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Inkulinati: 5 Best Tips for Beginners
Inkulinati is a truly unique turn-based strategy game. The game involves several moving variables and varying degrees of mechanical depth for every beast, hand action, and talent. Overall, it is arguably trickier and more daunting than most turn-based strategy games. Unsurprisingly, most beginners lose repeatedly, leaving them frustrated.
Mastering Inkulinati takes a considerable amount of time and practice. In the meantime, here is an overview of five tested and proven Inkulinati tips for beginners to give you a firm understanding of how the game works and get things flowing smoothly.
5. Start at the Academy
The Academy stage in Inkulinati serves as a tutorial or introductory course on how the game works. To this end, it features instructions that explain to players what they need to do for every action. It also offers players the opportunity to practice everything they learn through an interesting gameplay stage that ties in well with the rest of the game.
Notably, you can apply everything you learn in The Academy to the rest of the game. Therefore, skipping this part would be like going in blind. However, The Academy is not simple, despite serving as a tutorial. Instead, it matches the rest of the gameplay to give you a feel for what to expect.
While this move does not align with most players' ego boosts, it is prudent to set the game’s difficulty settings to “Not Bad” mode. Playing in easy mode can also help you learn how the game works without failing at every turn. Notably, your little Inkulinati gets 15 health points and 12 Living Ink points in the easy mode.
However, it is worth noting that the easy setting isn’t exactly easy. Fortunately, the game offers hints that make the game easier. Hints provide more information about the player's surroundings. To activate hints, players hover the cursor over various objects on the screen.
4. Know When to Flee or Rematch
Fleeing a battle never looks or feels good. However, it is the best option when faced with an unbeatable foe. As such, it is prudent to accept that when you can’t win a fight, you should flee, especially after losing one or two rounds.
Fleeing is actually a strategic move since it allows players to regain their strength while treading ahead in their journey. Moreover, it saves you precious quizzes, which revive you when you lose a battle. However, fleeing also means that you forfeit the rewards you would gain for winning.
Fleeing is only recommended for unwinnable battles. However, you can lose a battle but win later on if you give it another try. As such, it pays to go for a rematch after losing manageable battles. Notably, enemies are weaker during rematch rounds, increasing your likelihood of winning. Moreover, you can win crucial rewards and resources to help equip and strengthen your army, making up for the quizzes you lost.
3. Swat & Push Enemies for Easy Kills
Generally, enemies in Inkulinati are difficult to kill using standard attack styles. To this end, they can easily overpower you in the heat of battle, killing you before you kill them. Fortunately, you can use your special Swat ability against your enemies to deal considerable damage or push them off the map for instant kills.
Pushing is the most efficient tactic in the game, as characters die when they fall off the battlefield. Notably, you can use your little Inkulinati or some of the beasts to push your enemies. However, this tactic requires a strategic approach; ideally, you should create a pathway before pushing your enemies. It is also worth noting that your enemies can also push you off the map.
Besides pushing, you can also use your special Swat attacks to deal considerable damage, enough to kill weak enemies with one strike. Notably, Swat attacks can cause five damage points per strike. Interestingly, you can launch frequent Swat attacks consecutively. Overall, it is prudent to use every available opportunity to use swap or push tactics against formidable enemies.
2. Synergize to Optimize Your Load-Outs
You gain more prestige when you win battles and successfully complete special activities. You can use the prestige to unlock new beasts, mechanics, and abilities. Notably, certain hand powers, talents, beasts, units, and perks complement each other to maximize the impact of their effects.
For example, cheap units combined with a perk that discounts their cost can help you create bigger armies to swarm the battlefield. Moreover, combining load-outs that work around bestowing sanctuaries can increase your beasts’ strength.
As such, it is prudent to be strategic when unlocking new mechanics to ensure a synergized load-out. Notably, synergy helps make you a more formidable fighter, making it easier to overpower enemies and complete activities.
However, it is worth noting that synergized load-outs work better when combined with strategic moves in each turn. Notably, you have few and limited choices for each turn, so always think carefully about what to do. For example, you can use one turn to position your beasts to push your enemies, another turn to clear a pathway, and another to do the pushing.
1. Choose Your Beasts Strategically & Avoid Boredom
Your likelihood of winning battles depends on the makeup of your armies. You can use different types of beasts to fight enemies on the battlefield. Notably, beasts possess varying abilities and powers, making them more or less efficient in different situations. Similarly, different monsters have varying abilities and strengths. As such, it is important to use beasts equipped for the precise situation. For example, you can deploy your strongest beasts in a battle against other beasts without an enemy Inkulinati master.
It is also worth noting that boredom is a major mechanic in the game. Notably, units become bored after a battle, increasing their living ink cost and making them less efficient in future battles. As such, it is essential to switch your units to avoid boredom and save on living ink. Interestingly, you can collect precious living ink from the ground by positioning your character over it.