Deployment Strategies Thread

Figured this would be an important thread to have around at some point.
Deployment is a big part of Shadow Lords. Whether you want to save time, effort, or hassle against opponents either too tough or too boring for you to fight, deployment will drastically speed up your campaign against Gargos.

Just like in regular play, there are helpful strategies to get you ahead of the game. This thread will act as a hub for our different meta-gaming, strategies, and hints/tips to be exchanged.
I’ll go first with some of the best strategies I’ve found.

-Strive for perfection. It’s almost never a good idea to deploy without a 100% chance of success. In my experience, the 5-8% chance of failure always results in failure. If you can’t get up to 100% chance, you’re probably better off picking another fight or doing the mission yourself.

-Nanomachines, son! In Shadow Lords, Nanobots are some of the most helpful items in the game. Whether buffing your damage, toughening your defenses, or healing your wounds, they can make higher level fights much more manageable (and less costly!). But did you know that these nano-bots can help you on deployment as well? That’s right, Damage and Defense Nanobots increase the likelihood of successful deployment. This can help save consumables and guardians for later.
Speaking of…

-Tier Lists actually matter. When equipping items for use on deployment, the only thing that matters is the level of the item/guardian you’re using. If you want to increase success, use a level of guardian or item that can guarantee victory.

-Use items you don’t like! Because deploying is reliant solely on the level of the item you’re using, it frees you up to make use of the items and guardians you don’t like! This means nothing you buy in the Emporium will ever go to waste. You can stock up on junk and still be home free.

-Stock up on cheap, high tier items. I recommend the Embalmed Calf Liver. It only costs 2 of the relatively common Celestial Souls, meaning you can get a lot to help in your ventures.

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I never let the AI have a shot at completing any missions, I’d rather do them myself.

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My experience so far is the complete opposite. Most of the time I have a success chance of 92-97% and I have NEVER failed a single deployment.

For most of my deployments it seems like anything over 80% will net you a win, but not always. I did have one match lose on 90%, but it was only once. And I’ve probably deployed about 40 or 50 times so far.

Is there any rhyme or reason as to why some missions can feature deployments and others can’t?

I think Story Missions, Boss Fights, and other missions with higher chance of/guarenteed Tank Chests are off limits for deployment. That, and missions with high risk of corruption (i.e. Emergency Portals, Cult of Gargos, etc)