Mission Variants and Path Selection

Why layouts feel different

Each mission pulls from a variant pool: enemy mix, room layout, and sometimes the objective itself. Muscle memory from run one can send you the wrong way on run two.

Step 1 — Read open paths at spawn

You land at a hub with two or three gates. Some open, some sealed.

• Open gate = intended path for this variant.
• Closed gate = not part of this run (or a later shortcut).

Don't sprint at the nearest mob. Pan the camera, note which gates are lit, and check for a relic icon near a path — that's your direction.

Step 2 — Match path to build

Build	Path I pick
Melee	Tight corridors — clump enemies
Ranged / AoE	Open arenas — kite and control space
Low potions	Avoid the path with obvious elites if you can spot them

Wrong path for your loadout burns consumables faster than bad DPS.

Step 3 — Identify the objective early

Not every mission is full clear. Watch the HUD at start:

• Relic collection — grab relics first; don't clear every room before moving.
• Target elimination — named enemy must die.
• Survival waves — hold position until timer ends.

I've cleared a map and failed the mission because I ignored a relic counter. Annoying.

Step 4 — Normal vs Hard

Difficulty	Tradeoff
Normal	Learn layouts, first runs, shaky builds
Hard	More XP/gold, better drops — tougher enemies

Hard only if you can finish the objective without dying. Extra rewards don't matter if you wipe and lose the run.

• First time in a mission → Normal.
• Farming levels → Hard once you know the variant.
• Chasing gear → Hard drop tables are the reliable source.

Variants and bosses

Trash variants can change boss context — adds on some routes, faster enrage on others. Check loadout before the arena. Prologue: demon brute. Forsaken Streets: the warden.

My pre-mission checklist

• Which gates are open?
• Secondary objective icon on HUD?
• Enemy types visible on the open path?
• Does my build handle that mix?
• Normal or Hard — can I afford to fail?

Hub: full route.