Circus Electrique Beginner Guide: 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Played- In this Circus Electrique Beginner Guide, I’m going to share with you the best tips and tricks that have worked for me so far to succeed in combat, determine the buildings to upgrade first in the circus, and identify the best Exploration Team there is. Circus Electrique is a Steampunk Tactical Turn-based RPG developed by Zen Studios and published by Saber Interactive. Here, you play as a group of circus performers who are positioned to save the day against the bloodthirsty murderers of Victorian London. If you are interested in playing the game and you are not sure what to activities prioritize to make the most out of your experience, then this Guide is for you!
Circus Electrique Beginner Guide: 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Played
Although Circus Electrique is not as brutal as Darkest Dungeon, it can be quite overwhelming and daunting due to the amount of information that is being presented to you at the start. There are several mechanics, which you need to fully grasp before managing the circus and its talents well. In this Circus Electrique Beginner Guide, our objective is to narrow down the techniques you should focus on when it comes to the most effective skills, combat strategies, Devotion or morale management, and more. Let’s begin with the best starter classes.
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Circus Electrique Beginner Guide - Best Starter Classes
Circus Electrique features 15 archetypes ranging from the Strongman and Fire Blower to the Clown and Escape Artist. Eventually, you will meet more of them as you progress in the story. The best combination of classes that have always worked includes the Strongman and the Clown. First is the Strongman and based on his name alone, he is very strong because not only does he act as a tank but he also deals massive damage. He may not have the highest initiative in the group, but this class can certainly stand its ground regardless of the type of situation.
Their most potent skills include the Front Blow, Spinebreaker, and Stunning Attack. Out of these three, Spinebreaker deals the greatest damage but at the expense of incurring a Precision or hit penalty so it is quite risky to use. Both the Front Blow and Stunning Attack Skills are the safer options with the latter providing a significant chance to immobilize the target.
Second is the Clown, whom you can never go wrong with because he is a support class. Although he can deal a bit of damage to finish off enemies using skills such as Hammer Hit and Mock Throw, the Clown’s prowess in buffing and healing allies is his main draw. With Trumpet Boost, he can considerably increase Precision and Devotion for 1 turn whereas with Clown Care, he is able to notably heal a target. Because of this class’s cheerful nature, they randomly heal another circus performer every round, thereby improving the latter’s survivability.
Circus Electrique Beginner Guide - How to Manage Devotion
The Devotion Mechanic in the game will remind you of Darkest Dungeon’s Stress System because of its impact on your performers’ well-being, thereby determining their effectiveness for the day. A high Devotion in combat considerably boosts that same character’s base damage and chances to hit when they use the skills that consume it. This is indicated by a blue electrical border around their icons. Meanwhile, a high Devotion in Circus Shows increases the probability of completing the activity successfully so the circus gains popularity and you receive more resources to craft consumables.
There are several things you can do to successfully manage Devotion. For instance, you will need to participate in these shows and then stay in the Sleeping Cart for the day. In combat, your goal should be to deplete the enemy’s Devotion gauge to make them flee and slay other targets using a group skill. Additionally, remember to drink Cola to increase morale by 10% and to use friendly skills to temporarily enhance Devotion for a turn or two!
Circus Electrique Beginner Guide - Upgrade the Train, Sleeping Cart, and Practice Tent First
Out of all the buildings to be managed in Circus Electrique, you will need to prioritize the Train, Sleeping Cart, and Practice Tent. The Train provides you with more talents and additional classes so you’re able to identify the best party composition possible for your Exploration Team. When you upgrade this structure, you increase some of the applicant’s max levels, giving you more options to recruit high-level performers.
Sleeping Cart, on the other hand, grants medical assistance by restoring larger portions of your HP and Devotion since these will not naturally replenish if you have chosen the Normal or Hard difficulty modes. Upgrading this constantly also unlocks additional beds, letting you manage more characters at a given time.
And finally, you have the Practice Tent, which increases the XP received by talents who are not busy. It is worth noting that those who remain idle for long periods of time will become bored, resulting in decreased Devotion by the day. So rather than keeping them in their beds to wait for combat or to perform in a Circus Show, it would be better to participate in the Practice Tent to eventually level them up. There is a minor decrease in Devotion but it is much smaller compared to staying bored.
Circus Electrique Beginner Guide - How to Maximize Performance Stars
Shows are an essential component of keeping Circus Electrique going. If deemed successful, it will raise the circus’s infamy level letting you upgrade more buildings, grant XP to the performers, and provide much-needed resources to craft items. You will first need to select the theme of your act depending on the gifts you want to receive. Additionally, remember to consider those with high Novelties since people are more likely to enjoy them. After all, nobody wants to see two performances in a row!
Next, you will need to select the talents who will fulfill specific roles. For instance, in Magical Dimension, characters have to be assigned the Opening Act, Main Event, and Afterpiece. Even if you can easily match them according to their Character Sheets, it is important to determine who has the best Chemistry and Devotion to allocate as many Performance Stars as possible. Not all classes nor characters jive well so experimentation is a must.
Afterward, you will use these Performance Stars to invest in the Audience, Entertainment, and Complexity of the show. Out of these three, and if you are running out of materials for crafting, you will need to maximize Entertainment because it not only increases the popularity of the circus but also rewards you with gifts from the audience. Moreover, having Boosters like Spotlight in your inventory will help to allocate extra stars.
Circus Electrique Beginner Guide - Carry Essential Consumables
Not all consumables are created equal because some of them are more useful than others. The three handy items you should always strive to carry with you are Cola, Bandage, and Goo. As mentioned previously, the Cola increases Devotion by 10%, which can make or break your characters in combat, especially if their morale is already low. The Bandage is helpful in cases when you have two or more performers who are in dire need of getting their HP restored. And finally, you have the Goo. This is a very potent consumable because it removes all of the buffs of the target whether it be taunt, added dodge, or increased damage.
In addition to aiming for circus shows that reward you with specific gifts, you should also plot your route when exploring. Make sure to target Loot Crates and mini-game nodes as they increase the chances of gaining the resources you need to continually craft the Cola, Bandage, and Goo.
Circus Electrique Beginner Guide - Plan the Party Composition
Circus Electrique features several Battle Conditions that affect the way you perform in combat due to the buffs and debuffs inflicted on your characters’ skills. For instance, there is rainy weather and nighttime. Fighting under the long, torrential rains will decrease the potency of your fire attacks, which means that having a Fire Blower in the party will be detrimental to your victory.
On the other hand, including classes that deal Electric and Water damage will help you succeed so consider adding the Strongman and Illusionist in the meantime. The good thing about shifting talents around is you can do this after every encounter so you are not stuck with the same 4 characters for a predetermined period of time.
Meanwhile, during the night, you will want to add the Fire Blower to the Exploration Team as fire damage increases by 25%. The other classes you may add are the Strongman and Illusionist to deal massive damage or the Escape Artist to significantly reduce the target’s Devotion. You are going to have to move fast in this Battle Condition because if you cause too much noise long enough, 4 Bobberies or Vicious policemen will suddenly pop up, forcing you to defeat them as well.
Circus Electrique Beginner Guide - Optimally Position Your Characters
Circus Electrique’s inspiration for creating a tactical, turn-based RPG is none other than Darkest Dungeon. And one of the similarities they share is the proper positioning of characters. Not everyone can perform well in the first 2 slots nor will all of their skills work in the rear positions either. As such, you will have to figure out their initial formation before the encounter even begins.
Depending on the type of enemy, you generally want your Strongmen positioned in the first slot to make use of the following skills - Front Blow, Spinebreaker, and Stunning Attack. The only reason for him to move to the 3rd or 4th slot is to target powerful enemies situated in those same slots. For the Clown, the best place to put him in is the 2nd slot to maximize the damage and support skills he activates including Hammer Hit, Mock Throw, Clown Care, and Trumpet Boost.
Messing up the enemy’s formation is also possible as long as you have the Escape Artist in your party. You can then place her in the 4th slot, allowing her to use Lock Throw and Chain Grab. Lock Throw deals a bit of damage while improving the chances of stunning the target. Chain Grab not only reduces the target’s Devotion but also moves them forward or backward. This can be very effective, especially when they are position-dependent in making their powerful skills work. Just note that when the Escape Artist uses Chain Grab, she will also move forward.
Reserve Group Skills
Group skills do not deal as much damage compared to other single-target attacks. And so these are better used when at least one of your opponents has very low HP. In effect, you will also be able to damage the ones beside them. For instance, you’re able to use the Illusionist’s Apparition Skill to deal decent Physical Damage or the Fire Blower’s Fire Blow Skill to finish them off for good. Another advantage of these group skills in case you do not have Goo or an ability to remove buffs is you can still damage the entire roster of enemies to combat taunt.
More than these, however, and similar to Darkest Dungeon, it is generally better to focus on eliminating one target at a time rather than spreading yourself too thin by focusing on a couple of them. Being able to slay or demoralize them enough will greatly reduce the amount of damage your party receives in the long run.
Deal Damage Over Time
In addition to dealing damage against one foe, you will want to use skills that deal damage over time such as the Fire Blower’s Fire Ring since these are very effective against whittling down their HP. Should the target die and the Fire Ring is still active, the character behind them will move forward and be ignited, thereby receiving the same damage for a number of turns. The other status effects to consider when you unlock the other classes are bleeding and poison.
As an alternative, in case you cannot include the Fire Blower due to certain Battle Conditions, you should aim to inflict status effects like Stun to momentarily disable them.
Do Not Underestimate the Amazemeter
The Amazemeter is certainly an amazing piece of contraption located on the upper right-hand corner of the screen when you are engaged in combat. This utilizes Superskills that can change the tide and direction of the encounter but it is quite a shame that the UI does not remind you of its existence as often. When you explore the streets of dystopian London, defeat and neutralize enemies, and gain extra Devotion, your Amazemeter’s gauge increases. To maintain it, you will have to remain physically and mentally strong.
To mix and match the different Superskills, you need to tinker with them in the Workshop. The higher the meter, the more potent the associated Superskill will be. Remember to use the Amazemeter once it reaches the first, second, or third levels, so that no energy is wasted unless you are anticipating a boss fight soon.
If you enjoyed thisCircus Electrique Beginner Guide, be sure to check out ourCircus Electrique Review. What did you think of this Beginner Guide? Will you be playing Circus Electrique anytime soon? Let us know in the comments below! For other content, be sure to check outThe Ascent Cyber Heist DLC Overview ImpressionsandThymesia Review.
