Runes

**Runes** are permanent upgrades which enable the player to travel to locations and Biomes which are not accessible otherwise. Once acquired, the player's collected runes can be viewed in the saved game slot (in the main game menu, under "play"). The only way to acquire runes is to travel to specific zones and defeat a Boss or an Elite enemy, which spawn from certain Elite obelisks.

**Upgrades** are general improvements purchased from The Collector for cells, and function as improvements that introduce or improve various mechanics in some way that benefit the player. They are permanent and last between runs. Most are only available after completing a certain amount of unlocks and others must be acquired as Blueprints from specific locations before they are available.

## List of runes

There are currently 8 runes in *Dead Cells*. All runes will drop after the guardian is defeated and can be picked up afterwards, save for the Homunculus rune, which is acquired automatically after the Hand of the King is defeated.

## List of upgrades

*Health Flask I* must be unlocked before anything else.

## Notes

* The Ram Rune will also buff the player's dive attack damage and range (long fall dive attack only).
* The Homunculus Rune allows the player detach their head and control it separately from their body to access certain areas. It can latch on to a single enemy, dealing damage to them and leaving the player with full control of the player's body. The damage is scaled on the player's highest stat. The head can also climb walls indefinitely.
	+ The head will return to the body instantly, going through all obstacles, under any of the following conditions: Reaching the max distance away from the main body, the player taking damage while the head is latched onto an enemy, the head defeating an enemy, the head remaining attached to an enemy for ~7 seconds, or if the player presses the assigned button again.
	+ The base damage dealt is 12, and it hits 5 times per second.
	+ The cooldown for this rune will not start unless the head attaches to an enemy but returns before the enemy is defeated. The cooldown is instantly reset if the enemy is defeated, should the head be still on that enemy.
	+ The head can also take items and blueprints before bringing them back to the player. However, they will be dropped if they encounter any enemy. They will also be dropped if the head jumps.
	+ Using the rune breaks invisibility.
	+ This rune can't be used if the player is affected by  curse, except if the only source of curse on the player is the Cursed Sword.
* For the Explorer's Rune, once the player has explored 80% of the biome's map, the entire map of the biome and the map inside BSC doors are revealed, showing all points of interest, enemies, as well as items and scrolls of power (but not blueprints).
	+ Additionally if an enemy is carrying precious loot, like an item or scroll, it will be marked in the map with a star, but it doesn't reveal any layouts or terrain.
	+ This effect is similar to the map-revealing effect of the Forgotten Map.

## History

	+ Teleportation Rune introduced.
	+ Vine Rune introduced.
* 0.3: Challenger's Rune introduced.
* 0.4:
	+ Spider Rune introduced.
	+ Ram Rune introduced.
* 1.0: Homunculus Rune introduced.
* 1.1: Customization Rune introduced.
* 1.2: Customization Rune can now be obtained in the Ramparts as well.
* 1.5: Explorer's Rune introduced.
* 3.0: Reduced requirement for Random Melee Weapon from 12 items to 2.

## Footnotes

1. ↑ Formerly known as *Belier's Rune*.

1. ↑ https://gfycat.com/HarshFrigidIsabellinewheatear