How to Play as Aria

Crypt of the NecroDancer★ 4 · 76 ratings6.4k views88 favorites11 min readby That Wun WabbitUpdated Feb 23, 2017View on Steam ↗

Introduction

To unlock Aria, you must first complete the game as Cadence and Melody. Aria is a difficult character to handle, given her limited health and weaponry.
Aria starts in Zone 4, and has creatures from various zones in Zones 3 through 1, instead of zone-specific ones. Check out the "Zones" section for more info. In addition, each miniboss room has a coffin spawner, instead of just being in Zone 4 for the other characters. However, the minibosses from Zone 4 will only appear there (Mummy & Ogre).
The Zone 1 boss will always be Golden Lute. Other main bosses are randomized, as far as I can tell (you will face Coral Riff, Death Metal, Deep Blues, or King Conga for Zones 4 through 2).
Your success will depend on how well you know the monsters and their attack patterns in the game (knowing how many hits you can get in before they move to attack).

Character

Conditions

General Suggestions

Aria

Can only use plain dagger, dies on any hit or missed beat.
Comes with plain shovel, plain dagger, the Nazar charm (to ward off ghostly enemies), a potion, and exactly one bomb.
You can still find a potion during runs, but it will not stack - you must pick it up after using your original one.

Although you cannot upgrade Aria's weapon or change it, you can still increase your damage output with other kinds of equipment.
Karate Gi and Glass Jaw are ideal equipment for Aria, since she will lose a life no matter how much damage is dealt to her.
Glass Armor, Charm of Frost, Ring of Shielding, and Shield Spell effectively increase your number of lives, as they block damage.
Pacemaker is worth blasting open a locked shop to buy. Save Pacemaker for boss fights.
It's best to aim for the boss room and not explore too much, as the coffin spawner in miniboss rooms will overwhelm you (especially when the miniboss is one that can dig through walls.
Always open dark grey chests, get a map or glass torch from the shopkeeper, and bust open some shrines for essential pickups.

In-Game Option Suggestions

You may find it easier to play as Aria by making some simple changes to the way your game works.

Gameplay

Audio

Graphical

Enabling "quick lobby movement" saves a bit of frustration inbetween runs.

I tend to drown out the sound in favor of music. (Sound refers to sound effects.) Sudden noises are distracting.
I'm not used to the metal tracks meant for Aria, so I just change the soundtrack to Danny B's version.

I usually play on fullscreen with "disco floor" and "screenshake" disabled.

Zones

Zone

Problems

General Suggestions

Zone 4

Blademasters, Goblin-Bombers and Harpies; Ooze Golems

Having enemies right on your tail is very dangerous in a zone with cramped rooms. Look for alternate routes when possible. Harpies will be follow right behind you...meaning you can't go looting with them nearby. Strike a Goblin, and it will take a large chunk of health out of nearby enemies. Goblins are a convenient way to get rid of Blademasters, as you can't make the latter go away just by striking them.
Ooze Golems are another problem mainly for Aria, as she cannot equip ranged weapons to avoid the trap tiles created by this creature (although you *can* throw your dagger, the ooze will appear on whichever tile you attacked from).

OTHER: Don't bother destroying the statues that resemble sleeping pigs with angel wings, as they contain food items (not helpful to a character with 1/2 point of HP). If you see a statue that looks like the Necrodancer, it generally drops good stuff, though I don't remember what.

Zone 3

Hot Coals and Ice; Elementals

Grab a pair of Lead Boots if you can. If not, just remember - travelling on Ice uses a minimum of 2 beats (one to get on and "activate" the tile, one to slide..). i.e. Don't press a button to the best while on ice...Don't attack while standing on hot coal, as it will count as passing a turn while getting damaged and you'll lose a life.

Zone 2

Lichs, Skeleton Mages, Warlocks

These guys all mess with your positioning - potentially forcing you into a crowded situation, or a Mushroom's poison spray. Aria is not good with crowd control. Avoid opening doors to rooms full of these guys when possible (get a nice big torch and bust through walls instead).

Zone 1

Spiders

Avoid busting through walls, as spiders hang out there. Use doors instead. Regular ghosts may still appear in Zone 1, despite having the Nazar charm.

OTHER: Do check out the cracked walls for secret shops and arenas. Aria has nothing to lose, so getting offered a Karate Gi from an arena challenge (a very common offering, honestly) is an opportunity you don't want to miss.
Don't use pitfall traps - they reset your coin multiplier and the game considers that a missed beat.

Bosses and Minibosses

Zone Bosses:

Zone Bosses are the same version as with other characters - the variation just depends on which zone you encounter them in. You will likely see different versions because you start in Zone 4, instead of Zone 1. If you are having trouble with the alternate versions, practice Zones 2-4 as a different character (for a little extra freedom), and only Zone 1 as Aria.

The boss goals are the same, though you may want to use shortcuts - such as bombing King Conga's throne.
Death Metal is very fast-paced compared to the other bosses, so beware you might roll him on an All-Zones run.
Coral Riff is easier if you turn the water tiles back into regular ones by stepping on them.
Take out the Knights on Deep Blues ASAP, since they can really sneak up on you while eliminating the Pawns.

Minibosses:

Character

Health?

Can it Dig?

General Suggestions

The Mommy

6HP

The Mommy will simultaneously move and spawn a small minion diagonally in front of her. It's safe to attack her until she raises her arms - then you should take a step back, deal with the minion and resume your attack.

Ogre

5HP

Yes

The Ogre uses his massive club to smash anything within 3 tiles in front of him. Get close to him and attack - only move to the side when he raises his weapon.

Red Dragon

Blue Dragon

Green Dragon

6HP

4HP

Yes

Red Dragon is the worst miniboss due to high health, and that you can find it in any zone. Remember to alternate hit-and-run, until the last HP remains. Red and Blue Dragons should not be engaged from the side, except after they have just attacked, or to trick them. In one beat, they can inhale, on the next - they will release a beam of fire (or cone of ice), killing most non-boss creatures in the way (or freezing everything in a cone-shaped path ahead). Clear out a vertical path as needed if you hear one coming. Green Dragons have no special attack.

Green Banshee

Banshee

4HP

3HP

Banshees are not as problematic as they might seem with their "deafen" ability. With practice, you will know when the next beat is coming. Just pin them to a wall - as they're always knocked back with each hit, and won't be ready to attack.

Blood Nightmare

Nightmare

5HP

3HP

Yes

Nightmares can harbor enemies in their shadow. Nightmares will break out of the miniboss room and come find you, so make sure to pick off any stragglers that joined the hunt.

Dark Minotaur

Minotaur

5HP

3HP

Yes

Minotaurs will charge when you are in their line of sight. Send them on a chase after you and clear out the miniboss room in the meantime.

Gray DireBat

DireBat

3HP

2HP

Bats are fairly unpredictable, so pass a beat or back away after landing a hit, then go at it again.

NOT Recommended Equipment

Before we get into the details of items you should equip Aria with, let's go over some you shouldn't give her. Some of these examples are awful to let Aria have, and will either slow her down or make it more dangerous to explore with her.

Food - Useless with Aria, as she only has 1/2 point of HP.
War Drum - Although it can be very helpful, button combos invite the chance to miss a beat.
Miner's Cap - You will often need to pass a beat by digging a wall....unless you also equip Pickaxe, there will be no valid walls left to pass a beat.
Most Scrolls and Spells - Unless you are confident you can pull off a button combo without missing a beat, avoid these. If you do opt for them, Earthquake Scroll, Scroll of Need, Bomb Spell and Shield Spell are handy.

Recommended Equipment

Item Type

Item

Tips

Shovel

Glass Shovel

Obsidian Shovel

Pickaxe

Any shovel upgrade is helpful. These three will help pass a beat when nothing else will work.

Head

Circlet of Telepathy

Crown of Teleportation

Monocle

Circlet of Telepathy and Monocle can help you judge where the miniboss room is located, based on what's shown. If nothing else, at least you'll get some good equipment! Crown of Teleportation is a disposable life-saver. (Thanks to user Herosticky for pointing that out!)

Chest

Glass Armor

Karate Gi

Glass Armor can be found by busting open a Glass Shrine. Karate Gi will often appear in secret challenge rooms (check cracked walls)

Legs

Boots of Strength

Explorer's Boots

Lead Boots

Winged Boots

Go for damage output or trap avoidance! Lead Boots are particularly helpful against repositioning shenanigans.

Torch

Glass Torch

Torch of Foresight

Any torch is good, but enemies will move towards you when illuminated. These two will merely help you find the exit quicker.

Ring

Ring of Courage

Ring of Might

Ring of Peace

Ring of Phasing

Ring of Shielding

The first two rings will help with your damage output. Ring of Peace keeps level crowding to a minimum, letting you exit...peacefully. Ring of Phasing lets you scout out miniboss rooms while avoiding unecessary combat. Only problem is, you can't dig out walls to pass a beat! Ring of Shielding essentially saves your life, nullifying all damage from a hit, and activating a shield for a few beats.

Other

Compass

Earthquake Scroll

Frost Charm

Holy Water

Map

Pacemaker

Potion

Scroll of Need

Most of these are self-explanatory. Maps can be found by busting open a Shrine of Space (the one that lets you choose a new digging tool), or from the shopkeeper for 25 gold. You can often get a Pacemaker from locked shops. The Frost Charm is another item that will save your life, while freezing enemies for a few beats. Holy Water kills most enemies in the 8 tiles surrounding you. You can find a potion in a square room walled off by what can be dug out by Titanium Shovel (or stronger). Earthquake Scroll is very helpful in boss fights, especially since you'll encounter buffed versions of bosses in an All-Zones run. Scroll of Need will usually give you a Potion when you don't have one.

The Golden Lute

Aria has a unique boss, like Cadence and Melody. You can train against it in the lobby after encountering the Golden Lute in Zone 1, even if you don't defeat it there. Although I can give a few pointers here, it's best to watch a video tutorial on Youtube - such as those linked below - since the fight gets a bit messy (especially if you are going for the All Zones Low % Aria challenge, where she cannot pick up items).

Character

Conditions

General Suggestions

Golden Lute

Has 10 HP, can only be hit for 1 damage at a time, unless it's confused (regardless of equipment).
Can only be damaged in the head.
Will become confused when hit.
If you land a hit while the Golden Lute is confused (golden), you deal 3 damage instead.
As soon as it recovers from confusion it will launch an attack - confuse you, summon two dragons - always one red, one green or blue - or trigger the fireball traps in the wall. These attack events cycle as you continue to damage the Golden Lute.
Can shoot fireballs when you are on the side of it.
Will set off an occasional wall trap while not attacking or being attacked.

Stay towards the bottom of the arena when possible, and while waiting for confusion effects to wear off.
Don't mind the spawners, they are destroyed when the Golden Lute sets off a barrage of fireballs (always top to bottom) from the walls.
The trick is to wait until a fireball is launched just above you and then move upward in the arena.
While most players will drop a bomb to deal with the red and blue dragons, you'll have to save your original one if you decide to go for a Low % Aria run.
Sometimes the Golden Lute will step on a dragon it spawns, saving you some effort.

Handy resources from other players!

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/necrodancer/comments/33s796/arias_final_boss_is_far_beyond_difficult_spoilers/#bottom-comments

[2] (Take down the Golden Lute in less than 30 seconds)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZuMq0D83o8

[3] (Safe way to take down the Golden Lute)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqbAqaoi3DE

[4] (Monster tutorials by Elad Difficult)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9iW5uQiFAyBXJhRQ_pkdHUE0-92_f2nl

Special Thanks

Abnatha Pryde

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