Aftercore

Aftercore refers to the time between breaking King Ralph's prism and entering the Astral Gash. In the past few years, content has been added specifically aimed for players who choose to level up after breaking the prism. This guide describes those areas and how they affect ascension in general. For strategy in preparing for and adventuring in those areas, link to those specific areas.

Preparing for Aftercore

A lot of preparation will depend on which zone you will be adventuring in. Some things will be more helpful in a run with a long Aftercore:

• Doing the Pagoda Quest. Gives +3 adventures a day. In a standard speed run, the pagoda is not buildable until level 11 and requires a ten-leaf clover.
• Installing a clockwork maid. Gives +8 adventures a day. The 4 extra adventures this provides over meat maid pays for itself if you intend playing a long Aftercore.
• Buying some cheap equipment that grants Extra Rollover Adventures if you don't have them already. Currently, cost-effective ones include General Sage's Lonely Diamonds Club Jacket, sword behind inappropriate prepositions, BGE pocket calendar, wristwatch of the white knight, and tiny plastic bitchin' meatcar.
• Installing better housing. Largely useful for maximizing MP restoration, but not required otherwise. Gains much more mileage with Free Rests such as Disco Power Nap and Dog Tired. Cheapest housings are House of Twigs and Spit and Ginormous Pumpkin.
• The Mysterious Island Quest sidequests offer different rewards depending on whether you complete them as a Hippy or a Frat Boy. Some of the daily rewards are available in aftercore, so look that over when choosing a side.
  • Finishing the Nuns as a Frat offers a 1,000 MP restorer 3 times a day, which is arguably the best of the sidequest rewards.
• Have some good skills permed. High-end combat skills are useful against many Aftercore monsters, as are some non-combat skills, especially the buffing kind.

Useful for Ascension

Fernswarthy's Basement

What is it?: Fernswarthy's Basement can be found in The Ruins of Fernswarthy's Tower after encountering the adventure Into the Maw of Deepness. Each adventure takes you one level lower in the basement. On each level you may: encounter a test of your stats, HP, MP, or elemental resistance; battle a monster of increasing difficulty; or receive a stat bonus or special reward.

Ascension-Relevance: At level 500, players receive the Discount Telescope Warehouse gift certificate. Using this installs or upgrades a telescope in your campground which remains after ascension. This telescope can, once per day, grant the Starry-Eyed effect. More importantly, using the telescope will also reveal what items will be needed for the Naughty Sorceress's Tower, thus lowering the need for backfarming late in a run.

Best For: Level 23 and up (28 if you're going for the Level 30 trophy). Early levels are easy to pass even for low-level characters, but challenges become exponentially difficult even before level 100.

The Slime Tube

What is it?: A Clan dungeon where you fight various slimes in order to clear the way to Mother Slime. Speed in the Slime Tube is based on +ML.

Ascension-Relevance: The Slimeling is a powerful fairy-type familiar that may be earned if the Slime Tube is cleared quickly. Three of the Mother Slime rewards grant passive skills. These can be made permanent to provide a passive boosts HP, MP, and Combat Initiative respectively. The rewards besides these are of interest to players concerned about their Collector's Score.

Best For: Level 13 and up. Slimes start off at level 100, comparable to monsters above the Beanstalk. A Sombrero-type familiar and massive +ML can help raise stats quickly.

Hobopolis

What is it?: A Clan dungeon. You must first navigate through A Maze of Sewer Tunnels to access Hobopolis itself. Hobopolis is a sprawling city complex that offers a many rewards and points of interest. There are five mini-bosses that can be defeated to weaken Hodgman, The Hoboverlord.

Ascension-Relevance: The Hobo Monkey is an upgraded leprechaun-type familiar that can be purchased in Hobopolis. Most of the other items and skills available in this area are of limited use in an ascension run. Players concerned about their Collector's Score will be greatly interested in this area: there are 6 separate outfits, other untradeable equipment, the Hobo Monkey familiar, and an expensive tattoo available. Hodgman also drops some items that give stat-boosting passives.

Best For: Level 17 and above. Monsters in the Maze of Sewer Tunnels are 250 ML and above. Muscle classes and Moxie classes will reach 250 in their main stat just below level 17. Hobos themselves will be much tougher, and require an even higher level.

Hobo Codes

What is it?: Twenty hobo codes can be added to a player's hobo code binder to speed up gameplay in Hobopolis. All of the codes are obtained by adventuring in their respective location with hobo code binder equipped.

Ascension-Relevance: Hobo codes are only useful for Hobopolis. However, hobo codes can be collected at any time because the hobo code binder is a free pull. In fact, it is necessary to collect some of the codes during an ascension because some hobo code locations become unavailable during the course of a game.

Best For: Anytime when one would normally adventure in those locations.

Demon Names

What is it?: 11 demon names (as of this writing) can be used to summon demons at the Summoning Chamber to grant various effects. Seven names are unique to each player, four of which are unlocked by adventuring in certain locations with Lord Spookyraven's ear trumpet.

Ascension-Relevance: Demon names do not change after ascension. Demons can even be summoned in Hardcore and Bad Moon, making this one of few things that can be prepared for such runs. Specifically, the demon name for Preternatural Greed can help with completing the Nun's quest during the Level 12 quest, and Ak'gyxoth can be useful if you need better drinks.

Best For: Level 13 and above, after defeating the Naughty Sorceress. Adventures revealing demon names are not guaranteed to show up during a particular run, nor are they very frequent.

Farming

What is it?: Repeatedly adventuring in a certain locations to harvest meat or items. For guides on farming, refer to Basic Farming and Advanced Farming.

Ascension-Relevance: Depends on what you do with the meat and/or items

Best For: Anyone in Aftercore

Collectors Only

El Vibrato Island

What is it?: A portal in your campground accessible by using an El Vibrato power sphere. The portal contains constructs which drop punchcards that can be used on the constructs to create items.

Ascension-Relevance: Little. The outfit available in this zone has powerful enchantments when used with punchcards (although better options exist now), and several of the usable drones have powerful buffs available to high-level characters, but little in this zone can be used in a standard run.

Best For: Level 17 and above. With a minimum ML of 300, monsters in this zone can be difficult without good equipment or buffs.

The Sea and The Sea Floor

What is it?: A series of zones located underwater boasting some of the most powerful equipment and consumable drops. However, adventuring here requires breathing apparatuses for both adventurer and familiar. In addition, adventuring here incurs a number of penalties. Becomes available once you have created the makeshift SCUBA gear.

Ascension-Relevance: Little is useful for a hardcore ascension. However, powerful items dropped here might be worth a pull in a normal ascension. Sponge equipment are some of the strongest common HP/MP restorers in the game. Sea salt scrubs give a huge boost to Max HP and MP. Deep Saucery potions offer powerful benefits once per day. The Clothing of Loathing outfit, as well as Hateful Habiliment and Violent Vestments, takes several ascensions to obtain, but have incredibly powerful effects rivaling clan dungeon boss drops.

Best For: Level 19 and above. With a minimum ML of 300 with some going as high as 1000, monsters in this zone will be difficult for any character below level 19.

Nemesis Quest

What is it?: Completing this quest rewards you the Legendary Regalia outfit of your respective class, a Familiar Hatchling for your class, and a number of trinkets. Also eight trophies are only obtainable with regards to the quest.

Ascension-Relevance: Little. The Ultimate Legendary Epic Weapon is a Quest item, meaning the outfit cannot be used during a regular game and must be reacquired. However, the other pieces of the outfit remain and can be pulled. The class familiars will also remain, though they offer little more than the basic familiars. Defeating your nemesis does earn an Instant Karma, which can be discarded for 11 Valhallan Karma.

Best For: Level 13 and above, after defeating the Naughty Sorceress. The quest is balanced to be completable in-run, but the later parts (especially defeating the Nemesis) may require more time and resources than you can spare before freeing the King.

Dreadsylvania

What is it?: A Clan dungeon. Contains 3 zones with high-level monsters of random element that become especially dangerous above 1 kiss. The end bosses are (mostly) based on which monster type has been killed more.

Ascension-Relevance: Minimal. Every equipment dropped here has a stat requirement of 200 to 250. The most you can get out of Dreadsylvania outside of Aftercore are Bloodweisers and Electric Kool-Aids for pulling, plus some skills you can get at The Machine. While most of them are too expensive for ascension runs, a select few have their uses.

Best For: Level 20 and above.

Level 30 Trophies

What is it?: Trophies, one for each class, even special ones (except Zombie Slayer), are available to anyone who achieves level 30.

Ascension-Relevance: None. The trophies do increase one's Collector's Score, however.

Best For: Anyone under level 30.