The Runaway is an advanced character. If you are a new MQEL player, I suggest you use one of the three base characters - Mage, Archer, or Knight.

Once you are familiar with monster damage, aggro, ability cooldowns, and trap setups, you are prepared to learn the Runaway. I leveled a knight before beginning my Runaway. Having a steady supply of funds from high-level mines will allow you to obtain the weapons and potions needed to learn this skill-intensive class.

A complete listing of the Runaway's various abilities is available many places, so instead I will discuss a few, and why I chose them for my play style. This is not necessarily the only way to play, but it is what I have found most effective.

Headbang is the most important skill. Much like a Knight's Charge, you surge forward and deal damage. However this ability is repeatable three times off the same cooldown and mana payment. After two charges, the third usage is an area-of-effect (AoE) push. Every activation is very high damage, usually killing any non-elite. A full 3-hit-combo will kill most elites. The first two activations will also damage yourself. You have about 3 seconds after your first Headbang use before it will go on cooldown. A slight delay between each use can be helpful, but don't wait too long or you'll miss out on a lot of damage. Also be aware that the second charge does not stun or knockdown your opponents. Combo-Headbanging a Pete can get you killed if you don't dance back out of melee range between the first and second activations.

Push is the second most important skill. It deals a high amount of damage and has an AoE knockback. While Headbang has a long cooldown, Push comes back up quickly. Take some time to get a feel for Push's range - missing a push can easily get you killed by Zeke. For difficult elites, try a Push -> Triple Headbang -> Push combo.

Rebel Yell is my third skill of choice. Yell projects a very long and narrow cone. If it hits a mob, the mob is slowed down a lot, and loses significant armor. As long as your Yell hits something, you will be shielded. The Runaway's only Healing skill is Potions, so having a Shield effect is essential to surviving extended combat. Keep Yell active as much as possible. Yelling before a Headbang mitigates the self-damage. More importantly, the armor debuff provided by Yell allows Headbang and Push to deal much more damage. Learn to carefully aim Rebel Yell - it is very long and narrow, and missing with your Yell can easily lead to your death.

Mean Pinball is my fourth choice for an ability. The Pinball will bounce you all over the room in a random fashion. However you will always end up about 6 meters in the direction where you activated it. I mapped Pinball to my right-click, so I just click where I want to end up. Pinball does very little damage, but is helpful for escaping tight spots. It also makes you briefly invulnerable - useful against Zeke headshot and trap explosions.

Potion is my final choice. Unfortunately, you can only use this ability 4 times per castle. See the next section for more details.

The Runaway is unlike other classes. She can't sit back and snipe single targets, and she can't stand toe-to-toe with Petes. She doesn't really AoE like a mage. And, while you can kite mobs in circles like anyone else, she does it slowly and poorly.

The Runaway is a burst damage striker. To be effective, you must manage your cooldowns and mana carefully. You must be aware of what area of the room is currently safe. And, when the time is right, you must be ready to strike.

I'm going to cover a few standard dungeon pulls and how to attack them. But first, two keys to keep in mind:

• You do a LOT of damage. Don't dork around kiting for 30 seconds waiting for the perfect opportunity. You can kill most monsters in 1 or 2 hits. Pop a shield, blast them away, and Pinball out of danger.
  
• Potions are just a 5th ability. Plan to use them like any other ability. Otherwise you'll spend extra time hoarding your last few life points, and you'll have to potion eventually anyway. Chug and Charge!

Peter Poundmore - You probably encountered this guy first in Durrr's castle and he beat you into the ground. There are two keys to killing a Pete. First, debuff Pete with Rebel Yell. Once he is snared and de-armored, you can kill him with a Headbang combo. After each Headbang hits, pull back and wait just over 2 seconds before activating it again. Don't stand next to him between each activation or he will get in a hit or two, which just might kill you.

Zeke - You may have feared this guy on other characters, but he's actually not bad at all as a Runaway. He should die in two hits of a Headbang, or two Push's. Push, dance away, Pinball when he's about to shoot, and then Push again. If you're otherwise engaged when he starts firing, Pinball to become briefly invulnerable.

Ressing Bone Guys - The skeletons they summon die to one Push, but the danger is that it will be hard to find the little guy himself in the center of a mob. Try Headbanging in one way, out the other way, and then turn and use the final activation towards any that remain. The good Doctor himself should die in 1 Push or Headbang. He might need a poke with a spear.

Durrr - In the NPC dungeon, you can use a spear to continually poke him out of melee range in stage 1. Keep Rebel Yell active throughout the entire fight. In stage 2, Pinball behind him when he winds up for his AoE. In stage 3, unload all your burst damage and use a potion. He has very little health in this stage.

Spring-into-Fire Traps - Everyone loves to put these in their dungeon. They think its clever and interesting for you and them. Of course, they're actually being idiots and you will breeze by and leave snide remarks in the comments. You must clear all the active Springs with just two activations of Headbang. After a Headbang, you won't have time to Pinball without getting thrown. Often this means you need to toe-dance the first one or two springs to get them to pop before you enter. Once you have Headbanged out into the mine field, use Pinball to quickly run clear. If there is a Gold or Lifeforce Mine near the entrance, you can Rebel Yell at it to get a shield up. And be sure to leave demeaning comments about the lame trap setup at the end.



General Thoughts
The Runaway is all about agility and quick thinking. Use your abilities in concert with each other. On their own, they aren't nearly as effective.
One strategy I'm working on against a group of elites is as follows. Approach the group and Yell to lower defense. Then when you are close, use Push to force them into a rough line. Then Pinball to one end of the line. From there, Headbang down the line, which will stack them up as you go. After the 3rd Headbang activation, Push any that are left. This should kill all of them in about 5 seconds. Do it enough, and people will insist MQEL is P2W.

Another key is to Headbang in different directions, pausing about 2 seconds between each activation. This will let you clear non-elites quickly and make more room to fight the big ones.
Your auto-attack deals a lot of damage. Don't hesitate to use it against non-elites to save your mana for killing the big guys. With Rebel Yell shielding you, a nonelite will take forever to actually deal damage to you so its OK if they whack you a few times.

Finally, practice. If you find a dungeon you can't beat, keep going back into it. Sure, you'll need lots of money for potions. But in the end playing the Runaway is about practice and quick thinking. You can easily die if you think Push is ready but its not, or you miss with your Rebel Yell. You've got very little room for mistakes, so practice is paramount.

Gearing the Runaway is a tricky proposition. On my Knight, I just stacked Health and Control Resistance. On the Runaway, a little more balance is key.

My first two priorities are DPS and Hit Points.
Even a small increase in DPS will have a big effect on the damage of your abilities. A slow weapon speed will make DPS contribute more to your Push damage. At level 20 with a 1.0 second weapon, adding DPS increases the damage dealt by Push by roughly double. A +20 DPS ring should add about 40 damage to your Push. This must be pure DPS, not derived from attack speed boosts.

Hit points are also important for two reasons. First, your Shields are based off of your max health. Add 100 to your health, and you've added 20 to your Rebel Yell shield. Second, your HP adds to your Headbang damage, one of your most important ways of killing.

In order to not die in Jelly traps and Springs, you should have some Control Resistance. You'll lose other stats on Head and/or Cloak, but its worth it.

After those three, I focus on Crit Chance to maximize the burst damage I can deal.

Because she is squishy and bursty, good gear is important to a Runaway. She's probably not your first character, so you should have money to spend. Every time you level, check to see if you can craft any good new gear for her. I've been always buying the weapon which results in the most possible damage for Push. Usually that's the 1.0 second or the 1.3 second weapon speed.

The Runaway is a difficult class to play, and there is little room for error. Practice on player castles, and don't be afraid to lose crowns.
If you enjoy a challenge, she is a spinning ball of fun.

I'm sure there must be other Runaways out there, but I haven't seen them. This guide is based on my own many deaths. Please comment if you have any questions or experiences to share.