you can’t kill him quickly, expect a rough road ahead.
Lagavulin: The only elite that sleeps. You get three free turns unless you hit it early, and you should use those turns. Set up powers, play scaling cards, and clean your hand. On wake-up, it attacks for two turns and then debuffs your Strength and Dexterity. You want to kill it before that happens.
Tri-Sentries: Three enemies that flood your deck with Dazed cards while alternating attacks. Aim to kill one sentry (especially on the outside) by turn two. AoE helps a lot, as do dazed-synergizing cards like Evolve or Feel No Pain. The longer all three are alive, the more dead cards you’ll draw.
Elite Mechanics in Detail: Act 2
Gremlin Leader: This fight is all about managing the smaller gremlins. Leader attacks more often when there are adds alive—less so when they’re dead. Down both adds quickly, then pivot to damage or defense as needed. AoE again is king.
Tri-Slavers: A brutal damage race. The red slaver applies Vulnerable and stops you from attacking. The blue slaver weakens you. The taskmaster adds Wounds and ramps damage. Prioritize the red slaver. You need to get this fight over with fast, or you’ll drown in debuffs and raw incoming damage.
Book of Stabbing: It does what it says on the tin—stab, stab, and more stab. Every turn it increases its damage and adds Wounds to your discard pile. Weakness and strength reduction are your friends here. Defect players can get creative with static electricity and passive damage.
Elite Mechanics in Detail: Act 3
Nemesis: Alternates between huge hits and intangible turns (takes only 1 damage). This turns into a rhythm fight: attack hard on non-intangible turns, then block and prepare while Nemesis is intangible. Watch for burns in your deck—card draw and damage mitigation are vital.
Giant Head: The infamous slow test. For three turns, it barely reacts, letting you set up your win condition. After that, it starts ramping damage. Its slow debuff increases the damage it takes based on how many cards you play. So flood the field—play skills, draw, set up buffs—then swing hard with scaling attacks.
Reptomancer: Arguably the most terrifying elite. Starts with two daggers that do 9 damage, but on their second turn, they suicide for 25. Reptomancer summons more each turn. If there are four daggers on the field, she attacks. Kill daggers fast. AoE is almost mandatory here—Electrodynamics, Whirlwind, or Corpse Explosion work wonders.
The Act 4 Duo: Spire Shield and Spire Spear
This is the only elite fight you’re guaranteed to face if you reach the Heart. These two enemies come with unique mechanics: they surround your character, and whichever one you’re not facing deals 50% more damage. Targeting an enemy turns your character toward them. Think carefully before choosing whom to strike.
Spire Shield is the main debuffer, reducing your Strength, Dexterity, or Focus. It’s also well-defended and grants block to both enemies. You generally want to kill it first.
Spire Spear is the bruiser. Multi-attacks every turn, buffs both enemies, and adds Burns to your deck. On Ascension 18+, this starts on turn one, and the burns go on top of your draw pile, locking down your next hand. Artifact stacks on both make applying debuffs tricky.
AoE and careful turn planning are critical here. Retain draw cards, potions, and any targeted effects that allow you to shift direction can mitigate massive damage spikes. Many consider this fight harder than the Heart itself—and for good reason.
Elite Fight Strategy Themes
A few universal patterns emerge across elite fights:
- Speed wins. Many fights are races—against buffs, scaling damage, or summon timers. Build your deck to end fights fast when possible.
- Scaling matters. Especially in Act 3, you need scaling—either in block, damage, or resource generation.
- AoE is crucial. Multi-enemy elites are common, and if you can’t clear adds quickly, you’ll lose control.
- Targeting priority matters. Identify which enemy or action presents the biggest risk, and build or play around that.
- Deck planning. Don’t enter elite fights blindly. Know which ones you could face and prep your deck accordingly. Cards like Evolve, Sweeping Beam, or Shrug It Off aren’t just good—they’re elite insurance.
Final Thoughts
Elite fights aren’t just speed bumps—they’re milestones. Each one conquered is a relic gained, a deck strengthened, and a signal that your build is on the right track. The better you plan, the more relics you can grab, and the more powerful your runs become. Use this guide to learn enemy patterns, plan your routes, and stop avoiding the real fights.
Take the risk. Slay the elites. Climb the spire.
Want more? Join the community live on Twitch or hit up the Discord to talk builds, fails, and those glorious Act 4 wins. See you at the top, Slayer.
My Gaming Tutorials 
Leave a comment