Legacy of Loathing
From A KoL Wiki
Legacy of Loathing is the Summer 2023 special challenge path, introduced on May 15th, 2023. This path adds variant rules and restrictions to an ascension run. Its description in The Bureau of Reincarnation reads "Play with replica items from the past 20 years of Mr. Store!"
Restrictions
- Your Familiar-Gro™ Terrarium is empty.
- You cannot use non-replica familiar hatchlings:
- You can't use non-replica familiars right now.
- You may not pull equipment from Hagnk's Ancestral Mini-Storage:
Only food, booze, potions, combat and usable items may be pulled on this path.
- Your IotMs don't auto-pull.
- And IotMs that are usable items (like the potted power plant) can't be pulled manually either.
- The Standard restrictions are expanded with items and skills derived from the IotMs replicated in this path.
- You cannot enter The Sea:
That shack you saw on the main map was just a picture of a shack drawn on the ground.
Divergences
- Your adventure begins with "Starting Your Legacy."
- You start the run with a replica Mr. Accessory. You loot another from every main boss you defeat (for a total of +8 replicas).
- You start with 1 additional replica Mr. Accessory for each standard Legacy of Loathing run you've completed, and 2 additional for each completed hardcore run, up to a maximum of 19.
- In total, you can have 28 replicas from ascension progression, plus however many are available from 2023 IotMs.
- If you have a Cincho de Mayo and/or 2002 Mr. Store Catalog, you start with an additional replica Mr. Accessory per IotM.
- You start with 1 additional replica Mr. Accessory for each standard Legacy of Loathing run you've completed, and 2 additional for each completed hardcore run, up to a maximum of 19.
- Replica Mr. Store is available in Market Square.
- Within this store you can purchase one of three replica Items of the Month (IotM) for each year. The years start with 2004 and end in 2022.
- Only one year's IotM are available at a time. When you purchase one, the next year's items become available instead.
- Exception: If you have already purchased and used the May 2023 IotM, the Cincho de Mayo, a replica version will be additionally available below the older year's section.
- If you have already purchased and used the June 2023 IotM, the 2002 Mr. Store Catalog, a replica version will be additionally available.
- When you purchase an item from 2022, the items from 2004 become available again, and so on.
- You are not stopped from purchasing a second of the same item, even where that makes no sense.
- Up until June 5th, 2023, using a second hatchling behaved as if it were the first one of that type you'd used. I you used the second one with the first one out: it created a second familiar of that type in the terrarium. Taking this second one with you reset its weight to zero and destroyed any familiar item that was equipped.
- Most bosses are replaced with their original/past versions.
- Instead of the Boss Bat, you fight the Classic Boss Bat.
- Instead of the Knob Goblin King, you fight the Weirdly Scrawny Knob Goblin King.
- Instead of the Bonerdagon, you fight the Orignial Bonerdagon.
- Instead of Groar, you fight a Flock of Groars?.
- Instead of Dr. Awkward you fight Jr. Awkwarj.
- Instead of Lord Spookyraven you fight Little Lord Spookyraven.
- Instead of Protector Spectre, you fight a Protector Spectre Candidate.
- Instead of The Man you fight The Boy.
- Instead of The Big Wisniewski you fight The Little Wisniewski.
- The Naughty Sorceress, Ed the Undying, Ron "The Weasel" Copperhead and Baron von Ratsworth are unchanged.
Aftercore
- All replica familiars and equipment disappear immediately upon freeing the King, as does Replica Mr. Store.
Council Text
Strategy
General advice
- Remember to set up your breakfast muffin before you ascend, so you can get a muffin tin to use in-run -- bran muffin is probably the best.
- With low progression, getting enough stats to level may be difficult. Consider drinking two meat muck with Cincho: Dispense Salt and Lime for 150 to each substat per drink from level 4 onwards.
- You can powerlevel your Bandersnatch by casting Saucestorm against a monster immune to elemental damage -- Spawn of Wally is a good pick for a Seal Clubber, as you'll probably be opening the guild anyway to get Ticking Clock.
- Seal Clubber is likely the best class choice, for fighting seals (as mentioned above) and because you have access to a banishing skill. Moxie classes do get to Pickpocket, though.
- Due to the Genie bottle replica being one of the items available from the replica Mr. Store, Pocket wishes are able to be pulled from Hangk's, granting access to the very useful Blessed rustproof +2 gray dragon scale mail.
Astral gear and consumables
- The astral pet sweater makes all your familiars better, and in particular gives +2 free runs from the Frumious Bandersnatch.
- If you want to buy familiar equipment from Replica Mr. Store (see below), you could also consider the astral belt (experience gain), the astral mask (item drop) or the astral shirt (no competition for the slot until you have lots of progression).
- Astral hot dog dinner is likely the better choice for early runs, at least in Hardcore, where leveling up takes a while. The astral six-pack becomes better once you have some runs under your belt.
Softcore-specific stratagems
- Note that you can't pull equipment and miscellaneous (i. e. non-usable) items. That means you'll have to fight (and probably copy) a ninja snowman assassin for its drops.
- You can, however, pull and use items that are derived from the replicas available on this path, even if you don't have the source item.
- For example, you can pull an infinite BACON machine and use it for viral videos and print screen buttons without ever buying the intergnat.
- Other interesting targets include Smithsness items, Robortender drinks, and hot jelly/spooky jelly/stench jelly.
- The only exception to this is The Neverending Party - you do actually need the replica invitation if you, for some reason, want to use those items.
Replica Mr. Store choices
- Making good purchases from Replica Mr. Store is key to having an enjoyable time in this path. Below is a first draft of a shopping list, which will need to be expanded and revised over the course of the season.
- Remember that you only get eight replica Mr. Accessory from fighting bosses, four of which come from the level 11 and level 12 quests. Therefore, later runs (where you can buy more items immediately) are very different from early runs (where you'll spend most of your time with only the first 2-5 items.) For your first few runs, pick items with immediate utility. Planning becomes more important as you progress through your runs.
| Year | Recommended purchase (with little progression) | Recommended purchase (with lots of progression) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 |  replica crimbo elfling |
 replica hand turkey outline |
Item drop bonuses are universally useful, so you really want a fairy-type familiar as soon as possible. However, once you have some progression, you can use the angel from 2011, which frees up 2004 for the leprechaun. You don't need the volleyball-type familiar here, as you'll always get the Bandersnatch from 2009. |
| 2005 |  replica miniature gravy-covered maypole |
replica miniature gravy-covered maypole |
Not an impressive year. If you have an astral pet sweater, and so little progression that you won't get the Bandersnatch anytime soon, then you might as well buy the shaman instead. Otherwise, the item drop bonus is nice to have. |
| 2006 |  replica jewel-eyed wizard hat |
 replica Tome of Snowcone Summoning |
With low progression but a high number of skills permed, the jewel-eyed wizard hat is one of the only sources of MP regen you can get this early, and it makes your buffs last longer too (and is near-required if you're running shaman). The snowcones only provide minor bonuses, so if you don't have any familiar equipment yet, consider the pumpkin basket. |
| 2007 |  replica navel ring of navel gazing |
 replica V for Vivala mask |
Free runaways are extremely useful for delay-burning. However, you can also get the Greatest American Pants from 2010, which frees up 2007 for the V mask. |
| 2008 |  replica haiku katana |
replica haiku katana |
If you still don't have a familiar equipment, get the box of fireworks. Otherwise, the katana has some utility, especially if you also got the V mask. |
| 2009 |  replica Apathargic Bandersnatch |
replica Apathargic Bandersnatch |
Another source of free runaways, and a Volleyball-type familiar if you need the experience gain. This one is an obvious pick. |
| 2010 |  replica organ grinder |
 replica Greatest American Pants |
Leprechaun-type familiars are useful in exactly three spots, and the pies are a nice bonus. If you didn't pick the navel ring above, you should take the Greatest American Pants here, because they use the same counter for free runaways. |
| 2011 |  replica cute angel |
replica cute angel |
Fire a badly romantic arrow is the first source of copying monsters available on this path, which is vital for lobsterfrogman farming and useful in some other spots. Other sources become available later, but since the alternatives for 2011 are not particularly exciting, you probably still pick the angel. |
| 2012 |  replica deactivated nanobots |
 replica Libram of Resolutions |
Unleash Nanites with Nanoballsy active provides a yellow ray effect that can reasonably be used once a day. Once you have access to other yellow ray effects, the Libram is the better pick. |
| 2013 |  replica Smith's Tome |
replica Smith's Tome |
The Smith's Tome was an infamously powerful item in its day, providing access to high-quality equipment, food and booze, as well as banishers and yellow rays. |
| 2014 |  still grill |
 Little Geneticist DNA-Splicing Lab |
The grill is a sombrero / starfish that offers a way to boost ML. At low progression when you're struggling to level quickly, it's a large boon.
The DNA lab provides a wide variety of buffs, including elemental damage and meat/item drops. |
| 2015 |  Pack of Every Card |
Pack of Every Card |
The Deck of Every Card offers tower keys (which makes it a natural pick for Hardcore), stats for levelling, ores, wool and some buffs (stats / init / item).
Also consider Chateau Mantegna to fight copies of certain important monsters, gain extra free rests for Cincho: Fiesta Exit (and later more adventures to meet daycount), and maybe get some potions or meat. |
| 2016 |  Source terminal |
Source terminal |
Another infamously powerful IotM that provides everything you could possibly want - buffs, monster copies, and EPIC-quality food/booze. |
| 2017 |  genie bottle |
genie bottle |
While the robortender provides powerful booze and a very useful +Meat drop bonus, it doesn't measure up to the genie bottle, which provides the ability to summon monsters for you to fight and particular effects, like extra sleaze damage for the zeppelin. |
| 2018 |  January's Garbage Tote |
January's Garbage Tote |
Provides a variety of useful bonuses (including +Item drop and experience gain). The other two choices mostly provide free fights, which is nice, but subject to diminishing returns. |
| 2019 |  Fourth of May Cosplay Saber |
Fourth of May Cosplay Saber? |
The sausage maker is generally considered to be the best IotM of its year, but we have access to free runaways this year, so we might not actually need the delay-burning. Banishers and copiers are in short supply, and the saber provides both. However, it is far from clear that this is the right choice for later runs, and it needs to be explored more. |
| 2020 |  baby camelCalf |
baby camelCalf |
Speeds up desert exploration, duplicates item drops. The Powerful Glove is less powerful now that you no longer need white pixels, and the functionality of the Cargo Cultist Shorts is already covered by other IotMs. |
| 2021 |  emotion chip |
emotion chip |
One of relatively few sources of -combat %, and another banisher besides, with a lot more utility on top. While there are no bad choices for this year, the emotion chip is probably more universally useful. |
| 2022 |  Jurassic Parka |
Jurassic Parka? |
Forces non-combats, provides a yellow ray effect with a relatively short charge time, and offers some other incidental buffs. Also the only worthwhile shirt available in hardcore. However, the grey goose is also very powerful, and may be the better choice once you have enough progression that you can get it at lower levels. |
Rewards
- Finishing a Legacy of Loathing run while it is the current special challenge path -- between May 15th, 2023, (and August 15th, 2023) -- gives players 50 (in Normal) or 100 (in Hardcore) extra karma points the next time they visit Valhalla.
- Players will receive a Thwaitgold splendor beetle statuette upon defeating the Naughty Sorceress.
- Players in Hardcore gain the stainless steel equipment for their class.
