Can The Lost Take Black Market Deals? A Comprehensive Guide

Yes, The Lost can take items from the Black Market for free, functioning similarly to Devil Deals. However, there’s a crucial caveat: The Lost can only choose one item from each selection offered in the Black Market. Once an item is taken, the others disappear. This seemingly simple mechanic has significant implications for your run, especially concerning your chances of seeing Angel Rooms. Let’s delve deeper into how this works and explore some frequently asked questions to maximize your chances of success with The Lost.

Understanding the Black Market and Its Impact

The Black Market is a special room that can appear after using a “Get Out of Jail Free” card or “I See You” pill, offering a selection of items. Unlike normal shops, Black Markets are often associated with Devil Deals, and taking a deal within one has long-term consequences.

The key takeaway is that taking any Devil Deal, even one acquired within a Black Market, reduces your chance of getting Angel Rooms in subsequent floors. This forces a player to carefully consider their options: pursue potentially powerful Devil Deals, knowing it reduces the chances of powerful Angel Room items.

The Lost’s Unique Position

The Lost starts with the Holy Mantle, granting a single hit of invincibility per room. This allows them to take advantage of Devil Deals (and Black Markets) with relative safety, as they do not need to sacrifice health. The fact that The Lost can take one Devil Deal item for free makes the choice extremely tempting, making the consideration for Angel Room items more important.

Therefore, the primary decision comes down to evaluating the immediate power granted by the Devil Deal against the potential long-term benefits of Angel Room items.

The Angel Room vs. Devil Deal Dilemma

Deciding between Angel Rooms and Devil Deals is a common strategic decision. Devil Deals frequently offer powerful offensive upgrades and passive abilities, often at the cost of health (or, for The Lost, the possibility of Angel Rooms). Angel Rooms, on the other hand, tend to have more defensive items and health-restoring abilities, alongside powerful offensive items like the Godhead and the Sacred Heart.

Ultimately, there is no “right” answer. The choice depends on your play style, the specific items on offer, and your assessment of the overall run.

Black Market Strategy with The Lost

1. Evaluate Items Carefully: Weigh the immediate benefit of the Black Market item against the long-term possibility of Angel Rooms. Don’t blindly grab the first item you see.

2. Prioritize Run-Winning Items: If the Black Market offers an item that can significantly boost your damage output or survivability, it might be worth sacrificing Angel Room chances.

3. Consider Your Build: The items you have already acquired will change the value of Devil Deals and Angel Rooms. If you have great health, then Devil Deals become much more tempting. If you need healing, an Angel Room could be your best bet.

4. Play to Your Strengths: The Lost’s Holy Mantle allows you to be greedy. Use it!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can The Lost take Devil Deals?

Yes, The Lost can take Devil Deals. However, unlike other characters, they don’t have to sacrifice health in exchange, effectively getting one free item.

2. Does taking a Black Market item lock me out of Angel Rooms?

Yes. A Black Market item is still a Devil Deal. Taking one item from it will drastically reduce your chance of Angel Rooms appearing for the rest of the run.

3. Can you get a Devil Room on the first floor?

No, Devil Rooms can only appear from the second floor of Chapter 1 onward.

4. How do I increase my chances of getting a Devil Room?

The most reliable way is to avoid taking any red heart damage on a floor. However, even with no red heart damage, the chance of a Devil Room appearing isn’t 100%.

5. How do I increase my chances of getting an Angel Room?

Avoid taking any Devil Deals. Donating to donation machines (without blowing them up!) can increase your Angel Room chance. The Rosary Bead item guarantees an Angel Room will appear.

6. Can you get Angel Rooms as The Lost?

Yes, but your chances are affected by the same factors as other characters, including whether you have taken Devil Deals.

7. What happens if I destroy a donation machine?

Destroying a donation machine reduces your chances of seeing Angel Rooms.

8. Are Angel Rooms always better than Devil Deals?

Not necessarily. Devil Deals often provide more immediate power upgrades, while Angel Rooms frequently offer defensive bonuses or items that scale well into the late game. The optimal choice depends on your specific situation.

9. What is the D7 item?

The D7 rerolls the current room, respawning enemies and potentially creating new pickups.

10. Does Goat Head guarantee Devil Rooms?

Goat Head significantly increases the chance of Devil Rooms, but it doesn’t guarantee them.

11. Can I reroll Devil Room items?

Yes, using an item like the D6 or Diplopia in a Devil Room will reroll the available items. Be warned – rerolling Devil Deal items can increase their cost to soul hearts instead of health.

12. What is Havocscope?

Havocscope is a website that provides information and threat intelligence on the global black market. In the Binding of Isaac context, the Black Market is less nefarious, though it can still lead to some tough choices!

13. Can you get an Angel Room after seeing a Devil Room?

Yes, you can see an Angel Room after seeing a Devil Room, but only if you didn’t take a deal. If you avoid taking any hearts, you will then have a 50% chance of getting an Angel Room next time you earn a god room.

14. How do you fight angels in Angel Rooms?

To fight the angels in Angel Rooms and obtain the key pieces for Mega Satan, you need to bomb the angel statue. However, this is only possible after defeating the Blue Baby or The Lamb at least once.

15. What are some key items to look out for in Devil Deals and Angel Rooms?

In Devil Deals, powerful offensive items like Brimstone, Mom’s Knife, and The Pact are always strong contenders. In Angel Rooms, look for defensive items like The Wafer and Holy Mantle, as well as powerful offensive items like Sacred Heart and Godhead.

Final Thoughts

Playing as The Lost is a high-risk, high-reward experience. Mastering the nuances of Devil Deals and Angel Rooms, especially in relation to the Black Market, is crucial for maximizing your chances of success. Understanding when to gamble on a powerful Devil Deal and when to hold out for an Angel Room is the key to triumphing with this challenging character. Always consider the state of your current run, and what you can achieve, with the item being offered in the Black Market.

For more information on games and learning, consider exploring the resources available at GamesLearningSociety.org.