If you've explored enough of Heroes of Hammerwatch 2, you've likely run into a Pyre or two.
They might initially look like some random dungeon bits, but they play a significant role in dealing with the Shadow Curse.
As your curse stacks, Pyres are your best shot at surviving. Here's a quick rundown on Pyres and how they can make a big difference in your run.
What Are Pyres For?
Players can hit up Pyres to ease off some of those Shadow Curse stacks.
Instead of wiping the curse out, these shrines take off half your curse stacks, removing at least eight.
Even a few curse stacks are enough for a Pyre to cut it down by at least eight.
For example, if you have 50 stacks, Pyre will reduce them to 25. If you have a higher number, like 65 stacks, Pyre will reduce them to 33.
This can take a load off, especially when that curse wrecks your character’s defense.
Without Pyres, you’d be slipping, facing damage left and right, and struggling against the tough ones.
The game doesn't give you access to Pyres from the get-go.
You’ll mostly run into them later on, especially in places like the Courts, after you’ve taken down major enemies like the Harbingers of Dread.
You won’t also run into Pyres early on since you don’t have enough curse stacks to play around with them.
Pyres will only be helpful when you’ve acquired cursed items and accumulated curse stacks.
The Pyre won’t activate unless you’re cursed, so you won’t be able to interact with it otherwise.
Once you hit the mid-game and beyond, expect to come across these shrines a bit more often.
The Shadow Curse mainly shows up when you get your hands on cursed items.
Look for these items in the dark clouds scattered around the levels.
As the number of cursed items increases, so does the curse, requiring you to handle it carefully.
Your health bar will display curse stacks if you're under the effect of a curse. The more stacks you have, the more the penalties start to show.
The loss of armor and resistance will expose your character to greater damage.
Though Pyres can clear curse stacks, using them as soon as possible is not always ideal.
If your cursed gear helps you out as the curse stacks up (boosting your stats), you might want to hold off on cleansing every stack.
It’s worth a quick thought: Do the bonuses from cursed items outweigh the curse's downsides? If so, you might decide to leave a few stacks intact.
When the penalty starts piling up, especially with the damage and visibility, finding a Pyre to reduce those curse stacks is a good call.
Once you’ve accumulated enough curse stacks, interacting with a Pyre will trigger a visual cue, and you’ll be able to cleanse part of your curse.