You, Robot

You, Robot is the Spring 2021 special challenge path, introduced on February 14, 2021. This path adds variant rules and restrictions to an ascension run. Its description in The Bureau of Reincarnation reads "Instead of being yourself, be a big rusty junk robot!"

Restrictions

• You start with 40 Energy each day instead of adventures, and must spend Energy to gain 10 adventures at The Scrapheap, which replaces Your Campsite. Each time you do this per day, the cost increases by 1 Energy, starting with 10. Energy can also be gained after combat (+1 by default, up to +3 with attachments), or collecting at The Scrap Heap (costs 1 adventure, starts with +25 but degrades down to +1 the more times you do it in one day). Energy also replaces MP, with some unlockable skills costing Energy to cast.
• None of your permed skills are available.
  • Your spinal-fluid-covered emotion chip is usable, giving the Emotionally Chipped skills.
• You cannot equip hats, pants, weapons, offhand items or shirts, use familiars, or even use potions unless your robot body is modified appropriately. (Note that capes and accessories are allowed.)
• No food, drink, booze, or spleen. So don't waste your Karma on hotdogs or pilsners. Also, don't waste your time on the Azazel, Ma Belle quest. (Miscellaneous consumables like the cast or sewing kit work, but MP restores are largely useless.)
  • Surprisingly, the magical sausage is an exception to this, and can be consumed as normal.
• No guilds.

The guildmaster screams "NO ROBOTS!" and slams the door in your face.

• Bosses do not drop their usual equipment and fights do not give stats, so you get nothing except a more difficult fight from Monster Aggravation Devices (except in some cases like Oil Peak or The Defiled Cranny.)
• Robots cannot enter The Sea:

  That shack you saw on the main map was just a picture of a shack drawn on the ground.

• It is not possible to read skill books:

  That book isn't meant for robots.

  • The spinal-fluid-covered emotion chip is an exception, which is automatically pulled at the start of your run and can be used as normal.

Divergences

• You are a robot.
• Unlike some previous challenge paths, there are no warnings for bringing invalid consumables during reincarnation.
  • You get a special, robotic avatar, which changes to show your current attachments and class.
  • Your adventure begins with You, Robot (adventure).
  • You start at Level 6, with 50 Energy, 0 Adventures, and 0 Scrap.
  • Your initial stats are 30, 20, and 10, distributed according to the character class you chose when ascending.
  • You start with 3 appendages depending on your character class:
    • Seal Clubber: Pound-o-Tron, Slab-O-Matic, Bald Tires
    • Turtle Tamer: Pound-o-Tron, Junk Shield, Bald Tires
    • Pastamancer: Bird Cage, Reflective Shard, Rocket Crotch
    • Sauceror: Bird Cage, Reflective Shard, Rocket Crotch
    • Disco Bandit: Pea Shooter, Metal Detector, Motorcycle Wheel
    • Accordion Thief: Pea Shooter, Horseshoe Magnet, Motorcycle Wheel
• You gain Energy instead of substats after combat, and you gain 40 Energy instead of 40 adventures at rollover. Most substats and adventures are gained at The Scrap Heap.
  • Extra Rollover Adventures and Rollover Effects from equipment and campground furnishings (despite the lack of a campground) still work as normal.
• The Scrapheap replaces The Campground.
  • You can spend Adventures to collect energy or scavenge for scrap. Scavenging will also heal you.
  • You can spend energy to gain more Adventures.
  • You can also spend energy to increase your stats with Statbot 5000. This is the primary way a robot to gain XP and level up.
    • Substats from other sources, such as non-combats, still work as normal.
  • You can purchase upgrades and skills at the Reassembly Station using energy or scrap.
• You encounter robot versions of the usual bosses:
  • Instead of the Boss Bat, you fight the Boss Bot.
  • Instead of the Goblin King, you fight the Gobot King.
  • Instead of the Bonerdagon, you fight the Robonerdagon.
  • Instead of Groar, you fight Groarbot.
  • Instead of Dr. Awkward you fight Tobias J. Saibot.
  • Instead of Lord Spookyraven you fight Lord Cyberraven.
  • Instead of the Protector Spectre you fight Protector S. P. E. C. T. R. E.
  • Instead of The Man you fight The Android.
  • Instead of The Big Wisniewski you fight The Artificial Wisniewski.
  • Instead of the Naughty Sorceress you fight the Nautomatic Sorceress
    • The Nautomatic Sorceress does not remove your beneficial effects, nor is the Wand of Nagamar required to defeat her.
  • The robot bosses do not drop their usual items or Meat. Instead, they drop robo-batterys, which give energy when used.

Skill progression

Each normal (softcore) You, Robot ascension increases the initial energy gain from Collect Energy by 1 and increases the first scrap salvage by around 4-6. Each hardcore You, Robot ascension increases the initial energy gain from Collect Energy by 2 and increases the first scrap salvage around 8-12. The cap is currently unknown.

Text

See The Council of Loathing/You, Robot.

Strategy

• A good first step each day is to head to the Scrapheap, and alternate spending energy at the Chronolith to get 10 Adventures with spending one Adventure to collect more energy.
• Because everything costs energy or scrap, attachments that grant extra energy or scrap after combat are generally useful. In particular, Overclocking (Gain 1 Energy per fight) is probably the first CPU Upgrade you'll want.
• Purchasing a new attachment for scrap replaces the previous attachment. Try to save scrap by accomplishing several tasks with the same attachments (Elemental Resistance, for example), to minimize switching back and forth.
• The three basic robot attacks (Pea Shooter, Pound-O-Tron, and Rocket Crotch) are neither weapons nor spells, so they do not gain bonus damage from gear. Keep this in mind when fighting opponents with physical resistance, as your equipment will not bestow elemental damage.

• CAUTION: You may start out with no weapon, so must spend energy to get adventures to get scrap to get one, so if you spend all your energy on a nice CPU upgrade you'll be stuck day 1.

• You will need a minimum of 70 in both Mysticality and Moxie to equip either of the outfits required for the Level 12 quest. Plan ahead.
  • Taking a non-muscle path leaves only one off-stat requiring additional levelling, for the island war.
• Since you don't get substats from combat, increasing Monster Level has only situational usefulness (e.g., Oil Peak). In normal combat, it just makes everything harder with no added benefit.
• If you find yourself with more Meat and Adventures than energy, vacations at the The Shore will increase your substats.

Notes

• Attempting to enter an adv.php combat with no weapon gives the message: "You don't currently have any offensive capability. You should attach some kind of weapon before you try to adventure!"
• Your robot face will be one of 6 base images.

Rewards

• Players will receive a Thwaitgold listening bug statuette each time they complete a run.

• Players in Hardcore gain the stainless steel equipment for their class.

Ascension Paths
Boozetafarian	Teetotaler	Oxygenarian
Special Challenge Paths
Spring Summer Fall Winter 2011 None Bees Hate You Way of the Surprising Fist Trendy 2012 Avatar of Boris Bugbear Invasion Zombie Slayer Class Act 2013 Avatar of Jarlsberg BIG! KOLHS Class Act II: A Class For Pigs 2014 Avatar of Sneaky Pete Slow and Steady Heavy Rains Picky 2015 Actually Ed the Undying One Crazy Random Summer Community Service None 2016 Avatar of West of Loathing The Source Nuclear Autumn None 2017 Gelatinous Noob License to Adventure Live. Ascend. Repeat. None 2018 Pocket Familiars G-Lover Disguises Delimit None 2019 Dark Gyffte Two Crazy Random Summer Kingdom of Exploathing None 2020 Path of the Plumber Low Key Summer Grey Goo None 2021 You, Robot Quantum Terrarium Wildfire None 2022 Grey You Journeyman Fall of the Dinosaurs None 2023 Avatar of Shadows Over Loathing Legacy of Loathing A Shrunken Adventurer am I None 2024 WereProfessor 11 Things I Hate About U Avant Guard None 2025 Z is for Zootomist Hat Trick 11,037 Leagues Under the Sea None