Heart Hunter

This guide attempts to explain the basic game mechanics for Heart Hunter minigame in The Arcana and will include some **tips** and **general strategies** on when to use boosts and grid movements.

## Location, location, location

Location is everything in Heart Hunter. There are 21 locations total, they are listed in order of their grid position on the map from top left to bottom right below:

1. Asra's Sanctuary
2. The Fields
3. Portia’s Cottage
4. The Palace Gardens (a.k.a. The Fountain)
5. Muriel’s Hut
6. The Cave
7. Lucio’s Wing
8. The Forest
9. The Palace
10. The Shop
11. The Coliseum (day only) - becomes Red Market at night
12. The Red Market (night only) - Coliseum during the day
13. The Town Square (day only) - becomes Community Theater at night
14. The Community Theater (night only) - Town Square during the day
15. Mazelinka’s House
16. The Docks
17. The Marketplace
18. South End
19. The Rowdy Raven
20. The Lazaret
21. The Flooded District

## Who's In Town Today?

At the beginning of each game, 3 of the 6 romanceable characters (Asra, Nadia, Julian, Muriel, Portia, and Lucio) will be randomly selected. These three characters and Faust will walk around the game board for the duration of the game.

All NPCs take their turns simultaneously at the start of a round. The romanceable characters can move anywhere from 1 to 4 spaces per turn.

Faust's movements are not restricted by the paths between locations, and she may slither all the way across the board in a turn.

## Hunt or Be Hunted

To win the game, you must obtain 4 hearts from a single character. There are 2 ways to obtain hearts:

* Land in the same location with a character, either by:
	+ Moving to their grid during your turn.
	+ They move into the grid you already occupy during their turn.
* Land in the same location as Faust and successfully spin one of the three characters

During the day, landing in the same location with a character will always give 1 heart.

During the night, landing in the same location with a character will have the option to obtain 1 heart, or spin the wheel for the possibility of obtaining 2 hearts or nothing.

## Right Place, with the Right Person

Each character has a postcard for each location for a total of 126 postcards.

**To obtain a specific card, at least *one* of the 4 hearts obtained to win with a character must be from that specific location.**

* For example: To obtain the Asra Lazaret postcard, you must win the game, and at least 1 heart must be from Lazaret, either by landing there together or from Faust when Asra is in the Lazaret grid.

~~If the 4 hearts you own with are from multiple locations you don’t have for that character, then the postcard you get appears to be from the first location in order of the hearts obtained.~~

* ~~For example: Turn 1 = Shop (already owned), Turn 2 = Docks (not owned), Turn 3 = Marketplace (not owned), Turn 4 = Rowdy Raven (already owned), then the postcard you get will be for the Docks.~~ This is not true. The postcard you get is randomised amongst the ones you do not already own, not following any chronological order. Collecting the last remaining postcards can become so difficult that, if winning all the postcards is more important to you than getting the rewards out unlocking the reward chests, it can be a good idea to keep them unopened. This way, you can eliminate the possibility of unlocking a postcard you already own, especially as it becomes increasingly difficult to collect the last remaining postcards, which may make the use of boosts necessary.

As you can see, in order to obtain all 126 cards you must win a game with that specific combination of **character + location** at least once.

So what happens if all 4 hearts you won are from locations you already own? You will not obtain any new postcards but you will be given 20 coins.

Obtaining new cards will become harder as you progress further along with your collection. The last few can be frustratingly hard and this would be a good time to use boosts (see below).

## Tips to maximize your chances of getting a specific postcard

* Generally, let the first spin determine which character you pursue.
* Best time for +1/+2 boosts is when the character land in the location you need but your spin is 1 or 2 steps short of going there. Even if this is on the 1st turn, it’s better to use the boost and chase the character for the remainder of the game. There is a risk you may not win the round but you are better off using the boost if you need that specific card.
	+ The second-best time for +1/+2 boosts is on the last turn when you have 3 hearts from one character, and your spin is 1 or 2 steps short of going there. If you have less than 3 hearts on the last turn, it's best not to use a boost as there is a significant chance of it going to waste.
* If the character does not land in the location you need, move to it yourself and use the Summon boost.
	+ Obtain as may hearts as you can in the first 3-4 turns, regardless if it’s from locations you already have.
	+ Once you have at least 2-3 hearts, start moving toward the location you need.
	+ Once you are in the right grid, use the Summon boost to bring the character to you.
* When using any of the boost methods, avoid using the Double or Nothing (spin) function during the night, always select “Play it safe.”
* This may be an obvious one, but best time to use Double or Nothing spins at night is when you have 2 hearts and it’s your last turn. There is no risk. You would definitely lose if you don’t spin, but if you spin you may win.
* Second best time to use the Double or Nothing spins is when you have 2 hearts and it’s turn #4 (first night turn). There is risk that you won’t obtain the next 2 hearts on the remaining turns but it’s also likely that you can grab 1 heart each for turn 5 & 6 to compensate if you lose the spin.
* The corner locations are the hardest to maneuver in terms of grid movement. These are likely to be your last few postcards. Seize your chance if you see characters land in these even if you are still missing other cards.
* When you have the following conditions, move to the location you need and use Summon boost:
	+ 3 hearts for the right character.
	+ Are able to move into the location you need during your turn but the character is somewhere else.
	+ Have at least 1 more turn left.