Curse

Permanently increases enemy strength by +20% per rank in exchange for increased XP gain. Max 5 ranks.

Effect

A permanent Village upgrade where each rank increases enemy strength by +20% in exchange for increased XP gain. A pure risk-reward tradeoff.

Rank	Cost	Effect
Rank 1	350 coins	Enemy strength +20% / XP gain increased
Rank 2	350 coins	Enemy strength +40% / XP gain increased
Rank 3	350 coins	Enemy strength +60% / XP gain increased
Rank 4	350 coins	Enemy strength +80% / XP gain increased
Rank 5	350 coins	Enemy strength +100% / XP gain increased
Max	—	Rank 5 (enemy strength ×2)

Priority: Situational (advanced players)

Curse rewards high-damage builds that can handle tougher enemies — the extra XP creates a faster leveling spiral that compounds over a run. Stacking too many ranks without sufficient damage output will make encounters unwinnable.

Recommended Builds

Curse works when:

Running high-damage AoE cards (Bone, Whip, Lightning Ring, Hellfire)
Survivability is high (strong armor, reliable healing)
Combo multiplier is stable (Chain Link arcana, Sharp Mind arcana)
Start with Rank 1 to test — don't commit to high ranks immediately

Synergies

Krochi: 10% revival stack mitigates death risk
Clerici: +3 Heal on blue triggers helps sustain against harder enemies
Soul Eater / Bloody Tear: healing on kill — more dangerous enemies still die and heal more
Experimental Medicine arcana: doubles healing effects to compensate for increased damage taken
Your Shield My Liege arcana: persistent armor between turns for defense against stronger hits

Notes

Enemy strength is cumulative — Rank 5 doubles enemy stats entirely
Beginners should cap at Rank 1–2
Hover over the upgrade in Village to see exact XP gain values