The Old Sow

Every coin the debtors ever saved went into her. She cracked, and walked.

The Old Sow is one of the three bosses who can wait at the foot of The Gilt Cellars, the last fight of floor 10: each run draws one of them as it starts. The others are the Tallyman and the Rat King. Below floor 30, in the endless hoard and the Deep, one of the three is drawn again for floors 40, 70, 100 and on.

Her turns

The Old Sow 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 10, no Greed, no trials, the Tally paid.

Turn	Move	What it does
1	Guard	Raises 215 armor, up to 322 in all.
2	Heavy	A crushing blow for 76: three quarters of it gets past armor unless you GUARD.
3	Summon	Calls a Gildling: 74 health, hits 13.
4	Heavy	A crushing blow for 76: three quarters of it gets past armor unless you GUARD.
5	Attack	Strikes you for 38.

Her 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 her

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

Guards turns 1, 6, 11. Pierce and arcana get past it.
Heavy turns 2, 7, 12, more when her room is full. GUARD halves it.
Her glaze is thick: wear her armor down first.
Her coins (Gildlings) hit too: clear them.

If you owe the Tally

The Tally for this depth is 62 gold. Arrive still owing and the Old Sow is stronger by the share unpaid: up to +40% health and attack with nothing paid (2474 health, 53 a hit). The Tallyman also sends a Pilfer Imp with her, one for each half of the due still owed: two with nothing paid.

What she 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	Every coin they saved went into me. Not one comes out.
Once this boss has killed you three times	Three times now. I am saving you up, a little at a time.
Once this boss has killed you	Back again? I kept your change.
With the Tally unpaid	Overdrawn, and you came to the bank. Brave.
With the Tally paid	Paid off? Then empty the rest into me. Thrift is a virtue.
Once you have won before	You cracked me once. I am all cracks. I hold together out of spite.
To Wren	Your mother saved for you, girl. Penny by penny. Into me.
To Ossa	Archivist. Your brother's name is on a coin in my belly. Shake me and listen.
To Brannoch	Captain. Your company's pay went into me. They never came to draw it.
To Pip	A thief at the bank. You will find me very hard to open.
To Anselm	Father. You preached thrift every Sunday. I listened.
To Ilse	Kiln-girl. You glazed me, once. Mind your fingers on the cracks.
To Hesk	Ratcatcher. Every penny a tail you were paid ended up in me. Thank you for saving.

Refrains: "Not one coin comes out." "Waste not." "Everything you save is mine."

Traits

Heavily armored. It carries far more armor than most enemies of its floor. Pierce, arcana and anything that ignores armor get past it.

Numbers by floor

Every enemy is a multiple of the floor's standard enemy (health x9.5, attack x1.45, armor x9), and each one's health varies by up to 8% either way.

	Floor 10
Health	1767
Armor	109
Attack	38
Heavy	76
Gold	68

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.

Play Gold BelowThe first ten floors are free. No ads, and it plays offline.

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