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Return slots

PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 3:58 pm
by Galefury
How useful are the return slots? What do you put in them? There are quite a lot of them, but most items seem at least somewhat useful, so I'm a bit stumped.

(A topic like this already exists, but it's from beta times, so items and number of return slots has changed since then)

Re: Return slots

PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 4:16 pm
by Lujo
Locker slots or veto slots?

Re: Return slots

PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 4:37 pm
by Sidestepper
It depends on how hardcore of a shop scummer you are. If you can stand scumming dungeons for specific items, you can fill your return slots with items that don't mesh with your current strategy. You can get a pretty nice advantage by removing all of the magical support items right before doing a Warmonger run, for example.

The thing is, unless you plan on doing a long string of similar games, you'll be doing much, much more scum-work than actual game play. Like, 5-10 times as much.

As it is, I mostly chuck in the spoon at the start (good price and space, terrible shop density), and that's about it. Part of the fun is having all sorts of weird, unexpected combos arising from items you don't normally use.

I actually used to veto the Trisword back when it was a god-tier item. It was so powerful that it was warping the whole game, and the veto mechanic was a way for me to politely pretend that it didn't exist 8-)

EDIT: Oh yeah, I also routinely veto the Orb of Zot. It's too expensive to actually buy, and is rarely even worth translocating. The Amulet of Yendor flickers in and out of my shop pool, depending on how often I feel like prepping Translocation Seals.

Re: Return slots

PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 4:45 pm
by Lujo
They can do quite a lot for you or not much (or even keep you form acidentally discovering how usefull some odd items are). Sidestepper has it right.

Anywho, the trisowrd thing is one good use of the veto slots - when you catch yourself overusing an item, just put it in there to keep yourself from going into a routine.

Re: Return slots

PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 5:26 pm
by Darvin
The Orb of Zot is incredibly rare even if you don't veto it. Maybe 1 in 50 games, it's that uncommon.

Re: Return slots

PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 6:41 pm
by Sidestepper
Another use that is slightly less dreadful than custom tailoring your shop pool for specific runs is to increase the gold/conversion ratio of your bazaar. Let me explain.

When you upgrade Bezar to his third and final form, you gain two extra shops per dungeon (for a total of eight), and add the Elite items to your pool. The two extra shops is all upside, the Elite items are a mixed blessing. They are all very powerful, but except for the Alchemy Scroll, they have poor gold to conversion ratios, and are generally so expensive that buying one precludes buying much of anything else.

If you like heavy conversion strategies, you can have your cake and eat it too by tossing all of those expensive Elite items into the return bin. It'll suck if you need to do Hoarder runs, or are playing a light conversion approach in general, but it's great if you're playing around with Dwarven healthmonsters, orcish anythings, or the mighty acid caster.

Re: Return slots

PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 7:07 pm
by Lujo
In other words, once you start to metagame to any degree you'll have fun with them. Or not. Or both :)

Re: Return slots

PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 7:12 pm
by The Avatar
I really only use it for VGT. Then I tend veto all of the bad quest items so Platemail is a more likely find. Other than that I ban the boring items (spoon, pendants, troll heart, alchemist scroll [I just never use this], and usually battlemage ring).