There are many theories about exactly what Rot is, an ancient evil, the opposite side of the coin to Wyld, a deadly parasitic disease… No one is quite sure and so far the LoG Crew are remaining tight lipped.
Whatever it is, it plays an important part in the world of Armello. Not only is it the cause of the Kings slow demise, but it is also responsible for the deadly Banes that wander the lands killing all before them. And for those Heroes that aren’t afraid of following a darker path, the Rot may just be the thing that allows you to ascend the Throne.

Although it might seem strange, Rot is considered a Resource like Gold. Like other Resources Rot can be gained and lost.
All Heroes start the game with 0 Rot (unless someone has chosen the amulet that gives them +2 Rot).

If you are after a Guide on how to achieve a Rot Victory, try this one Rot Victory Guide

There are numerous ways that Rot can be gained by a player:

• Some Magic Cards and Trickery cards have a Rot cost to play them.
  
• Losing a fight to a Bane increases your Rot by 1.
  
• There are some decrees that result in all Heroes gaining Rot.
  
• Once a Hero is corrupted they will gain +1 Rot for every Bane they kill.

If your interested in finding out which deck is best to pick from to increase your chances of a Rot inducing card, check out the Card Statistics Page[wiki.armello.com] on the Official Armello Wiki.

Similar there are several ways to reduce your rot:

• Magic cards such as “The Cleansing Wyld” can reduce your Rot.
  
• If you’re lucky enough to stumble on a group of Druids they may be able to help you.
  
• If a Corrupted Hero claims a fourth Spirit Stone and becomes a Spirit Walker, they will be cleansed of their Rot by death and return to their Clan Grounds with zero Rot.
  
• Similar if a Hero already holds 4+ Sprit stones and then becomes corrupted they will be cleansed of their Rot by death and return to their Clan Grounds with zero Rot.

There are numerous in game effects when a character has gained any Rot:

• Players with any amount of Rot now take lose one (1) Health every Dawn, just like the King.
  
• Once a Hero has five (5) Rot or more, they are now considered ‘Corrupted’.
  
• Corrupted Characters die if they enter a Stone Circle (for any reason) and as a result quests will not direct Corrupted Heroes to Stone Circles.
  
• Corrupted Characters gain one (1) Health for every character they kill in combat, similar to Banes.
  
• Banes are neutral to Corrupted Heroes - they will not attack them (but will still fight back if attacked).
  
• Corrupted Characters’ Rot dice hit and explode (grant a bonus roll), while their Wylds will miss and not explode.

Rot only effects combat if both combatants have at least 1 level of Rot.
If this is the case, then the person with the higher Rot gains their opponents Rot level in extra dice to be rolled. For example if your Hero has six Rot and your Opponent only has two then you would gain an extra two dice in combat.