Slash’EM survivors guide

Having successfully ascended a Valkyrie on Nethack I moved on to more exciting things like Slash’EM. I have found Slash’EM to be every bit as good as Nethack, a little more challenging and much more interesting. This guide will hopefully get you started in playing and save you some frustrations and many, many stupid deaths.

Survival Tips:

1

I would begin by picking one class and learning all the things that it can do at low levels. Once you have all the functions of one class mastered it will be much easier to learn all the dangers of the Dungeons of Doom. The Monk is probably the easiest class to use, followed by the Valkery and the Samaria.

2

Keep a journal!, this is probably the most helpful thing you can do. Once you start playing and discover that eating kobalds is hazardous to your health, write it down and never do it again unless you are poison resident. You’ll also want to keep track of how much stuff costs so it will be easier to identify later.

3

Don’t quaff from fountains, the risk is not worth the reward unless you are high enough level to take on water demons. Sinks are safe to quaff from, water elementals are slow enough that you can usually take them down without getting hurt, just be sure to take off armor because it will break if you get toxic waste.

4

Kick gray stones, they could be load stones and you don’t want to be stuck with one of them. Touch stone have different messages when you rub gems on them. It’s a good idea to bless them.

5

Dip useless potions such as booze in fountains to create water which can be bless by setting them on an offer and praying. I usually bless 10 potions or so at a time.

6

Drop items on alters to identify blessed/cursed status.

7

Take your time, there is no hurry, unless you are running out of food. I don’t go below dungeon level 4 unless I am at least 5th level.

8

#chat, you never know who will talk to you.

9

Eat, even when not hungry but only if you know it is safe. As a general rule only eat things your pet will eat. Stockpile lichen corpses because they don’t decay you can hold on to them until you are hungry. As a last resort you can pray to satisfy your belly.

10

Don’t leave your pet behind. I used to do this all the time because I got tired of waiting on them. They are very useful. They steal from shops, if trained with treats. For cats and dogs treats are tripe rations and meat balls (healers can make meat balls by casting stone to flesh on a bunch of rocks). For horses it’s carrots, apples and things like that. Pets can also identify if an items is cursed. If it is cursed they won’t walk on it unless “they move reluctantly.” It only takes a few times of using some nasty cursed items to realized that everything needs to be identified.

11

Reflection and Magic resistance are very important. Once you get these you are almost invincible.