Strategy Wave Battler
Wave Battler Devil Deals: Every Contract and When to Sign
How the Devil works in Wave Battler: when he appears, his contract families and rarities, the Oaths, notable deals, Devil cards, and when to walk away.
After some shops in Wave Battler, the Devil wants a word. He offers three contracts: power for a few waves, at a price. You can sign one or walk away. This guide covers how often he comes, how his deals are drawn, the ones that change a run, and how to judge an offer in the few seconds before the next wave.
How the Devil works
- He appears after you leave a shop, from wave 3 on. About one shop in five (one in three with the Strange days talent), and he never stays away longer than 8 shops.
- He shows three contracts, never two from the same family. A deal he showed you stays away for the next six visits.
- Each contract runs for a set number of waves, shown on its seal (NEXT WAVE, 3 WAVES, 10 WAVES), or happens RIGHT NOW.
- You can hold two contracts at once. While you hold two, he does not come.
- To sign, hold the card: hold Enter or the card's number key, hold the button on a controller, or press and hold on a phone. Walk away costs nothing.
- What he owes you, such as a card level or a Rare, is paid at the next shop door.
- World contracts (meteors, the bell, marks) sleep through boss waves: no effect, and they do not count down.
Rarities and families
| Rarity | How often |
|---|---|
| Common | Most offers |
| Dark | Often |
| Twisted | Rare (twice as often with the Deeper deals talent) |
| Forbidden | Very rare (twice as often with Deeper deals) |
The families are Classic temptation, Corruption (deals that bend your cards), Wave changer, Enemies, Body & blood, Oath, and Wagers, which only appear once The Wager is opened on the Gambler branch. No single deal pays more than two card levels at once.
Oaths: pay now, keep the reward
An Oath charges its price while it runs. Survive to the end and the reward is yours for the rest of the run. They are a little likelier to be offered than other deals of the same rarity.
| Oath | Price while it runs | Kept after |
|---|---|---|
| Oath of the Blade | −35% max health | +15% damage (3 waves) |
| Oath of Haste | −30% fire rate | +12% fire rate (3 waves) |
| Oath of Stone | −25% move speed | Take 12% less damage (3 waves) |
| Oath of Swiftness | Take +30% damage | +10% move speed (3 waves) |
| Oath of Greed | −50% coins | +20% coins (4 waves) |
| Oath of the Wind | No dashing | +1 dash (3 waves) |
| Oath of the Heart | No healing | +25% max health (3 waves) |
| Oath of the Many | One projectile fewer, −20% damage | +1 projectile (4 waves) |
| Blood Oath | Enemies have ×1.8 health | An extra life (3 waves) |
| Oath of the Fang | Take ×1.5 damage | A Rare (4 waves) |
| Oath of Kings | −30% damage and max health | A Devil card (5 waves) |
Notable deals and what they cost
| Deal | You get | You pay |
|---|---|---|
| Titan's Feast | A free card level after every wave (3 waves) | Every enemy is huge: ×1.6 size, ×3 health |
| Glass Cannon | ×2.5 damage and +1 projectile | Max health drops to 35% |
| Frenzy | You fire twice as fast | No dashing at all |
| Soul Mortgage | An extra life, right now | −35% max health and healing for 10 waves |
| Overclock | One card works as if at max level | Lose 15% of current health each wave |
| Borrowed Crown | Every card +1 level | When it ends, one random card loses a level for good |
| The Long Night | A Devil card | One long horde, and mini-bosses keep coming |
| One Hit Wonder | 2 free card levels | Everything dies in one hit, you included |
| The Reaper | Anything normal it touches dies, for double XP and coins | A hunter you cannot kill, stun or slow |
| Mutation | A Rare after every wave | Every enemy is an elite with two traits |
| Doppelgänger | Kill it to steal +1 level on one of its cards | A red copy of you with your 3 best cards |
| One Candle Left | Survive it: a Devil card | Only a small lit circle around you, which shrinks with every hit; no healing |
Devil cards
Only The Long Night, One Candle Left and Oath of Kings pay a Devil card. You hold one at a time; a new one replaces the old, and it stays for the rest of the run.
- Hellfire: your shots leave burning ground for 2 seconds.
- Pitchfork: every 4th volley is a three-prong trident that goes through everything.
- Evil Eye: every 8 seconds the toughest enemy near you is cursed and takes +50% damage for 4 seconds.
- Soul Flip: about one kill in 40 rises on your side for a short while (never a boss), up to 6 at once.
When to sign
- When the price misses your build. Frenzy (no dash) is cheap for a planted Thornmail build. Oath of the Wind is cheap if you rarely dash.
- Without fearing the boss wave. World contracts sleep through boss waves and do not count down, so a 3-wave world deal still gives you three normal waves.
- Oaths when you are healthy. Oath of the Blade and Oath of Haste pay for the whole rest of a campaign.
- Wagers you can win. Hot Streak wants a ×40 combo in the wave; easy for a crowd-clearing build.
When to walk away
- When you are low on health. Glass Cannon, Blood Price and Overclock all cost health you may not have.
- When you already hold one risky deal. Two that stack the same weakness (like Glass Cannon and World of Glass) end runs.
- Before you know the waves. Mutation and Titan's Feast make every enemy tougher; on a weak build the free cards come too late.
- When none of the three fit. Walking away is free, and he will be back.
In co-op there is one Devil for the team. Players take turns choosing, and whatever one signs binds you both, price and reward. More in the co-op guide. For how deals stack with your cards, see the builds guide.
How do I turn off the Devil in Wave Battler?
Open Settings, go to the Game tab and switch The Devil off. Contracts you already signed in this run keep going.
How many Devil deals can I have at once?
Two. While you hold two contracts, he does not appear.
What happens when a contract ends?
The price and the reward both stop, except Oaths, which keep their reward for the rest of the run, and a few deals that leave a lasting cost, like Borrowed Crown.
How do I get a Devil card?
Survive The Long Night, One Candle Left or Oath of Kings. You hold one Devil card at a time.
Ready?
Put it into practice
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