Here's a bullet list of what I would consider the highlights of this guide

• High Wits is important, High Body and Spirit are very helpful
  
• Spell deck has the most Rot to be gained, followed by Items. Don't even bother with Trickery. Cycle cards through your hand as much as you can, but hold onto Hot Rot Wine if you get it to use to fight the King the same turn you enter the palace.
  
• You don't want too many dice when you fight the King (due to the amount you will gain from Rot battle and his passive which makes him gain your misses as dice). Dice that turn misses into something else (like defense) are really helpful.
  
• When you and a Bane kill each other when you are at 4 rot, a unique interaction occurs where you will gain 2 Rot
  
• Otherwise, intentionally suiciding to Banes isn't a great way to gain Rot unless dying would help you, such as to death warp closer to your quest
  
• Banes spawn more often at dungeons at night.
  
• Don't delay quests for the Rot gain from quests after Corruption. Getting Rot after being corrupted is much easier anyway, just do your quests.
  
• You can go for Perils on Settlements, Swamps, and Dungeons in search of perils (especially laid by the king) that give Rot

Rot victories can be achieved by any loadout with a little luck, but some choices give you better chances succeeding.

I personally think Sargon and Fang are the best for achieving a rot victory, however there are some heroes that are better than the average hero for rot, despite not being the best.

Sargon's power allows him to see the top card of each deck when drawing, which is very useful in locating Rot cards. Additionally, his low Fight, high Wits, and High spirit make him a great choice for gaining rot. However, his low Body makes him very squishy.
Rings
Ruby: My preferred ring for Sargon rot gives him a little extra staying power early game
Tanzanite: Another great option that gives Sargon a bit of extra Gold income throughout the game. High spirit and wits make this a solid option for Sargon.
Turquoise: Evade is great for most of the game, but as the ring's effect persists in the Palace, you may have trouble staying in the Palace long enough to attack the king.
Amulets
Soak: Sargon's 4 Body is a huge weakness that really needs to be beefed up with the +1 Body from Soak.
Spoil: Early Rot is always valuable to have.

Fang is a natural choice for Rot victories, as he starts with 1 Rot and his power synergies very well with the rot dice gained from the King (especially late game), making it much less risky to attack the King with high Fight/many dice. However, his low wits/spirit make gaining Rot in the early game difficult.
Rings
Rubelite: This is just a great Ring for Fang because of how much he benefits from additional Fight and dice, but especially so at low Health as Slaughtering the enemy will prevent them from attacking you at all.
Amulets
Spoil: Starting with 3 Rot is a great idea, as Fang's low Wits makes it hard to gain early Rot.
Ruin: Spoil allows you to get the early Rot boost while allowing steady income from settlements. Ruin however can be an alternative as you can theoretically gain more Rot from it than Spoil, but makes gaining Gold difficult.

Twiss, like Sargon, is another good choice for Rot. Her high Wits and high Spirits give her a strong potential for Rot gain through cards. Her power and low Fight synergize well, giving her a very strong defense during the game without the downsides of the Evade/Turquoise ring, and the low Fight keeps her from gaining too many dice against the King.
Rings
Amethyst: Amethyst is, in my opinion, the best for Rot as you can cycle Spell cards (the highest Rot deck) very efficiently with her high Wits.
Pink Topaz: The additional income gained helps equipping and cycling item cards, but the Item deck is just a weaker option compared to Spells.
Celestite: A solid ring for Mobility, which can help with potential backtracking due to Evading.
Amulets
Ruin: Don't combine this with Pink Topaz, as far as I know Pink Topaz does not increase income here. Works best with Amethyst, where you'll be mostly be drawing Spell cards and have less of a reliance on Gold.
Spoil: Early Rot is always valuable to have.
Soak: Like Sargon, she really lacks Body, which can prove problematic in the battle with the King. If you prefer the extra Body or the extra Rot gain is personal choice.

Yordana's power allows her to cycle Spell cards very well, supplemented by a high Wits and Spirit (additional magic to consume spells). Though her lower Fight seems appealing, she's left with very little defense against other heroes.
Rings
Amethyst: Amethyst allows you to regain some extra mana to consume and cycle more spells.
Amulets
Think: More Wits allows you to cycle more cards, which is Yordana's strength for Rot victories.
Ruin: Yordana will be mostly pulling Spell cards and doesn't need Gold as much as some other heroes, so the lack of income punishes her less than others. But her ability to cycle cards also means she has an easier time getting the early Rot.

Ghor can be very hit or miss, as he has low Wits, and although his power gives him very strong defensive capabilities, as well as giving him an edge in the Rot battle, it can be unreliable due to map generation, turn order, etc. He really struggles with Rot gain.
Rings
Jade: You need to end your turn on a Forest to activate your power, Jade will give you bonus magic while activating the power.
Amethyst: Amethyst is always a solid choice for Bears to cycle Spells.
Amulets
Think: Ghor's low wits is probably his largest weakness for Rot, but the +1 from Think and 1 from the first quest gives you a decent hand size early game.
Ruin/Spoil: Ghor especially has a hard time for early Rot, Ruin and Spoil are both good choices and is probably up to personal preference if you feel like you need the Gold income or not.

Agniya suffers from low Wits and Spirit, but her high Body and power make her very durable. Her Fight starts at 4, which is low enough (combined with her high Body) to stay fairly safe against the King. Agniya really needs the support of her ring and amulet to really be effective with Rot because, like Fang, she really struggles with that early Rot. But once corrupted she can really snowball.
Rings
Tremolite: +1 Rot to start goes a long way, and the secondary effect can give you a nice boost mid-late game when you have higher Rot to gain extra dice against fellow heroes.
Axinite: I really prefer Tremolite, but Axinite synergizes very well with her power. Agniya needs the early game boost, but Axinite gives you a much larger snowball potential and I think it's worth mentioning for that reason alone.
Amulets
Spoil: Combined with Tremolite for a +3 starting Rot is nothing to balk at and puts her in a similar spot as Fang.
Ruin: Ruin has the potential for more Rot than Spoil, but Agniya really suffers from the loss of Gold income, so I prefer Spoil over it.

Nazar has decent Wits and Spirit at the cost of very low Body, but his power can synergize well with Rot due to spawning a Rot symbol card every turn, which can be burned for an exploding hit when Corrupted. His Dragon clan status really helps him too, giving him access to the Tremolite amulet and Rot Affinity (making his lack of Body slightly less of an issue).
Rings
Tremolite: The +1 Rot is always nice.
Sulfur: For when you can't Burn your illusion, Sulfur gives you a little extra leeway in using it on Swamp tiles. But really, I just go with Tremolite.
Amulets
Soak: Nazar's paltry 4 Body can really, really hurt him.
Ruin: Nazar's higher spirit allows him to rely more on Spells and suffer a bit less from the lack of Gold, but it can still be rough.
Spoil: If you can get away with 4 Body but are really feeling the loss of Gold from Ruin, you can try Spoil.

It's good to know the statistics of the deck.

Full Deck Statistics
Items

• Maurader Gauntlets - 1 Rot x1
  
• Poisoned Dagger - 1 Rot x1
  
• Poisoned Gift - 1 Rot x2
  
• Cub's Blood - 1 Rot x1
  
• Hot Rot Wine - 1 Rot x3

Total Cards: 8
Total Rot: 8
% of Deck: 9%

Spells

• Dark Influence - 4 Magic (1 Rot + 1 Random Rot Card if used on self) x1
  
• Syphon - 6 Magic (2 Rot if used on self) x1
  
• Plague - 1 Rot (+1 Rot if used on self) x1
  
• Call of the Worm - 1 Rot x1
  
• Malice Rising - 1 Rot x1
  
• Leech - 1 Rot x3

Total Cards: 8
Total Rot: 6 (+6 Potential Rot)
% of Deck: 10.6%

Trickery

• Plague Bearers - 1 Rot (+1 Rot if used on self and killed) x2

Total Cards: 2
Total Rot: 2 (+2 Potential Rot)
% of Deck: 2%


It's a good idea to draw a mix of Items and Spells, but I would ignore Trickery completely. With the addition of Syphon and Leech (especially Leech) in 1.9, the Spells deck is more likely to give you Rot. Prioritize Spells > Items > Trickery. While Plague Bearers can give you 2 Rot, there are only 2 of them in the whole deck. Pick it up if you see it on the top of the Trickery deck, but otherwise don't go digging.

Remember what cards you've used, or seen used. If you've gotten most of the Spell Rot cards, try to pull more Item cards until the deck reshuffles, and vice versa. This isn't foolproof, as you can't see cards burned by enemies, etc, but it will give you a general idea.


The best Rot gain card is Dark Influence which can give you potentially 3 Rot, followed by Plague and Syphon which each give you 2 Rot if used on yourself. These are definitely a priority if you see them on the tops of the deck.



If you pull 1 Hot Rot Wine SAVE IT, especially if you have the Turquoise (evade) ring. If you get a second, feel free to use it, but it's really good to keep one for getting into the Palace and immediately battling the King.



If someone else equips a Rot card, keep a closer eye on the Trickery deck. I wouldn't go digging, but if you see a Cat Burglar, Bribery, or Pick Pockets card on top, grab it and try to steal that Rot item/Warlock.



If you have Rot items equipped, look out for a Hoodwinked card. When you used Hoodwinked on yourself, you can reequip those Rot items and gain the Rot AGAIN! It's quite lovely!

A very minor note, you can play Leech to yourself. You will not lose any health. This is especially useful for Fang who often has low Spirit (and thus spell range) to get a Rot without waiting until you're in range of someone.

Perhaps the best treasure card for a Rot victory isn't a Rot card at all, but Royal Shield. Royal Shield prevents the King gaining your missed Suns/Moons as dice and will help significantly reduce the amount of dice the King will roll against you, increasing your survivaility. If you cannot get a Royal Shield, a King's Guard Armor is also incredibly useful. With the amount of dice you will be rolling, it is very likely to get the 2 missed sun/moons.

Fang does not need the defense, but both cards are still alright choices for Fang who just has a lot of dice. They really aren't necessary for the King but provide a good defense when you are attacked by others and your ability doesn't work.

While the Bane Blade may be tempting, I strongly urge you NOT TO USE IT AGAINST THE KING (unless you are playing Fang). As mentioned many times in this guide, extra dice is very risky and will likely hurt you in the King Battle. Feel free to use it during the game, however, because those extra dice will help a LOT with non-corrupted heroes and King's Guards.
This is an excellent card for Fang however. More dice, more slaughter, more health. No downsides.

Reaper's Trident is a good choice for the King Battle. Why? It takes away possible missed Dice and replaces them with guaranteed Swords.

If you are attacking the King with high health and lowish Rot (less than 6 rot and more than 4 health or so) a Poppet can be a good choice. Since the King will be giving you less dice, it is more likely you won't end up killing him. However, killing the King with a Poppet will give you the Rot victory. I only reccomend using a Poppet if you don't have anything else or the King is at high health/low rot, though.

Marauder's Gauntlets is an all around great item to equip if you get it. On the other hand, Poisoned Dagger is pretty much only useful for the Rot gain on equip.

I would argue do quests ASAP. When doing quests, prioritize a Rot Treasure Reward card IF you think you have a decent chance of getting it. I will try at 40% and above. The reason I don't suggest pushing quests off is that Rot gain after Corruption is pretty damn easy. Delaying your stat boosts and quests is not worth the 2 Rot you MIGHT get from those quests. Another tip, though a bit more risky, is try to remember the quests that have Rot as a punishment. I honestly can't remember them all, but if you have a good memory this can also be a way of getting some extra Rot, though unreliable.

Generally, you want to prioritize Wits and Body for a Rot victory. Unless you're Fang, Ghor (who can avoid the king's damage after battle), I'd avoid Fight, because the less extra dice you have, the less chance of extra misses being given to the King, but grabbing 1 extra Fight (such as for an item) usually won't make or break you. Spirit, while giving you more magic, is generally inferior to Wits or Body for Rot.

For Fang, I generally prioritize Fight and Wits. Fang needs Body the least of any of the heroes for Rot.

The first Wolf clan Spirit quests, No Rest For Wolves and Old Games and the second Fight quest The Lost have +1 Rot as a fail condition. This is a pretty easy way to get an additional Rot in early game, if those quests happen to show up.

This may not be a comprehensive list, but using these documents detailing quest information[drive.google.com], I have listed some quests with +1 Rot as a failure penalty. The best way to use these is if you already have a low stat for that quest, as it increases the chance of failing and getting the Rot

Bandit Clan

Bear Clan

Rabbit Clan

Rat Clan

Wolf Clan


If you're lucky enough, you'll get this random encounter that occurs on Dungeons at Night.



While the +2 Rot may seem better, remember that the Raven's Beak Dagger grants you 2 Rot on equip, as well as +1 Sword. If your items aren't great, or you don't have a full equipment loadout, go with the Dagger. If you have some great items equipped, go with the straight Rot.

Whiteshadow's Gift will sometimes happen in Forests during the Day when you have at least 1 Rot.

Note: The treasure is RANDOM and will not always be the Bane Blade.

This quest is nice because it's a free Rot PLUS whatever option you choose. Generally it really doesn't matter, but obviously if the Treasure is a Rot treasure, go for that one!

Go for Perils on Settlements, Swamps, and Dungeons. These are the tiles that Rot Perils can appear on. Scout is VERY helpful for doing this, but you can do it blind as well. The big perils you want to find are Dark Influence and Plague, though Plague Bearers is also nice if you have 2 health or less. Dark Influence is a guaranteed 2 Rot, 3 if you get the Plague card. Plague is 1 and Poison, and Plague Bearers is 1 ONLY if you die. So be aware of that.

When you see black mist billowing out of a dungeon, you know a Bane will spawn on that tile at dusk. This makes it much easier and more stragetic to find and utilize Banes for Rot gain.

You can suicide to Banes, but it's often not the best way. However, there is one exception to this. There is a unique interaction when you and a Bane kill each other when you have 4 Rot. You will gain 2 Rot. 1 for dying to a bane while Uncorrupted, and 1 for killing a bane while Corrupted. This is the only time I suggest intentionally suiciding to a bane, but try your absolute best to kill it too. The 2 rot gain is great for 1 death and it REALLY helps get over the 5 Rot hurdle, where you don't have much fight and you're not getting a Rot bonus in Bane battles yet.

Once you get 6 Rot, it's MUCH easier to gain Rot by just killing Banes. Malice Rising and Cub's Blood become even more useful past Corruption, as you gain 1 Rot for summoning the Bane, and 1 Rot for Killing said Bane. This is another way to help yourself over the hurdle of 5 Rot. You can also use it in tandem with the previous strategy at 3 Rot. Gain 1 Rot to summon the Bane, then kill and be killed by the Bane to gain 2 Rot.



Mountain Moss can use useful. You can either play it to a Bane that has a higher Rot than you, or if you have exactly 6 Rot, you can play it to yourself. Why would you play it to yourself? To take advantage of that 2 Rot Gain from killing/being killed by the Bane.

However I cannot independantly verify if it does because I have the amulets already!



Begin a new custom game with the following conditions:
Game Length: Shorter
Hero AP: +2
Hero Body: +3
Hero Rot: Start Corrupted
Hero Starting Equipment: Treasure and Follower
Palace Peril Difficulty: No Perils

Choose a hero to play as. I recommend the following heroes, because in this case only, you need as much firepower as you can to take down the King at such high health and low rot.
Wolf Clan: Thane (for pierce)
Rat Clan: Zosha, Mercurio
Rabbit Clan: Hargrave
Bear Clan: Sana
Bandit Clan: Horace, Sylas
Dragon Clan: Agniya, Oxana

Start the game and accept the Fight or Spirit (Sana) quest. Use the extra AP to finish the quest on the first turn, if possible. After you finish your first quest, enter the palace (which should have no perils) and attack the king. You might not kill him on your first attempt, because he will have 6 health and you will only get +2 Rot dice. Since you're (probably, barring Sana) a high-Fight character you shouldn't have any issue fighting off Guards if you need to, and you should be able to attack the King again without issue.