Starter Sword + Hammer Guide

This route is for new Dicero players who need a stable baseline before forcing a dedicated damage package. The current community trend is moving away from blind Swordwave forcing and toward a simpler early rule: Hammer for waves, Sword for bosses, survival before greed.

The Logic

New players should focus on consistency first. Do not chase specialized packages just because they look explosive in one screenshot or one run. A route that clears safely teaches more than a flashy line that collapses before its support pieces arrive.

What to Prioritize

1. Weapon matching - Use Hammer for multi-enemy pressure and Sword for single-target bosses.
2. Revive and survival - Stability wins more early chapters than greedy scaling.
3. Simple damage packages - Take good Hammer or Greatsword pieces before niche lines.
4. Flexible pivots - If Poison support appears naturally, then decide whether the run should switch.

What This Route Is Not

This is not a Swordwave force guide. Recent community discussion has become more skeptical of Swordwave as a main plan, especially once Poison becomes available. Swordwave can still help in some early clears, but it is no longer the safest default recommendation for a new account.

Works Best For

• Learning the difference between single-target and AOE stages
• Early chapters where survival matters more than perfect damage
• Players who do not yet know which upgrades are worth forcing

Watch Out For

• Lower late-game damage if you never transition into a stronger route
• Boss fights where your damage is too spread out
• Overcommitting to defense when the run needs faster clears

Player Advice

“Just focus on surviving early on. You don’t need a meta build to progress the first few chapters.”

“Switch to sword for single target bosses, hammer for multiple enemies.”

“Swordwave is a noob trap until they rebalance it.”

Next Step

Once early chapters feel stable, compare this with the Poison Build or read the Dice Mechanics Guide. The next improvement is learning when the run is offering a real pivot instead of forcing the route you queued up before the stage started.