Loop Hero being a roguelike, this achievement requires a lot of lucky turns for everything to fall into place. Luckily, it’s simple to try again if the cards don’t fall your way. Here’s how to get started with In Time for Lunch.
Loop Hero In Time for Lunch Achievement
To pop the In Time for Lunch achievement, you have to “Defeat the boss in the first expedition.” That does NOT mean you just have to take down the Lich. It means you have to start a new game and defeat the Lich on your very first run.
This certainly isn’t easy, since you won’t have a lot of the bonuses and extras that you build up throughout Loop Hero. You’ll want to have played the game a bit so you have an understanding of the cards and systems at your disposal, so choose a new save slot and get rolling.
This achievement takes a lot of help from the gods of RNG. But there are a few ways you can tilt the scales in your favor. The first is your card selection before you get started. This layout seems to be the general best bet for unlocking this achievement:
You’ll want to turn off both the Beacon and Treasury cards for sure. Some recommend swapping off the Vampire Mansion as well, but that tends to be a matter of personal preference. I like leaving it because it gives you more options for blocking Lich Palaces from spawning.
As your run begins, you’ll want to prioritize Max HP and Regen/sec. You’ll also want to spring the Lich battle as early as possible (within reason), since the boss gets stronger with each loop. Use rock and mountain cards to build your HP, and use Oblivion to take out Goblin Camps as they spawn. Goblins can overwhelm you in a hurry if they get out of hand, so you want to avoid them at all costs!
Place Battlefield cards selectively so you can get as many treasure chests as possible without having to square off with too many of the tough enemies that can spawn here. Avoid placing any Cemetery cards unless you need one or two to fill out a space near camp — skeletons hit like a truck and are tough to take down in later loops.
As you start building up your Max HP, you’ll also want to start placing Meadow cards strategically to get Blooming Meadows. Place them so they are directly touching a rock or mountain to get a little extra HP/day bonus.
As you start laying the above down, you’ll also want to start transitioning away from Regen to Evasion. The Lich deals a ton of damage, so your goal is to avoid as many attacks as you can while ending the battle as fast as possible.
When you’re ready to take on the Lich, make sure every tile surrounding your campfire is filled with something to prevent any palaces from spawning. Place your cards down to max out your stats and put on your best gear, focusing on Evasion and Damage.
The sweet spot seems to be triggering the battle around Loop 6 or Loop 7. Chances are, if you take it much further than that, the Lich’s powerful attacks will overwhelm you before you can defeat it.
When you hit the final battle, there isn’t much you can do but sit back and hope the RNG is in your favor. Prioritizing evasion is always fickle; as a percentage roll, bad luck is just going to hit you sometimes. Even if your evasion is somewhere between 30-40 percent, there’s still a decent chance the Lich will hit you with every attack.
But there’s also that chance it will miss you more often than you’d expect.
If you take out the Lich on this first expedition, the achievement will pop. If you fall, just head back to the Loop Hero title screen, delete the save slot you just started and try again. It’ll probably take you a few tries. Good luck achievement hunters!
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