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Thoughts on Heroic Tombs of Terror 100% Completion - Update

Following up on my thoughts from week one. For any crazy person attempting to obtain every check-mark, these are my experiences.

I've just finished obtaining every check-mark so far. After 974 boss defeated, I've managed to get 54 successful heroic runs.

Of these 54 successful runs, 29 of them have gone the distance and dealt the full 300 damage in a single attempt. One still un-pictured because I forgot to document it.

Firstly, I hate Xatma, Plague Lord of Death. I find that encounter extremely frustrating.

I still think Alchemist's Stone is the best passive in Tombs of Terror. I’m also a big fan of Disks of Legend, Mummy Magic, and Lucky Spade because they’re powerful and rare. In my experience, treasures that help cheat mana, tempo, and/or value are instrumental to dealing the full 300.

I didn't know this treasure was even available.

I'm not finding Heroic Tombs of Terror significantly more difficult than Heroic Dalaran Heist. For the Dalaran Heist, it took me 17.5 bosses defeated per successful run. So far, Tombs of Terror has that number at 18.0 bosses defeated per successful run.

Personally, I find Reno to be significantly harder to complete than Elise or Finley. On average, it takes me 24.7 bosses to get a successful Reno run, but it takes me ~15 for Finley and Elise.

As a challenge, I think Heroic Tombs of Terror is, in some ways, very easy and, in others, very hard. If the goal is to obtain the Heroic card back, I think the challenge is very easy. There are certain combinations of treasures, hero powers, and decks that, I feel, consistently deal 300 damage to a boss.

For example:

• Finley with Hero Power 2 and Deck 3
• Elise with Jr. Navigator, Hero Power 2, and Deck 2
• Elise with Academic Research, Hero Power 3, and Deck 2

The challenge of beating Heroic, or even dealing 300 damage in a single run is not very hard because it's gated by the best each explorer has to offer.

The challenge of 100% completing Heroic Tombs of Terror is significantly more difficult. This challenge is gated by the worst each explorer has to offer. After you complete the powerful combinations, you're left with some combinations that are harder to make work.

I feel like compared to the Dalaran Heist, Tombs of Terror discourages experimentation. The most brutally efficient way to complete this challenge, is to use combinations and strategies that you know work to whittle down the Plague Lord. I think this is because you, as the player, choose a signature treasure, and your goal is to deal 300 damage. At the start of most runs, you have already decided on a plan to try to force. I feel like a larger variety of viable decks were possible in the Dalaran Heist.

I still think Tombs of Terror is significantly different than the Dalaran Heist. I like it in different ways than I liked the Heist, and I'm frustrated by different parts. I'm excited to start tackling the final wings of the adventure tomorrow.

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