Since the latter is really easy, we’ve decided to merge these guides into one so they’re easier to keep track of. You can save your browser tabs for other awesome guides.
Below, we’ll first go over the Shopkeeper, including:
How to choose the best weapon for beating the Shopkeeper How to pick a good seed that makes your run easier The best artifacts and spells to use in your fight Why you should shop beforehand The best Shopkeeper tactics
After all of that, we’ll look at how to unlock other characters, as well as what zones you can find them in.
How to Unlock the Shopkeeper
Choose Your Weapon
There are a few common techniques for defeating the Shopkeeper.
One involves hunting for the Soul Link card to quickly bring her HP down. Another utilizes Reva’s Reflector Gem to reflect her most powerful attacks.
Personally, I find success by using Saffron’s alternate Chrono kit, so that’s what this guide will focus on.
Saffron’s Weapon in this kit, Wristwatch, slows time for 2 seconds, is invaluable for dodging the Shopkeeper’s tricky spells.
If you haven’t unlocked the Chrono kit yet, don’t worry. Play the game a little more, and it will soon unlock as your progression level increases.
Most techniques — ours included — opt to fight the Shopkeeper on the first world, as she grows in strength as the game progresses. This means that we need to take the fight to her as early as possible, which brings us to Seeds.
Every Good Start-up Needs a Seed
Before we start our attempt, let’s tackle something important: getting a good Seed. The seed is a number that predetermines the map layout, enemies, and rewards that you’ll find on your run.
To have the best chance of beating the Shopkeeper, we’d like to find a seed that has multiple Miniboss and Treasure encounters before a Shop, so we can load up on artifacts prior to facing the Shopkeeper.
The seed I used was 7218765, as it has one of each room before facing the Shopkeeper. This is by no means the perfect seed, and I urge you to look for your own if you still can’t beat the Shopkeeper after using this guide, but it’s a good place to start.
You can input a seed into the text box just below the “START” button when you begin a run.
Paralysis by Analysis
Lots of players struggle when deciding which spells and artifacts to choose, so let’s clarify what we’re looking for to help us defeat the Shopkeeper with our Saffron/Stopwatch tactic.
Ideally, you’re looking for cheap spells that dish out decent damage, such as Hired Gun — bonus points if they also have Trinity effects, like Tri Rag.
Next, prioritize finding one to two cheap shield spells like Shields Up or Miss-Me Shield. These help you avoid some of the Shopkeeper’s insane damage spells.
Finally, look for cards that synergize with the Trinity build, such as Tri Shot and Mana Steal. These are expensive spells, but the multi-use effects make them powerful early options.
Choosing Convergence and Phalanx in your deck’s Focus slots will make these cards more likely to appear. When choosing artifacts, also look for Shield and Trinity keywords, as well as anything that increases maximum Mana or Mana regeneration.
Shop Before She Drops!
It might seem silly, but I’ve seen multiple attempts where people forget they can actually shop before trying to fight the Shopkeeper. Don’t miss out on the vital chance to spend your money before the fight!
I usually buy an Upgrade to use on my most expensive card, in hopes of a mana reduction upgrade. Upgrading a high rarity card is also a good choice if you got a lucky find.
Of course, if the Shopkeeper is selling one of the cards mentioned above or an alluring artifact that you can afford, by all means, give those a try. Also remember to look at her Pacts for something that might be useful in the fight.
Taking something like “Lose 100 Defence” is suicidal against the Shopkeeper, but Pacts like Sell Shield are often worth it if the benefit is a free upgrade.
Don’t forget you also start with one free Remover. Step Slash and Whirl are good candidates to remove from your deck, as they can be difficult to use effectively against the Shopkeeper.
Down to Brass Tactics
It goes without saying, but the Shopkeeper is tough. Like, really tough.
By design, she’s the hardest boss in the game, and she will test your abilities. Unfortunately, defeating her will require you learn the pattern of her attacks, which means trying, and failing — again and again — until you learn her rhythms.
We can give you some pointers, however.
Firstly, use spells that fire in a straight line — like Minnie Gun and Tri Rag — sparingly. You’ll need these to escape from the ice pillars she raises before her biggest damage attack.
Next, remember to use Stopwatch often, especially when you’re learning the cadence and order of her attacks. The time-slow effect is incredibly useful for ducking out of the way of damage, or recovering quickly if you get hit.
The hardest attack to dodge is probably the scattering attack depicted in the screenshot above, as it hits the whole field in quick succession. The best tactic to avoid damage here is to stay in the center four tiles of your field and move in a clockwise circle behind the attack.
This is very tricky to master, so use Stopwatch to get the initial timing down.
Her other attacks are less menacing, and shouldn’t take too much time to learn, but remember to weave your own spells in whenever she stands still. Don’t waste resources — especially Trinity-empowered spells — if you aren’t sure they’ll hit.
How to Unlock Characters Other Than the Shopkeeper
The Shopkeeper is definitely the toughest boss to defeat, but how do you unlock the rest of the crew as playable characters?
It’s pretty simple, really; all other characters are unlocked by defeating them on the World 4 or above.
This means that once you’ve made it to 3-0 in a run, any boss you defeat after that will be unlocked as a playable character.
If you’re looking for a specific boss, then aim for these zones:
Arctic Zone: Selicy & Violette Fire Zone: Gunner Forest Zone: Hazel & Shiso Ruins Zone: Terra & Reva
Heading to one of these zones after the third boss will maximize your chances, as the character you want will be easier to defeat on World 4 than on World 5 or World 6.
Good luck in your hunt!
We have more great content on One Step From Eden right here, including a review and more guides on the way. Stay tuned for more!
