Pyre – Curs Race Offense, Defense, Masteries, and More

This guide is a compilation of information on Curs and related and gameplay tips gathered with help from members of Rite Club Discord server. Check out the place if you want to find opponents (using Steam Remote play), discuss gameplay, or just want to hang around!

The guide will be focusing on Versus Mode gameplay (either VS another player or VS CPU) but much of the information here can be applied in Story Mode as well.

Curs Summary

Curs are small agile characters specialized in evasion and scoring

Pros

• Fast – High sprint speed gets Curs across the map easily. Also 3rd fastest walker by default. High inertia nets Curs extra distance as they slide to a stop.
• Multi-Jump – Several masteries let Curs jump mid-air and avoid interception by opponents.
• Fast Respawn – Highest Hope out of all races, quickly returning Curs back into play after getting Banished (and even after plunging with Lucky Break mastery)
• Small – Able to squeeze through small gaps in the defense.

Cons

• Small Aura Presence – Lowest default Presence. Tends to get squished by other races. Rely on mobility to survive.
• Very Thin Cast – Although longer and faster than Nomads’ Cast, it requires more precision and timing. Can’t control space well.
• Low Pyre Damage – Subpar Glory stat means Curs have to work more to score consistently.

Curs Characters

• Rukey
• Barker
• Dalbert

Hard Stats

• Glory: 15
• Quickness: 15
• Presence: 3
• Hope: 25 (5.7 sec)

Abilities

Sprint

• Run at high speed.
• Only initial acceleration is affected by Quickness. Top speed can be increased with Lightning Run.
• Bleed speed very little when taking turns. Quite maneuverable.
• High inertia causes Curs to slide for a noticeable amount of time coming to a stop – benefits Throwing/Casting.

Jump

• Jump a distance based on movement speed – affected by inertia
• Loose all inertia on landing.
• Cost 1/4 stamina

Cast

• Fire a very thin and fast Cast – Exchange width for range the longer it is charged.
• Medium range – Longer than Nomads’
• Power Casting reaches its maximum range faster, but lingers on the ground for less time.
• Pushes the Curs in the opposite direction – this push affects inertia even when sliding, changing the Curs’ momentum.

Throw

• Medium range – Slightly longer than Nomads’.
• 0.7 seconds charge time.
• Low Throw – can be blocked without jumping at any point.

Overview

Curs are small grounded characters with high sprint speed and thin cast, whose traits greatly aid them in moving around the map and scoring. They have a poor Presence making them unable to Banish the majority of other races simply by running into them. Moreover, their thin Cast limits them to sniping or using their superior mobility to avoid Banish fights altogether.

Offense

Curs’ advantages in offense are divided into two parts: mobility and scoring.

Curs’ Sprint propels them at high speed which when combined with their high inertia can slide Curs farther than what the stats would suggest. They can use this to easily get past defenses, or move into various positions on the map to snipe key opponents. Investing in Cloud Jump and Moon Sault masteries let Curs perform extra jumps to avoid getting boxed in by bigger characters and Casts, or to squeeze extra distances needed to reach opponent’s Pyre.

Their scoring ability is great but not without a caveat. They can get to the opponent’s Pyre pretty easily but due to weak Glory stat they have to be really careful when attempting to throw the Orb (which can be blocked since it’s a low Throw) Often, they have to Plunge to deal full damage before opponents can intercept. Curs have Glory Dive mastery which boost their damage on Plunging, but it will leave the team 1 member short the next round with each attack unless the player pour mastery points for Guiding Light (which will bar access to triple-jump), hurting the defense game in the process.

Thankfully Curs have whooping 25 Hope stat, meaning getting banished isn’t as much of an issue compared to other races and promotes offensive play.

The choice to include Curs in offense depends on whether or not the player can score consistently to slowly chip away at the opponent’s Pyre, and how they will defend themselves when the Curs are removed from play.

Defense

Curs’ defense games are lacking due to poor Presence and Cast. Two of the races Curs can somewhat reliably Banish by tackling are Wyrms (who run as fast as Curs) and Imps (who can just Implode, taking out nearby opponents with them) Their Cast left only a thin trail making Curs terrible at zoning opponents out.

Curs are better off sniping inactive characters from play when playing defensively (to remove a pass route, for example) They may also be beneficial in certain end-goal scramble scenarios against opponents who attempt to throw the Orb into the Pyre.

It should be noted that many talismans and certain support masteries from other races (such as Nomad’s Sacred Bond) are best used in conjunction with high-mobility characters like the Curs.

Masteries

Cloud Jump

Slot: Left 1

Effects:

• Perform a second jump while airborne.
• Retains inertia of the first jump (so no sharp turns while jumping)
• Shares all properties with grounded jumps.
• The second jump can be performed even with no stamina (still consume the gauge if there is any left)

Fundamental mastery that lets Curs hangs in the air longer to avoid Aura Presence and some of the bigger Cast. The ability to alter landing timing also messes with opponents looking for punish window.

The second jump does not require stamina (though it will consume the gauge if there was any left remaining) Don’t be afraid to use it to get that extra distance.

Lightning Run

Slot: Left 2 (left)

Effects:

• Increase sprint acceleration and top speed.
• Also affect air speed.
• Increase inertia

All around pretty much a required mastery for offense-build Curs whose role is to constantly dive and score. The Curs can also abuse spawn invincibility period with it, gaining great distance before they become Banish-able.

Lucky Break

Slot: Left 3 (right)

Effects:

• When Banished by the opponent (not environmental), grants 50%chance of respawning (1 second delay)
• Stacks with Moon Crest (Seem to roll for Lucky Break first, and then Moon Crest if that fails)

Respawn mastery has usage in both offense and defense. Makes the Cur harder to get rid of and generally puts more pressure on Banished Curs running amok on the opponent.

Moon Sault

Slot: Left 4

Effects:

• Perform a 3rd jump while airborne.
• Share all the same traits as Cloud Jump.

Practically turns Curs into flying dogs. Absurd air offense potential. But you are trading off Glory Dive and other useful defensive masteries (and airborne Curs are hardly invincible) Your execution have to be on point or there will be problem. Shares the same traits and usage techniques as Cloud Jump, as well as inability to quickly change direction mid-air. Practice it well.

Glory Dive

Slot: Right 1

Effect:

• +5 pyre damage when plunging

This one is an oddball. Curs generally don’t want to Plunge unless you have to means to get that Cur back after scoring, or you are willing to trade Lighting Run and Moon Sault for Guiding Light (very rare)

Pick the balance between mobility and actual scoring power that feels right for you, or consider the defense you’ll make with the other two characters.

Keen Eye

Slot: Right 2 (left)

Effects:

• Increase cast range by 50%
• Stacks with Thorned Knot

Make Curs’ Cast the 3rd longest cast in-game. This plus Throned Knot talisman turns the Cur into sniper rifle, almost able to snipe opponents from spawn to spawn in Glades of Lu. Tricky but effective against slower characters.

Explosive Temper

Slot: Right 3 (right)

Effects:

• When an opponent is Banished with a Cast, create a circular Aura blast where the opponent was.
• The blast is slightly larger than Wyrms’ Cast.
• Does not chain-react (though it can proc multiple times per cast)

Curs’ team-wiping tool. Quite situational due to how hard getting the Curs’ Cast to hit and that it only triggers on successful Banish, making it better used against stationary teams that rely too much on Aura-linking. Pick with caution.

Guiding Light

Slot: Right 4

Effect:

• Respawn the user after they Plunge into the Pyre.

Almost never picked due to the sheer potential of double/triple-jumps and the existence of Prayer Beads talisman. Against certain team compositions, the Curs might not even have to Plunge.

Talisman Recommendations

Essential

• Prayer Beads

Curs are often used for plunging. Use Prayer Beads to help bring the Curs back into the field and score even more. Note that this is redundant if Guiding Light mastery is picked. In that case, Cur Fang (boost damage on Plunge) can be a good choice.

Alternatively, any other talismans that boost Quickness or stamina should work well on Curs. Infernal Bloom is redundant if Explosive Temper mastery is taken.

Suggested Builds

Meta Offense Build

Masteries: (R1, L1, L2, L4)

• Glory Dive
• Cloud Jump
• Lightning Run
• Moon Sault

Talisman: Prayer Beads

This build makes curs one of the fastest scoring races in the game. It maximizes their ability and effectiveness to plunge, while also removing any negatives to plunging.

Curs Gameplay Tips

• High-mobility characters can capitalize on fast-round start openers and the same applies to Curs. The faster the Curs can reach the opponent’s side, the fewer times defenders can get in position.
• Double-jumps and triple-jumps can be performed with no stamina. All you need is little stamina for the initial jump and you can triple-jump your way to the opponent’s Pyre.
• Curs have a tendency to slide after ending their Sprint. Take advantage of this to get the extra distance for scoring or Casting.
• Use stamina-boosting talismans or masteries from other team members to bolster Curs’ mobility further.

Stage-Specific Strategies

Curs generally do well on open maps, allowing them to circle around the opponent’s defense and score. Their jump masteries also helps them bound over obstacles as well.

Spring of Jomuer (named after the Cur Scribe) can be seen as their home stage, due to their small size, multi-jump masteries, and speed allowing them to quickly squeeze through/get over moving ‘ice pucks’ that clutter the field. In practice, however, this isn’t that big of an issue for most races.

Preset Characters

The below information applies when setting the Masteries option in Versus Mode to ‘Preset’ (a star will show up in the box) Each character’s stats and the number of attached masteries are different from each other and from baseline stats of each race. Whether they are balanced or not is yet to be verified at the time of this writing.

Rukey

• Glory: 15
• Quickness: 18
• Presence: 3
• Hope: 25

Mastery: Cloud Jump

Barker

• Glory: 15
• Quickness: 15
• Presence: 3
• Hope: 24

Mastery: Lightning Run

Dalbert

• Glory: 15
• Quickness: 20
• Presence: 3
• Hope: 27

Mastery: Lucky Break and Guiding Light

Counter-Strategies

• Imps are a good counter with their large Presence, quick dash, and Flutter jump that let them hang in the air waiting to intercept jumping attempts. Most of the time, Imps would rather stay at their own Pyre making them even more likely to deter Curs trying to get close.
• The Titan Tooth talisman is also a very good counter to Curs, as their best way to get around and score is through their jumps. Nomads’ Shoulder Smash mastery also works on them as well.
• Watch out for the Curs trying to slide-throw the Orb into the Pyre after sprinting. Their throws are low and can be blocked without jumping.