Backgrounds

Character Backgrounds represent the player's past before becoming a mercenary. They offer a unique benefit for the player character throughout the whole game.

List of Backgrounds

Choosing your background

Background selection is very important as it is one of the few character attributes that cannot be changed, meaning that picking incorrectly may make it harder on you.

* **Aristocrat, Armorer, Adept and Scholar** are all backgrounds intended to help with money. However, a reasonable amount of gold per day can be made starting from the mid-game, which will make the money saved by the background a drop in an ocean. Overall, they do not save as much money overall as other options.
	+ **Aristocrat** does edge out the other backgrounds as with it, you can purchase two starting spells even on nightmare difficulty. This is significant for getting past the early-game for a hardcore run.
	+ **Bounty Hunter and Merchant** can also be classed as money-focused backgrounds. Although it takes effect for the entire game, it rarely generates useful items that others like **Explorer** or **Treasure Hunter** can.
* **Cleric** and all of its derivatives provide the greatest benefit early-game, as their bonus does not increase with progression. This also applies to **Lab Rat**.
	+ **Survivor** is an exception as enemy critical chance increases very slowly with progression, meaning that a -5% decrease significantly reduces the critical hits you receive.
* **Bookworm** is most helpful when advanced combat is active, as bosses will reach obscene health levels.
* **Alchemist** can save you in tough fights, although it prevents you from defending to cycle out items. While useful, it may actively impair your skill level.
* **Blind Prophet** can save you in emergencies, although it is also easy to path carefully and avoid going over explored tiles.
* Most of the high-quality backgrounds provide a bonus that remains effective throughout the game.
	+ **Escaped Slave** saves money on supplies every day. However, it cuts the player out of healing while exploring a dungeon, which can be extremely dangerous as you stop entering battles with optimal health.
	+ **Gourmet** and **Physician** saves a lot of money on healing and can greatly assist in boss battles.
	+ The effects of **Monk** and **Berserker** will be more likely to activate as you progress into the game, on account of you dodging more or scoring more critical hits respectively. **Guardian** is more dubious, however, since defending is rarely necessary.
	+ **Explorer** and **Treasure Hunter** generate more loot, which can lead to more items.
	+ **Psychopath** shines as sanity is a major issue for every dungeon and boss.

Error background
* On Android devices, it is possible to obtain an **Error** background by tapping on an empty slot and start game, then immediately pressing the device's back button twice extremely quickly. This background grants no bonuses, effectively making it the worst possible background.

Trivia
* Berserker and Monk on the mobile version previously had an 8% chance to restore sanity, before being changed to 10% as it was on the PC version.
* Bookworm on the mobile version once granted 2 extra points, before being changed to 1 to match the PC version.