# Why do my spikes and buffs disappear?
Community Knowledge Players describe boss stages where an enemy takes your buffs. One player running a spike build says the boss on a dark-hallway stage steals the spikes, and asks whether there is any way to prevent it.[1] Another says they ran a spike build up to stage 26, where ghosts that steal buffs crushed it.[2] In a third thread, a reply says a shadow-type boss ramps up quickly once it has stolen buffs.[3]
Community Knowledge A reply in the first thread says there is no way to prevent buff steal, and that the answer is a build that does not use buffs, such as burn or poison.[1] The same reply notes that archers sometimes rely on evasion and focus, and that those can be stolen too.[1]
Community Knowledge A player who had started a week earlier says their burn setup was cleansed too fast to stack, and that when they tried spike damage the boss on the 8th stage stole it and they knocked themselves out with it.[6]
| Term | What players mean |
|---|---|
| Buff | A bonus on your own side, such as spike damage; one reply says evasion and focus can be stolen too.[1] |
| Debuff | A harmful effect put on the enemy, such as burn, poison or flames; one reply says it cannot be stolen.[1] |
| Buff steal | An enemy taking your buffs; one reply says the boss ramps up quickly when it does.[3] |
| Cleanse | An enemy removing the debuffs you put on it; players report bosses that cleanse debuffs in general[5] or that cleanse burn quickly.[6] |
| Anti-heal (healing reduction) | An effect that lowers how much an enemy heals; a reply says it is not cleansed.[5] |
| Torch and Candlestick | A shop item that reduces healing, and the stronger item players make by combining a Torch with a lance.[4] |
| Reaper pet | A pet that players say reduces enemy healing.[4] [7] |
| Tower of Trials | A separate tower mode; one player says pet skills and merging are not available there, and another reply disagrees (see the section below).[8] |
# What can I use instead of buffs?
Community Knowledge The advice repeated across threads is to move your damage from buffs to debuffs and raw damage. One reply says to swap spikes for flames because flames are a debuff and cannot be stolen.[1] Another says to give up on buffs and focus on raw damage, healing and debuffs, with burn named as a good one to aim for.[2] A third says to use a debuff build against the shadow boss because it ramps so fast when it steals buffs.[3]
Table of symptoms and what players switch to
| What you see | What a reply says to try | Label |
|---|---|---|
| The boss steals the spikes you stacked[1] | Swap spikes for flames, a debuff that cannot be stolen.[1] | Community Knowledge |
| Ghosts that steal buffs crush a spike build[2] | Drop buff-based damage; use raw damage, healing and debuffs such as burn.[2] | Community Knowledge |
| A boss ramps up after stealing buffs[3] | Use a debuff build on a regular stage and a spear build on a four-in-a-row stage.[3] | Community Knowledge |
| Your burn is cleansed as fast as you apply it[6] | Stack healing-reduction items such as Candlesticks or Torches; one reply also suggests a mage because mages do not rely on buffs.[6] | Community Knowledge |
| Spikes are stolen and debuffs are cleansed on the same stage[5] | Use healing reduction, which one reply says is not cleansed, and see whether you have enough raw damage.[5] | Community Knowledge |
| Healers cleanse a flame weapon and buffs are stolen[9] | One reply suggests a spear-focused hero aiming for several lances, or a mage with a blizzard spell to lock the enemies down, which the reply says is harder to pull off.[9] | Community Knowledge |
Community Knowledge One reply adds a detail about the spear: its haste effect is a buff that players say cannot be stolen, and the reply says it has no limit.[3] That is a single comment, so read it as one player’s report. The page leaves out the very large attack-speed figure the reply quotes, because it comes from one setup.[3]
Players disagree about swapping setups
| Approach | What it says |
|---|---|
| Build without buffs for the whole stage | Play a build that does not use buffs, such as burn or poison, because buff steal cannot be prevented.[1] |
| Swap setups between rounds | One player says spikes are their strongest build, but for the ghost rounds they used two burning swords with plague gloves and re-equipped the spike setup after round 8. A second reply in the same thread describes the same pattern.[10] |
Recommendation The two approaches are not the same advice, and this page does not pick between them. The thread does not explain how the swap is done between rounds, so check in your own game that your stage lets you do it before relying on it.
# What reduces enemy healing?
Community Knowledge A player who got stuck at chapter 10 asked what items prevent enemy healing. One reply says the shop sells Torches that reduce healing, that combining a Torch with a lance makes a Candlestick with a larger reduction, and that some pets, such as the Reaper, also reduce healing.[4] Percentages come from single posts or comments, so this page leaves the numbers out and treats them as Version-sensitive.[4] [11]
Torch and Candlestick
Community Knowledge A chapter 26 reply suggests making a Candlestick from Torches and spears and pairing it with the Reaper pet, and says anti-heal will not be cleansed. The same reply adds that the bosses on that stage are tough, so you still need enough raw damage.[5] Another reply says vampire and healing stages depend on getting Torches or using pets that reduce healing.[7]
Community Knowledge One reply names a bow plus Torch weapon called Flaming Trails that stacks healing reduction on each hit and adds burn, and says fast weapons such as bows help burn start more often.[7] A player who could not get past a boss that cleanses burn and heals reports passing it with a Candlestick after another player suggested it.[6]
Pets that reduce healing
Community Knowledge The Reaper is the pet that several replies name for healing reduction.[4] [5] [7] One player describes using an Ice Reaper and a Candlestick, and says healing was then the easy part of a stage, while damage without buffs was the problem.[9] Another player says the Reaper pet plus one candle already gave a very large combined reduction; the exact figure is a single comment, so it is left out here.[11]
Recommendation If your own damage lands but the boss keeps healing back, the replies point to healing-reduction items and a pet before a new weapon. If your damage does not land because the boss steals or cleanses it, the replies in the sections above apply instead.
# Can I use pets and merging in Tower of Trials?
Community Knowledge Two players asked about Tower of Trials stage 11-10, where the boss heals a lot. One says the furthest they got was taking the boss part of the way down, because the anti-vampire items are not available in that mode.[12] The other says their pets and weapons have no heal block.[8] Their replies do not agree on what is allowed.
Players disagree
| Reply | What it says |
|---|---|
| First thread | The only way this player got past the stage was a pet buff that lets you debuff the enemy’s self-heal.[12] |
| Second thread | As far as this player remembers, you cannot use pet skills or merge items in Tower of Trials. They suggest upgrading gear and power level, or the hammer starter if you have unlocked it, and give the reasoning he heals on hit, so if he’s stunned, he can’t heal, which reads as describing the boss. They add that much later you unlock starter items that remove or steal buffs from enemies.[8] |
Recommendation The two replies conflict and this page does not decide between them. Try the pet option in your own game and see whether the skill is available, and do not count on it. Version-sensitive What the mode allows may have changed since these posts were written.
# When is a stage simply too hard right now?
Community Knowledge Several players say some stages are roadblocks until you grow stronger, and that the practical move is to progress elsewhere and come back.[12] [8] [3] On Tower of Trials 11-10, replies say to wait until you are stronger, to grind elsewhere and return, and that you may come back in a day or two and push through; one adds that you will not unlock healing-reduction starter items for a while.[12] Another reply says Tower of Trials is not the main focus, so just play normally and return.[8]
Community Knowledge On the shadow boss, one reply says that if you still struggle even without buffs, the stage may simply be beyond your current strength, and a couple of days of upgrading stats should help.[3] A reply to a player stuck on a healing boss says some stages depend on getting the right items, such as Torches, and that luck plays a part.[7]
Recommendation If you have already removed buffs from your build and added healing reduction, and you still make no progress, the replies suggest spending a few sessions on upgrades before trying again. For upgrade order and general progress, see the Overgeared Hero beginner guide.
# What can we not confirm yet?
| Question | Why it is open |
|---|---|
| Can pet skills and merging be used in Tower of Trials? | Two replies disagree; see the table above.[12] [8] |
| How large is the healing reduction from each item or pet? | Percentages for Torches, Candlesticks and the Reaper come from single posts or comments, so this page gives none.[4] [11] [9] |
| Which stages allow swapping setups between rounds? | Only a single thread describes it: it names one chapter and says its layout matches an earlier floor, and it does not say which other stages allow it.[10] |
| Which specific build clears a given stage? | Replies describe what one player used or suggested; this page does not promise a result for another account.[3] [9] |
# Frequently asked questions
These questions follow real threads from the community. Each answer is a short summary of what players said.
What items prevent enemy healing?
Community Knowledge Players name Torches from the shop, a Candlestick made by combining a Torch with a lance, and pets such as the Reaper.[4] [7] One reply says healing reduction is not cleansed.[5] Version-sensitive Reduction values come from single posts or comments, so check the item text in your game.
How do I beat a boss that steals my buffs?
Community Knowledge Players suggest a debuff build (burn, poison, flames) instead of self-buffs, and a spear build on a four-in-a-row stage.[3] [1] If you still cannot win without buffs, one reply says the stage may be too strong for now and a couple of days of upgrading should help.[3]
How do I beat Tower of Trials 11-10?
Community Knowledge Most replies say to get stronger elsewhere and return.[12] [8] One reply credits a pet buff that debuffs the enemy’s self-heal, while another says pet skills are not usable in the mode.[12] [8]
How do I get past ghosts that steal buffs on stage 26?
Community Knowledge The reply in that thread says to drop buffs and focus on raw damage, healing and debuffs, with burn a good one to aim for.[2] A player in a thread about another stage with the same kind of ghost enemies says they swapped to burning swords for those rounds and back to spikes afterwards.[10]
Is there a way to prevent buff steal?
Community Knowledge A reply says there is no way to prevent it, so play a build that does not depend on buffs.[1] The reply also notes that archers’ evasion and focus can be stolen.[1]