Dicevaders Basics: Target Attack, the Shop and Reading Artifacts

Alternate shopping and scoring to grow the board

In the shop, add units, artifacts, Budge and Chrono to build your scoring system. Normally you have 3 Base Dice, and their faces determine the scoring columns. Check the actual dice on screen, as commanders and Perks can add exceptions such as extra dice.

Each time you score dice, conditional unit and artifact effects activate. After scoring, compare cumulative attack with the target, then fill the gaps in the next shop.

1. When shopping, check empty board spaces, core units and the artifacts you want to activate.
2. Read the dice faces and identify which columns will score.
3. If needed, adjust faces with Budge or reroll with Chrono.
4. After scoring, check the gap between cumulative attack and the target, and the turns remaining.
5. Use the next shop to address whichever was lacking: score, growth or dice manipulation.

These are recurring decisions during ordinary play, not a fixed starting layout or tutorial click sequence.

Displays to check when attack falls short

Check the board and resources alongside the target on the right. Even if your numbers have grown, you still need another decision if they fall short.

Read when and where an effect works, as well as STR

Unit STR provides a scoring foundation. Additional unit abilities and artifacts can require conditions such as "score a pair in this column," "score with Base Dice" or "at the start of the turn." Placing a high-STR unit alone does not activate every effect.

Read a condition in three parts: does it target this column or the whole board; does it check Base Dice or Mini-Dice; does it trigger when rolling or when scoring? These distinctions also help diagnose inactive effects.

Check whether your current board can trigger an effect before buying

Consider both effect size and whether you can meet its requirements. If buying a pair-based effect, check that you can align dice with that column. For effects requiring certain dice or unit classes, first check that qualifying pieces exist on your board.

Chrono also refreshes the shop. Refreshing does not guarantee the item you want. State what your board lacks before refreshing, so you can assess why a new item belongs in it.

1. Identify whether you lack a scoring foundation, effect activations, growth or dice manipulation.
2. Read the candidate's column, dice-type and unit requirements.
3. Check whether your current board and resources can meet them.
4. For candidates needing growth, plan the XP-generating actions you can take within the remaining turns.

Purchase priority depends on the board. This is not a strongest-item ranking based on rarity alone.

XP-generating actions differ by commander

After buying artifacts, you also need actions that grant XP. The Captain grows through pairs; The Core through Kraken Die; Hex Prince through Honey; The Duchess through spawning non-Token units.

If you keep aiming for the same faces after changing commanders, you may miss that commander's growth conditions. Read the selected Starter Perk and choose purchases with both scoring and unit spawning in mind.

Checks when scores or effects stop growing

Compare requirements with your board before writing the result off as bad luck. This table helps identify the missing mechanism.