The roguelike deck-builder is a popular genre that hasn't seen successful releases since games like Slay The Spire, but Griftlands, a game that has grown in popularity in recent years, has recently released its full campaign, and many old fans and new players alike are excited to experience the rich story and engaging gameplay of this title.
Like any other roguelite, Griftlands is highly replayable, and you can unlock new cards, perks, and rewards as you progress through the game. There are many perks categorized into five different tiers, and after unlocking all the perks and perk slots, you can choose up to three at the start of each run to customize your run to your preference.
10 Perseverance
This tier 5 perk might seem boring at first, but it can be the difference between finishing a run early or surviving one more boss fight and continuing on. Perseverance will allow you to heal to 20 HP whenever you die, but it can only occur once per run.
It takes a lot of effort to unlock this perk, but in the rare occasions that it saves your run in a clutch moment, it feels very satisfying. You can never go wrong with picking this perk as your third choice in each run.
9 Handy
Item cards can be very powerful in Griftlands. They offer impactful effects and benefits, but they have limited uses. Because of this, some players might hoard items for dangerous boss fights, which can clog their draw pile and reduce the quality of their deck, or they will use them pre-emptively to get through easier fights, and won't have these powerful tools when they face a deadly encounter.
The Handy perk gives item cards one additional use, and this balances the risk and reward of keeping or using item cards a bit more. You can use them more often if you don't draw the cards you are looking for, and with additional uses, you will have more options against strong opponents later on.
8 Researcher
The Researcher works very well with the Handy perk, giving you more incentive to use item cards in each encounter. With this perk, you gain ten shills every time you use an item card with a charge.
The extra shill might not seem worth it at first, but it can pile up very quickly if you are picking item cards and using them regularly. This, in turn, can lead to you having more money to spend on getting the cards you want or even getting new item cards to keep the cycle going.
7 Alert
Alert is a very useful perk that you can unlock very early as it's just a tier 2 perk. This perk will draw you two additional cards at the start of each battle and negotiation, giving you more options to have a strong opening, and getting through your deck faster.
This perk is the best option if you haven't unlocked higher tier options, but it still holds up even among tier five perks. Drawing cards is a valuable option in any card game, and you realize the true power of this effect after a while. If you take this perk out after using it for a few runs, you feel considerably weaker at the start of each encounter as you are used to drawing more cards.
6 Expanded Assortment
This is another strong tier 5 perk that you can unlock later in the game, and it can help you pull off unique combos and builds as you become more experienced in Griftlands. Expanded Assortment will let you have an extra option whenever you draft a graft for the run.
Grafts are strong passive and benefits that can alter your deckbuilding and gameplan, and having an extra option to choose from can help you get rare synergies and create strong and memorable decks.
5 Socializer
One of the most unique features of Griftlands is the social aspect and the story-driven RPG elements of the game. You can fight everyone you come across and be known as a ruthless murderer, or you can get your way through negotiation. The socializer perk gives you one extra maximum resolve each time a new person loves you, making you stronger in the following negotiations.
For pacifist and negotiation-focused runs, this perk is an obvious choice. This can add up quickly if you help every character you come across to improve your relationship with them, and in the end it can help you through really hard negotiation encounters.
4 Unencumbered
Another perk that improves your grafts is Unencumbered, giving you one additional graft slot of each type. This means you can get more grafts during each run and create even more complex synergies for your deck.
This perk, alongside Expanded Assortments, is the perfect choice for experienced players who have finished the game multiple times and are looking for new and unique experiences with the additional graft choices. Trying to pull off a specific build is a high-risk high-reward approach for every run, but these two perks can mitigate these risks.
3 Premium Quality
The third graft-oriented perk in this list is Premium Quality, which is only a tier 1 perk and many players can choose it early on in their games. This perk will upgrade the first graft that you pick, giving you a huge power boost early in the run.
This is a powerful option for players who haven't unlocked higher tier perks, but it is viable for every run as the power boost in the early game can lead to a better run. Premium Quality can also have strong synergies with the previous perks, Unencumbered and Expanded Assortments.
2 Fast Learner
As you play battle or negotiation cards in Griftlands, They will gain XP and eventually upgrade to their better versions. Upgrading cards will greatly improve the quality of your deck, and you should try to upgrade as many cards as you can.
The two perks that accelerate this process, are the best two perk options for most runs. The first one of them being Fast Learner, which lowers the maximum required XP for non-basic cards by 2, giving you a better chance of fully upgrading the cards you choose during a run.
1 Basic Training
Another perk that helps you upgrade your cards is Basic Training. This perk reduces the maximum XP for both basic decks by half, which helps you upgrade basic cards twice as fast. This is really helpful since basic cards are usually very weak at the start of the run.
This is also beneficial as you can remove fully upgraded basic cards from your deck. Basic cards even at their highest rank, are weaker compared to the cards that you chose along the way. By removing them as fast as you can, you will improve the quality of your deck.