SlashZero Builds, Blessings, and Chips

SlashZero’s build layer is why a stylish side-scroller still needs a wiki page that is not just “press triangle.” Each loop you stack Blessings, Temporal Fragments, and the occasional shop roll. Between loops you tune Upgrade Chips and Authority Codes so the next lamp is not a coin flip. This primer splits in-run from out-of-run, names the seven Authorities seen in-game, and walks one Fire combo so the UI statuses mean something. Rankings live on the build tier list. Inputs live on combat and controls. Kits live on the Timehacker hub.

The full game is still upcoming for Spring 2027. Everything below is demo-window vocabulary. Streetlamp already added Infinity of Space, Chip embedding, and Tier 2 Chips in this test. Expect names to grow, not to stay frozen.

In-run versus out-of-run

In-run (dies with the loop):

• Blessings from Authorities after fights and area clears
• Temporal Fragments, usually from bosses, as run-changing spikes
• Shop purchases, HP, and most pickup currency
• Dual Blessings and extra rerolls you earned for this expedition

Out-of-run (stays in camp until the demo wipe):

• Authority Codes (permanent modifiers for the window)
• Upgrade Chip unlocks, embeds, and preset slots
• Timehacker Training access and character unlocks such as Hamlet
• Story flags that open Ye, Erik rematches, or timeline doors

If you treat Codes like Blessings, you will over-save them. If you treat Blessings like Codes, you will cry when Silver yanks you home. Spend in-run power aggressively. Spend Codes on stats, Dual Blessing access, extra rerolls, and preset-build slots that make every future loop cleaner.

SlashZero game features showcase

The seven Authorities

Streetlamp’s own site lists seven forms of Authority. In-game you will see them as Blessing pools and map nodes:

1. True Self of Flame — burn, lingering ground fire, dash-on-fire experiments. Heat Wave detonates burned enemies. This is the easiest “I understand synergy” Authority for a first loop.
2. Infinity of Space — new in this demo. Extra buffs and build options; take it when you want reposition tools and not another element sticker.
3. Eternity of Water — wet and related cold setups. Water is the primer that makes lightning and freeze statuses less random.
4. Causality of Fate — timeline luck and recovery. The Baseline node grants 1 revival chance. Take Baseline if you are still learning Sector 7.
5. Hope of Life — sustain, shields, and “do not die to chip.” Pair with Fate when you are hunting secret bosses instead of racing.
6. Wisdom of Wind — movement, jump, and air-string extenders. Nyx loves this more than Fina.
7. Law of Thunder — lightning that wants wet targets and packed groups. Hamlet’s close-range crowd kit is a natural delivery system.

Story maps also mention a Key Event HIEROS-I Rift and The Final “Nirvana”. Those are timeline beats, not Blessing names. Do not skip them looking for a damage node.

Authority Keys are the collectible layer tied to those rules. You pick them up in timelines; they feed which Blessing pools you see and how hard HIEROS-I’s collapse is leaning on that run. You do not need a full Key set to finish a first loop. You do need to stop clicking every icon that glows.

Temporal Fragments, shops, and respite

Bosses drop Temporal Fragments: chunky, run-defining modifiers, not +4% attack. Read the whole sentence. A Fragment that changes your special is a new character. A Fragment that adds a pickup rule can brick a Fire plan. If you already have burn plus Heat Wave, prefer Fragments that multiply status over ones that convert your basic into ice.

Shops and chambers of respite sit on path choices. Shops sell recovery, rerolls, and the odd Chip. Respite rooms are where you reread the three Blessings you took while panicked. Pathing toward a shop before a named boss is more important than pathing toward a matching element if you are at one hit.

Upgrade Chips, embedding, and presets

Upgrade Chips rewrite basic moves. They are the closest thing SlashZero has to a subclass. Fina’s Gun Kata chip is the public example: special stops being a chargeable long shot and becomes a high-damage three-hit melee string. Nyx and Hamlet have their own Chip identities — inspect them in camp, not in a boss wind-up.

This demo adds Tier 2 Chips (further basic-move upgrades) and embedding, which grants more build preset slots. Embed the Chip you actually play. A preset you never equip is a museum piece. You may even carry a preset into future runs once the out-of-run slot is unlocked — that is the point of camp time between lamps.

Dual Blessings, rerolls, and Authority Codes

Dual Blessings let two Authority effects sit on one pick so a Fire node can also carry a Thunder rider. Extra rerolls are the anti-tilt resource. Buy them out-of-run when your in-run luck is consistently off-theme. Authority Codes are the permanent grid: stats, extra Dual Blessing chance, quality of life. Fill Codes that support one Timehacker you main for the window, not a rainbow of maybe.

Example: Fire, burn, Heat Wave

1. Take True Self of Flame Blessings that apply burn on basic or dash.
2. Take Heat Wave or any detonator that pops burned enemies.
3. Avoid randomly converting your basic to ice unless you are abandoning the plan.
4. On packed rooms, dash through the group to apply burn, then detonate. Nyx and Hamlet do this in melee. Fina does it by holding a lane and letting burn ticks finish stragglers.
5. If lightning or wet icons appear, they are not enemies of Fire — they are a second sentence. Wet plus Law of Thunder is a different build. Cold can freeze a detonator target and feel “weaker” if you wanted explosions. Commit.

UI statuses you will see include burn, wet, cold, and lightning. Read the icon, not the colour of the VFX. A blue floor is not automatically Water Authority.

Pick one Authority as the thesis, one as the rider, and let Fragments either confirm or politely decline. The build tier list is for after you have a thesis. Until then, Flame plus Baseline Fate is a legal first-loop sentence, and it will still be legal on the last day of the demo wipe.