Quest Cards Complete Guide

How quest cards work

• Quest Cards cannot be upgraded, transformed, or removed at shops. The only way to get rid of one is to complete the quest or use Exhaust effects (Burning Pact, True Grit) to banish it during combat.
• Drawing a Quest Card does not cost energy, but it does consume a draw. In fights where draw is your bottleneck, that missing card matters.
• Quest Cards are colorless — any character can receive them from events.
• All three quests can appear in the same run, though the odds of seeing all three events are low.

Byrdonis Egg — hatch at a Rest Site for a 0-cost 14-damage attack

• Byrd Swoop is one of the strongest 0-cost attacks in the game. For comparison, a basic Strike deals 6 damage for 1 energy. Byrd Swoop deals more than double that for zero energy.
• Upgraded Byrd Swoop (18 damage) outperforms most Common attack cards at any energy cost.
• The opportunity cost is one Rest Site action. You sacrifice a Rest (heal 30% HP) or Smith (upgrade a card) to hatch the egg. If you are healthy entering the Rest Site, this cost is trivial.
• Byrd Swoop synergizes with Akabeko (+8 damage on first Attack per combat = 22 total), Shuriken/Kunai (counts toward the 3-Attack trigger), and any relic or card that benefits from 0-cost plays.
• This is the easiest quest to complete. Rest Sites appear on every map, and you control when to visit them. The completion window is entirely under your control.
• The +7 Max HP alternative is decent in Act 1 when survivability matters, but Byrd Swoop provides more long-term value in almost every deck.

Spoils Map — carry through an act for 600 gold

• 600 gold is an enormous payout. A typical elite fight rewards 30-40 gold. The Spoils Map equals roughly 15-20 elite fights worth of gold in a single event.
• The dead-draw window is longer than Byrdonis Egg — you carry the Spoils Map for the rest of the current act plus the early portion of the next act. If you find the event late in Act 1, the carry time is short. If you find it early, you hold dead weight for many more fights.
• Spend the 600 gold quickly after collecting it. Several Act 2 enemies can steal gold with their attacks. Hit a shop node on your path and convert gold into relics, card removals, or potions before enemies take it.
• There is a known Early Access bug: saving and quitting while carrying the Spoils Map can cause the next act's map to reset, making the treasure node disappear. Avoid save-quitting mid-quest if possible.
• The Spoils Map is best when found in late Act 1 (fewer fights to carry dead weight) and worst when found early in Act 1 (maximum dead-draw exposure).

Lantern Key — fight for a relic or loot chest in Act 3

• The Flail Knight is roughly elite-tier difficulty. The fight is manageable for most Act 2 decks but dangerous if you enter with low HP. The knight attacks aggressively every turn.
• Step 2: Carry the Lantern Key into Act 3. At the first Unknown room event, you encounter the War Historian Repy — an academic trapped inside a hanging cage. Two choices appear:
• Option A — Unlock the cage: Frees Repy, consumes the Lantern Key, and rewards the History Course relic. Effect: at the start of each turn, play a copy of the last Attack or Skill you played on the previous turn. This is free — it costs no energy and does not consume a card draw.
• Option B — Unlock the chest: Consumes the Lantern Key and rewards 2 random potions + 2 random relics. Immediate value, but no guaranteed quality.
• History Course is one of the strongest relics in the game. It effectively doubles the impact of your best card every turn. In infinite or high-damage builds, replaying a Limit Break, Catalyst, or Heavy Blade for free each turn is game-winning.
• The chest option (2 relics + 2 potions) provides safe, immediate value. If your deck does not have a single dominant card to replay, or if you need relics to survive Act 3, the chest is the pragmatic choice.
• Recommended choice: History Course in most runs. The relic provides compounding value across every remaining fight. Take the chest only if your deck has no clear replay target or you are desperately short on relics.

Priority ranking: which quests to accept

• Rank 1: Byrdonis Egg. Easiest to complete (next Rest Site), shortest dead-draw window, and Byrd Swoop is a permanent deck upgrade. Accept in almost every run.
• Rank 2: Lantern Key. History Course is one of the best relics in the game, but the quest requires winning a combat and carrying dead weight across two acts. Accept if your deck can handle the Flail Knight fight and the dead draw through Act 3.
• Rank 3: Spoils Map. 600 gold is powerful but temporary (you spend it once). The dead-draw window is moderate, and the gold is vulnerable to theft. Accept when found late in an act (shorter carry time) or when you need gold for specific shop purchases.
• Skip any quest if your deck is already at 10 or fewer cards and built for consistency. A dead draw in a 10-card deck is a 10% miss rate — too high for decks that need every draw to count.
• In co-op, quest rewards benefit only the player who completes them. Coordinate with your partner to ensure the player with the most to gain takes the quest.

Quest card interactions with deck strategies

• Exhaust synergy: Cards like Burning Pact (Exhaust a card, draw 2) and True Grit (gain Block, Exhaust a random card) can remove Quest Cards from combat temporarily. Ironclad and Necrobinder decks with Exhaust engines barely feel the dead draw.
• Draw-heavy decks: Decks that draw 8-10 cards per turn (Silent with Acrobatics, Defect with card draw) can absorb a dead draw without losing meaningful output.
• Small decks and infinite builds: Quest Cards are most dangerous here. A 5-card infinite loop that draws a Quest Card breaks the cycle. Avoid quests entirely if pursuing an infinite combo.
• Scrying and deck manipulation: Cards that let you look at and discard from your draw pile can bury Quest Cards before they reach your hand.
• Byrd Swoop after completion fits perfectly into 0-cost and multi-Attack strategies. It counts toward Shuriken, Kunai, and Ornamental Fan triggers.
• History Course (from Lantern Key) is strongest in decks with one dominant card. Ironclad with Heavy Blade, Silent with Catalyst, and Regent with high-Star finishers all gain enormous value from the free replay.

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