Some relic effects changed between Early Access and the 1.0 launch. Community lists may combine old and current values. Treat the in-game tooltip as authoritative when it conflicts with an older guide.
Fast answer
The answer before the background
Relics are passive equipment for a run. They stay active while you build your maze and usually support a tower type, elemental status, economy plan, or emergency defense. Confirmed examples include Lightning Conductor for Electric and Charge builds, Amplify Poison for Poison-plus-Electric setups, Echo Crystal for copying buffs, and Explosive Demolition for selling towers during battle. Relics can appear through several run systems, including the altar, Royal Library, and other run rewards, but the complete current pool is not officially listed in one place. Check each tooltip before committing to a build.
What they are
How relic equipment works
Relics are persistent modifiers for the current run. They do not replace tower cards, blocks, runes, talents, or character abilities. Instead, they alter the rules around those systems: a relic may add status effects, improve a tower family, create damage when you sell a tower, or reward a particular elemental combination.
The practical distinction is simple. A tower supplies your direct attack pattern, while a relic changes what that attack pattern can accomplish. A relic can therefore be weak in isolation but excellent once the required tower, status effect, or economy loop is already present.
Verified fact: the official 1.0 notes confirm that relic damage is included in the damage chart, alongside tower damage, fire-source damage, burning effects, and other damage sources. That makes direct-damage relics easier to evaluate during a run.
- Use relics to reinforce a plan, not to replace one.
- Read the trigger condition before selecting a narrow synergy relic.
- Expect older Early Access advice to be unreliable for numerical values.
| Category | Typical purpose | Best use case |
|---|---|---|
| Tower support | Improves one tower type or tower interaction | You already have, or expect to build, the named tower |
| Elemental synergy | Combines Burn, Chill, Poison, Charge, or Arcane effects | Your board can apply both required statuses consistently |
| Structural or economy | Rewards selling, positioning, upgrades, or resources | Your maze or spending pattern activates the effect repeatedly |
| Emergency defense | Triggers when the flame is threatened or a condition is met | High-difficulty runs where one mistake can end the stage |
The entries in this guide separate official patch-note facts from recommendations. When the developer has not published a complete effect or acquisition rule, this page says so instead of filling the gap with an unverified number.
Verified entries
Confirmed relic effects and use cases
The following effects are documented in official Emberward update notes. They are useful reference points for identifying what a relic is meant to do, but they should not be treated as a complete list of every relic currently in the game.
- Lightning Conductor: When an Electric tower hits an enemy, it has a 5% chance to release chain lightning against up to five monsters, dealing 10 Electric damage and applying 10 Charge. Recommendation: choose it early when your board has several Electric attackers or needs faster Charge application.
- Static Shocker: When a monster's Charge effect triggers, it also takes Electric damage equal to 5% of its current health, or 1.5% for bosses, capped at 500 damage. It can trigger once every five seconds on each monster. Recommendation: use it when your towers can trigger Charge repeatedly rather than merely applying it once.
- Amplify Poison: When a Poisoned monster takes Electric damage, its Poison tick rate doubles for three seconds. Electric attacks against Poisoned monsters also have a 50% chance to apply double Charge. Recommendation: combine Poison and Electric instead of selecting this for a single-element board.
- Overcharged Battery: When a monster's Charge effect triggers, 10% of the accumulated Charge is distributed evenly among monsters within two tiles. Recommendation: place or choose Electric effects that can create clustered fights.
- Echo Crystal: Applying a buff card to a tower also applies the same effect to another tower within five tiles that does not already have a buff card. Recommendation: group compatible towers so the copied buff has a legal nearby target.
- Explosive Demolition: Selling a tower during battle creates an explosion that deals damage to nearby monsters based on the gold gained from the sale. Recommendation: this is a structural or economy pick for boards that deliberately rebuild, replace, or recycle towers.
- Flash Freeze Device: A monster entering the specified range of the fire source receives an initial Chill application, followed by ongoing Chill while it remains in range. Recommendation: use it to establish Chill before Ice towers or Chill-dependent effects begin attacking.
- Frost Venom: Poisoned monsters receive Chill over time. Recommendation: this supports Poison-Ice control and is more valuable when your maze keeps enemies in the affected area.
- Volatile Poison: At its current 1.0 description, a Poisoned monster affected by Burn can explode on a cooldown, consuming part of its Poison and dealing Fire damage to nearby monsters. Recommendation: take it only when both Poison and Fire are reliable; the exact trigger and damage wording has changed across updates.
- Chameleon Shell: This relic changes a tower's element. The 1.0 notes specifically mention adjusted Charge and Fragile interactions for towers affected by it. Recommendation: use it to unlock an elemental interaction, but reread the tooltip because converted-element behavior is easy to misplay.
| Relic | Core pairing | Decision rule |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning Conductor | Electric plus Charge | Take when multiple Electric towers can trigger it often |
| Amplify Poison | Poison plus Electric | Take only if both damage types are active |
| Echo Crystal | Buff cards plus clustered towers | Take when you can consistently place a second valid target |
| Explosive Demolition | Selling plus area damage | Take when rebuilding is part of the plan |
| Frost Venom | Poison plus Ice | Take when Chill improves control or another payoff |
| Volatile Poison | Poison plus Fire | Take when Burn hits Poisoned targets regularly |
The official notes show that several older relics were reworked for 1.0. Do not copy an Early Access number into a current run unless the in-game tooltip matches it.
Acquisition
Where relics can come from
Relic acquisition is run-based rather than a conventional equipment shop where every item is permanently available. The official updates confirm several specific routes, while the exact contents of the broader relic pool can change with patches or depend on the current mode.
- Altar: The December 2025 update added five relics that can only be obtained at the altar. The altar also offers elemental pacts that impose restrictions in the next stage in exchange for powerful relic rewards.
- Royal Library: A later update changed the Library so tower-restricted relic choices can appear after you select the required tower. For example, the notes use Dice Tower and Elemental Dice as an example of this dependency.
- Campsite Circus: The Campsite includes a wheel that can provide new towers or relics. This is a random acquisition route, so do not plan around one named relic appearing.
- Run rewards and other nodes: The official notes refer to relic choices throughout the run, but the reviewed announcements do not provide a single complete table of every node, mode, or probability. Treat community route claims as provisional.
- Custom Game: The Secret Vault lets you select towers, blocks, and relics that you have previously built or used. This is a testing or practice option rather than normal progression, and the run does not record data, unlock achievements, or award experience.
| Route | What is verified | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Altar | Five added relics are altar-only; pacts trade restrictions for rewards | Choose a pact only when your current build can survive its rule |
| Royal Library | Some relics require a selected tower type | Pick the tower first if you want a restricted option |
| Campsite Circus | The wheel can grant towers or relics | Use it for flexible value, not a guaranteed target |
| Secret Vault | Previously used relics can be selected in Custom Game | Use it to test combinations without progression rewards |
The official pages reviewed do not state a complete current relic count, universal drop rate, or guaranteed route for every named relic. Any guide claiming those details should provide a matching version and source.
Build advice
How to choose the right item
Start with the board you can build now. A relic that needs three future pieces is usually worse than a modest effect that improves your existing towers immediately. This matters most early in a run, when a narrow relic can leave your defense without enough damage or control.
Next, identify the trigger frequency. A relic that activates once per stage should be judged as an emergency tool. A relic that activates on every hit, status application, sale, or Charge trigger can become a core engine. Look for effects that match the way your maze already handles monsters.
Finally, test the interaction rather than assuming it. Element conversion, copied buffs, boss modifiers, cooldowns, damage caps, and tower restrictions can all change the result. Build one or two supporting towers, watch the damage chart, and replace a relic plan that is not activating often enough.
Recommended selection order: first choose a reliable damage or control foundation, then add one synergy relic, then add a second relic that improves the same trigger. Avoid collecting unrelated bonuses simply because they have larger numbers.
- For Electric builds, prioritize reliable Charge application before adding Charge payoffs.
- For Poison builds, look for Fire or Electric support if the relic requires a second damage type.
- For buff-card builds, keep towers close enough for copied effects to find valid targets.
- For economy builds, decide in advance which towers can be sold without collapsing the maze.
- For high difficulty, value defensive consistency over a relic that only pays off after several upgrades.
There is no universally best relic. The correct choice depends on your character, available towers, map, difficulty, and whether the effect activates before the next dangerous wave.
FAQ
Common questions
Is there an official complete list of every relic?
Not in the official Steam pages reviewed for this database. The developer publishes relic additions, reworks, and examples in update notes, but not one permanent catalog with every current effect and acquisition condition. Use the in-game Compendium and tooltip for the final missing entries.
Are relics permanent unlocks or run-only equipment?
Their effects are run-based. Some modes and progression systems can determine which options are available, but a relic you select changes the current run rather than permanently modifying every future maze.
Why does a relic I want not appear?
Some choices are conditional. The Royal Library can require a related tower, while five relics added in the December 2025 update are altar-only. Other appearances are affected by the current run and mode. The official notes do not publish a universal drop-rate table.
Should I choose a relic for a tower I do not own yet?
Usually no, unless the relic is part of a clear plan and you have a reliable way to obtain that tower. Immediate value is safer early in a run; narrow tower relics become better after the required tower is already available.
Do old guides still describe current effects?
Some do, but cautiously. The 1.0 update reworked older relics, and later patches adjusted interactions such as Charge and Poison. Compare any guide's date and version with the in-game tooltip before relying on its numbers.
Sources
What we checked
Official listings establish current availability and product facts. Community pages are used for mechanics and build history, then labeled separately.