If you haven't read Part 3 yet, click here. This part of the guide series explains how Ascension works and how to collect various achievements.

Ascension is an unlockable game mode that adds additional difficulty to the game as well as a score multiplier. There are 20 total Ascension levels.

Ascension is unlocked individually for each character. To unlock Ascension for a character, you must beat the first three acts as that character. To unlock the next level of Ascension for a character, you must beat the first three acts at that character's highest available Ascension level. You can play the game at any Ascension level you have previously unlocked, as well as play the game with Ascension turned off completely.

The effects of each Ascension level are cumulative, e.g. if you play at Ascension level 20 (abbreviated A20), you will have all Ascension effects from levels 1 through 20 impacting your run. Each Ascension level adds 5% to your score, for a total of 100% at Ascension level 20.

The game tells you what each Ascension level does as you unlock it, so it is not a secret how it will impact your run.

I won't cover every achievement in the game (as many are self-explanatory and simple like killing each of the bosses for the first time), but I will cover those that I think require a bit of strategy/ingenuity. If there are any more achievements you want to cover, comment below.

Note that beating the game for the purpose of these achievements means completing the first three acts, unless the achievement specifically involves Act 4.

• Who Needs Relics? - Beat the game with just one relic equipped. It is generally recommended to trade your relic to Neow at the start of the game (with the hope of receiving an energy relic, but this is not required), as most relics you can receive are better than the starter relics.
  
  
• Speed Climber - Beat the game in less than 20 minutes. It may take some getting used to, but try to play the game by making as few decisions as possible. This means avoiding combat as much as possible, as combat is the most time-consuming part of the game. Ironclad is the easiest character for this achievement, as his strategy is the simplest.
  
  
• Common Sense - Beat the game with no rare or uncommon cards. Defect and Watcher are best for this achievement, but it is possible to achieve this with any of the characters. Note that if you collect any rare or uncommon cards, as long as you get rid of them before the Act 3 boss you can get the achievement.
  
  
• Minimalist - Beat the game with five cards or less. Watcher is the best character for this, as Watcher already benefits the most from a small deck. Note that if you end up with a sixth card, as long as you get rid of it before the Act 3 boss you can get the achievement.
  
  
• The Transient - Beating the Transient is easiest with a Silent poison deck, but it can also be done with a Watcher infinite deck and other strategies. Unlike a normal run, you'll want to build your deck towards poison from the start, meaning picking Catalyst every time you see it even if you don't yet have any poison cards to use it with. For this achievement, you'll want to prioritize standard enemy encounters in Act 3 in the hopes of coming across the Transient.

After reading this guide, you should have an idea how Ascension works as well as how to attain some achievements. If there are any achievements you'd like me to cover that aren't currently covered or go into more detail about achievements already in the guide, please leave a comment below!