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Balatro is a simple game in its interface, but very deep in its gameplay and strategies. Here are my 10 tips for getting started in Balatro, which will help you quickly understand the specifics of this incredible and addictive roguelite game!
Change the interface
If you go to the options you can enable high contrast maps to change the appearance of your maps. If you are having trouble with the sequels or are having trouble to perceive colors, this may help you. You can also reduce shaking of the screen and the aged CRT screen appearance if they bother you.
Unblock content
Balatro has a large number of cards and decks to unlock, but this slow progression isn’t for everyone. If you prefer, you can go to the profile selection menu and press unlock everything to have all of the game’s content at your fingertips, but this will exclude you from achievements.
Restart a Run
As for some UI elements, if you have selected multiple cards and then changed your mind, you can right-click to deselect all cards. If your game does not suit you and you want to start again, do not return to the main menu, just hold down the R key (like in The Binding of Isaac) and you will start a new game.
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Deck size
By removing a lot of cards through tarot cards or effects, your deck may become exhausted during a Blind. And it will be…Game over! Be careful to maintain some deck depth, because if the size approaches 35-40 cards and you discard or play a lot of hands, this grinding could cause you to lose!
Only one type of joker at a time
Jokers and consumables can only appear once, so in the shop, if I already have certain jokers they will not reappear as long as I have them in my game. Apart from certain effects, you will therefore not be able to have multiple versions of the same joker.
Speed up the game
Once you have a few hours of experience, you may want to speed up the pace of the game. There are 2X and 4X animation speeds that you can use. Normal speed will help you understand the multipliers and token bonuses at first, but very quickly you will move to X2 or X4 to give rhythm to your runs!
Wait for the Tarots and Planets cards
You have just bought Tarots or Planet cards and you want to use them right away, that’s normal. But the best option is to keep them to possibly use them during a game phase. Transforming a card into another or changing its color is super useful all the time, but in play it can allow you to obtain your color or your following ! And save the game! During an Emergency Blind, a tarot card used well to turn a mediocre hand into a victory.
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Tarot for Bosses
Keeping Tarot cards goes even further. When you use a Tarot card, an animation plays, showing the card flipped over. Many bosses present you with face-down cards, so if you reduce the animation speed and add an upgrade or change the color of a face-down card, you’ll briefly see what it is, giving you bonuses. valuable information!
Vouchers for solid runs
Over time, in the store, you will unlock higher level Vouchers. Vouchers will seem expensive at first, but they often provide solid savings or significant benefits for strong runs.
The joker text
Now let’s look at some hands and Jokers. Many Jokers will have the phrase “if the hand played contains such and such a combination”. This does not mean that you have to specifically play the combination to get the bonus. For example, if a joker activates with the text “the hand contains a pair”, it will activate with a hand of three of a kind, four of a kind, full house, or two pairs. Because these combinations all contain a pair!
The multiplier wilds on the right
Remember that all your Jokers can be rearranged. This is super important for multipliers for example! Let’s imagine you have three wild cards: one that gives +5 multipliers, one that gives +10 multipliers, and one that gives x3 multipliers.
When calculating the score, the game takes your jokers from left to right. If you have a hand say that is 10×10 (10 chips x 10 multipliers) in score before the jokers, let’s see how much you will have by placing the multiplier joker:
- Joker multiplier on the left: 10×10, x3, +5, +10 which gives: 10×3 = 30; +5 = 35; + 10 = 45 i.e. 10×45 = 450
- Joker multiplier in the middle: 10×10, +5, x3, +10 which gives: 15×3 + 10 = 55 i.e. 10×55 = 550
- Joker multiplier on the right: 10×10, +5, +10, x3 which gives: (10+5+10) x3 = 75 i.e. 10×75 = 750
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This example is simplistic and other more complex rules often apply, but in general you will try to multiply after adding multipliers 🙂
Balatro is tactile
Finally, when it comes to the UI, touchscreens and controllers are supported, Steam Deck players and couch gamers alike can rejoice. Enough about the UI, now let’s talk about some mechanics and strategies.
