Curse

Curse is a mechanic in Dead Cells where the Beheaded is punished for angering the gods. Curses cause any amount of damage to one-hit kill the player, and they must kill enemies in order to lift it. Curses function as a risk-reward mechanic that can greatly benefit the player with rewards such as Scrolls, Gems and healing.

Mechanics

Nearly all sources of damage kill the player while cursed, regardless of their current health or any damage-reducing abilities they may have.

• Curses work off of a point-based system, where killing enemies reduces the total points by one. Each time a curse is inflicted, another set of points is added to the total amount of curse points that are already there.
• Curses have synergies with certain Gear and Mutations.

The following damage sources instantly kill the player while Cursed:

• Any enemy hit that deals at least 1 damage, even while blocking with a shield.
• Any trap hit.
• Jumping into a bottomless pit.
• Damage-over-time due to poison.
  • This includes poison effects that started before the curse was applied.
• Self-damage from using Lightning Bolt continuously for too long.

While most sources of damage kill the player in a single hit while cursed, there are a few exceptions:

• Darkness in the Forgotten Sepulcher.
• Damage inflicted by the Face Flask, petting Serenadeand the use of Vampirism.

In addition, while the Doom Bringer's attacks do not normally deal damage, they will kill if the player has at least 50 stacks of curse.

While cursed, the player cannot use the Homunculus Rune.

• However, the player can still use the Homunculus Rune if the only source of curse is the Cursed Sword.

Sources

There are a few different ways one can be afflicted with a curse:

• Opening a cursed chest (10 points).
• Breaking a golden door (10 points for normal ones, 50 points for the 3 found in the specialist's shop, 15 and 5 points for the doors on the final floor of The Bank and 30 points for the one in the Forgotten Sepulcher that bars access to the Night Light).
• Killing a Sore Loser (3 points).
• Being hit by a projectile from a Curser (5 points).
• Being hit by the melee attack from the Doom Bringer (1 point).
• Picking up a Corrupted Artifact (20 points).
• Using your Health Flask while the Cursed Flask mutation is active (20 points).
• Eating food while the Acceptance mutation is active (5 points).
• Examining the altar for the Machete and Pistol (1 point).
• Equipping the Cursed Sword (as long as the weapon is equipped or in the backpack).
• Hitting at least one enemy with an attack from the Anathema (1 point).
  • Hitting multiple enemies with the same attack does not increase the number of stacks received.
• Hitting an enemy with an attack from the Misericorde if it doesn’t deal a critical hit (1 point).

Cursed Biomes

Biomes can randomly become cursed during a run depending on a few factors:

• Cursed Biomes start to appear in runs from 2 BSC and the maximum number of Cursed Biomes that the player can enter is capped depending on the difficulty chosen:
  • 2 BSC: 2
  • 3 BSC: 3
  • 4 BSC: 5
  • 5 BSC: 8
  • When the cap is hit, no more cursed biomes will appear in the run, but as long as the cap has not been reached Cursed Biomes can keep appearing.
• There will always be at least 1 exit that is not a cursed biome.
• Each exit has a 25% chance to be cursed.
  • A biome must have been visited once before it can be cursed.
  • The Bank can't be cursed.

Cursed Biomes offer a higher risk and reward:

• In a Cursed Biomes ~9 (+/-2) total cursed enemies will spawn, these will be Cursers, Doom Bringers and Sore Losers.
• Cursed Biomes receive a +1 in gear level to all sources of gear.
  • This allows the player to find level 21 gear (XV-S or XV-L) by entering the cursed Cavern^RotG on 4+ BSC and encountering a Mimic.
• Additionally, Cursed Biomes will have a +10% increased chance for a Cursed Chest to spawn (5% -> 15%, 110% -> 120%)
  • This does not affect biomes with a 0% or 100% Cursed Chest chance.

Synergies

• While cursed, the Spite Sword does critical hits.
• Alienation makes it so decreasing the curse counter restores 5% HP but increases the number of enemies required to lift the curse by 50%.
• Acceptance reduces gained curse counter from sources by half, but consuming food inflicts curses.
  • Having both alienation and acceptance will reduce curse gain by 25%, rounded up.
• Demonic Strength increases your damage by 30% as long as you are cursed, and grants an additional 2% damage increase for each curse stack.

Notes

• Ice Armor will prevent instant death when getting hit while the skill is active.
• Foresight will prevent instant death when getting hit while the passive is active.
• Gaining curse while having the Cursed Sword equipped still gives a curse counter.
• The amount of curse received from cursed chests can be changed using custom mode to any number between 0 and 999. This blocks achievements.
• While Cursed Biomes only spawn during 2 BSC or higher, it is possible to have one appear in a run where you have changed your boss cell count from at least 2 to below it.

History

0.5: Killing spawned enemies no longer reduces the curse counter.