I have (had) been playing Lost Relics for just over a week until a bad patch took it offline. The game has been down for several days and as there is only one developer it may be a few more before it’s back.
For a while, I have been looking for a 'proper' game that is blockchain-driven. All I see are mostly card games and many of them.
Lost Relics looks like Diablo and plays like it but don’t be fooled, it’s not to be played in Gung Ho style like the popular blizzard game.
If you do then you will die and die often, just ask 
Imagine adding some strategy to Diablo, creeping through dungeons and having that fear and apprehension always at the back of your mind.
You see dying has repercussions in Lost Relics, and that is you lose all your stuff! This is not as bad as it sounds, and what you actually lose is the items taken into the dungeon (your weapon, jewelry, and consumables), and anything looted so far on your current crawl.
That is unless those items are blockchain items. Those are not lost whether you die or not. Gaining blockchain items at the moment is not easy as this game runs on Etherium (actually Enjin), and so you can buy a nice ‘green’ sword for 3-4 ENJ and then pay $60 in miners fees.
It’s not going to happen, and after April 7th when the JumpNet kicks in, all that shit is going to go away (we hope).
What attracts me is you can get drops that are blockchain items that have value. I was lucky and looted an Epic ring in Ash Woods; the last one that sold went for 105 ENJ.
The game is free to play and you can beat the first dungeon going in naked (crap sword, crap bow, and no food) if you are careful.
You can't lose these 'bad items' but it might irreversibly dent your ego dying in the 'Forgotten Chambers'. I came close on my second naked run.
I would recommend picking up a green sword and a feeble necklace (which really helps) from the store which will prepare you for the second dungeon, 'The Arcane Pits'.
I almost rage quitted twice on Arcane Pits after losing a green sword and that green necklace twice. The combined cost of these items is 1000 gold and as a beginner gold is hard to come by.
You can pick it up by farming 'Forgotten Chambers' and selling any drops you might get in there at the Emporium (player-based auction house).
Every day you are given a bonus event provided you finish a dungeon. Make sure you do this daily as these can contribute greatly to your wealth (and sanity) if the Arcane Pits kicks your arse.
I am now comfortable doing repeated Arcane Pits runs and the strategy is not to panic, go in stealthily, and be extra careful of those fire dudes named 'Elites' who spit the stuff at you from afar.
Open the door and the mobs will rush you. Wait for them round the corner and slash before they get to you, which will give you an instant death opportunity.
Learn the monsters, the sounds they make, and which require a right-click to one-shot kill (some have more HP's than others).
Try not to get hit, you have 3000 hit points, and once depleted you are going to die (and lose your gear again!).
Some monsters move quickly and dual wield. One of these is in the Arcane Pits, duals for 65 and must die quick, or you will die!
Avoid fire, it’s a serious threat to your well-being and will add a detrimental DOT that ticks away your health.
Time the fire spouts and watch for mobs attacking you while travelling through them (those bastards are all 100% fire-resistant while you appear as flammable as someone permanently doused in petrol).
The fire grates have a bad habit of erupting just as you step on them. Watch the patterns and avoid getting burnt.
As a beginner, you are going to need bread to survive. This replenishes your health by 100 over time. Bread can be crafted free of charge provided you have jugs (1 gold each).
Take around 8 Bread with you giving yourself another 800 hit points.
There is a lot more I could say about Lost Relics which is more focused but I will probably cover those in later sub-articles.
What keeps me coming back is the fear of dying (a little like Everquest or Eve Online), and the potential to gain blockchain drops that have actual value.
It does bother me that a sole developer is working on the game. I hope he doesn’t get bored as I have seen this before.
This is the first real action game I have played that contains tangible NFT’s. One day all gaming will be blockchain-driven. I can’t wait.
-= ALL Images are my own screenshots captured while playing Lost Relics =-
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