In the explosive roguelike deckbuilder genre, sequencing is everything. If you are searching for a comprehensive artifact synergies guide, Runeveil will test your strategic limits by demanding you think left-to-right. Unlike traditional card games where you play one card at a time, this game forces you to play your whole hand in a sequence where left slots set up the board and right slots deliver the exponential payoff. Whether you play as a pyromancer in smoldering crimson robes or a voidcaster in void-purple armor, this guide breaks down the wild relic combinations needed to ascend to godhood.
The Core Mechanics of this Artifact Synergies Guide: Runeveil Sequencing
Developed by Dicehit and launching into Early Access with a punishing difficulty curve, Runeveil merges the map pathing of Slay the Spire with the mathematical multiplier thrills of Balatro. The core mechanic is simple to learn but brutal to master: your runes and artifacts trigger in strict order. Every artifact you place in the sequencer amplifies the next. Misplace a single multiplier, and your entire damage output collapses.
To understand the math, look at a standard five-slot sequence. If you place a flat +15 Base Damage rune in slot one, apply a Frost Curse in slot two, and then trigger an Echo Relic (x2) in slot three, your base is scaling before the multipliers hit. By the time the sequence reaches a Blood Chalice in slot four and your final x10 Payoff Strike in slot five, the math has compounded exponentially.
The difference between a winning run and a dead wizard lies entirely in understanding additive versus multiplicative sequencing.
| Setup Phase (Left Slots) | Multiplier Phase (Right Slots) | Final Output |
|---|---|---|
| +15 Base Damage → Apply Frost Curse | Echo Relic (x2) → x10 Payoff Strike | 300 Damage (Exponential) |
| x10 Payoff Strike → Echo Relic (x2) | +15 Base Damage → Apply Frost Curse | 15 Damage (Chain Broken) |
Early-Game Power: The Artifact Synergies Guide Runeveil Beginners Need
When you first enter the Arena as one of the 7 Elemental Wizards, your deck is painfully weak. You lack the dual-deck mechanics and high-tier relics needed to break the math. Surviving the first two Arenas requires leveraging accessible, low-rarity synergies that provide consistent breakpoints.
- The Ignition Chain (Pyromancer): The Pyromancer thrives on raw additive scaling. Place a basic 'Ember' rune on the far left, followed immediately by the 'Bellows' artifact. The Bellows doubles the flat value of any fire rune preceding it, giving you a massive base stat before any right-slot multipliers are applied.
- The Frostbite Echo (Aquamancer): The Aquamancer uses flow mechanics to shift runes mid-sequence. Apply 'Chill' stacks linearly in slots one through three, then hit them with the 'Shatter-Glass' artifact in slot four. Shatter-Glass detonates chill stacks for a flat x3 multiplier per stack.
- The Aegis Wall (Geomancer): If you cannot output enough damage to clear an early wave, sequence for survival. Place 'Stone-Shape' in slot one and the 'Resonance Crystal' in slot two. This generates exponential 'Shield-Wall' artifacts, allowing you to survive the enemy's setup turns unharmed.
Defeating the 7 Sin Kings: An Artifact Synergies Guide Runeveil Veterans Trust
The mid-game is where the sequencer truly shines. To beat the game, you must defeat the 7 Sin Kings, each possessing unique Arena mechanics designed to hard-counter specific deck archetypes. Brute force will not work; you must build bespoke synergies to counter their rulesets.
When facing the King of Sloth, who actively reduces your sequencer slots, you must rely on hyper-compressed builds like The Masochist Engine. This build is exclusively viable for the Voidcaster Class, as it relies on generating negative status effects and feeding them into the Blood Chalice artifact. Instead of needing seven slots to scale, the Voidcaster converts those curses directly into exponential output.
The King of Pride is a notorious run-killer because his Arena enforces a strict Damage Cap: 50 per individual hit. If you bring a standard one-shot exponential build, you will fail. The only reliable counter is the Prism Relic, an artifact that shatters a single massive damage calculation into hundreds of micro-hits. A properly sequenced Prism Relic can bypass the cap entirely, registering 999 Hits in a single turn and melting the boss's health bar.
Other Sin Kings demand equally specific counters:
- King of Greed: Steals your unspent mana and gold mid-fight, powering up based on your wealth. Counter this with the 'Pauper’s Chalice' and 'Debt Rune'—a synergy that applies massive multipliers the closer your resource pool is to zero.
- King of Wrath: Retaliates against every individual hit you land. You must counter with the exact opposite of the Pride strategy: a single, massive "x10 Payoff Strike" using the Pyromancer's Ignition Chain, effectively one-shotting the boss before retaliation triggers.
- King of Gluttony: Consumes the leftmost rune in your sequence every turn. Counter this by placing garbage 'Ember' runes as bait, or use the Aquamancer’s flow mechanics to shift critical setup runes to the right just before consumption.
Elemental Wizard Loadouts and Dual Deck Strategies
Mastering the 7 Elemental Wizards requires understanding their innate relationship with the sequencer. The Aeromancer, for example, relies on high draw power to cycle through the deck and find the 'Echo Relic', while the Chronomancer excels at time-delay tactics, holding a rune in the sequencer for an extra turn to double its multiplier.
In the late game, you unlock the Dual Deck system, which fundamentally changes how you draft. You can dedicate Deck A entirely to flat elemental debuffs and setup runes, while Deck B stores your pure multiplicative artifacts. Because the sequencer bridges both decks, you can isolate Cursed runes in Deck A to prevent them from breaking the exponential chain in Deck B.
Cursed Runes and High-Risk Artifact Combos
Cursed Runes are initially presented as negative modifiers that clog your sequencer. However, high-level play revolves around turning these curses into fuel. The Luminary wizard excels here, utilizing the 'Purifying Flame' artifact to lock rune states and convert negative modifiers into flat base damage.
If you are playing the Voidcaster, you actively want Cursed Runes. The 'Curse-Eater' synergy involves drafting 'Blight' runes into your left slots and placing the 'Abyssal Maw' artifact on the right. The Maw consumes all preceding curses, granting a permanent +0.5x multiplier to your run for every curse eaten. It is a high-risk strategy that leaves you vulnerable during the setup phase but guarantees god-tier damage by the final Arena.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do you unlock more artifacts in Runeveil? Unlocks are tied to progression. Beating Arenas and leveling up the 7 Elemental Wizards permanently adds new artifacts to your draft pool. The Early Access build currently features 63 runes per wizard, with half locked behind progression milestones.
What is the best wizard for beginners in Runeveil? The Pyromancer is the most forgiving class for new players. Their reliance on linear, additive scaling (stacking flat fire damage before applying a single multiplier) is much easier to sequence than the Voidcaster’s complex curse-eating mechanics.
How do Cursed Runes work? Cursed Runes act as negative modifiers that take up valuable space in your sequencer, often reducing base damage or applying debuffs to your wizard. However, specific artifacts like the Blood Chalice or Abyssal Maw can consume or convert these curses into massive exponential buffs.
Can you rearrange the sequencer after placing a rune? No. Once a rune or artifact is locked into a slot, it cannot be moved unless you are playing the Aquamancer, whose unique 'Flow' mechanic allows for mid-sequence repositioning.
Final Verdict
Runeveil punishes lazy math. You cannot draft a deck of high-rarity cards and expect to win without understanding how they interact on the board. Mastering the left-to-right flow, exploiting the Dual Deck system, and knowing exactly when to pivot your build to counter a specific Sin King is the only path to victory.
Sources
- Dicehit Developer Updates (Steam Community Hub)
- Runeveil Early Access Patch Notes (June 2026)
- SteamDB Player Analytics for Runeveil Demo