Many roguelike fans will appreciate the smooth gameplay ofDead Cells,especially after its recent boost in popularity and sales. However, it’s the run-by-run character customizations that truly make this game stand out among its competitors. The best builds combine a plethora of weapons, upgrades, and available power-ups. Most importantly, unlockable mutations can spice up any run to new heights.
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As the limit of mutations increases during the progression of a run, so too do the possibilities of run-makers or run-enders appearing. This begs the question: Which mutation will make a run succeed, and which will make the run meet a tragic demise?
12Acceptance
While it may seem appealing at first for the purpose of curse runs, the mechanics of curses make it painfully obvious the lack of reward this mutation offers. Picking up this mutationmakes curses more tolerable to finish by killing enemies. Yet, it has one significant disadvantage.
Picking up this mutation means thatany food the player picks up during their adventure will create another curse. If infinite curses is what they desire, then this is great. However, for the vast majority of players, this will be a major hindrance.
11Alienation
Truly skilled players may seek out this type of mutation as a form of healing, but the length of subsequent curses make this mutation a truly mixed blessing.Curses make any hit an instant death, meaning that the player who picks up Alienation will have a consistently harder time reaping the benefits of these standard pickups.
Even so, the major benefit of Alienation is its short-term healing and ability to salvage runs, making it sometimes worth picking up.
10Emergency Triage
Increasing the use speed of health potionsis slightly useful, but under the effects of Emergency Triage,all potions will restore less health. While this may make the difference in some runs, in others it can be actively harmful to long-term success.
For the run-saving properties, however, it is possible to take Emergency Triage and succeed with it if any players want a high-risk play style without the skill to back it up.
In general, trade-off mutations are less than ideal.Increasing HP by 50% temporarily, but also removing the same amount of health gain from healing items, means that Dead Inside falls short of a reasonable pick-up for any player.
There are niche uses for the increased maximum health, so this mutation is, in theory, viable; however, it’s almost always better to pass on this mixed blessing.
8Ammo
Extra ammo for ranged weaponsmay seem kind of lackluster to the untrained eye. Yet, it does have its uses in builds that heavily use these projectile-based moves. Bows that have low ammo, or require a long time between refills, will benefit heavily from this increase in capacity.
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Even so, not all ranged weapons benefit from this mutation, making it a rare pickup even for predominantly ranged builds. It’s almost always better to get something else.
7Masochist
Mutations in general, while not being a huge buff for most players, can save a run if they are effective in a particular situation. Masochist definitely fits that bill,minimizing trap damage at the cost of speed.
Anyone who has lost a run to a trap knows the power of minimizing the damage of these annoyances. Although not a huge boon, it’s definitely worth getting. While acquiring this mutation can be a pain, for completionists, it’s already necessary and makes the pool of mutations available slightly better.
6Ygdar Orus Li Ox
This consistent mutationgives the player an extra life, returning them with 25% of their maximum health.Despite its consistent use, it still has the disadvantage of sealing off other potentially run-defining mutations when acquired.
Most mutations have a niche use, but this mutation becomes effective because of its general uses. Many mutations are sometimes useful, but this one is always useful. A second chance will make most runs just slightly better as well, so new players can feel safe picking up this unique item.
5Velocity
Velocity effectively makes all combos easier to maintain. Itbrings the combo duration for running up to 30 seconds rather than 10, making for a bold and effective mutation for any skilled player. This mutation takes advantage of the combo mechanic and allows experienced players just a bit more breathing room.
New players will find this combo extender a nice addition to theirDead Cellsexperience as well. It allows them to make otherwise impossible plays on a regular basis,especially with fast weapons like the sword.
4Recovery
Getting hit inDead Cellscan be an issue for anyone, even experts. Thus, it goes without saying that removing some of the lasting impacts of these mistakes can be an excellent addition to any run. Recoveryincreases the time to recover healthafter making such a mistake, and is all-around very useful.
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Improving survivability is a great asset for anyDead Cellsaficionado, so Recovery easily bests other similar mutations by virtue of helping players stay alive longer.
3No Mercy
Many of the mutations inDead Cellsrely on the player’s ability to do reliable damage on their own. Yet, No Mercy improves not only survivability byreducing combat times, and also increases DPS by executing enemies.
It may seem simple to kill enemies under a certain amount of health, but this can apply to all sorts of mundane situations and abilities. This makes No Mercy a remarkably useful and effective source of power in any run.
