Before you commit. A failed run is a clue, not a complete diagnosis. Find the first broken job and test one change in the next run.
1. Record the first failure, not the final room
Ask when the run became unrecoverable: damage never arrived, the trigger was too conditional, reload windows were unsafe, or the economy ran out. The final death is often only the last symptom.
2. Remove one weak link
Change one slot or one rule on the next attempt. If you change Hunter, weapon, skills, relics, and Tarot together, you learn nothing about the cause.
3. Keep the successful half
If the build killed bosses but failed in crowds, keep the boss engine and add coverage. If it cleared rooms but died to contact damage, keep the damage and buy survival. Preserve evidence from the run.
4. Write a stop condition
Before the next run, decide what evidence makes you pivot: two shops without the trigger, one floor where the survival tool cannot keep up, or an element mismatch that never gets repaired.
Before you commit
- Where did the run first become unrecoverable?
- What single change tests that diagnosis?
- What evidence will make me pivot early?
Put the method into the tool
Open the planner with the Hunter, weapon, and candidates on your screen. It will show conflicts and a fallback direction.
Further reading: Pass the Fear Wiki beginner field guide · shop and reroll notes