Deities

CRAWL has many deities, some more friendly to noobs than others. You start with only three deities, Gholoth, Teok, and Murkan, and continue to unlock them throughout your play. I’ll list each deity and it’s respective disadvantages, advantages, and overall here.
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- From deep within the earth she rises

Teok is one of the starting deities, and really quite vanilla, but also playable for every playstyle and very, very good overall. She has a monster lineup which contains the Goliath Spider, the Redcap, and the Lesser Spinewyrm. Her deity bonus is equivalent to a Monster Heart, giving +1 health to all of her monsters.

Overall, a great choice for beginners, with a very good monster lineup that dominates early game- even the weakest of the bunch, the Redcap, is still pretty good early, especially in 3 or 4 player (as others can protect you while placing down traps). The bonus Teok gives is especially good early, because the extra survivability can often give you the edge to become the last monster standing, and the best candidate for humanity. Something less positive must be said about her bonus however, because it only affects monsters- you, comparative to most other gods, are weaker as a human, as you have no bonuses (most gods affect the hero and not the monsters).

Early game, this is one of the best deities. Her bonus can easily get you back up onto your feet after you die and are behind with your monsters, and her monster lineup is also pretty good. Late, she’s decent, but often the bonus doesn’t affect you too much, and other deities often have better evolutions (though her’s aren’t bad, still.)

- The stench of death heralds his coming

Gholoth is another of the starters, and is again, a vanilla deity- playable from most playstyles, but lackluster. He has a monster lineup which contains the Plaguespore, the Skeleton, and the Vile Rodent. His deity bonus is +25% trap damage, similar to that of a Dwarven Cog.

Though the Vile Rodent and the Skeleton can do well, they are subpar at least and barely proficient at best, while the Plaguespore is arguably the worst base evolution monster. So, his monster lineup isn’t very good early. Late, it’s decent with such evolutions as the Blackbrand Patriarch (Super-Pope), Demonbrand Lord, and the Vicious Dragon, and it is pretty good in the middle, but it really doesn’t shine overall.

His deity bonus, however, can be amazing in some situations. If you are new to the game, you often get hit by traps, and in 4 player this is amplified. His bonus is amazing if you are fighting newbies, as they often cannot juke out traps or dodge roll flames. +25% is a HUGE deal, easily allowing for really good hits with crossbows, spiketraps, and other nasty, bladed things. You can very easily steal a last hit from a monster with a trap.

Against an experienced player, however, almost ALL of these bonuses associated with the trap damage are gone. Better players can get behind traps pretty easy, and unless there’s a ranged monster to lure them, they almost never get hit with traps. In fact, as long as they have a good dodge roll, it's almost impossible to hit a veteran of the genre and the game. Gholoth is good for new players, but is most likely the worst deity for veteran players.

- He hides in wait, sharpening his claws

Murkan is the final starter, and though a little less “vanilla”, he still fits most playstyles, which is good. He has a monster lineup that contains a Haunt, the Vile Rodent, and the Lesser Spinewyrm. His deity bonus gives his hero a Thieving Dagger, as opposed to the vanilla Rusted Dagger (is it Rusted Shortsword? never checked).

Murkan is a solid choice, with a good monster lineup (though it does contain the Haunt, it can be upgraded into one of the better stage 2 monsters, the Wraith, for 10 wrath) and one of the bonuses, giving the hero an upgraded starter weapon that can earn extra gold (keep in mind the dagger itself is also very expensive), with no downside- this is important because normally, heroes start with a downgraded, or rusty, weapon.

Murkan’s lineup is good late game, early game, and everything in between, but shines the most midgame-earlygame, with solid picks such as the Wraith and the Bloodspine Wyrm. Murkan’s gold-farming ability allows him to buy replacements for his dagger early, but is best used to farm for better spells and items, then finally switch to a better weapon before facing the boss (unless you come over something crazy like a Cosmic Bloodletter). Murkan is an overall solid god with few downsides, and is good for really any player, new or old.

- A decaying god forgotten by most men

S’hrim is a great unlockable, quite a solid deity and perhaps one of the best. He has a monster lineup that contains the Skeleton, the Redcap, and the Eldritch Eye. His deity bonus is that his heroes gain a 10% shop discount, which is surprisingly not equivalent to any item I know of.

S’hrim is the epitome of early game domination, with very good early monsters (not level 1, but level 2 and 3), and though his discount actually affects the game less than what most would expect, if you pick up a great, cheap weapon like a Cutthroat and upgrade Redcap and Skeleton, you can reliably expect to be leveling much faster and killing heroes much faster than anyone else in the game.

Mid-late game this falls off slighty, and the later picks from S’hrim are actually semi-subpar, with the Blueblood Saytr, Orc, and Lesser Beholder all being lower standard than other level 3 picks, and while the Flamebrand Archer and Blackbrand Acolyte aren't half bad, in fact pretty good, RnG isn't always so kind. Use S'hrim to level up early and potentially let yourself die, only to snatch it back with more gold, then keep humanity later on on the game, winning before you fall off. Good pick.

- The twisted eye beckons

Qaahl is a pretty decent unlockable, with a monster lineup containing the Eldritch Eye, the Goliath Spider, and the Lost Soul. Qaahl’s deity bonus gives the hero a Cracked Bow to start out with, replacing the Rusted Dagger.

Qaahl is my personal favorite, so if I speak a lot of good about him, take it with a grain of salt. Qaahl fits a SPECIFIC playstyle that works for only a few people (in my experience, it could be everyone around you enjoys this, it just depends), that playstyle being one of kiting, being relatively passive, and waiting for times to strike. With the hero, Qaahl offers no dealing with shop RnG, and a very good weapon if held with the right hands.

With the bow, dodge roll is your best friend- kite, dash though melee, and wait until safe to strike- the bow is all about timing. The bonus can be a godsend for some, but for others, the bow just doesn't speak to them. If that's you, don't worry, you aren't unskilled, you just like a more hack n’ slash style, getting in there with the enemy. That’s not bad, and can crush many heroes and monsters.

Qaahl’s monster lineup is decent, with the Eldritch Eye and Goliath Spider as the two best level 1 monsters. The Lost Soul is usually pretty bad, though it can be used effectively in some scenarios, such and kiting around a pillar. This is detailed in my entry to that monster. Qaahl’s monster lineup is pretty good all around the game, with solid mid and late game picks. Overall, Qaahl only fits a strange few, but to those people, he is the best. I sometimes even taunt Qaahl so I can get Hyperdash free. I’m weird, I know.

- The mighty drink from the weak

Chz is a decent unlockable pick, with a monster lineup containing the Gargoyle, the Eldritch Eye, and the Vile Rodent. His deity bonus is equivalent to that of a Vampiric Ring, giving the player a healing effect on each attack at the cost of half their health.

Chz is quite an interesting deity, not only because his name has no vowels (aka "Powerhoof, I WANT ANSWERS: How the HECK do you pronounce his name?"), but also because his bonus gives you a disadvantage as well as... Well, a bonus. His monster lineup is pretty good, however it seems that the 3rd level of evolutions on Chz in particular is the weakest of any- Lesser Beholder, Demonbrand Scorpion, Demonspore, Minotaur and Blueblood Saytr are all of the possible 3rd level evolutions, and each of them are either subpar or barely proficient with the exception of the Blueblood Saytr, but he’s still no powerhouse.

With Chz, either draw out the game to 4th level, or win previous to 3rd. His bonus is interesting though- I would say pretty opinionated, but halving health of the hero is a massive downside, and though the healing is great, it’s only great if you can dodge well- being reckless with Chz will likely lead you into being “bursted” down, having all your health taken previous to being able to heal much. Playing carefully is not something a lot of people do, and especially in 4 player, Chz can be pretty bad against a ranged monster or something of that sort. I would say Chz can be good, but often isn’t. Pick at risk.

- Ageless blight demon

Xophant is an unlockable which isn’t a deity I pick often, which is strange, as he seems good, so take much of what I say here with a grain of salt, as I am not incredibly experienced with Xophant like I am with, say, Qaahl. Xophant’s monster lineup includes the Haunt, the Eldritch Eye, and the Plaguespore. His deity bonus is equivalent to that of a Bleeder Shield, which, as the name suggests, summons a shield that circles around you and blocks projectiles when you are bleeding.

This can be increased in efficiency with Anticoagulant and Haemophilia, which lets blood more efficiently or makes you bleed for a short time after each amount of damage taken. This, of course, is very effective when paired with those two items, and is otherwise somewhat useful in close fights or when fighting Ghidraak, as the shield can block his acid and ice projectiles.

Overall, a pretty good deity, but also very specific bonus that only does well in some scenarios. Xophant’s monster lineup is honesty pretty sub-par, with only one shining moment- Xophant is one of the strongest deities at level two, with the Monkfish, Wraith, and if you leave the Eldritch Eye as a level 1, it's a really good lineup. Though the Monkfish isn't amazing, it's quite good, and really can do a surprising amount of damage. Overall, Xophant is really quite good early, and is one of the deities that levels early and farms gold, then tries to win quickly after that.

- Last of the great putrid serpents

Odshan is definetly another favorite of mine, and for good reason- I’d say he’s one of the better unlockables. His monster lineup is the Lesser Spinewyrm, the Lost Soul, and the Goliath Spider. His bonus is equal to that of the Bleeding Cross, allowing you to heal quite a bit on pentagrams (or summoning circles, they’ve been called both).

Odshan is what I’d call an all-rounder- Solid monster lineup with a few weaknesses, overall good bonus with a couple weaknesses. Good overall, but has a few flaws. Odshan’s monster lineup is pretty good, with the Lesser Spinewyrm evolving into one of the better level 2 monsters, two top-notch level three creatures, and also a pretty good overall level four, while the spider is one of the best level ones, and though it’s level 3 forms are really under par, it makes up for it with really good 1, 2, and 4 creatures. The Lost Soul is one of the worse level 1 creatures, but can still do some killer damage and evolves into an amazing level 3. Overall, the monster lineup is really solid, but shines most in early 3rd levels, with Angered Oracle, Greater Spinewyrm, and Demonbrand Spider as a possible lineup.

Odshan’s bonus is very, very good in some circumstances, 1v1 play being the best. Unless their monster has a high DPS like a Goliath Spider, you can heal probably to full within 3-4 seconds from half health at level 7, so it really helps a lot. In 4 player, however, it isn't nearly as effective- you could probably get a couple slivers per room, and though every bar counts, it simply isn’t a reliable bonus. Odshan overall is a great pick but gets worse with more players.

- Ruthless leader of beasts

Momot, like Xophant, is an unlockable I don’t play often- take everything I say with a grain of salt. I like dashes while kiting, not tribal shields. Momot’s monster lineup is Plaguespore, Skeleton, and the Lesser Spinewyrm. His deity bonus is replacing Dodgeroll with Tribal Shield (for the hero, duh).

I’mma be honest now- I can find good in preeetty much all other deities, but this one gives me the run for my money. Momot’s Tribal Shield can be a really good block, but with melee, it’s overshadowed by Dodgeroll because it can both, well, dodge, and it can move melee closer to kiting units, allowing for much more damage, and in ranged, Dodgeroll is better because you can get away from the enemy, allowing yourself to dodge, kite, dodge, kite, attack, dodge, kite, attack, etc. The ability used to have a much lower cooldown, allowing it to be really overpowered, but now, it’s fallen and can’t get back up without becoming overpowered again.

Momot’s monster lineup is pretty average, but the Plaguespore puts it below-par. The mushroom is bad, most everyone agrees, and the Skeleton can evolve into good lategame units like the Blackbrand Patriarch (aka Super-Pope), but usually the game ends before it can get a true powerspike unless you put all resources into it. Lesser Spinewyrm is good all-round, but it doesn’t make up for the other monsters. Honestly, while trying him out, I seemed to get unlucky, so maybe that’s the problem, but all in all, Momot seems like a sub-par deity, mostly because his bonus is really, really bad. The monsters I can forgive, you can crush with any monster, but Tribal Shield is worse than the starting ability. Dangerous pick.

Now, I’d like to put in with the worst deity a disclaimer- you can do really, really well with any deity. It’s only a very, very slight difference between them, and all of them can be used well. Also, if you really like one particular deity, that satisfaction in playing that deity can offset the disadvantages- really, if you like your situation and feel rewarded, then you can be calmer, more reliable, and less irritable. Well, maybe not as big of a difference as I put out, but seriously, don't feel bad about playing an underpowered deity. If nothing else, it proves you are skilled.

- Glub, glub, glub.

Glub is a decent (and funny!) unlockable who I don’t play too often. His monster lineup contains the ever-famous Glubfish, the Eldritch Eye, and the Lost Soul. His bonus gives the hero a Club as their starting weapon.

Wow. Just wow. Honestly, Glub is definitely one of the more underrated deities. Having a level 2 monster level 1 is one of the best bonuses, because it (obviously) gives you an advantage for your monsters the entire game. His passive is very, very “meh”, as the Club can actually be worse than the Rusted Dagger, but because it isn’t cracked or rusted, it does a surprising amount of damage, a theme throughout Glub’s gameplay- slow and seemingly underpowered, but a surprising amount of damage.

The Glubfish is the slowest level 2 monster, but has- you guessed it -a surprising amount of damage. The Club can deal a lot of damage on each hit, but it is more delayed, so ranged units can kite you really easily, and if I’m not mistaken, it slows you, so with Glub, ranged enemies are your largest problem. There’s not much more to say- Glub isn’t for me, as he’s too slow, but I imagine some people use him to a point where he’s almost broken. Good deity. Very, very good deity.

- Father of corrosion

Gor is an unlockable deity with a monster lineup that contains a Haunt, a Gargoyle, and a Redcap. Gor’s deity bonus is equal to Haemophilia, letting the hero bleed more easily.

This helps with items that rely on you bleeding (contrary to popular belief...? It seems so. Not blood pools, just bleeding), which there are many of within CRAWL. Gor is a really quite interesting deity, with an ability than can either help a whole ton, or do absolutely nothing.

Gor’s passive is great if items like the Ghoul’s Eye are on sale, but is really quite useless otherwise. Good thing is, there’s a lot of items like that. Gor’s monster lineup is pretty solid, just with a couple of weaknesses early on- overall, Gor can be really good if RnG is on your side, but pretty bad if it isn’t. Gor’s monster lineup is weak level 1, but with level 2 picks like the Satyr, the Wraith, and the Bloodleaf Hunter, you can do some pretty powerful plays. Overall, Gor is a lucky pick- sometimes good, sometimes bad. Risky, but potentially really good.

So, with all this considered, what is your favorite deity? I'm interested to know, tell me below.

If you didn't understand the monster names, I'll be posting a Bestiary later (don't know how long it will take), but for now, I think most of the names are pretty self-explanatory.


Hope you enjoyed,


Jamais "Addertongue" Namme, favor of Qaahl.