The Hermit

It moved into the holiest thing in the Reliquary. It is not moving out.

The Hermit is one of the three bosses who can wait at the foot of The Drowned Reliquary, the last fight of floor 20: each run draws one of them as it starts. The others are Mother Brine and the Drowned Organ. Below floor 30, in the endless hoard and the Deep, one of the three is drawn again for floors 50, 80, 110 and on.

Its turns

The Hermit always starts at the top of this cycle and repeats it. These are the numbers the game's own boss card shows on a plain descent: floor 20, no Greed, no trials, the Tally paid.

Turn	Move	What it does
1	Guard	Raises 4,968 armor, up to 7,452 in all.
2	Heavy	A crushing blow for 912: three quarters of it gets past armor unless you GUARD.
3	Summon	Calls a Shellknight: 4,165 health, hits 273. Guards its allies.
4	Attack	Strikes you for 456.
5	Heavy	A crushing blow for 912: three quarters of it gets past armor unless you GUARD.

Its rules

Unyielding: turns 1-2, can't drop below half health.
Summon: a Heavy when the room is full.
Turn 11+: every enemy grows 15% a turn; freeze stops working.

How to beat it

The game's own advice, from its card in the Bestiary:

Hides turns 1, 6, 11: its shrine takes the blow.
Heavy turns 2, 7, 12, more when its room is full. GUARD halves it.
Its shell cuts you back when you strike it.
Kill its Shellknights first.

If you owe the Tally

The Tally for this depth is 383 gold. Arrive still owing and the Hermit is stronger by the share unpaid: up to +40% health and attack with nothing paid (63,171 health, 638 a hit).

What it says

The bosses remember you. Each boss fight opens with one line, picked from what has passed between you: how often this boss has killed you, whether you have won before, whether the Tally is paid, and who you brought. Each line is said once ever; when none is left for the moment, the boss says a refrain.

When	The line
First meeting	This is my shell. Find your own.
Once this boss has killed you three times	You keep knocking at my door. I keep closing it on you.
Once this boss has killed you	Back again. I hung your helmet by the door.
With the Tally unpaid	In debt? Then you cannot afford the rent here.
With the Tally paid	Paid off? Good. Now you can pay me to let you leave.
Once you have won before	You prised me out once. I crawled right back in. Possession is everything.
To Wren	A sellsword. You fight for whoever pays. I fight for my house.
To Ossa	Archivist. The saints' names were on these walls. I scraped them off. More room.
To Brannoch	A door-keeper. You held a gate. I hold a whole church.
To Pip	A thief. Try my windows. I want to see you try.
To Anselm	Father. Looking for your church? I am wearing it.
To Ilse	Kiln-girl. You gilded this shrine. It fits me beautifully.
To Hesk	Ratcatcher. Your drowned rats float down to me. I eat well.

Refrains: "Mine." "Not moving out." "Knock all you like."

Traits

Hitting it hurts you. Each physical or arcane hit you land on it cuts you back for 20% of what it dealt, at most 15% of your maximum health a hit. Your armor soaks the cut. Burn, bleed and poison ticks draw no spikes.

Numbers by floor

Every enemy is a multiple of the floor's standard enemy (health x13, attack x1.5, armor x6), and each one's health varies by up to 8% either way.

	Floor 20
Health	45,122
Armor	1006
Attack	456
Heavy	912
Gold	633

Gold includes the 10% more every kill pays while the depth's Tally is posted (a guided first depth has none), and is before gold find. From turn 11 of any fight every enemy grows 15% stronger each turn.

What it leaves

Ten times a normal enemy's gold and 3 gems. Then a pick of three pieces, Epic or better: "Pick one to keep". Half the time a second piece drops as well, 15% of the time a Gilding Leaf (from floor 20 on), and one of the depth's treasures if any is still in the vault.

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Written from the game's own rules, version 2.17.0. Spotted something wrong? Tell us on Discord.