Avatar of Shadows Over Loathing
From A KoL Wiki
Avatar of Shadows Over Loathing is the Spring 2023 special challenge path, introduced on February 15, 2023. This path adds variant rules and restrictions to an ascension run. Its description in The Bureau of Reincarnation reads "Play as one of the classes from the recently-released smash hit video game Shadows Over Loathing, by Asymmetric Games!"
Restrictions
- No access to any non-path skills.
- You cannot join a guild.
- Standard restrictions apply.
- 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
- When starting an Avatar of Shadows Over Loathing run, the player chooses one of three classes in Into the Shadows.
- As with most avatar paths, it is not possible to earn an Order of the Silver Wossname.
Class
Rather than playing any of the traditional 6 classes, you will play as one of three special classes, each with its own skills.
- These classes are: Pig Skinner (Muscle), Cheese Wizard (Mysticality), and Jazz Agent (Moxie).
Skills
- Regular class skills are disallowed, and each class gets a new set of skills:
- Pig Skinners start with Tackle and get 21 skills from Advanced Pig Skinning.
- Cheese Wizards start with Caseus Vampirus and get 21 skills from The Cheese Wizard's Companion.
- Jazz Agents start with Demoralizing Toot and get 21 skills from Jazz Agent sheet music.
- Skills cost meat and can be purchased in any order, as long as you meet the level requirement.
- Completing a run also gives you a "skill point" for that class (two points for Hardcore), up to a cap of 11 points. You may spend your points at any time on any of the skills, even if you do not meet the level requirements.
- The shadowy cheat sheet also gives you one skill point for each class.
Bosses
- Most bosses are replaced with shadowy versions. They drop cursed items with powerful enchantments but significant drawbacks. Cursed items can be turned into uncursed versions which are less powerful but without drawbacks. This cannot be undone.
| Boss | Replacement | Cursed item | Cursed enchantment | Uncursed item | Uncursed enchantment | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boss Bat | two-headed shadow bat |  cursed bat paw |
+25 to Monster Level All Attributes -25% |
uncursed bat paw |
-25 to Monster Level | accessory |
| Knob Goblin King | goblin king's shadow |  cursed goblin cape |
Monsters will be significantly less attracted to you. Cold Vulnerability (-6) Spooky Vulnerability (-6) |
uncursed goblin cape |
Monsters will be less attracted to you. | back item |
| Bonerdagon | shadowboner shadowdagon |  cursed dragon wishbone |
+50% Item Drops from Monsters -50% Meat from Monsters |
uncursed dragon wishbone |
+25% Item Drops from Monsters | accessory |
| Groar | shadow of groar |  cursed blanket |
Serious Resistance (+3) to all elements -20 to Familiar Weight |
uncursed blanket |
Slight Resistance (+1) to all elements | back item |
| Lord Spookyraven | shadow Lord Spookyraven |  cursed arcane orb |
+13 Prismatic Damage -50% Item Drops from Monsters |
uncursed arcane orb |
+1 Prismatic Damage | off-hand item |
| Protector Spectre | corruptor shadow |  cursed machete |
+50% Meat from Monsters You will constantly cut yourself with it |
uncursed machete |
+20% Meat from Monsters | weapon (1-handed sword) |
| Dr. Awkward | W. Odah's Shadow |  cursed stats |
+5 Stat(s) Per Fight Base stats limited to 69 |
uncursed stats |
+1 Stat(s) Per Fight | off-hand item |
| The Big Wisniewski | shadow of the 1960s |  cursed medallion |
Combat Initiative +100% Weapon Damage -50% Spell Damage -50% |
uncursed medallion |
Combat Initiative +25% | accessory |
| The Man | shadow of the 1980s |
- Ed the Undying and Ron "The Weasel" Copperhead are not replaced. Optional bosses such as Baron von Ratsworth are also unaffected.
- You will fight a shadow version of your path class. This is a purely cosmetic change.
- Naughty Sorceress is replaced with a class-dependent nemesis: General Bruise for Pig Skinners, Dark Noël for Cheese Wizards, Terrence Poindexter for Jazz Agents. The Wand of Nagamar is not required to defeat any of these bosses.
Aftercore
- You keep your path specific skills in aftercore. Your skill book is still useable also.
Council Text
Strategy
- As with Journeyman, the path mostly works like a low-skill Standard run. You do have access to a few new skills, though, some of which are quite powerful.
- Jazz Agents get Motif, which works as a Transcendent Olfaction effect. Call For Backup grants +10 familiar weight, which is extremely useful, and available as soon as level 2.
- Pig Skinners have access to a banisher with Punt (takes a turn). Free-For-All is also very useful, being a turn-free instant-kill that can be used every 25 adventures.
- Cheese Wizards get a lot of passive +item via Fingers of Fontina and have a disintegration effect with Fondeluge, which is also a turn-free instant-kill, albeit one that can only be used every 50 adventures.
- Consider doing a few "just for fun" runs for your class. The first 2-3 skill points are extremely valuable to have in "serious" runs, though you hit diminishing returns. You can also buy them via shadowy cheat sheet.
- Finally, note that the cooldown timers on some of these overlap with the Underground Fireworks Shop rockets.
- Not all skills are equally useful. You might as well get them if you have spare meat, but don't feel obligated to buy skills just because you've unlocked them.
- Most of the class skills just deal damage. You probably don't need those, at least if you have a June cleaver.
- Do note that the new bosses tend to be immune to physical damage. That's irrelevant if you have a June cleaver, but if you don't have one, buy a combat skill that deals elemental damage.
- If you have a Jurassic Parka, make sure you pick a moon sign that gives you access to The Gnomish Gnomad Camp, so you can purchase Torso Awaregness.
- That plus the bus pass will set you back 10,000 meat, so budget accordingly.
- Some of the cursed boss drops are actually quite useful. Definitely don't uncurse them unless you have to.
- Cursed goblin cape grants a massive bonus to non-combat chance, which is otherwise hard to come by. Try to get that one as early as possible.
- Probably delay the 8-Bit Realm until you have the cursed dragon wishbone and cursed machete, because those really help with two of the tests.
Rewards
- Finishing an Avatar of Shadows Over Loathing run that began while it was still the current special challenge path -- that is, between February 15th, 2023, and (May 14th, 2023) -- (gives players 100 (in Hardcore) or 50 (in Normal) extra karma points the next time they visit Valhalla.)
- Players will receive a Thwaitgold anti-moth statuette upon defeating the final boss.
- Completing a run with one of the new classes also gives you a "skill point" for that class (two points for Hardcore), up to a cap of 11 points. These will be useful for future runs of that same class.
